The Expedition & Navigator (same cars with identical back seats) were redesigned for 2018 and it was a fabulous redesign!
The vehicle comes as a 7 or 8 seater model – we STRONGLY urge parents to get the 8 seater model as with the “car seat safe” tilt for 3rd row access you can easily get to the 3rd row even with 3-across the 2nd row. The 7 seater model misses out on the safest seat in the car (the center) and also the best seat for kids/adults who get motion sick (its the one rear seat you see best out the front window).
Of the extra-large SUV’s, we think the Expedition/Navigator are the best of the bunch (and far superior to their closet competitors – the Cadillac Escalade/Chevrolet Suburban/GMC Tahoe/GMC Yukon (same cars with identical back seats). Here’s why the Expedition/Navigator for 2018 makes the top of our list for extra-large SUVs:
- There is a car seat safe tilting featurethat allows you to access the 3rd row without disturbing a LATCH installed car seat in the 2nd row!!!! And this feature works for both 2D and 2P!!! With this tilting feature, you can have 3 car seats across the 2nd row AND get into the 3rd row just as easily as if there were no car seats in the 2nd row. The Suburban offers no such thing, which means that loading a Suburban with lots of car seats in the 2nd row quickly means that you have no 3rd row access except by climbing through the trunk, which is horribly undignified!
- The3rd row in the Expedition is about 5 inches deeper than in the Suburban. How much of a difference does 5 inches make? A lot! 5 inches means you can put a rear-facing car seat (infant seat or convertible) in the 3rd row of the Expedition, but not in the Suburban. 5 inches also means that if you are forward-facing (child or adult) in the 3rd row your head is much safer as you are less likely to hit your head on the back of the 2nd row seat since it is 5 inches farther away. This is a big deal – as the head is the most likely part of the body to be injured in a crash, and the most likely cause for a head injury is hitting your head on something in the car (like the seat in front of you, the door frame, etc).
- There is anoption for an extended wheelbase version – to give you the trunk space you’ll need behind the 3rd row. The only other 3-row SUV to offer this extended wheelbase option is the Chevrolet Suburban/ Chevrolet Tahoe / Cadillac Escalade/ GMC Yukon (we’ll refer to these as the Suburban – but these 4 are all the same vehicle)… but that’s where the similarities end with the Expedition vs the Suburban.
- There are head restraints for all positions… unlike theSuburban which has no head restraints in 2C or 3C. Positions without a head restraint are not suitable for kids in backless boosters or adults due the risk for severe whiplash injuries.
- There are lower anchors in 5 of the 6 positions (only 3C is neglected)… unlike theSuburban which has no lower anchors in the 3rd row for a sad total of only 3 lower anchor positions in a vehicle with 6 seats in back.
- There are tether anchors in all 6 positions (ok, here’s the only time the Suburban can compete – it too has 6 tether anchor positions).
Starting in 2018, the Explorer & Navigator now have the option for inflatable seat belts (seat belts with an airbag built-in) for 2D & 2P. Click here to read more about these seat belts – as most car seats are not allowed to be installed with these belts.
8 Seater Model
7 Seater Model
The vehicles were slightly redesigned for 2007 – most notably the head restraints in all rear seating positions changed. They are now more problematic for car seats as they angle forward (in 2D, 2P, 3D, and 3P) and are not removable.
The rigid buckle for 2C is such that you can not use a booster with rigid lower anchor connectors in 2C as you can’t get the seat belt buckled when the rigid lower anchor connectors are used. Boosters featuring rigid lower anchor connectors are the Nuna Aace, Maxi Cosi RodiFix, and Cybex Solution boosters (this is not an all-inclusive list). 2C also can’t take a forward-facing Clek Foonf for a child over 35 pounds as you can’t get the seat belt buckled when using the rigid LATCH).
2003 saw the introduction of LATCH in all of the 2nd row positions, and a shoulder belt for the 2nd row center seat.
The rigid buckle for 2C is such that you can not use a booster with rigid lower anchor connectors in 2C as you can’t get the seat belt buckled when the rigid lower anchor connectors are used. Boosters featuring rigid lower anchor connectors are the Nuna Aace, Maxi Cosi RodiFix, and Cybex Solution boosters (this is not an all-inclusive list). 2C also can’t take a forward-facing Clek Foonf for a child over 35 pounds as you can’t get the seat belt buckled when using the rigid LATCH).
2000 saw the introduction of tether anchors (lower anchors won’t come until 2003 though). There are tether anchors in 2D, 2C, 2P, and 3C (which means that 3D and 3P do not have tether anchors.
2C seat belt is a lap belt that will lock to hold a car seat so long as you pull the lap belt all the way out and then feed it back into the seat crack (where it comes out of) until the car seat is tight. As noted in the image, 2C and 2P are not ideal spots for installing car seats – forward-facing car seats especially – due to the seat belt buckles being very far forward of the seat crack which often prevents the car seat from being held firmly against the back of the vehicle seat.
Tether anchors can be retrofitted for all the 2nd row seats, but none of the 3rd row seats. Lower anchors are not present and can not be retrofitted.
2C seat belt is a lap belt that will lock to hold a car seat so long as you pull the lap belt all the way out and then feed it back into the seat crack (where it comes out of) until the car seat is tight. As noted in the image, 2C and 2P are not ideal spots for installing car seats – forward-facing car seats especially – due to the seat belt buckles being very far forward of the seat crack which often prevents the car seat from being held firmly against the back of the vehicle seat.
