convertible for Toyota Matrix

U

Unregistered

Guest
My 6mo daughter is in the 90th percentile for weight and height, so I know we're approaching the 22-pound/29-inch limits of our Graco Snugride. We have a 2006 Toyota Matrix and we'd like to put a convertible carseat in the middle (for now, knowing it would need to be outboard if/when we decide to add another baby to the family). We also need to be able to install it easily, since my husband would be taking the carseat out about once a week in order to put the seats down for work. We're looking at the Britax Boulevard - it seems to fit the bill as far as being easy to install and having good side-impact protection. Are there others we should be looking at? Thanks!
 
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wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Welcome.

The new lockoffs on the Britaxes aren't difficult, but they do take a bit more work than the old ones. Since the center of your backseat doesn't allow for LATCH, the lockoffs may be something you deal with every time.

The Britaxes are also shorter and have less leg room than other seats, so depending on where your daughter carries her height they may not last you as long as you'd like with her as comfortable as possible.

For a child on the higher ends of both scales, I'd look at the Sunshine Kids Radians first, then the Safety 1st Complete Air, then the Evenflo Triumph 65, then the Britaxes. The Radians aren't the easiest to install, but nearly any seat with practice can be done in just a few minutes.

Also, there are no standards for side impact testing. "True Side Impact Protection" is a phrase trademarked by Britax for marketing. Nothing more right now.

And your daughter will outgrow her infant seat at 22 pounds, or when she has less than 1" of shell above her head, when measured perpendicularly. Depending on how she carries her height, she may have outgrown it already. If she's all legs she may have a while yet by height.

Wendy
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Thanks, Wendy. I know the Britaxes are lower on the list of recommendations on this board!

So is the seatbelt installation pretty much the same (with respect to ease of use) for any of these car seats? And how about size - are these seats pretty comparable to one another in terms of footprint? How do they compare to the Graco Snugride front-to-back and side-to-side? And finally, in terms of height, I'm 5'2" so I don't want a seat that's going to impede my view out the back - the Radian seems a lot taller than the other seats, but maybe they're all roughly the same once they're installed?

Thanks!
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
So is the seatbelt installation pretty much the same (with respect to ease of use) for any of these car seats?

The Radian may be the most difficult. I haven't put one in a Matrix before. Otherwise, yeah, they're pretty similar.

And how about size - are these seats pretty comparable to one another in terms of footprint?

The Radian is by far the narrowest. It's 14" wide at the base and 17" wide at the shoulder. The Complete Air is next, probably about 18" across, and then the Britaxes around 19", and the Evenflo finishes them off around 19.5" or 20". It's a big bubble of a seat.

How do they compare to the Graco Snugride front-to-back and side-to-side?

Including the handle width on the Snugride, the Radian is about the same size, the others are wider. But they hit in very different spots. So it's not just about the numbers.

And finally, in terms of height, I'm 5'2" so I don't want a seat that's going to impede my view out the back - the Radian seems a lot taller than the other seats, but maybe they're all roughly the same once they're installed?

They are, or the Radian is even shorter than the Triumph 65 or Britaxes. It and the Complete Air don't sit up high on bases. The Britaxes do, though I don't think as high as the old ones. The Triumph 65 is up high. So they all take up about the same amount of visibility in the back. From here on out you just really need to get to know and love your side mirrors. Because after this it's forward facing, and the seat will be tall. After that it'll be a booster with your child's head in the way. Then it'll just be your teenager in the back taking up visibility. If you have another child down the road you'll double your lack of visibility. Not too much you can do with more people in the back of your car. They get you.

HTH

Wendy
 

Cilia

New member
One more thing to consider if you plan on having a second child and maybe need to transport another, third, person in the back seat, is that there is no headrest in the middle of a Matrix, so no one should really sit in the center. If you are planning far ahead, you might want to go with a convertible that will fit a tight three across. I am still trying to figure that one out, but I can say that an Evenflo Triumph Advance is not a seat you want if you plan on having two seats next to each other in a Matrix. Unless the other seat in a booster. Then it might work.

I hope I did not confuse you too much.
 

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