First of all, after a thorough searching you realize that the most important features should be considered in your decision are:
br /1) Baby's Safety: 5-point harness, side head supports, side body supports
br /2) Baby's Comfort: body and head room, cushion material, seating position, neck pads, easy locking/unlocking of belts
br /3) easy of installation: LATCH system, good guidebook
br /4) Adjustability: Height, harness level, tightening of belts
br /5) Convertibility: car seat - booster seat
br /6) Material quality: Cloths, plastics, belts, cushions, locks
br /7) Price
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br /I bought this car seat a month ago so bear in mind that my experience with the longterm outcomes is limited. I have a 2 1/2 year old kid who is in the upper limit of a normal weight and height range for her age. I bought this car seat online and picked it up from fedex. It took me 5 minute to install it in my car which was easy and fun with LATCH system. Its head side supports are the most important feature of this seat and they really serve their purpose. When my kid wear her jacket and hat, room for her head becomes a bit tight but it is still comfortable and actually it is helpful when she falls asleep. 5-point harness is a great feature and I highly recommend to buy a seat with harness if your kid is under 4 years old. I will try to use the harness as long as I can. I have not used this seat as a booster yet but it seam it will be ok because the slots for car seat belts are well positioned. Its head support and harness level can be adjusted and easily but you have to do it before installing the seat because the releasing button is in the behind and unreachable when seat is tightly pressed to rear seats. you can tighten belts in the front and it is quick and easy. The quality of material is good and I really like the texture of the cloths. this product is one of the priciest car seats in the market. The average price for a descent car seat with most of the above features is around 120- 170 but if you consider buying a safe car seat with high quality I think it worths to spend more. Overall, I am very happy for choosing this car seat and I give these scores (out of 5):
br /1) Baby's Safety: 5
br /2) Baby's Comfort: 4 ( a bit tight head room)
br /3) easy of installation: 5
br /4) Adjustability: 5
br /5) Convertibility: 5
br /6) Material quality: 5
br /7) price:3 (pricey)

I have had this product for over an year now and could not be happier. The seat back adjusts as your child grows taller. Looks very safe. This seat fits in all of our 3 cars without any trouble. I have had a great deal of difficulty in installing our Britax Marathon forward facing in our cars that meet the 2009 headrest standards. The top of the Marathon digs into the forward angled car headrest, leaving a huge gap between the back of the baby seat and the car seat, with all of the weight and tension resting on the headrest alone. No problem for the Recaro though. Bottom line, it is very easy to install securely. The Britax, while rated safe, in unacceptable in our newer cars with the 2009 standard forward angled, non-removeable headrests. My daugter also likes the Recaro more than any of our other car seats.
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br /Also, for those that like to fly with a car seat, like we do, the Recaro is a perfect fit for an airline seat. The Britax is just too large, and will not be allowed on board, as the front edge of the car seat must be flush with the front on the airplane seat.

Excellent chair! This is a very sturdy seat. I use the LATCH system in an Xterra and it doesn't budge. I thought visibility would be a problem but I would estimate the baby gets 135 or so degrees of forward view. We can take longer trips without the baby squawking in discomfort. It is molded from a heavy plastic(?) and it doesn't twist or tweek. I'm confident it'll survive a severe collision or rollover. If you're major concern is safety, you can't go wrong with a RECARO.

We've had a Recaro Young Sport since they came out two years ago. Having raced cars, I am very familiar with Recaro, and trust their engineering and crash safety knowledge, so I gave the seat a try.
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br /It is actually better than I had anticipated. The side protection is superior to all, and gives both good head and torso protection. And, unlike some others, it has enough room for our kids to move their heads all around (and is great for sleeping). The padding is soft and, while not as easily removed as a Britax, it is easily washed in a machine.
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br /I liked the first one so much, we bought 3 more (after our second child switched to forward facing), and gave away the inferior Britax Roundabout. I have no significant issues, but the recline knob is worthless. This is an expensive seat, but it will be useable as a booster, so you really get two seats in one.

