Recaro Como Desert Sand

[arly1983]

Recaro Como Midnight Desert:



We have had the Como now for 3 days total. It was used two days FFing with a 2.5 yr old (DS), 34 lb, and 40.5 ins. It was used one day RFing with a 12 mth old (DD), 22 lb and 28 ins.

First impressions and features:

The Como had a very distinct chemical smell when it first came out of the box. The cover had a residue on it. The smell later dissipated after about two days and the residue washed out. The color, midnight desert, is very sharp and nice looking. The fabric texture was not a soft as expected and is quite hot feeling.

The Come is very light for such a large convertible. The shell is nice and tall. The wings of the seat are very deep. In the most upright position the seat is still much reclined. The base is quite large in circumference and completely smooth with now rough corners or edges. The side wings and eps foam have vents for ventilation.

The Como also comes with a hip bolster and separate headrest w/ wings for use with the smaller child. The hip bolster stays in place quite well and does not require the removal the crotch strap to be put on or taken off. Both the hip bolster and head wings are made of the same material as the rest of the seat. The headrest wings are quite floppy and require adjustment while loading child. Also you must remove the top straps of the harness to put on or take off the headrest.

The Como’s harness straps seem very thin and are very twisty. In 3 days time, the straps have completely twisted in the buckle tongues and chest clip. The adjuster strap is also very narrow. The harness tightens in one smooth motion.

The Como also has strap covers that are embroidered with the Recaro brand name. They are made of the same material as the rest of the seat. They are quite long at about 4.5 ins and have nice grippy material on the back sides.

My experience with the Como Forward Facing has been over all good. The Como sits quite high with the bottom of the seat angling sharply upward so the knees are higher than the bum. I think this contributes to the overall feeling of the Como have a higher base than other convertibles. Loading is quite a stress on the arms if your child is larger and not climbing up on their own. After some practice of loosening the harness and laying the straps off the sides so that when I was loading DS later, they were not in the way. Even with taking extra care, the straps were very twisty. My DS seemed to like the Como. He propped his feet up the back of the driver’s seat. When sleeping, he looked very comfortable as his head was well supported by the deep recline and deep wings. The tops slots measure at 19 ins and my son has approximately 3 ins of torso growth when installed.



As a Rear Facing seat, our experience was rather negative. On our first trip (30 mins), DD was completely sweated down. There was a ceiling vent pointed at her and it was about 86 degrees. The shell vents seem to have little effect as the thigh bolster and head wings are quite thick. She hated being confined by the headrest and spent the whole trip with her head lifted out of the wings. Loading her was quite troublesome and extra care was needed to make sure that the harness was tight enough with all the pads. The deep wings of the seat made putting the child in the seat a tight squeeze. The seat is also quite high RFing. The Como cannot be tethered while RFing (unless vehicle RFing tethers are present)

I wanted to add that Recaro makes the following recommendations on the headrest:

"We strongly suggest parents keep the headrest in position when the shoulder straps are in the lowest two slots. When the upper three slots are being used, the headrest is optional. The Como is no less safe without the headrest in the seat."

Overall installation was very nice. The Como has built in look offs and per instructions, should be used with all seatbelt installations. I had some difficulty with more upright seats as the Como has definite recline but was able to get an acceptable install. The RFing space taken up was the same as a Britax MA with no adjustment (i.e. pool noodles, etc) The RFing recline was very upright so use with a young infant would require some adjustment and might make the Como take up more room.

My overall impression of the Como is mixed. I am not sure I would have purchased the Como had I known I would not wish to use it RFing. I shall probably keep it as it has lots of torso growth room and is fairly easy to install. The harness is only slightly more preferable to the harness systems of seats only a 1/6th of the Como’s price. Honestly, I am very mixed about this seat.




DS is above this slot when Como is installed


DS had about an inch less torso room when installed


Regent vs. Como




Rfing 35 lb DS


RFing Britax MA behind RFing Como


RFing DD with Como hip bolster and headrest


RFIng Como side view

[arly1983]

YOU MUST USE THE HEADREST IN THE BOTTOM TWO SLOTS!

I just talked to Paul (Product Manager, nice guy) and he talked to me for like 15 mins and took the time to explain why and offer suggestions to prevent overheating.

Why: It is to reduce the air gap inbetween the side of the shell and a small child's head so that in a side impact, the head does not accelerate before impacting the side of the shell.

Also, that the como was ONLY tested and approved for use with the bottom two slots WITH the headrest. It will NOT proform in s side impact as intended WITHOUT the headrest.

So no, Recaro will not recommend use of the como without the headrest in the bottom two slots. He said "no exceptions period"

[mom2boys]

Maybe I am not understanding this, or maybe I am just not thinking straight. So, why is it that that safety feature(the headrest) is required only for the bottom 2 slots? Doesn't the head move and hit the side of the seat when they are older? Was it tested for safety on the other slots without the headrest? I guess I am just very leery of this car seat now from a safety standpoint. I would expect that a racing seat maker would make a safe seat in all situations, but maybe it isn't safe anymore once you take out the headrest thing. Gosh, this car seat thing is confusing and I don't know who is trustworthy anymore.

[sanctareparata]

Originally Posted by arly1983

YOU MUST USE THE HEADREST IN THE BOTTOM TWO SLOTS!

I just talked to Paul (Product Manager, nice guy) and he talked to me for like 15 mins and took the time to explain why and offer suggestions to prevent overheating.

Why: It is to reduce the air gap inbetween the side of the shell and a small child's head so that in a side impact, the head does not accelerate before impacting the side of the shell.

Also, that the como was ONLY tested and approved for use with the bottom two slots WITH the headrest. It will NOT proform in s side impact as intended WITHOUT the headrest.

So no, Recaro will not recommend use of the como without the headrest in the bottom two slots. He said "no exceptions period"

Sounds like they need to reword their manuals or get together and agree on a uniform answer.

""We strongly suggest parents keep the headrest in position when the shoulder straps are in the lowest two slots. When the upper three slots are being used, the headrest is optional. The Como is no less safe without the headrest in the seat."

[arly1983]

Originally Posted by sanctareparata

Sounds like they need to reword their manuals or get together and agree on a uniform answer.

""We strongly suggest parents keep the headrest in position when the shoulder straps are in the lowest two slots. When the upper three slots are being used, the headrest is optional. The Como is no less safe without the headrest in the seat."

Yes, they are revising their manuals and are supposed to address the issue of the headwings and the 34" RFing hight.

On calling back, I was told I didn't have to use the headwings with my 13 month old daughter so we havn't been using them.

[arly1983]

***UPDATE***

We have now used the como for a while in both FFIng and RFing. I am finding installation very good

I have had it installed in a 04 Freestar, 05 Maxima, 04 Ford 500, 2000 Accord, 98 Camry, 04 Camry, and 98 F-150.

Our experience RFing has been great since we were ok'ed on the removal of the headwings.

One thing I have noticed about both kids: THEY LOVE TO SLEEP IN THIS SEAT. And they look unbelievable comfortable (no head lolling, or tilting, or anything) So comfortable that this is now my seat of choice for long trips (even over the regent)...

The harness is still twisty but I lay the buckles over the sides of the seats and this seems to help.