Review by J. Lang "Jules" : Best car seat we have found

Let me start by saying we did a massive amount of research when purchasing a car seat. Our son had outgrown his Graco Snugride infant carrier at the young age of 6 months so we had to go with a convertible seat. After reading a huge amount of reviews and reading, reading, reading, we tried a cheaper seat first, and it did not go well. This seat is fantastic:
Pros:
1.) High quality seat, very solid, and very well built
2.) Fabric is very nice and seat is very padded
3.) Straps are easy to adjust and the strap/head rest height adjusment is awesome
4.) Extremely easy to use with the LATCH system
5.) Baby's head lays nicely on the padding instead of slumping forward

Cons:
1.) We could not get a tight installation in my Hyundai Tucson that doesn't have the LATCH system. We ended up getting the Britax Boulevard to get a tight installation (rear-facing) in my car that only has lap/shoulder belts, but I still like this car seat better. My husband has it in his vehicle and if I get a new car I will be getting this car seat.
2.) We have yet to get to the washing stage of owning this car seat, but it looks like taking everything apart might be complicated.

I would HIGHLY recommend this car seat!

Review by yaya : My little girl likes it

She can see outside since the seat is higher than most others. Most importantly, it stays cool in the warm weather as it claimed - the single most important reason we purchased this seat!

Review by Tecateconquest : Not for Newborns

First off the quality of this car seat is fantastic. It doesn't feel cheap and I love the colors. Second, it will in now way safely secure a 5lb baby properly. I bought this seat when my wife was close to giving birth, since the min weight was 5lb I figured I would be good once RECARO sent me the newborn insert (which they did do at no cost, from first contact with them I had it in 4 days), however i was mistaken. Once we brought the car seat into the hospital for the car seat test, he did fit into the seat just fine, except the shoulder straps were a good 3-4 inches above his shoulder blade. To work around this we borrowed my sisters infant car seat until he grows enough to fit in it properly. Our baby was 19 inches 6 lbs 4oz at birth (6 weeks premature), so your child will probably need to be close to 25 inches before they will fit in this seat properly. I was disappointed with, as I am very much looking forward to using the seat. Like I said the build quality is great, and we will definitely be using once he reaches the height to fill the seat out properly.On it's size, it is slimmer than other car seats I have seen (Britax) however it is a bit taller. We test fit it into our Toyota Camry and while it did fit (without needing to push the seats all the way forward) it would have been slightly inconvenient putting our baby in it. I think the inconvenience would have been worth it (we now have a Landcruiser and that has much more room) to have him in such a safe, comfortable, and good looking car seat.Overall this is a great car seat, the quality is great, adjustments are made very easily, the material is soft. I highly recommend buying this car seat, however if it is for a newborn you will need something to supplement it for 4-8 months until your child reaches an appropriate height

