Boulevard or Radian in a small car?

I need a convertible seat for my son. He's about to outgrow his Chicco Keyfit. The two seats I've been debating between are the Boulevard and the Radian (I'd like input on whether the radian rxt or radian r120 is better). It's going to be in an 09 Volkswagen Jetta which has a pretty small backseat. The Chicco is actually a tight fit so I'm concerned about what I order for a convertible. I tried going to our local BRU to try and see what fits, but unfortunately they changed their stock and don't carry either of the two seats I'm debating between.

Maybe neither of those seats are good for a smaller car. I really don't know. Please give some input on what the best one would be. Whatever I get must have excellent safety ratings or I won't buy it. I am going to end up having to order a seat online and am trying to avoid having to pay return shipping because I bought one that doesn't fit in my car. Please help!
Any input on what the safest and best fitting seat is?

Also, right now this is the only car seat in the car, though we plan on that changing within a year, so I want to be sure to get something that will eventually fit with a second rear facing convertible seat (my son is pretty small so we figure he will be RF until at least 3)

Thanks.

How old is your son, and how heavy? If he's got a very short torso the Boulevard is the easy way to go. If he's a bigger guy, either long in the torso or heavy, I'd want the Radian for him. If he's got head control you can use the angle adjuster to put him more upright, and it should fit just fine in any position in your backseat. The Boulevard should fit without a problem, either in the middle or behind the driver (where it can brace against the front seat). The Radian can brace against the driver's seat as well.

The difference in the R120 and RXT are the headwings. If you like them, get them, if not, don't. It may come down to which cover you like better, honestly.

There are no safety ratings, so don't get in a tizzy looking for them. All carseats pass the same tests. Beyond that, we don't know. So trust that they'll all work provided you're using it properly.

Rear facing to three is great, rear facing to four is even better if you can. If he's a small guy, maybe he starts kindy rear facing.

HTH

Wendy

He's 11 months old and on the small side (about 29"/19lbs), but I don't think that's a trend that will continue. We had a lot of food issues w/ him the past 6 months and now that the dr's seem to have a handle on it he is now eating/growing. So I don't know where he'll be in 6 months. He has good head control so sitting upright shouldn't be an issue.

What's your opinion on the wings? I have read reviews that kids are outgrowing the radian because their shoulders hit the wings before they reach the weight/height limits. Any truth to it?

Is there a RF height cut off or just weight? I think my son will never reach the weight requirements before hitting height ones. I'm looking on the diono website, but can't find a RF height.

Since all carseats pass the same tests what are the benefits to the more expensive ones? It's lame but I assumed more expensive = safer.
Sorry for all the questions
Thanks so much for the help. I never knew how much there is to carseats!

The wings may or may not do anything. Diono certainly believes they do (and Britax with the Boulevard). I don't see a problem with them, but there are no standards by which to prove it. So it comes down to knowing that a rear facing seat is SO safe, and forward facing a properly installed seat will work properly, that it's not a big deal.

You're half right on the wing impeding growth. The Radian allows the shoulders to go over the top slots. They're the only seat that do. But with the wings, the shoulders run into them and can't go higher. The new seats are also then outgrown as a booster. I'm not certain if that counts as before the height/weight limits. Weight, sure, but the height limit is when the shoulders go over the top slot/ears above the shell on the Radian. So yeah, that's when it's outgrown. Not before or after by height. It will help you to know that overall height limits mean nothing. Which is why you don't see a rear facing one. If you have a four year old who wears 2T shirts they'll fit in a carseat a lot longer than a four year old who wears a size six. Simply because their heads are contained, shoulders below the top slot, and their legs can go wherever they want. Proportions are all that matter, not overall height. The Radian is outgrown when there's less than 1" of shell (push down on the top so any cover is not poofing up) above the child's head. That can be at 44", 48", 52", whatever. Depends on how much height they carry in their torso versus legs.

What you get when you pay for more expensive seats is longevity (usually, though the Britaxes are far less economical than 90% of the seats out there), nicer covers, padding, extra features. Same thing you get when you buy a Mercedes versus a Civic. They both have four wheels and a steering wheel, but the Caddy is far more comfortable and luxurious with many more neat features. Ignoring that cars DO have safety ratings, anyway.

HTH

Wendy

Okay, thank you. The more I've read on this site the less I like the Boulevard. Your comments above are cementing that decision. Other sites rave about how wonderful it is, so I was sold.

As for the radian, their website doesn't address a few things and I don't have a local store where I can look at one, so maybe you can help. Given the price I'm wondering if it is on par w/ the Boulevard with a few features.
1. How easy to remove is the seat cover?
2. How well does the cover hold up? My son managed to mess up the Chicco from kicking his shoes against it.
3. To adjust the seatbelt does it have a feature that doesn't require rethreading the entire thing? I don't understand how that feature works, but it is appealing. One of the reasons I was looking at the Boulevard.
4. This is a strange question, my son is a sweaty kid and we live someplace very hot. Is this material one that makes kids warmer. I've noticed a lot of seats are warmer than others.

Finally, is this the seat you recommend most or is there another?

Sorry for all the questions and thanks again for the help.

I'm afraid I don't know about covers. My kids are not sweaters, and we live in a cool climate, so I don't need to worry about it.

