Seat for big 2 1/2 year old -- Frontier, Nautilus, or even Radian80?

MadTownDad · May 11, 2008

There are a lot of "Frontier vs. Nautilus" questions already, and I've read these threads carefully -- but I hope someone can speak to our specific concerns.

We drive a 2000 Subaru Forester and a 1993 Toyota Corolla. Right now we've got a Britax Roundabout in each one, but DS is about to hit the 40lb weight limit, and it's time to move up. As an infant he rode in a Snugride, and we generally have good feelings towards both Graco and Britax.

The concept of the 3-in-1, where we never have to get him another seat, is very appealing. A few things worry me.

1. I found a couple of reports online of the Nautilus being hard or impossible to install in a pre-LATCH Forester, and no positive reports. Has anyone here succesfully installed the GN in an older Forester, especially in the center seat? (Experience with newer Foresters is probably not relevant -- from what I read on this board, they have a big hump in the center seat, which mine doesn't.) I was surprised by this, since in general the GN has a reputation as an easy install, much easier than the BF or the Radian.

2. We expect to be traveling with him at least a few times a year, so would like a seat that we can bring on a plane and install in a rental car. The Radian is supposed to be very convenient to travel with; but is that cancelled out by the difficulty or impossibility of getting the Radian installed in the rental car? Or should I junk the idea of using one of my primary carseats for travel, and instead buy something inexpensive that travels well; if so, what?

3. If we have another kid, we'd like to have car seats in the center and one side seat; is people's experience that the GN and BF are narrow enough to make this practical in a Forester? Of course we could use the two outboards, but then our car would have no back seat.

4. The Frontier can be harnessed until 80lb, which is better than the GN's 65 -- but if he's 38" and 39lb now, is he likely to be too tall for these seats before he hits 65lb anyway?

My plan right now is to order the GN and try to get it into the Forester -- if that works, and we like it, I'll get another for the Toyota -- if it doesn't, I'll put the Nautilus in the Toyota and start working on plan B for the Forester. Does this sound reasonable?

Thanks,

JE (dad of CJ)

Judi · May 11, 2008

The Frontier harnessed to 80, but has low harness slots, about the safe as the GN, so I would go GN before Frontier.

wendytthomas · May 11, 2008

MadTownDad said:
1. I found a couple of reports online of the Nautilus being hard or impossible to install in a pre-LATCH Forester, and no positive reports. Has anyone here succesfully installed the GN in an older Forester, especially in the center seat? (Experience with newer Foresters is probably not relevant -- from what I read on this board, they have a big hump in the center seat, which mine doesn't.) I was surprised by this, since in general the GN has a reputation as an easy install, much easier than the BF or the Radian.

Can't help you on this one, sorry. In my experience the Nautilus is the easiest of the three, by far.

2. We expect to be traveling with him at least a few times a year, so would like a seat that we can bring on a plane and install in a rental car. The Radian is supposed to be very convenient to travel with; but is that cancelled out by the difficulty or impossibility of getting the Radian installed in the rental car? Or should I junk the idea of using one of my primary carseats for travel, and instead buy something inexpensive that travels well; if so, what?

I've never had a problem with a Radian in a rental car. We have a Radian solely for travel. Rental cars have LATCH and the Radian's troubles are with a seatbelt installation.

At his weight and age a lightweight travel seat would probably be the Nautilus. Though it and the Radian aren't too different in weight.

3. If we have another kid, we'd like to have car seats in the center and one side seat; is people's experience that the GN and BF are narrow enough to make this practical in a Forester? Of course we could use the two outboards, but then our car would have no back seat.

Again, I don't know. The Frontier is wider than the Nautilus by an inch or two I believe. I don't know how well they'd fit next to something. Would the Snugride be used again? Sometimes some seats work better next to others depending on their shapes.

4. The Frontier can be harnessed until 80lb, which is better than the GN's 65 -- but if he's 38" and 39lb now, is he likely to be too tall for these seats before he hits 65lb anyway?

Forward facing seats are outgrown when the tips of the ears go over the top of the shell, the shoulders go over the top slots (check this on your Roundabout now), or when the weight limit is reached. Most kids outgrow seats by torso height before ears or weight.

My plan right now is to order the GN and try to get it into the Forester -- if that works, and we like it, I'll get another for the Toyota -- if it doesn't, I'll put the Nautilus in the Toyota and start working on plan B for the Forester. Does this sound reasonable?

Thanks,

JE (dad of CJ)[/QUOTE]

That sounds perfectly reasonable. It's the likeliest to be easy to install, and it's the cheapest and will do everything you need it to provided you can get it installed.

Wendy