COadvRider

I currently do not own a Jeep, rather, my wife and a ride two up on a KTM 990 Adventure and do all of our exploring on two wheels. We go up all the nasty passes and 4wd roads you guys do. We recently found out that we'll be having a baby early next spring. Since receiving that news I have had a change in my DNA and something deep down inside says "Hey, man. You probably shouldn't continue embarking on two wheels with your wife now that a tiny human will always need you around." AKA, the risk of riding motorcycles with my wife in tow (and baby for the next 7 months) is too high. It's not that off-road stuff that scares me, it's the two lane highways and getting to the dirt that is the risky part. That said, there is no way we could give up exploring the great Rocky Mountains and deserts of Utah and a Jeep Unlimited seems like the next best thing to have that capability.

I currently drive an '08 GMC Sierra. ;I use that to haul my motorcycles but the plan is to sell the bikes and get a jeep so no truck necessary. My big questions are the following. (I'm sure these have been asked and answered before so please feel free to point me to the necessary threads).

1) How well do car seats fit in the back seat? How about two? (thinking years down the road).

2) Do you find it difficult to strap the little boogers into their seats? What if the Jeep has a 3" lift and 34's?

3) This is probably a dumb question but... Do Jeeps get any hotter or colder during extreme weather? Will a hardtop stay just as warm in stop and go traffic during a winter storm as say, my Sierra?

4) And the big one... Safety. I know the side impact results on Jeeps are less than stellar. As Jeep owners, are you comfortable with its ability to carry your own kids? This is all relative but just looking for opinions.

I do understand that a Jeep is a Jeep and the comforts of my Sierra will not be the same in a bad ass Rubicon. I'd just like to hear from some people who have used an Unlimited as a family car in the past. Specifically, to haul babies in car seats...

Looking forward to hearing what knowledge you guys and gals have! Thanks!

DunnyBunny

Congrats on the new baby and welcome to the forum.

Well I got rid of my 2 Dr civic and bought a JKU just because I had a young kid. The base on the baby seat will stay in the vehicle and you can put it in the middle of the backseat for extra security from side impact. And the seat itself just snaps into the base and pull a lever to release. Very simple.

I'm in Louisiana where we get very high Temps and very high humidity which makes 80f feel like 100f and we get Temps above 100. I really don't have any cooling issues and I had a soft top. If hardtop it probably would have been even better. Extreme cold, well like I said I live in Louisiana so I don't know what that means. Lol. We get 100f weather during the winter sometimes. Lol. But we have had some very cold winters (for this area) and again not heating issues.

My 5 yr old loved the jeep. Especially with doors off and top down buy I would recommend tube doors or half doors just as a little added protection if they decide to get stupid and unbuckle their seat belt while driving. Again I put her booster in the middle and she buckles herself now but it wasn't really an issue to just lean in and do it myself. I'm 6' though. And you really don't need 3.5" for 34" tires unless you just want to go high.

I recently just had another little girl this past father's day ad while I don't currently have a jeep right now, I will be getting a other one in about a month or 2. Will probably try and get a dual top one so I can have hardtop for winter and soft top for summer. And I won't be hesitant to put both my kids in it. My wife loves the jeep also and it served as my DD and family fun vehicle.

Any particular reason why a Rubicon?

AZJeepRubicon

I run my jeep topless and doorless with my kids for half the year. 2, 4, 10, & 15 year olds. There's always going to be a safer vehicle out there. If you play that game you will end up with a full size van or a tank. With a lift and large tires I feel like most any car would go under my cab so I think they are safer than cars. Therefore only have to deal with SUV's and trucks. Doors on is probably safer. Big car seats help too. Make sure you use safety as a reason to get frame mounted sliders 1st thing. They gotta help at least a little in a side impact collision. Good excuse for a full cage too.

COadvRider

Thanks for the feedback. I mentioned Rubicon (and the 3" lift and 34"s) I'm currently talking to a guy with that set up. I'm not set on anything at this point.

Jersey_Devil

GET THE PSC C PILLAR SUPPORT!!!! CANT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!!! If ur putting anyone in the back seat this is a very wise investment. When I rolled my last jku the roll cage crush down past the rear headrests. If someone was sitting back there they'd be dead

mikeJKUR

I didn't notice before buying and was very disappointed to find out there are vents to the rear seats. Obviously there is a big temperature difference between the front and rear seats. My boys are teenage and have commented about the temperature in the back.

COadvRider

Thanks for all the great info, fellas. I like the safety tips.

COadvRider

Was this roll on the street or while wheelin?

Dodge4me

My Wife babysits sometimes up to three babies and we have had three car seats across the back seat at one time. Tight, yes, but possible.
The only issues we have seen is on the rear facing car seat, the front seat must be moved forward to the point where I cannot drive, so you'll want to put yours in the middle or passenger side. But getting them in and out is a breeze.
If you like the outdoors/off road, etc. the Jeep would be the only way to go. Make sure you spend some time test driving to get a feel for the comfort level of a Jeep. It is not as plush as anything else out there, nor your Sierra.
The climate control system is really good, although like mentioned there is a difference in temp from front to rear. I've seen some set ups where you can put a hose into one of the front vents and run it to the rear if you are concerned about heat or cold being too much. But with the top fully on, the temp diff is really insignificant. The HVAC system in Wranglers are really quite good with the heat blowing almost too hot and the Air Conditioner is plenty cold.

Jersey_Devil

On the street. Blacked out on the way home from work, crossed yellow lines and need up going thru 5 back yards, 3 sheds and 2 trees, the first tree sent me into the roll. I could feel and hear everything going on but I could see nothing. Dr's couldn't find anything wrong with me either. Just one of those weird freak accidents.