Question RF convertible for 2006 Subaru Impreza Hatchback (tall baby & dad)

Ds_mom · Mar 16, 2014

I'm trying to find the best fitting carseat for a 1 year old who is 21 lbs and 31 inches. The 2006 Subaru Impreza does not have a lot of room in the backseat and the primary driver is 6'3" (I'm 5'6"). Baby seems to take after dad in height

Hoping to get a new car this summer, but in the meantime we need a carseat that will fit daughter while giving us some legroom in the front. Unfortunately, we are in an area which doesn't have any big brandname stores - we just went out of town and tried the Chicco Nextfit and the Britax Boulevard (I think it was Boulevard - daughter was crying so it is a bit of a blur). Britax fit better then Nextfit. Does anyone else have any suggestions? I saw some older posts (2011 & older) with some suggestions but I think carseat models have changed a bit since then. Thanks for all your help!!

p.s. If anyone is shopping for an infant carseat we used the Chicco Keyfit 30? which worked well in the middle of the back.

wavegal · Mar 16, 2014

I would try a graco clone (size4me, mysize70, headwise) they tend to not take a ton of room front to back and by time you'd need the headrest as extended as can go you will most likely have a new car.

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Ds_mom · Mar 16, 2014

Thanks wavegal for the super fast reply! I should say we hope to get a new roomier all wheel drive vehicle this summer (our plans tend to get pushed back by things such as major home purchases/repairs). A few more things I thought of:
1) daughters legs are pretty long - looking at genetics probably will continue
2) if possible, I'd like to put the seat in the middle in the back as I understand this is the safest location in car
3) it would be great if another small person could fit in the back with the carseat in the middle
4) we have another vehicle, a Toyota Tacoma -- my husband thinks we can move the seat back and forth. I think we need two. Any comments?

Given the above, do you still think the graco would be a good fit? I've seen the Evenflo Triumph, Maxi Cosi Pria, Radians, & Safety 1st complete air suggested for similar situations? Any pros/cons to these? Cost isn't too big of a factor (e.g. $150 vs $250)-- Safety & comfort are the biggest factors.

Thanks again!

TechnoGranola · Mar 16, 2014

I'd try the Peg Perego convertible. I can make it work rear facing in the centre in of my small hatchback. It's overall wider than the gap between the seats, but the back narrows down and fits between the seats. So it gives more room to the front seat folks than having it directly behind one of the seats.

safeinthecar · Mar 16, 2014

How close is her head to the top of the Keyfit? That will help us get an idea of her torso length.

Ds_mom · Mar 20, 2014

Her head is about 1.5" from the top. Has anyone tried the peg perego convertible in a 2006 subaru impreza? (Or 2003-2008 -- from looking at older post thet had similar room in the back)

rkpearson · Mar 21, 2014

We have a 2005 Outback and I just bought 2 extended RF carseats for my daughter (36" tall). I bought Radian & Chicco NextFit. The NextFit takes up less space front to back than the Radian even when using the angle adjuster.

They both will last until the child is quite tall, but if you don't want to RF your child until they are about 45 pounds or 44" or so (I dont' have the manuals in front of me, so might be slightly higher weight limit for NF) then you might just look for something more compact like a Britax. It has a shorter shell height and lower weight limit.

Ds_mom · Mar 21, 2014

Thanks for the input on the angle adjuster--I think that knocks the radian out of the running. I've tried the chicco nextfit & preferred the fit of the britax. Does anyone know how the graco clones compare to the britax? Based on what I've seen so far this is what I'm considering

1) graco clone (size4me, mysize70, headwise)
2) Peg Perego
3) Evenflo Triumph
4) Maxi Cosi Pria
5) Britax Boulevard? (This might not last as long but if it fits the best I'm tempted to buy this now and then buy another down the road when we hopefully have a more carseat friendly car).

I'd like to keep her rf for as long as possible. I think height will be more of an issue than weight.

I appreciate both what works AND what didn't work. Thanks again -- the responses on this forum have been so helpful!

aporthole · Mar 21, 2014

You said you currently have the KeyFit in the center, correct? Is it installed with the seat belt or lower anchors?

I'd go with the NextFit or a Radian with Angle Adjuster.

Nedra · Mar 21, 2014

I have a 2010 Impreza. Just got back from installing the Nextfit on the driver's side. It fits comfortably even with the headrest extended all the way. The trouble with the Graco clones is that they don't fit well once you have to extend the headrest.

http://carseatblog.com/22818/the-ul...ertible-space-comparison-review-size-matters/

If you want to do extended rear-facing and you don't want to have to get another seat, I'd get the Nextfit. If you don't mind getting another seat later, I'd get the Britax.

MotoMommaNH · Mar 21, 2014

Speaking from experience with my Britax Marathons..... Long legs+britax convertibles = cramped.
But G dealt with it and outgrew them height wise by 2.5 anyhow.

Just my :twocents:

meljc · Mar 21, 2014

Not to beat the dead horse on the Nextfit, but when you tried it at the store, do you know which recline setting you tried? There are many available and since you LO is already a year old, you could perhaps install it a little more upright. Our car is a little roomier (07 Camry) but there's plenty of room!

hiddensunshine · Mar 21, 2014

We have a 2006 Subaru Impreza as well and we found the Maxi Cosi Pria, Foonf, and Nextfit all worked in the middle. The Pria and Foonf worked best with the seats all the way back due to the shape of the front seats. The Nextfit was a little too wide.

Best of luck, it is a TRICKY backseat!

Ds_mom · Mar 22, 2014

aporthole said:
You said you currently have the KeyFit in the center, correct? Is it installed with the seat belt or lower anchors?

