My notes:
-The manual is supremely poorly written. So are some of the labels on the seat. The manual states that the built in "lockoffs" are NOT a substitute for a locking latchplate or retractor. If you do not have locking belts you must call them for a locking clip and instructions on how to install with it. Except... this isn't mentioned in the part about installing the seat forward-facing! Only in the section on belt types! Installation instructions simply say to route through the lockoffs and check for tightness. Um... Many belts don't automatically lock... The label on the back says "WARNING! ALWAYS USE TOP TETHER!" Except... you can't RF tether, and the manual says that while use without tether is allowed, it's always recommended. Um... that label needs re-wording. The manual reads very awkwardly, and was obviously written by someone for whom English was not a first language, which leads to very confusing statements in several places. And of course there's the LATCH limit snafu which we were already aware of (though the way the manual is written- it defers to the vehicle manufacturer if they give a higher limit.)
-It's actually quite tall. The 7th setting is the highest allowed for rear-facing; I sat Maggie in it (uninstalled) and... she didn't quite fit but she had almost 1/2 inch above her head. She has already outgrown the Radian a while ago, she's really tall especially in the torso, weighs 40 lbs. and will be 4 on Tuesday. I measure 24.5" with the cover compressed internal seating height at that setting, meaning a child who is 23.5" bum to head should fit properly... That's only 1/2 inch less than the SK Radians, and if Diono has the same shell height (I'm not sure) and now goes by 1.5" from top, that could be about the same.
-The infant recline cushion has to be used to 22 lbs. I could see that being an issue and uncomfortable for taller, older, skinny kids.
-40-45 degree angle required RF? Wow, that's generous.
-The fabric is, as advertised, nice.
-7 year from DOM expiration.
-Adjuster for the harness is very easy to use, but was not intuitive to me, and allows for overshooting- I had to watch the back to make sure what setting I was on.
-Recline mechanism was difficult to use (though that could be just this particular seat.) The seat seemed to get stuck easily between settings; we couldn't even get it in the full upright position when we first tried; it was difficult to get it to "click" into place as required. (That audible "click" when it finally did work was great though- very loud and reassuring.)
-Rear-facing seatbelt install: almost as bad as a Peg infant seat seatbelt install. I cannot, literally cannot get my hand in the belt path. To buckle I had to turn the seat sideways, drop the buckle under, and access the bottom to pull through the other side. Um... Luckily the belt path is open at the bottom, unlike the Radian's closed belt path (then again, I can get my hands in that one.) They also say that belts with lightweight locking latchplates "are on older vehicles" (um... like the 2012 models that have them?) and may make the install poor or very difficult. They say the same thing about lap belts with locking latchplates- install may be very difficult (I can see that one being very true.)
-LATCH install RF: much better. 20 seconds to unhook the straps, 20 more to thread them correctly, about a minute to tighten them. It naturally installs at the allowed 40 degrees in my 2005 Honda Odyssey, without much trying for an angle at all. So that's good, I don't see much misuse potential there.
I didn't try forward-facing as it was late and I am tired and have to get up in 6 hours...
The seat installed with LATCH, maximum allowed RF height. You can see the leg room is quite decent, and the second picture shows how much room there was between the driver's seat (set for my 6'1" long-legged husband) and the seat, without any adjusting of the second row seat position from where it is usually (not all the way forward, but not near all the way back, either. It matches the setting I keep the other second row seat on for my booster rider, which just about gives her proper head excursion room.) As you can see, if I needed to I could have moved the seat forward significantly. I think this seat would do fine in cars with less front-back space than I have, even if touching the seat in front even gently is not allowed (*cough*Toyota*cough*.) It looks actually pretty upright but I measured the recline at 40.5 degrees from vertical.
(Sorry about pic quality being poor; it was almost 1 am when these were taken and the lighting was poor...)
My conclusion: a viable alternative to the Radian for ERF when space isn't as tight side-to-side but the Radian doesn't do well in that seating position due to overrecline (*cough*2nd row of Ody*cough*) or front-to-back room; decent leg room; won't last all kids to 45 lbs. RF but will probably get a LOT of them past 40, and many to 45; major RF seatbelt installation and manual issues but very nice with LATCH and fairly easy to use once you understand the gibberish manual; expensive but that does mean quality materials in this case though I am not so sure about some of the construction features; better for heavier kids (who will go over 22 lbs. quickly so you don't have to deal with the "newborn" positioning cushion); not nearly as bad as I honestly expected after years of dealing with Peg infant seats and their nonsense.
