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Like that child "43in/35lbs, 4yrs1mo" in a Safeguard and in a Regent seems to have a lot more room to grow "height-wise" in the Safeguard. Don't most children outgrow their car seats heigh-wise before weight-wise? 
Have to reply separately to everyone. Did you try the Regent and Radian fully extended in the outboard? No problem? Not too high? In the middle, do you have a top tether anchor? Or, do you install the Regent with the lap belt only? Thanks. So, you DO have a top tether anchor in the middle but Toyota does not let you use it??? Thanks for the links to great pictures. The boy looks really comfortable in his Husky. It's a very wide seat, isn't it? Lots of room to grow. It's nice that he can cross his legs like this in it. So, is she so "atypical" or did they design this seat wrong??? I don't get it.
tiggercat: Thank you.
I looked carefully again, and I see that the MA is also in an outboard position, right? I thought at first that it was in the middle. So, the Husky takes up the whole outboard position and about half of the middle seat, right? Thank you again.
Dillipop: Thank you.
Yes, Regent has the highest slots (elitecarseats.com says it's 20") but it is rated till 53" for child maximum height, whereas the Safeguard measures 19" and 57", respectively, and Radian, 18" and 49".
So, I'm confused here...
How can the Regent have higher slots but go only up to 53" and not 57" like the Safeguard which has lower slots???
The max height is an approximation by the manufacturer. If you would like to verify that, call Britax, they have awesome customer service. So the regent, with the taller slots, would fit the longest. Your child will fit the regent until the shoulders are above the top slots or she weights more that 80 lbs.
Dillipop: Thank you.
Your welcome! And I will try to get you pics of the safeguard in the elantra tomorrow if it's not raining. Depending on the weather, I can also try to install the husky so you can see a side by side comparison in the car.
Yes, Regent has the highest slots (elitecarseats.com says it's 20") but it is rated till 53" for child maximum height, whereas the Safeguard measures 19" and 57", respectively, and Radian, 18" and 49".
So, I'm confused here...
How can the Regent have higher slots but go only up to 53" and not 57" like the Safeguard which has lower slots???
Height limits are not absolute. When the manufacturer states a height limit, it is a "guess" on how tall a child can be. What is really important is the child's torso length. A seat is outgrown when a child's shoulder go over the top harness slot. So a seat with higher slots will last longer than one with lower slots no matter how tall the stated overall height limit is.
You're absolutely right about the Radian, if I were to get it, I would also buy just the 65 and not 80. But, it has only 18" slots and 49" max height, so I'm not getting it.
This is a great seat and will probably get your dd at least another 3 years out of it if she is just outgrowing the radian. However, it looks like you want her harnessed longer and that's great!
My dd is 33lbs, (3.5yo, 39") so, at her current weight gain rate, she should have another 2-3 years! in her Roundabout (up to 40lbs). But, her shoulders are already ABOVE the highest slots!
Most seats are outgrown by height before weight by most children. Most children will need at least 16 inch top slots to get to 40 pounds in a seat. Some more, some less. Unfortunately, most 40 pound convertible seats have lower than 16 inch top slots and the majority of children outgrow these before 40 pounds. Most combination seats (those that convert to a booster) have 16-17 inch top slots and will get most kids to 40 pounds. So, it is not just your dd that is outgrowing these seats by torso length/height early. My son would have outgrown the roundabout around 35 pounds and a little over 3. He still has 3 inches in the radian, 4ish in the safeguard and 5 in the regent.
Thank you very much for your comments about LATCH installation and the Safeguard. You're right, I don't have LATCH, so I would have to use just the seat belt and a top tether. Of course, the more solid the install, the better, in any way. The best feature in the Safeguard, I think, is its high maximum height (57") and the side impact protection, which the Regent is missing. I would really like to have sip for her, especially in an outboard position, and in a small car like mine... Is there a lot of side-to-side head movement in the Regent? And, can he lean his head on anything to, say, take a nap? Thank you for the pictures.
Any 5 point harness will provide good side impact protection by keeping the child in place and not flying towards the side of the car. The regent has EPS foam just like the safeguard. The regent in itself is so wide that it provides its own protection outboard just by being large. Ds has napped in his husky with no problems. He just leans to the side or puts his hands behind his head. No complaints yet. He loves both seats and I have no problem putting either outboard and feeling that he will be safe in a side impact.
Also, how does the crotch strap compare between the Regent and the Safeguard? Which one adjusts more and grows with the child better?
The safeguard strap is fixed. The regent has 2 positions. The nearest position must be used for a child under 50 and the inner or outer can be used for a child over 50. The regents strap definitely gives more room in the crotch than the safeguard, even on its nearest setting. Both have been comfortable for my DS.
All these car seats are very expensive, but I'd rather spend 430 once than 270 twice, if I need to replace it sooner... Oh, I'm so confused...!
If you want to keep her harnessed as long as possible, the regent is definitely the way to go. It really does last a child longer even if it's stated height limits are lower than the safeguards. It really depends on the torso height. Always remember, weight limits are absolute, height limits are more of an estimate. If your child's shoulder has gone over the top slot, the seat is outgrown, whether she is 5 inches shorter or taller than the stated limit.
Thank you again.
No problem! HTH and let us know what your final decision is!
YOU ARE VERY KIND, INDEED. TOO BAD MY DD IS SLEEPING RIGHT NOW; I CAN'T WAIT TO MEASURE HER TORSO LENGTH... HARNESSED AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. AFTER THE YOUTUBE VIDEO, TOO, LIKE FOR THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, I'M SURE...
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