We just got our true fit on tuesday, so here's my initial take.
First some pictures:
Here it is with the straps in the top slot. You can see the slot below too - Noah can still use it in the 3rd slot, which I was a little surprised about. We just had to move him to the top slot in the marathon.
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Noah with the straps in the 3rd slot:
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It has a cup holder! Mom has not yet attached it!
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Here you can see the harness slots. It's REALLY easy to change the harness height:
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I measure the highest slot height at a little more than 17"
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Having only used it for a few days, I'd say it's a pretty good seat. The fabric is very nice. I like that the cover snaps on, since Noah always pulls the marathon cover off. The harness adjuster is very similar to the marathon, but lower, so the child cannot reach it to loosen it, or at least not as easily as with the marathon.
It's much wider than the marathon - both the seat itself, and the space for the child. I used to be able to fit 3 seats across the middle row of the Sienna, but I'm not sure I'd be able to with the true fit - even without the cupholder on. It sits lower than the marathon also. Noah had no problem climbing into the marathon, so it doesn't really affect him. He said he likes the true fit.
The harness height adjustment is SUPER easy. You pull out the yellow knobs on either side of the back, lift them up or down, then move the straps to the correct slots in the cover. Damn easy. I haven't tried doing it with the seat installed, but I think you could do it.
You cannot remove the cover with the seat installed. It says the cover can be hand washed and air dried - no machine washing or drying. Bummer.
All in all, it's very similar to the marathon. It's easy to see who they were trying to compete with. It has the "nice" latch connectors like the britax seats do, but you can only tighten the latch strap on one side, unlike on both sides w/ britax. The crotch buckle is probably my least favorite part. It's like the old graco buckles (like the one on Noah's old snugride, not like the one on the safeseat) and is harder to undo than the britax buckle. Minor complaint though. Cannot be tethered rear-facing (and specifically states so in the manual). If it's nice this weekend, I'll install it RFing and see how Daniel fits in it (not that it's going to be his seat until Noah outgrows is).
The one annoying thing about it is that the harness is one piece for both sides (if that makes sense). It runs from the yoke to the front and down to by the child's hip, then underneath the seat cushion, and back up the other side from hip to shoulder and back to the yoke. Because of this, occasionally one shoulder strap will be longer than the other. Once you know how to fix it, it's easy enough, but I had to puzzle it over for a few times before I figured out why it was doing it.
So there's my initial take. If my view changes as I use it more, I'll let y'all know!
First some pictures:
Here it is with the straps in the top slot. You can see the slot below too - Noah can still use it in the 3rd slot, which I was a little surprised about. We just had to move him to the top slot in the marathon.
*image removed*
Noah with the straps in the 3rd slot:
*image removed*
It has a cup holder! Mom has not yet attached it!
*image removed*
Here you can see the harness slots. It's REALLY easy to change the harness height:
*image removed*
I measure the highest slot height at a little more than 17"
*image removed*
Having only used it for a few days, I'd say it's a pretty good seat. The fabric is very nice. I like that the cover snaps on, since Noah always pulls the marathon cover off. The harness adjuster is very similar to the marathon, but lower, so the child cannot reach it to loosen it, or at least not as easily as with the marathon.
It's much wider than the marathon - both the seat itself, and the space for the child. I used to be able to fit 3 seats across the middle row of the Sienna, but I'm not sure I'd be able to with the true fit - even without the cupholder on. It sits lower than the marathon also. Noah had no problem climbing into the marathon, so it doesn't really affect him. He said he likes the true fit.
The harness height adjustment is SUPER easy. You pull out the yellow knobs on either side of the back, lift them up or down, then move the straps to the correct slots in the cover. Damn easy. I haven't tried doing it with the seat installed, but I think you could do it.
You cannot remove the cover with the seat installed. It says the cover can be hand washed and air dried - no machine washing or drying. Bummer.
All in all, it's very similar to the marathon. It's easy to see who they were trying to compete with. It has the "nice" latch connectors like the britax seats do, but you can only tighten the latch strap on one side, unlike on both sides w/ britax. The crotch buckle is probably my least favorite part. It's like the old graco buckles (like the one on Noah's old snugride, not like the one on the safeseat) and is harder to undo than the britax buckle. Minor complaint though. Cannot be tethered rear-facing (and specifically states so in the manual). If it's nice this weekend, I'll install it RFing and see how Daniel fits in it (not that it's going to be his seat until Noah outgrows is).
The one annoying thing about it is that the harness is one piece for both sides (if that makes sense). It runs from the yoke to the front and down to by the child's hip, then underneath the seat cushion, and back up the other side from hip to shoulder and back to the yoke. Because of this, occasionally one shoulder strap will be longer than the other. Once you know how to fix it, it's easy enough, but I had to puzzle it over for a few times before I figured out why it was doing it.
So there's my initial take. If my view changes as I use it more, I'll let y'all know!
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