The Radian does not have a no rethread harness. However, most people move the harness about once a year, so I wouldn't call it a dealbreaker.

The Radian is in my top five seats recommended. Since not all seats fit all cars, all kids, and all budgets, there is no one seat I recommend. But the Radian is in my top five. Also included in that top five are the Evenflo Triumph 65, Graco My Ride (best for short torsoed kids), Safety 1st Complete Air/Maxi Cosi Pria, and First Years True Fit (best for light kids, only has a 35 pound rear facing weight limit).

Wendy

The radian cover is a pain to remove. The boulevard cover is easy to remove. The britax convertibles are great for small spaces but sometimes the radian can be good for small spaces too, it depends on the vehicle. The backseat of jetta has very sloped backseat, and if you add an angle adjuster and install in the middle, you should be good. :thumbsup: I have one center in a passat sedan (a little bigger but not much) and it nestles nicely between the front seats. If I brace it heavily I can get the front seats all the way back and with the addition of the angle adjuster, there's even more room. Angle adjuster is sold separate on amazon for $10 and can be used for kids 1 yo and up w/ good head control.

I think the radian covers hold up well. We have two radians that have had regular daily use for 4 years. I have boys, one who is particularly rough on things, and I have no tears or worn patches on the car seats. I agree the cover is a pain to remove, but at least it doesn't seem like its coming off all the time. We have a blvd (classic, expires later this year) and sometimes the cover pops off at the sides. Perhaps the new blvd doesn't have that issue.
I agree rethreading harnesses is really not a big deal. The adjuster on our blvd stopped working so it's actually easier for me to adjust the radian one now. Unless you need to switch the seat for different kids, then I can see the advantage.

Wow this site is awesome! You guys have been so helpful, and I really appreciate it.

Thank you for giving me your top 5 seat choices. I actually have the True Fit back home (across the country) so that we don't have to travel with one. But I wish I had seen this site before ordering it. I thought forward facing at 1 was no big deal, so that seat would be fine. Now that I know more I don't like the 35 lb limit (luckily my son looks like he'll be tall and skinny so he won't be 35lb for awhile). Plus it is too big to fit in the car I borrow when I go home. Live and learn. I'm going to read up on the Evenflo and Complete Air.

The input on re-threading the belts is helpful. I will have to take it apart more than that to wash it, so rethreading it won't be such a big deal I guess.

Knowing you were able to fit the Radian in a passat, I'm comfortable with trying it in our Jetta. One question on that though. You said you brace it against your front seats. I thought that wasn't allowed on the passenger side due to the airbag sensor? I read the Jetta manual but never did find it mentioned anywhere, so I'm going with the assumption that since there is the "on/off" indicator light it means I can't brace w/ that seat. Am I incorrect in that assumption?

I'm going to wait a couple days to order in case anyone has any input about sweaty kids and this fabric and to read up on the evenflo and CA. It really is unreal how hot my son gets. Last summer he screamed everytime he was in his Chicco. He was drenched everytime we got him out of it (and yes the AC is on). I'd like to avoid that with our next seat since it was so fun

What seat do you travel with? I wouldn't want to travel with my TFP either, but it's not safe to have a lap baby. Not for the baby, and not for every other person on the plane. So you need something, but a smaller more lightweight seat is fine.

Wendy

We try to avoid flying, but so far we traveled w/ a baby trend infant seat that I borrowed. Now that he's too big we need to find something else.

Awesome. We're happy to help you find a travel seat as well.

Wendy

The passat is 04 and allows bracing even though the front pass. airbag has a sensor. It all depends on the vehicle and the way their sensors work. If the manual doesn't explicitely disallow it you can do it.

Good to know thanks. I'll read it one more time to be sure, but I couldn't find it mentioned anywhere. I assumed if it didn't say and it had an airbag sensor then you couldn't do it. If I can brace it, it will be even easier to fit.
Thanks.

I have a bit of a sweaty kid and I have both seats. I think she gets hotter in the blvd. That said a few times I've had both in my car (I always leave the BLVD for her babysitter since it's so easy to install) she 100% of the time will choose the Blvd. Which totally surprises me bc to me the Radian looks way my comfortable to me.

Does she throw a fit riding in the radian? When she's in it does she seem comfortable? I forsee a lot of road trips in our future since our family is scattered across the country, so I don't want him uncomfortable.

She rides great in both seats and has been on road trips in both. She just seems to prefer the blvd when she has the choice. No problem with the radian at all. If it fit that's what I would buy. We only got the BLVD bc a Radian prior to the angle adjuster being released would not fit in my DH's car.

Chiming in as we previously had a Marathon (not a Boulevard, wingless), and now have a Radian. Ds is about to turn 3, and he likes the Radian a lot better, b/c he can climb in and out himself. It's actually quite a big deal! The MA sat up on a base and so it was too high for him to do it, but the Radian has a nice low profile. Easy for loading and unloading, and definitely easier for that budding independence.
I never thought the Radian's cover was terrible to remove. Getting it back on was another story. In fact, there's a thread on Carseat Chat from me last October begging for help b/c I took it off and couldn't figure out how to get it back on. People here are really nice and I got it figured out, and I can do it easily.
I see the Cosco Scenera recommended as a travel seat quite a bit.
Not sure which fabrics are the least sweaty, but I always point my vents straight up (learned that here), which cools the backseat quickly.