2015 Subaru XV Crosstrek: Car Seat Check

Subaru's XV Crosstrek may be a subcompact SUV, but families shouldn't let the word "subcompact" keep them from checking it out. The 2015 XV Crosstrek is among the roomiest in the class, with ample space for two child-safety seats. Parents should also appreciate its easy-to-access Latch and tether anchors.

More Car Seat Checks

How many car seats fit in the second row? Two

What We Like

• There are two sets of Latch anchors in the outboard seats. They sit behind Velcro flaps about an inch below the seat cushion and were easy to access.
• The backseat is wide and flat, so the booster fit well. The seat belt buckles are on stable stalks, making them easier to grab than buckles on floppy straps.
• The forward-facing convertible was easy to install; three tether anchors sit midway down the seatbacks, with lots of clearance around the anchor bars.
• In rear-facing mode, the convertible also went in easily and fit well. The front passenger had adequate legroom.

What We Don't

• The infant seat was another easy install, but we had to move the front passenger seat forward just a bit. Average-size front passengers will still have enough legroom.

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 when available.

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

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

F: Does not fit or is unsafe.

About Cars.com'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 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 5-foot-6 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.