-The manual is supremely poorly written. So are some of the labels on the seat. The manual states that the built in "lockoffs" are NOT a substitute for a locking latchplate or retractor. If you do not have locking belts you must call them for a locking clip and instructions on how to install with it. Except... this isn't mentioned in the part about installing the seat forward-facing! Only in the section on belt types! Installation instructions simply say to route through the lockoffs and check for tightness. Um... Many belts don't automatically lock... The label on the back says "WARNING! ALWAYS USE TOP TETHER!" Except... you can't RF tether, and the manual says that while use without tether is allowed, it's always recommended. Um... that label needs re-wording. The manual reads very awkwardly, and was obviously written by someone for whom English was not a first language, which leads to very confusing statements in several places. And of course there's the LATCH limit snafu which we were already aware of (though the way the manual is written- it defers to the vehicle manufacturer if they give a higher limit.)
-It's actually quite tall. The 7th setting is the highest allowed for rear-facing; I sat Maggie in it (uninstalled) and... she didn't quite fit but she had almost 1/2 inch above her head. She has already outgrown the Radian a while ago, she's really tall especially in the torso, weighs 40 lbs. and will be 4 on Tuesday. I measure 24.5" with the cover compressed internal seating height at that setting, meaning a child who is 23.5" bum to head should fit properly... That's only 1/2 inch less than the SK Radians, and if Diono has the same shell height (I'm not sure) and now goes by 1.5" from top, that could be about the same.
-The infant recline cushion has to be used to 22 lbs. I could see that being an issue and uncomfortable for taller, older, skinny kids.
-40-45 degree angle required RF? Wow, that's generous.
-The fabric is, as advertised, nice.
-7 year from DOM expiration.
-Adjuster for the harness is very easy to use, but was not intuitive to me, and allows for overshooting- I had to watch the back to make sure what setting I was on.
-Recline mechanism was difficult to use (though that could be just this particular seat.) The seat seemed to get stuck easily between settings; we couldn't even get it in the full upright position when we first tried; it was difficult to get it to "click" into place as required. (That audible "click" when it finally did work was great though- very loud and reassuring.)
-Rear-facing seatbelt install: almost as bad as a Peg infant seat seatbelt install. I cannot, literally cannot get my hand in the belt path. To buckle I had to turn the seat sideways, drop the buckle under, and access the bottom to pull through the other side. Um... Luckily the belt path is open at the bottom, unlike the Radian's closed belt path (then again, I can get my hands in that one.) They also say that belts with lightweight locking latchplates "are on older vehicles" (um... like the 2012 models that have them?) and may make the install poor or very difficult. They say the same thing about lap belts with locking latchplates- install may be very difficult (I can see that one being very true.)
-LATCH install RF: much better. 20 seconds to unhook the straps, 20 more to thread them correctly, about a minute to tighten them. It naturally installs at the allowed 40 degrees in my 2005 Honda Odyssey, without much trying for an angle at all. So that's good, I don't see much misuse potential there.
I didn't try forward-facing as it was late and I am tired and have to get up in 6 hours...
The seat installed with LATCH, maximum allowed RF height. You can see the leg room is quite decent, and the second picture shows how much room there was between the driver's seat (set for my 6'1" long-legged husband) and the seat, without any adjusting of the second row seat position from where it is usually (not all the way forward, but not near all the way back, either. It matches the setting I keep the other second row seat on for my booster rider, which just about gives her proper head excursion room.) As you can see, if I needed to I could have moved the seat forward significantly. I think this seat would do fine in cars with less front-back space than I have, even if touching the seat in front even gently is not allowed (*cough*Toyota*cough*.) It looks actually pretty upright but I measured the recline at 40.5 degrees from vertical.
(Sorry about pic quality being poor; it was almost 1 am when these were taken and the lighting was poor...)
My conclusion: a viable alternative to the Radian for ERF when space isn't as tight side-to-side but the Radian doesn't do well in that seating position due to overrecline (*cough*2nd row of Ody*cough*) or front-to-back room; decent leg room; won't last all kids to 45 lbs. RF but will probably get a LOT of them past 40, and many to 45; major RF seatbelt installation and manual issues but very nice with LATCH and fairly easy to use once you understand the gibberish manual; expensive but that does mean quality materials in this case though I am not so sure about some of the construction features; better for heavier kids (who will go over 22 lbs. quickly so you don't have to deal with the "newborn" positioning cushion); not nearly as bad as I honestly expected after years of dealing with Peg infant seats and their nonsense.