Review by RMM : ProRide v. Marathon 70

We actually bought our Recaro at a local store after wanting to examine the seat in person and see how our 12 month old liked sitting in it.We used the seat July 2011-present, although we ended up returning the seat to the retailer 10/2011 due to an issue with one of the straps (see below). In those three months, we got a good feel for this seat and have rated it based on the following:PROS:- Very well made. Arguably the nicest looking/constructed seat we physically inspected. Recaro has an impeccable reputation, and the seat is impressive.- Strap pockets. These keep the shoulder straps out of the way when taking out/putting in child. Love this feature- Head cushions: very supportive. This feature was not offered on the comparable Britax.- Knob-adjustable straps. You don't have to take the seat apart to raise the shoulder straps. Just twist a knob.- Adjustment strap is easy to use, both to tighten & loosen harness- While it does take up a lot of space when rear-facing due to needing to be in recline, the seat still fits fine in our Trailblazer (center rear) and in our F-250 (center rear; 1/2 doors for rear seats). And it takes up less space (depth) than our infant carrier KeyFit 30.- 12 month old, 18lb, 28" child loves her seatCONS:- Latch system cannot be used rear-facing. We have an SUV with a shoulder belt for the center seat, and installation with the belt was awkward and caused the seat to list slightly to the left (driver's side). A placement of a towel did not remedy the list.- The center adjustment strap FRAYED. It frayed terribly and after about 4 weeks use. I have since read that this is a common issue, and another reviewer commented that the fraying was caused by the internal mechanism. I do not believe the mechanism is the cause -- I think it could exacerbate the fraying, but the cause appears to be the velcro cover that hides the strap and release latch. This consists of a flap of fabric with the fuzzy part of velcro sewn to the flap, and the 'hooks' part sewn to the base of the seat. The strap actually sits on the teeth of velcro and gets a little 'caught' by the hooks. Recaro should flip-flop the placement of the fuzz & teeth strips, since you can tuck the fabric flap under itself and prevent the hooks from damaging anything.I called Recaro about the center strap. They were not as helpful as I heard/hoped. The CSR asked me to email my name/address and part needed and they would promptly mail me a replacement strap. That call/email was a little over 3 weeks ago, and I still have not received a replacement strap, nor have I even gotten a response email. This is slightly amusing(annoying) to me, since we actually live less than 3 miles from Recaro's US plant.I ended up calling the retailer, and they were more than happy to return. At the store, the manager did some investigating, and took the unfrayed edge of the strap and started rubbing across the velcro teeth. In doing so, the clean edge started fraying. We now wonder if the velcro teeth started the strap's fraying. I could not visualize the internal mechanism for the strap itself, but it makes very little sense that it would be the cause of fraying. In brainstorming with the clerk (that's how much we love this seat), we settled on going to a craft store and buying some velcro in order to create a 'cover' for the bitey hook, and to prevent fraying on our replacement seat.The store ended up being sold out of the ProRide, so we decided to purchase the comparible Britax Marathon 70 for our other vehicle. We have been using that seat for 3 weeks now, and find it to also be a very nice seat. Our comparison review is as follows:PROS:- Latch system can be used rear facing. That are bars along both sides that enable the latch tethers to be used for either direction. The latch system gave a great fit without any tilting.- More compact that the ProRide- Lever-adjustable straps. You also don't have to take the seat apart to raise the shoulder straps. Just raise a lever.- Daughter likes this seat tooCONS:- Adjustment strap release lever is hard to find. While we're still getting used to the seat, the release latch for the harness is located through a slit in the fabric and is not as easily accessible as the ProRide.- Adjustment strap is harder to pull (tightening). Using the same amount of force as I'm used to using on the Recaro, does not result in a properly snug fit.- Strap holders (velcro) don't always match up (belts to seat). If you loosen the straps enough, then they do match up, but I'm not inclined to fish to find the release lever just to use the velcro- While a very nice seat, it's not as sturdy looking/feeling as the ProRide, nor does it have the head support. You'd have to go up in price-point (Advocate) to get those features.If I had to pick one over the other, I would pick the Recaro. The Britax is a close second, and while I have not had to deal with customer service at Britax, given my experience thus far with Recaro, I could tip toward Britax and spend the extra $60 for the Advocate. As far as comparably prices seats are concerned, the Recaro wins.

Review by Gailo75 : Recaro Proride Convertible Carseat

We purchased this carseat after doing extensive research. We looked carefully at the Britax Advocate, the Radians and the Recaro Proride. I am very happy with the Recaro. Everything about it is high-quality.

First - it is extremely solid, with excellent cushions around the head. It installed very quickly with the rear-facing latch system in the middle of the backseat of our Prius. It fits perfectly and still allows each front seat to recline and adjust fully forward and backwards. The fabric is excellent and very high-quality (we got one in Blue Opal, and another in Envy), and my 7 month old daughter doesn't overheat in it like she did in our Chicco Keyfit carseat. The cover is also easily removable for clean up (unlike the Radians). She is happy when we put her into this seat, whereas she used to scream when we put her in her Chicco carseat.

