I am a mother of twins and I don't want a minivan or SUV.
The 2010 Honda Accord and 2010 Mazda6 have very large backseats that should be able to accommodate two infant seats, although it will be a tight fit. Infant seats however might not be your biggest problem. Convertible car seats that the twins will grow into — and that must face rearward for a number of months — can be very large so you definitely want to take both with you on test drives.
Cars.com senior editor David Thomas installed an infant seat in the Mazda6 showing that it will fit in this size of vehicle. However, as you can see from the pictures it was a tight fit. Here, with the driving position set up for a 5-foot, 10-inch-tall driver there’s about an inch of clearance. The Accord’s rear seat is shaped differently and could offer more room.
Also, our MotherProof.com site specializes in reviews that answer this type of question. They also found the Accord’s rear seat roomy, to a fault for some. MotherProof.com’s Sherrice Gilsbach explains in her review:
“The Accord’s spacious interior made it tough for my short self to make easy contact with my rear passengers. Taller moms (let’s say 5 feet, 6 inches or taller) won’t have any trouble at all, I’m guessing.”
Seeing as you’ll have two infant seats you may want to look at a larger vehicle. The Toyota Venza is an alternative that doesn’t look like a traditional SUV and definitely isn’t a minivan. Check out our video of the Venza which takes note of the rear room and child seat space. If you can get past “no SUVs” the Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander are worth a look, although both are more expensive than the sedans.
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I would imagine that any full-size sedan would do the trick also. Charger/300, Taurus, Impala, etc.
I don't think we should be encouraging people to "get past the SUV thing." People rarely actually need the SUV, and end up using copious amounts of gas/ road space/materials etc, when they could easily get by with less. Not saying there is never a need for an SUV, but most people really don't
Don't forget about all the other things you need with the twins, stroller, etc; in making this decision. So factor in trunk space, what if you go shopping with a stroller (double one at that) is there room for the bags? Can you get it in the trunk? and the dipper bags and toys etc. The crossover SUV starts to look better then the sedan doesn't it.
How about an original SUV, the station wagon. No rollover worries or gas hog issues. Still handles like a car and some can get over 40mpg. VW makes a Jetta diesel sportwagen and Passat. The Volvo wagons are the ultimate in safety. Even the Doge Magnum has tons of room for duble strollers and a lot of rear seat room. All of these can be found new except the Dodge but even that can be found a few years old with low miles. All the euro brands have wagons. I'd pay $32K for my used'07 BMW 530xi wagon all over again rather than for a Toyota highlander, or $45K for a Chevy Suburban or $30K for Honda Odessey. Just my $.02
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With regards to moving up from the infant seat to a convertible seat in the rear facing position, try the first years compass. For babies in a certain height and weight range the head rest can be removed so the front seats can be reclined further.