![\"960116_10201076099894190_897417622_n\"](\"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/960116_10201076099894190_897417622_n.jpg\")
<\/a>This weekend we went out and bought a new Nissan Pathfinder.\u00a0 The Pathfinder was completely redesigned for 2013 and meets every criteria other than my wish for a manual transmission (which I had long given up on).\u00a0 We had been looking at the Pathfinder for a while and even rented one in August when we went up to Disney with my sister (in order to avoid having to take 2 cars) and really liked the car.<\/p>\nI like that it\u2019s got one of the best gas mileage ratings of mid-size SUVS with a 3rd<\/sup> row and even though I don\u2019t drive too much, it\u2019s really important to me to get decent gas mileage.\u00a0 \u00a0Only a few other cars with 3rd<\/sup> rows get better gas mileage and those that do have pretty much useless 3rd<\/sup> rows, no stowage space or were insanely out of our price range.<\/p>\n It\u2019s by no means a fancy car, though it could be.\u00a0 We got a great, no FANTASTIC deal on the base model (S class) that doesn\u2019t have all the bells and whistles but I don\u2019t need all the fancy pantsy stuff, I need a car that will get me from here to there and keep my kids safe.\u00a0 Plus, if I can write an entire post on what my family could do with $25 (see\u00a0“A Matter of Principle (and Pennies)”<\/a>) then just imagine the post I could write on what a few thousand dollars means to my family.\u00a0 I\u2019ve lived without the top-class \u00a0features up to now, I can easily do without them into the future!<\/span><\/p>\n But what really sold me on the Pathfinder was how great it is for car seats.\u00a0 I really wanted a car where I could have all 3 kids in the middle row and use it as a standard 5 seater car except when we had the occasional additional passengers.\u00a0 I did not want captain\u2019s chairs where one of the kids would have to be alone in the back or where I\u2019d have to climb in the back to fasten car seats (one of my beefs with minivans).\u00a0 I also didn\u2019t want to have to move a car seat to the back or take it in and out to get to the 3rd<\/sup> row.<\/p>\n It also has an actual cargo area behind the 3rd<\/sup> row.\u00a0 It\u2019s not huge but roomy enough for my stroller and if I need extra stowage space there is a \u201chidden\u201d compartment under the floor of the cargo area or I can fold one or both on the 3rd<\/sup> row seats flat to create lots of space (and I can\u2019t even imagine how much if I slide the 2nd<\/sup> row seats forward).<\/p>\n The 2014 Pathfinder has lower LATCH anchors in each 2nd<\/sup> row outboard seat and top tether anchors on all 3 2nd<\/sup> row seats and on the passenger side 3rd<\/sup> row seat.\u00a0 This means I can have 4 forward facing car seats all SAFELY installed at the same time!\u00a0 Most minivans don\u2019t even have that!<\/p>\n<\/a>The Pathfinder has a nice roomy 2nd<\/sup> row which easily accommodates 3 car seats.\u00a0 The 2nd<\/sup> row is also adjustable front to back to give extra leg room for the 3rd<\/sup> row and when pushed all the way back, gives tons of leg (or rear-facing car seat) room.<\/p>\nWhile the 3rd row is not terribly roomy, there is plenty of space for two adults to sit next to each other and with the 2nd row pushed forward, even my 6 foot tall sister didn’t complain about sitting back there.<\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n