Also, several of the negative reviews state that this carseat is too narrow and won't be comfortable when the child is 4 or 5 years old. We previously had purchased a Britax Advocate, and it was so wide that it was uncomfortable for an adult to sit in the backseat next to the baby. The Recaro doesn't have that problem. We will likely switch to a booster seat by the time the width becomes an issue, and the Recaro is so much more user-friendly now. It also comes with WHALE stickers - which was a great suprise. This is the "We Have A Little Emergency" program that indicates to emergency responders that identifying and contact information for the child is listed on a sticker hidden on the back of the seat (so that random passers-by don't have access to that information). If you child is ever driven around by a nanny/grandmother/friend, and that person becomes unconscious from an accident, it gives you peace of mind to know that you will be contacted about your baby.

Review by J. Ervin : Love this carseat with just a few caveats

I went back and forth between this seat and the Britax boulevard 70. There were things I liked about both and disliked about both. This is how I feel about the recaro after owning it for a while...
I love that this seat sits up high. My son almost instantly stopped crying in his car seat now that he can see out. As a trauma nurse, I like the head rests much better than the Britax. They are closer to the side of my sons head which prevents the side to side whip lash of the neck that can cause injuries. I also like the amount of cushion in the side impact, enough to stop the momentum, not too soft or too hard. It was also extremely easy to fit in the car. And it is very easy to adjust the harness and head rest without taking anything apart. I also use the pockets for the straps quite a bit more than I thought I would, they are super helpful when trying to position a struggling child.

I don't love that the lowest buckle always slides back to his butt when trying to strap him in. The straps do seem to twist somewhat, but no more than when I buckled him into the Britax. My biggest complaint is that the cover is not machine washable. It cleans up well with a washrag so far and it is removable. I haven't tried hand washing the whole thing yet. Additionally, I couldn't have used this when he was an infant. Although it states that the minimum weight is 5 lbs, he would have been much too tiny for the straps to be positioned correctly.

Lastly, And maybe most important. I don't love that it stays reversed only to 35lbs or 37.5 in. But something that a sales person told me might come in handy for you, children tend to outgrow the height requirement in a carseat long before they outgrow the weight. You can often save yourself some money by getting a seat that doesn't go as far in weight but goes to the same height. (Unless your child is heavy or stocky). My child is very tall for his age but not very heavy. All in all, I love this seat, as does my son, and would buy it again over the Britax.

Addendum: At 9 months he is still using this chair at the absolute lowest setting. The low weight classification for staying reversed bothers me less and less. I'm confident that I can keep him reversed well past 2 with this carseat. Also, I recently put this in the minuscule back seat of my subaru and it fit wonderfully. Easy to position, took up less space than the infant car seat did. Still LOVE this seat.

