Editor’s note: This Car Seat Check is repurposed from our test of the 2013 Land Rover LR2, but our results apply to the 2014 model.

Land Rover’s five-passenger SUV gets a minor exterior face-lift and a major powertrain one for 2013. The previous model’s six-cylinder is replaced by a new 240-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder this year. Although Land Rover calls the LR2 a compact SUV, it was able to comfortably accommodate two child-safety seats in the second row without hogging too much of the first row’s legroom.

More Car Seat Checks

How many car seats fit in the second row? Two

What We Like

• After removing the head restraint, it was easy to install the forward-facing convertible in the backseat. The three top tether anchors, which are midway down the seatbacks, are easily accessible.
• We again raised the head restraint to install the booster; it was easy and had plenty of room. The seat belt buckles are on stable bases, which should help kids to buckle up independently.
• Although the stiff cushions complicated Latch connection, the rear-facing convertible had plenty of room once installed. We did not have to move the front passenger seat forward to fit it.

What We Don’t

• The two sets of outboard Latch anchors don’t sit too deeply in the seat bight, but the cushions are stiff, complicating access.
• The second-row seat doesn’t slide or recline.
• We had to move the front passenger seat forward to accommodate the rear-facing infant seat; average-height passengers should still have enough room to sit comfortably.

Grading Scale

A: Plenty of room for the car seat and the child; doesn’t impact driver or front-passenger legroom. Easy to find and connect to Latch and tether anchors. No fit issues involving head restraint or seat contouring. Easy access to the third row.

B: Plenty of room. One fit or connection issue. Some problems accessing third row.

C: Marginal room. Two fit or connection issues. Difficult to access third row.

D: Insufficient room. Two or more fit or connection issues.

F: Does not fit or is unsafe.

About ’s Car Seat Checks

Editors Jennifer Geiger and Jennifer Newman are certified child safety seat installation technicians.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible seat and Graco TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant and convertible seats are installed behind the front passenger seat.

We also install the forward-facing convertible in the second row’s middle seat with the booster and infant seat in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit; a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. If there’s a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. To learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks, go here.

Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat, and that Latch anchors have a weight limit of 65 pounds, including the weight of the child and the weight of the seat itself.

photos by Evan Sears