Ok, these installs were in a 95-ish Chevy Camero. I apologize, the car is reallyreallyreally dirty, so please excuse the mess. (Not my car!!) I installed the Evenflo Triumph Advance (EFTA) and the Britax Boulevard (BV) just because I had it out of my van since I washed the cover the other night, so it was easily available.
I installed both seats on the passenger side, since the seat in front of it needed to be pushed all the way forward and completely upright. I was able to get an acceptable install at a 45* angle with the EFTA, but unable to get a an acceptable 45* with the BV. (I'll explain the BV later.)
This vehicle has locking latchplates that didn't seem to slip. :thumbsup: So no need for a locking clip and no need to mess with locking any shoulder belts, which is a plus because the EFTA can be tippy with a locked shoulder belt.
First, the seats in the Camero are deep and slope downward toward the seat bight. Again, please excuse the ick! I have no idea what her children have spilled in this car... and probably don't want to know. There was a carseat installed (improperly, but that's beside the point) in this seat already, so I had to take it out first. (At least when she left it was installed properly
)
The EFTA was surprisingly a fairly easy install. It did require the use of a tightly rolled bathtowel, inside a tightly rolled handtowel, to get the proper recline necessary for a newborn.
This is from the passenger side looking in. The EFTA is touching the front seat, but it's not affecting the install and there are no airbags so it's ok. The front seatback is locked in the most upright position and moved as far forward as it will go.
Here you can see a better picture of the angle. The driver's seat is folded forward. If I were planning to use this seat in this vehicle, it would be much easier to climb into the car and load and unload baby from the opposite side.
And here you can see how far forward the passenger seat is pushed compared to the driver's seat. I would not be comfortable with a passenger riding in this seat at all.
And since I went ahead and attempted the BV install, here are pics of that as well. I want to point out that this is not an acceptable install for a couple of reasons. 1) The front seatback is not locked upright. It is actually pushed further forward than the most upright position will allow. Leaving it upright prevented me from getting anywhere close to a 45* angle. And 2) The angle doesn't seem to be quite 45*. It's close, but it still seems a little more upright than I'd be comfortable with for a newborn.
Also, the BV was a little trickier to get tight because of where the buckle/latchplate ends up sitting. I was able to get it tight enough without twisting the male end of the buckle stalk down, but it took some work. Also, in this picture, it appears that the base could be pushed in more toward the seat bight. It really can't be. If you look at the first picture of the vehicle seat, you can kind of see how if I were to push the base back any further, it would actually be pushing it up, and it ends up putting the seat at an almost flat recline. Which also leaves a gap underneath it.
My final assessment:
The EFTA was actually fairly easy to install. Even with needing the towels to achieve the proper recline. I really liked that the latchplates locked without slipping because it made it that much easier to get it in properly and tightly. If the Titan installs as easily as the EFTA, it might even be preferable over the EFTA for a newborn, since it has a shorter shell and might make the front passenger seat more usable. I wouldn't want to have a passenger in the front seat with the EFTA behind it at 45* because it just doesn't seem to have enough room to be safe. If she starts out with the Titan, then once the baby is a little older and the seat can be installed a little more upright, the EFTA could be used instead, as its taller shell will allow the child to stay rear facing much longer than the Titan.
I was unable to get the BV installed safely for a newborn. It would likely be much easier for an older infant who could use a 30*-35* install rather than a 45*. I know you weren't actually asking about this seat, but since I had it easily available, I went ahead and attempted it anyway. It is quite a bit trickier to get in tightly though.
My biggest concern with this vehicle is that it would be very inconvenient to have a rear facing child in the back seat. It would be very difficult to buckle the baby in from the outside of the car on the side the seat is installed. It would be easier to climb in the car on the opposite side and buckle the baby in that way. I can see this inconvenience as being an incentive to turn a child forward facing way too early.
Anyway, I apologize for not getting to this sooner, and hope this helps!