It is installed in the center with the seatbelt.

meljc said:
Not to beat the dead horse on the Nextfit, but when you tried it at the store, do you know which recline setting you tried? There are many available and since you LO is already a year old, you could perhaps install it a little more upright. Our car is a little roomier (07 Camry) but there's plenty of room!

I didn't try to install it. I was in the store with an overtired girl

But my husband said it was on 3 and that it was hard to get the bubble level & get the seat in. It fit on the passenger side but not comfortably.

After reading these last posts I'm thinking about the Maxi Cosi Pria & the graco clones (hoping we will have a new car by the time we extend the headrest). I might order both and return one. I have to either buy at walmart or online. Wish I could try a few and compare but I live in a remote area... Oh well, thanks everyone for your advice & experiences. Hoping to buy early next week -- if you have anything to add let me know.

Nedra · Mar 23, 2014

Ds_mom said:
It is installed in the center with the seatbelt.

I didn't try to install it. I was in the store with an overtired girl But my husband said it was on 3 and that it was hard to get the bubble level & get the seat in. It fit on the passenger side but not comfortably.

We had this exact same experience! I nearly started crying because I had done a ton of research and knew I wanted the Nextfit and I knew that it was one of our few options and it didn't fit! Like you, we weren't installing it, just putting it on the seat and shoving it into position. We tried it on recline 3 and the bubble level wasn't right. We tried it on recline 2 and it wouldn't fit. We were about to take it back in to the store and resign ourselves to buying another vehicle when I said to my husband, "what if we just try tightening it in?" So we did and we found that it gained us a lot of space. Like -- enough space that on recline two (where we couldn't even get in to the front seat with the car seat uninstalled because there wasn't enough room up front), my husband got in the front (this was on the driver's side) and said, "oh yeah! I think we moved this seat all the way back to where I usually have it!"

You are welcome to pursue other options, but I would strongly recommend going back and trying the Nextfit again. It takes maybe 2 minutes to install it (with lower anchors) and makes a big difference. Could be exactly the amount of difference you need.

ETA: it will take you a little longer to install it in the center with the seatbelt than outboard with the LATCH. But I'd still go back and try it!

Edited again to add: I may have misread your post because I got too excited to share my story -- just noticed that you said you didn't install it because you were in the store -- not that your husband didn't install it...did your husband install the seat when he tried? Also, I could be totally off on this, but I wonder whether you can get the Nextfit tighter against the back of the vehicle seat with LATCH than with the seatbelt? I am sure you can get a secure install with either, but with LATCH it might be easier to ratchet it tightly so that it's compressed against the seat back more and gives you more space in front. Just an idea, if you were willing to try an outboard install instead of center.

Ds_mom · Mar 24, 2014

Nedra - He did install it. You are probably right about the LATCH part. I'll have to think about that. Not sure if I'm comfortable with her on the passenger side, but maybe that is just because I'm not used to it. I also think the 2010 has a little more room than ours -- I think after 2008 they gave a little more room to the backseats. Carseats was not something i thought of in 2007 when I bought the car and was engaged

hiddensunshine - Did you have a preference between the foonf and the pria? Do you have a wagon too? I don't know if there is any difference between the backseat room in sedans vs wagons.

hiddensunshine · Mar 25, 2014

We do have the wagon. I preferred the Foonf for ease of installation with the lock - offs. It really fit perfectly between the two front seats. The Pria was a little trickier to install, but also worked. My DH liked the Pria initially due to the height of the Foonf and concerns about it blocking his vision, but then I had him try to install both.

We went with the Foonf and are glad we did.

If you're interested, there is a pink one on NoBetterDeal.com right now.

Any other questions, ask away!

Ds_mom · Mar 25, 2014

THANKS hiddensunshine!

I've been watching the foonf install videos this morning

Do you ever move the seats between vehicles? Does it take long with the foonf? I can see my husband saying the same thing about blocking his vision. Is that only with the headrest extended? I'm guessing that for a while we can have the headrest on the lower setting. Love the fact it can go to rearfacing for so long. Do you use the foonf fully reclined in the middle seat?

hiddensunshine · Mar 26, 2014

Ds_mom said:
THANKS hiddensunshine! I've been watching the foonf install videos this morning Do you ever move the seats between vehicles? Does it take long with the foonf? I can see my husband saying the same thing about blocking his vision. Is that only with the headrest extended? I'm guessing that for a while we can have the headrest on the lower setting. Love the fact it can go to rearfacing for so long. Do you use the foonf fully reclined in the middle seat?

It is a breeze to move to other vehicles! It is HEAVY in comparison to other seats, but by now we can install in in 2 minutes with ease and is our go-to. It took a little practice at first to learn the quirks of the lock offs. I was constantly trying to tighten the seatbelt too much before using the lock offs and frustrated myself. And the fabric is great!!

Even without the headrest extended it is a tall seat, but after having it installed for a few days it was no longer an issue and my husband didn't notice.

I believe we have it on recline 2, just because of the slope of the seats to begin with, but have installed it in the most reclined position without issue. Recline 2 is perfect for a 1.5yr old in our experience.

I found the BabyGuyNYC's install video to be my favorite!

Ds_mom · Jun 14, 2015

I just thought I'd report back. A little over a year later. Very happy with the foonf. The carseat fit in our impreza-- a little tight on legroom for my 6'3" husband but it worked better than anything else we tried. We have a new Subaru Outback and there is MUCH more carseat room.

Question RF convertible for 2006 Subaru Impreza Hatchback (tall baby & dad)

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