Mazda 5

We LOVE our Mazda 5 and regularly use it with 4 kids (our 3 and our nanny’s son). I just lean over the front seats and help the kids with their car seat belts. It isn’t totally simple, but it is easy enough to love, love, love it. It is speedy, easy to maneuver and park, gets good gas mileage, fits a bunch of kids comfortably, and it just so practical in DC. There is unquestionably little cargo space, but honestly, it has never been a problem at all. If you only have 3 in the back, you can fold one of the back seats flat too…and that really gives you a lot of space. We do have a bigger car as well that we use if we need lots more space. By the way, I also found a stroller that actually fits in the back cargo area. I can even fit two of them on top of eachother! (it’s an Inglesina umbrella stroller…I think the Swift. I can look at it if you’re interested; we got them on sale at Buy Buy Baby and they are terrific). By the way, once the kids can use booster seats which just use the seatbelt, the back seats are really, really nice because they can do everything themselves, particularly because there is an aisle between the seats so access to the seat belt buckle is so much better than in regular car seats where they are squashed down into the seat.