FF Combination seat suggestions

My daughter will be 3 next month so I'm leaning towards FFing her sometime in the next few months. Her current stats: almost 26 lbs, 34 inches tall, and 12.5 inch torso. I realize I could probably keep her RF'd til age 5 or so given that she's a shrimp but I'm just not sure I want to keep her RFing that long for several reasons.

Her current seats are a My Ride (main seat in 07 Corolla) and a Radian 80 in her dad's car (occasional use in 02 Spectra). I def want to use the Radian as a FF seat but do not want to use the MR when we make the switch. She can barely climb into that seat herself and I have to lift her out. I'd like for her to be able to get in and out of a seat by herself if possible by the time she starts preschool next year. Since we were near a BRUS today I went in wanting to try her out in a Nautilus.

After getting a total WTH look from the girl in the car seat dept when mentioning that my DD was still RFing, she took down a Nautilus for us to try. My kiddo looked like gigantor in that seat!!! She looked seriously cramped {the padding was still in the seat but I tried moving it out of the way the best I could}. I can't imagine her being comfortable in a few years when she's grown if it's already a tight fit. Does it just look that way?

The girl suggested the Frontier because "Britax is the best" and I actually liked the fit much better than the Nautilus -not so much the covers or the price tag though. Any other seats to consider?

One other thing to consider is that I have not been able to find top tethers in the Kia hatchback (though it was just a quick look)! I'd like to install her seat in the middle in both cars-any potential install issues with either seat? Not sure which seat will go into which car.

Thanks {and sorry for the essay}!

I think you can get her any seat you want and have it last her a while! What about a Maestro?

I took a quick look at the Maestro but haven't really considered it. I've just never been a big fan of Evenflo. I suppose I could probably get another convertible since she's on the small side - maybe another Radian if I can get good FF installs in both cars with the one I have since it sits so low. I am fairly certain that my daughter will not be ready for a booster until much later than other kids so I do want to make sure she ends up with a seat that will harness for a while but maybe not look so "babyish" as some convertibles can as she gets older, kwim? In my area, it is fairly common for 2 and 3 year olds to be in boosters and 4 and ups to be in nothing but seat belts.

What about a Complete Air? My 5 yr old thinks his little brother's CA looks cool. It has a really tall shell and high top slots so it would last your dd a long time. You could even decide to RF it for long trips where she would be more comfortable for sleeping.

The CA does sit pretty low, doesn't it? I can try that one out at Target. Thanks! Unfortunately, the kiddo hasn't slept in the car in ages. Not a napper, that one!

Anyone happen to know where to look for top tether's in a hatchback?? Would they be under the carpet or off the the sides in the trunk? If it turns out there are no TA's and I can't get them retrofitted, would a Nauti or Radian be better? I think I read the Nautilus. . . eh, I guess I'll go run out to the car and see if the husband still has a manual floating around in there.

Both the Radian and Nautilus do well untethered.

Sometimes tether anchors are on the back of the seat, sometimes in the floor, sometimes way back near the trunk opening, and sometimes even in the ceiling!

Just found it in the manual--says they are on the inboard side of the rear bumper, so I guess that means the tether will stretch all the way across the trunk? Looks that way from the diagram. Kinda crazy since that makes it hard to get bigger things in and out of the trunk. Well, at least they are there.

Thanks for the input everyone!