oxeye
New member
Okay, so I got a chance to play with the new seat.
First observation - the harness on the SL is significantly thicker than the harness on my original XTs. Definitely different!
The fabric is softer IMO than the Malibu fabric which is really nice. The seat seems really comfortable. I think there may be more padding between the cover and the wings. Not 100% sure though.
I don't like the red LATCH straps. I understand why they changed the color but yuck.
The LATCH connectors are interesting. When you push the red button to unhook the anchors, the teeth stay retracted until you push them onto another LATCH bar. Very different than the IMMI LATCH connectors. They make a very quiet click when you attach them. I pulled hard to make sure they really were attached! You don't feel the click either because of the design. Here's a pic of the LATCH connector with the teeth retracted -
I had to take out DD1's Frontier to get into the third row with enough space to work so while that was out I installed it FF with LATCH. My van is an 08 Sienna. That install was about as easy as they come. It's a very good thing I will always be able to use LATCH in this car because the seatbelt install with the Radian FF in that van is awful! I think if I really worked at it I could get an acceptable install but YAY for never needing to do it!
The seat's home for now is RF in the third row center for DD2. That install was very easy with LATCH. It may have been slightly more difficult than it is with the original XTs but nothing I can complain about. Here are the best pics I could get in the third row with the weird angles!
It installs pretty upright in the third row -
And the lucky little girl who gets to ride in it! She loves it.
First observation - the harness on the SL is significantly thicker than the harness on my original XTs. Definitely different!
The fabric is softer IMO than the Malibu fabric which is really nice. The seat seems really comfortable. I think there may be more padding between the cover and the wings. Not 100% sure though.
I don't like the red LATCH straps. I understand why they changed the color but yuck.
The LATCH connectors are interesting. When you push the red button to unhook the anchors, the teeth stay retracted until you push them onto another LATCH bar. Very different than the IMMI LATCH connectors. They make a very quiet click when you attach them. I pulled hard to make sure they really were attached! You don't feel the click either because of the design. Here's a pic of the LATCH connector with the teeth retracted -
I had to take out DD1's Frontier to get into the third row with enough space to work so while that was out I installed it FF with LATCH. My van is an 08 Sienna. That install was about as easy as they come. It's a very good thing I will always be able to use LATCH in this car because the seatbelt install with the Radian FF in that van is awful! I think if I really worked at it I could get an acceptable install but YAY for never needing to do it!
The seat's home for now is RF in the third row center for DD2. That install was very easy with LATCH. It may have been slightly more difficult than it is with the original XTs but nothing I can complain about. Here are the best pics I could get in the third row with the weird angles!
It installs pretty upright in the third row -
And the lucky little girl who gets to ride in it! She loves it.