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[BlackCDI]

Congrats!!!!
Always wondered how practical would 44 be when baby arrives; keep us posted!

[snookey]

You’ve got a point. Regular breaks are part of the plan anyway - 30m to 1h off the road every three hours worked when I drove to Italy. Portugal is about the same distance for me.

Perhaps I’ll need to look for a particularly comfortable seat in that case, not sure we can stop every 90 mins....

No need to stop every ninety minutes.  Simple solution.  One of you rides in the back centre, with a different type of baby-seat on each side.  Just swap baby over after an hour and a half.  Sorted.  It'll even work when you have another, so the second seat is a real investment.  And by the time you have your third the eldest will be fine to have a front-seat child-seat for the whole trip.  Armchair on the roof after that, though.

Glad to be of service.

[F4celess]

Congratulations!

There's an article below on the subject. If it helps.
https://www.nhs.uk/news/pregnancy-and-child/warning-over-babies-sleeping-in-car-seats/

[El Tel]

Great info.. Thanks!

No need to stop every ninety minutes.  Simple solution.  One of you rides in the back centre, with a different type of baby-seat on each side.

..Apart from the obvious, sitting in the back, in the middle won't work because my ForFour really is for four!

It's licensed to carry 4 (as recorded on the 'permiso de circulación' and on the VIN tag) and doesn't have a rear centre belt. Big fines await those who get caught ignoring the law.

Though, I could buy and install a 3-seater bench from the local breakers (I'm guessing only the 454 with smaller engines got the 2-seat bench treatment) and I'd probably get away with it on a cursory stop...

[Problemchild]

I’m thinking / hoping he was joking haha

JJ

[El Tel]

I figured

[CrazyG]

Re the possiblity of fitting a 3 belt rear seat so that you could
carry five...
The 'boys in blue' would still find a way to 'have you' as the
logbook states 4 seater, not 5 seater.
Oh and the 3 seat/belted rear was a new customer order/fit option,
or a dealer specified option (for a display/test drive car) or even a
case of  "we've not got any 2 seat belted rear benchs available on
or for the production line at the moment, but we do have a lot of 3
seat belted ones we could fit....so we'll just use them".
One of my 2 CDi Passions has a twin belted rear seat and states
4 seater on the V5C (logbook), while the other has a 3 belted rear
seat with the V5C stating 5 seater.

[snookey]

I’m thinking / hoping he was joking haha

JJ

Not to blow my own trumpet (much), but when you can't quite tell, that's great satire.

[El Tel]

I knew you were pulling my leg but it raises an interesting g question;

Is there any rule which prevents the categorisation of the vehicle being changed to a 5-seater if the right bench is installed?

If I understand it right, some 1.3 454 have 4 seats and some have 5? Or is it just a rule that the puny 75hp isn’t enough for carrying 5?

[Ocracoke]

My 2004 1.3 has 5 seats but is registered as a 4 seat. TBH, fully loaded with 4 people and stuff, even that can struggle and mine was dynoed at ~110bhp.

[El Tel]

Is the registration an arbitrary thing decided at the factory when the bench is installed, or are there rules about this?

It seems a bit unfair to legally limit people like us to 4 peeps when we have exactly the same safety equipment (with a replacement bench) as the car that came out next on the line?

And if that is the only difference, why not apply for a change to the registration document?

[Alex]

My forfour is also registered as merely a 4-seater although it came with a 3 seat rear bench from the factory.

I'm just glad i don't drive a fiat uno.

[El Tel]

AKA Fiat Puno