Editor’s note: This Car Seat Check was written in January 2019 about the 2019 Subaru Forester. Little of substance has changed with this year’s model. See what’s new for 2020 or check out a side-by-side comparison of the two model years.

The Subaru Forester is known as a practical, capable compact SUV. For 2019, it also gets a little more comfortable and civilized thanks to a refresh that adds nicer interior materials, as well as more safety and convenience features. Caregivers with kids in car seats will be impressed by its wide backseat and easy-access Latch anchors.

Does it fit three car seats? No

Take a look at how the Latch system and each car seat scored below in our Car Seat Check of the 2019 Subaru Forester.

Related: Search Car Seat Checks

A Grade

• Latch: The Forester has two sets of outboard anchors, plus an additional third single anchor for the middle position. All of the anchors sit under Velcroed leather flaps; access and connection are easy. The three top tether anchors sit on the back of the seat; they’re also clearly marked and easy to use.
• Infant: The install was easy and our 5-foot, 6-inch-tall front passenger had ample room.
• Rear-facing convertible: Again, the seat went in easily and fit well.
• Forward-facing convertible: This seat was easy to install and fit well after we removed the head restraint.
• Booster: After removing the head restraint, the booster fit well. The buckles are on short but stable stalks, so kids shouldn’t have a hard time grasping and using them independently. One thing to note: For the middle seat, the seat belt comes down from the ceiling, blocking the driver’s view to the rear.

B Grade

• None

C Grade

• None

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: One room, fit or connection issue. Some problems accessing the third row when available.

C: Marginal room plus one fit or connection issue. Difficult to access the third row when available.

D: Insufficient room, plus multiple fit or connection issues.

F: Does not fit or is unsafe.

About ’s Car Seat Checks

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

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide Classic Connect 30 infant-safety seat, a Britax Marathon convertible seat and Graco TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a shorter 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. Learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks.

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.

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