Of the adult pleasures disallowed to young children, such as coffee-drinking and unrestricted use of the more colorful words of Anglo-Saxon origin, you can now add Swivel 'n Go.
Maybe it should go without saying, but if your children are young enough to need a child seat or infant carrier, you may not use Chrysler Corp's newest gee-whiz seats. Oh, you can Swivel them 'n not Go. Or you could Go 'n not Swivel...
Sure, you could move the child seat(s) to the third row and put older kids and adults in the backward-facing second row, but then you'd just have to move the child seat(s) to the second row when it's just you and the kids otherwise your toddler won't be able to kick the back of your seat. And let's stop being ridiculous: The last thing parents want to do is unlatch and reinstall car seats over and over again because it remains a giant pain in the butt.
Understand, Chrysler never claimed nor implied that you could use Swivel 'n Go with child seats. We mention all of this in the spirit of public service for which Inside Line has become so famous. --Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit @ 1047 miles
ahightower says:
03:26 PM, 03/24/08
Also, for this kind of money, and that kind of gas mileage, you might as well go ahead and get a "full-size" van (GMC Savana or Ford Econoline). They're RWD, built to handle heavier towing and hauling, and from what I've seen have more leg room in all rows plus lots of space behind the third row. If you can go easy on the custom options, pricing is competitive. And, IMHO, a third row that turns into a queen-size bed is way cooler than a crappy plastic table, but I'm sure you could get one of those too if you wanted.
ahightower says:
10:17 AM, 04/ 7/08
Good point, definitely worth noting.
brn says:
11:49 AM, 04/ 7/08
All but useless?
That's the wonder of flexibility. When you want something one way, you put it that way. When you want something the other way, you put it the other way.
There may be times where one works and the other doesn't. I don't understand how having the option is a bad thing.
joefrompa says:
11:53 AM, 04/ 7/08
I agree with BRN - I think it's a good point to say that you shouldn't swivel your chair with a child seat installed. But the fact that said child will grow-up and appreciate his/her chair's swivable capabilities is a nice feature. A family of growing proportions (i.e. multiple children of multiple ages) might consider this a nice thing :)
As a pre-family guy, I say good for Chrysler. Now if only the minivan wasn't the ugliest one ever made.....I'll give this to them: it's got the lowest load floor (at least from an external look) that I've seen on a minivan.
Joe
ahightower says:
12:01 PM, 04/ 7/08
True, better to have it than not. But maybe not worth paying extra for if you know you can't use it for the foreseeable future.
Agreed, I know you can only do so much to make a van attractive, (and trying too hard can go awry, a la the GM Dustbuster vans), but my goodness, these things are just SO plain and uninteresting. I know, I know, you don't buy a family van for looks, but must they look like rolling lunch boxes?
mopar424 says:
12:15 PM, 04/ 7/08
..And take away any hope of garagability.
Agreed with brn. Swivel n go is a $495 option, and half the vans on dealer lots have stowaway second rows anyways.
roar02ram says:
12:22 PM, 04/ 7/08
There's still the huge benefit of the seat rotating towards the door, at least with everything except a rear-facing child seat. Then not only can you put the kid in at a natural height without stooping, but you can also put the kid in without twisting. That's huge! Now if only there were a way to lock the seat like that while you're trying to put the kid in...
stephen987 says:
01:35 PM, 04/ 7/08
Didn't GM have "swivel bucket seats" in the Cutlass Supreme et al back in the Seventies?
estreka says:
02:26 PM, 04/ 7/08
"swivable" - Word of the Day
altimadude00 says:
06:14 PM, 04/ 7/08
Sure the kids will grow up and be able to use the swivel seats, but with other kids in the third row, there won't be enough foot room. Also, you will have to decide whether you want the seat forward or rear facing before you move with the door open. You can not swivel the seat with someone sitting in the seat.
Also, there's a huge hole in the floor where the table plugs into. There is no cover for the hole.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that you have to adjust the driver's seat forward and more upright in order for the swivel seat to be used backwards. I was playing with it at an auto show last November and was totally put off by Swivel-n-Go
carswapper says:
05:25 PM, 04/ 8/08
As I have one I can appreciate the swivel and go. (yes I am a 39 year old male with a minivan but I have a mustang ragtop in the garage to counter the effects) The "hole" in the floor is barely worth noting. My kids are 7 and 10 and enjoy the swivel although its unsed unless long trips take place. While you are testing all sorts of sports cars there, try this one time; turn off the traction control and stomp the gas. It makes me grin for some reason. Yeah its not fast like a Ford GT but try it. Take it to the track too...I havent yet but I might try it.
hondacura4 says:
04:32 PM, 04/11/08
Ive read numerous articles that stated the Swivel n' go seats werent that comfortable on longer than average trips due to the cushion being too thin. Can anyone shed any light here?
"Take it to the track too...I havent yet but I might try it."
Carswapper did you say minivan and track in the same sentence? This may interest you.
http://revver.com/video/163063/tov-video-2006-honda-one-lap-odysseys-part-2/
http://revver.com/video/329684/tov-video-2007-honda-one-lap-odyssey-talladega-grand-prix/
SubyTrojan says:
12:31 AM, 04/13/08
Great links, hondacura4! Thanks!
That Honda Odyssey is no Renault Espace F1, though! :o)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEDwfk8EYR0
firstwagon says:
05:58 PM, 04/13/08
All minivans should sound that cool.
hondacura4 says:
10:32 AM, 04/14/08
Suby, I forgot about that Espace. That thing was just rediculous. Nothing can compare to that banshee F1 wail.