Review by Anjea E. Ray : Great seat

I recently bought this for my nine month old baby after reading hundreds of reviews. I was debating between this seat, the Radian XTSL, and a Britax Boulevard 70. After much consideration, I chose the ProRIDE and have been very satisfied with my purchase.The construction of this seat is solid, which you would expect from a manufacturer of the most premiere racing seats in the world. There is nothing flimsy about this seat. The head wings are soft enough to be comfortable when my baby is napping, but firm enough to provide protection in the event of a crash. Those head wings are one reason I chose this seat - the Radian is the only other seat with comparable head wings, and as someone who works in a trauma hospital, this feature was important to me.The fabric is well-constructed and well-stitched. The ventilation system does help quite a bit, which was necessary for us as we live in central Texas and summers here are HOT. Do know that the different colors of the ProRide are different fabrics; the all-black one and grey one are made entirely of plush velour, which would be substantially hotter than the colored fabrics, which are made of a smooth fabric that wicks moisture. It feels like the same fabric in the Chicco KeyFit seats.The harness adjustment is super easy. My baby is in the 65th percentile for height, and the straps are at their lowest setting with room to spare. The thing I saw over and over again on the Britax seats was that kids outgrew them in height earlier than expected. The Recaro ProRIDE and Radian XTSL have the highest height limits on the market, which means that your child will fit in the seat longer. I want my child to rear-face as long as possible, and I believe that she will be able to do so in this seat until she's four, given her growth pattern thus far. The strap to tighten the harness is smooth and easy to adjust, as well.The latch clips and chest buckle are easy to do, but the crotch buckle definitely requires two hands to undo. I don't mind that, as it means my child won't be able to undo it easily when I can't see her. :) The chest buckle requires to fingers to squeeze the piece so that it separates, which I think would be harder for a toddler to do than the pushbutton ones on some other seats. Some reviewers say that the straps twist - I haven't noticed that they're any different than any other carseats I've used. Before I put the baby in, I just pull the buckle pieces up and then move the straps over the sides of the seat, which gets them out of the way to put the baby in the seat and also means I don't have to go digging for the buckles to strap her in. There are also little pockets on the sides that you can put the buckles in to keep them open, if you like.My daughter sits up high in this seat and enjoys looking out the window. The seat fits well in my 2007 Honda CR-V behind the driver's seat. I put the seat in the center initially, but it was a bit tall and I had a hard time seeing out the back of the car with the rearview mirror. (That would be a drawback to any taller/higher height limit seat, though.) The driver seat is about halfway back, and there is still room to push it back more. I have more room in the floor space, too, than I did with my infant car seat (a Graco SnugRide 35). The Radian XTSL is too long/tall for many cars, especially if put behind a seat, so the ProRIDE might fit your car rear-facing if the XTSL does not. It is narrower than most other convertible seats out there, too, without infringing on the child's space in the seat. There's about six inches of space between the edge of the seat and my car door. The Britax seats are very wide, and may not fit in some cars.The cover is easy to get on and off, and the clips that hold it on are very secure. You can also take the straps off to be washed - which you can't do on a Britax seat. You need to be able to wash all parts of a carseat for kids that get carsick!The only complaint I have with this seat is minor. The belt lock-offs are very sturdy and don't shift. If you use the LATCH system, it's hard to adjust the straps because they are really short. I have maybe two inches of strap to pull on while holding down the button to tighten the seat using LATCH. I found it much easier to get a tight fit using the seatbelt. I did have to use a rolled-up towel to get the right RF angle. People that have complained about using a towel or pool noodle to get the right RFing angle being a recommendation in the manual should also note that it's also in the Britax manual. I don't feel that my seat is any less secure because of that towel being there. The Radian XTSL has a seperate piece for rearfacing, and it was tricky to get it installed properly when I tried. I'd rather have an idiot-proof seat for installation, because it's not worth the risk of having the seat improperly installed despite best efforts of a non-idiot. :)All in all, this is a great seat. It far EXCEEDS safety standards in the United States, as it is higher than the standards of the EU. (EU standards for carseats are much higher than the US, and require side-impact testing, which the US does not.) I would recommend this seat to anyone. I hope this review can help someone make an important decision!

Review by Kelli Chapman : Great seat.........but too big for rear facing

We have a '99 Volvo V70 wagon we bought this seat for. It looks great, high quality, but one problem..........doesn't work rear facing in our car. The side bolsters for the head were so big that they blocked almost the entire doorway so you couldn't even fit our 8 month-old through the car door into the seat! Forward facing it works fine, but unless you have an SUV or minivan I would stay away from this one if you want to use it rear-facing. We plan on buying the Recaro Booster seat for when she gets older, but for now we bought the Britax Marathon and it fits much better rear facing.

Review by rebma : Love it!

Wonderful car seat! Baby K will be able to use it for the remaining years she will need to be in a car seat.
LOTS OF POSITIVES: Material does not get hot during the hot summer months, great head support, easy to clean, Baby K fits comfortably in the seat...
Truly happy that we went with this car seat!