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There's a way... and a Porsche Carrera 4S can be as good a family car as any.
When I knew we were getting a Carrera 4S at the office, I had a plan: I was going to fit a baby seat in the back. No questions asked. It was going to fit.
Coworkers snickered, friends raised their eyebrows, and Matt St-Pierre laughed and said he was going to enjoy his week behind the wheel because there was no way I'd be able to use it on a daily basis as I have to bring my son to day care each morning.
Well, who's laughing now?
In fantastically bright Racing Yellow, the 2013 Porsche Carrera 4S catches enough attention, however, throw a baby seat in the back and pull up to the day care with it, and it's suddenly the talk of the block.
There are certain cars you just don't associate with children and families; the Porsche 911 is one such car. And that's a shame, because really it's not that impractical. Sure, it's all a matter of perception and how light you're willing to travel and how cramped your front passenger is willing to be (sitting in front of the baby seat), but it's all relative.
You still get to drive a 911... with a 16-month-old in the back. I see it being a win-win situation, really.
Now, I haven't tried to put any sort of stroller anywhere, but installing the baby seat was actually much easier than I thought it would be. Now, Porsche does offer their own baby seat that fits perfectly in the back of the 911. In conjunction with Tequipment, Porsche Design offers rear- and front-facing baby seats, as well as a booster seat. There is even a front-seat airbag deactivation kit available (because no child under the age of 12 should ever ride in the front seat with the airbags activated).
Without a Porsche-specific child seat, I hoped that one of the convertible baby seats I had in my garage would do the trick. From a massive Britax down to a rather slim and trim Evenflo seat, I kept my fingers crossed and opted for the smallest of the bunch: an Evenflo Chase LX Harnessed Booster.
Thankfully, my 5'2” stature meant install wasn't too painful, but it did require some flexibility on my part, and I'm not sure my 6'1” husband would have had such an easy time with it. Using the LATCH system (which is present in the back of the Carrera 4S) I securely attached the Evenflo behind the passenger seat.
Where the problem lies with the 911 is in the snugness of rear seat. It narrows where your bum would be, and so the base of any child seat you choose to put there must be just as small to fit in the space. And then there's the headroom: The gorgeous shape of the Carrera 4S means a heavily angled rear window which reduces headroom (read: room for a high-backed baby seat).
So, finding that perfect seat is a challenge. I came across many a message board and forum where parents questioned the usability of their 911 once baby came along. Recaro offers quite a few options for parents in the USA and Europe, as they are not legal to use here in Canada.
What was the point of me telling you all this? For starters: A 911 can be a family vehicle, and that no child should be denied the opportunity to hear a flat-6 wail behind them through seven glorious manually selected gears.
When I knew we were getting a Carrera 4S at the office, I had a plan: I was going to fit a baby seat in the back. No questions asked. It was going to fit.
Coworkers snickered, friends raised their eyebrows, and Matt St-Pierre laughed and said he was going to enjoy his week behind the wheel because there was no way I'd be able to use it on a daily basis as I have to bring my son to day care each morning.
Well, who's laughing now?
In fantastically bright Racing Yellow, the 2013 Porsche Carrera 4S catches enough attention, however, throw a baby seat in the back and pull up to the day care with it, and it's suddenly the talk of the block.
 |
| Photo: Porsche |
There are certain cars you just don't associate with children and families; the Porsche 911 is one such car. And that's a shame, because really it's not that impractical. Sure, it's all a matter of perception and how light you're willing to travel and how cramped your front passenger is willing to be (sitting in front of the baby seat), but it's all relative.
You still get to drive a 911... with a 16-month-old in the back. I see it being a win-win situation, really.
Now, I haven't tried to put any sort of stroller anywhere, but installing the baby seat was actually much easier than I thought it would be. Now, Porsche does offer their own baby seat that fits perfectly in the back of the 911. In conjunction with Tequipment, Porsche Design offers rear- and front-facing baby seats, as well as a booster seat. There is even a front-seat airbag deactivation kit available (because no child under the age of 12 should ever ride in the front seat with the airbags activated).
Without a Porsche-specific child seat, I hoped that one of the convertible baby seats I had in my garage would do the trick. From a massive Britax down to a rather slim and trim Evenflo seat, I kept my fingers crossed and opted for the smallest of the bunch: an Evenflo Chase LX Harnessed Booster.
Thankfully, my 5'2” stature meant install wasn't too painful, but it did require some flexibility on my part, and I'm not sure my 6'1” husband would have had such an easy time with it. Using the LATCH system (which is present in the back of the Carrera 4S) I securely attached the Evenflo behind the passenger seat.
Where the problem lies with the 911 is in the snugness of rear seat. It narrows where your bum would be, and so the base of any child seat you choose to put there must be just as small to fit in the space. And then there's the headroom: The gorgeous shape of the Carrera 4S means a heavily angled rear window which reduces headroom (read: room for a high-backed baby seat).
 |
| Photo: Miranda Lightstone |
So, finding that perfect seat is a challenge. I came across many a message board and forum where parents questioned the usability of their 911 once baby came along. Recaro offers quite a few options for parents in the USA and Europe, as they are not legal to use here in Canada.
What was the point of me telling you all this? For starters: A 911 can be a family vehicle, and that no child should be denied the opportunity to hear a flat-6 wail behind them through seven glorious manually selected gears.