Can you comfortably fit 1 adult and 2 car seats in Tundra 2nd Row?

Please forgive me if this has been answered elsewhere but I have searched and cannot find an answer to my specific question.

I want to purchase a vehicle that allows "comfortable" seating of 1 adult and 2 car seats in the second row. The adult would most likely be a woman (5'3"). I have read many articles that says the Tundra backseat allows 3 car seats but I can't find definitive info on my specific requirement. I am also wondering if my requirement could be satisfied by a double cab or a crewmax. I am guessing the 3rd gen Crewmax is the right solution but don't know for certain.

If you have any insight about which car seats to purchase, that would also be greatly appreciated!

My other requirements include:

Great than 8" ground clearance
4WD or AWD
"adequate" storage for a trip (truck bed with cover?)

I have researched about everything but there is no ideal solution. 3 Row SUVs lack storage and/or ground clearance. A Sequoia, Suburban or Expedition would probably work but I don't want to spend that much money. If a 4Runner could seat 3 in the 2nd seat, that would be my preference but I don't think that will work.

I would appreciate any real world advice you can provide. Again, sorry if I missed this discussion elsewhere! Thank you!

 

You need a crewmax. You can fit two car seats and 1 adult. In fact, it’s probably the biggest back seat you will find in any vehicle. You can fit 4 adults in that backseat without buckling. You probably have to put the car seats on the outside and the adult would sit in the middle

 

Easily. Understand the kids in the car seat are going to be comfortable in whatever vehicle that car seat will fit in. And a 5'3" person, unless they are pushing 200 lbs, doesn't need a whole lot of space.

But yeah..no ideal solution....there usually is a compromise to every decision we make.

 

Whether a crew max or double cab, the 2021 Tundra second row shoulder room is 65.5 inches and even a 2012 was 65.7. More than enough room for 2 car seats and a resemble sized 5'3" person IMHO.
Plug your choice into Car and Driver for examples.

2021 Toyota Tundra Limited Double Cab 6.5' Bed 5.7L (Natl) Features and Specs (caranddriver.com)

 

My wife sits in the middle of our kids car seats all the time in the back of my DC. And she is quite comfortable for a 1/2 hour to hour drive. Leg room (bad knees and all) isn’t the issue for her, it’s her shoulders hitting the car seats. Its good but definitely a compromise. For reference my wife is 5’2 and skinny.

 

The type of car seats may matter also. For example, two booster seats and an adult are no problems whatsoever. Two giant rear facing car seats and 1 person may fit space wise, but they could cover the center seat belt receiver a bit, making it a little harder to fasten in (depending on what seat you get and how wide, etc…). Throw some of those big rubber seat protectors under the car seats and that gets tricky too. Not impossible, but just have to fiddle around a bit to get things going.

My suggestion would be to test drive your desired body style, bring all of your gear, load it up, and see what you think.

 

Yes, if it’s an adult < 5’9”, you do not need a crew max.

The width is the same for crewmax and DC. But when you get someone ~ 5’10” or taller, they’ll appreciate more leg room, so if it’s an all-the-time thing, I guess you’r have to look at a crewmax. But not for the person in your scenario.

I disagree with the comment above about fitting 4 adults in the back seat comfortably—nope, not unless they’re all super tiny.

 

I have a CrewMAX. My truck has 2 rear facing car seats and 1 passenger seat in it. There’s plenty of room for everybody. My wife actually rides back there and doesn’t complain!

 

The height of the woman is irrelevant. It’s the width that matters.

 

I always thought it was the girth

 

Neither, the wealth is the important factor!

 

When my kids were in car seats we would test fit both seats in any vehicle before signing any papers. We were close to purchasing one car and when we put the car seat in rear-facing we found that the car was not going to work for us. (Saved us a $40K mistake).

 

Crew Max is almost stupid its so big in rear passenger area.

Speculating here but only thing with more room might be a ram mega cab if they still make those.

 

Thank you so much for your replies! I really appreciate your advice! Have a great day!

 

You could host a graduation party in the back of CM if you wanted to its so damn big. But for real, I've had 3 buddies of mine in the back seat. All over 6' and 250 lbs and they commented many times of how much room they all had.