We love this seat and highly recommend it! My husband is a firefighter and sees car accidents all the time, so the safety of our children is of utmost importance. The side wings are height adjustable and comfortable, even on long rides. They even help prevent the rubber neck effect when sleeping (he just leans his head on the wing). The fabric is high quality, soft, and easy to clean. The belts are nice and sturdy with easily adjustable lengths. The strap padding is substantial and made from the same soft, high quality fabric of the seat. The removable seat padding and crotch padding at the harness latch never stayed put with my older son so it was removed early on. We've never missed either of them because the seat is so comfortable. The seat is quite heavy but it comforts me to know that its construction is solid, not flimsy. We've had several other parents ask about his seat. Definitely a star with us!

We bought this car seat to replace the Britax Roundabout. We also considered all the Britax line. Our neighbors have the side impact Britax and we decided to go with Recaro.
br /Hands down, the Recaro is more sturdy and superior to the Britax.
br /We are very pleased with the purchase and will get another to replace the Britax in our second vehicle.
br /Highly recommend!

This is a nice car seat. It looks great and feels sturdy. The side impact pieces sides are much more robust than anything britax puts out. Great seat, highly recommend this one.

bought for a friends daughter in malaysia. They love it, there little girl loves it and is very comfortable in it, actually the only one she likes to sit in. Very strong construction, much better than others seen. I think if the car is totalled the only thing left would be the recaro seat.

My son loves this seat and we love how sturdy it is! I was afraid that the side impact protection wings would obscure his view, but it doesn't at all. Our favorite features - you can recline the seat without having to uninstall it, you don't have to rethread the hardness straps, it's narrow enough to have right next to another car seat, his head doesn't slump when he falls asleep, even when it's not reclined. The recline knobs are rather hard to turn, but that's the only even remotely negative thing I can say. He keeps saying, "Mommy, I love my new car seat!"

We bought this carseat after a fair amount of research. It wasn't available at any of our local stores, so we were a little apprehensive it wouldn't a) fit in our car (we've got a coupe) or b) fit our child (3rd percentiler, here). It does both, and she loves it. The thing has a steel frame, SIP, is plain and un-gauche, and, from my 18-month-old's reaction, is extremely comfortable with the toddler set. In my opinion, it's worth the price.

THIS CAR SEAT IS VERY NICE, STURTY IT HAS SOME METAL PARTS ON ITS CONSTRUCTION. IS HAS A VERY EASY LATCH, MY OTHER CAR SEAT (GRACO) WAS A NIGHTMARE TO THIGHT AND LOSEN IT WOULD GET STOCK, EVERY TIME WAS LIKE THE FIRST TIME YOU INSTALL A CAR SEAT, IT WOULD TAKE THREE PEOPLE... ANYWAY NOW I KNOW THAT JUST NOT THE WAY ALL CAR SEATS ARE. I LIKE THAT THIS IS THE LAST CAR SEAT I'LL EVER NEED. THE PRICE IF YOU THINK ABOUT HOW LONG YOU WILL BE USING THIS CAR SEAT AND THE QUALITY OF THE CONSTRUCION IS GOOD A VALUE. MY DD HEAD NEVER TILTS FORGUARD WHEN SHE GOES TO SLEEP. I TRY EVERYTHING WITH MY OTHER CAR SEAT TO KEEP HER HEAD UP...IT WAS MISSION IMPOSIBLE. I JUST WISH I KNOWN ABOUT THIS CAR SEAT BEFORE AND GO STRAIGHT FROM HER INFANT CAR SEAT TO THIS ONE. I FELT MY OTHER CAR SEAT WAS A WAIST OF $150.00 AFTER HAVING THIS ONE. IT DID TOOK SOME ADJUSTMENT FOR MY DD... SHE WAS NOT USED TO THE SIDE WINGS. AND THERE IS ONE BAD THING ABOUT THIS SEAT... IT HAS A SCREW LOCATED AT THE LOWER BACK, IF YOUR CHILD IS SENSITIVE IT WILL BOTHER THEM. I COVER IT WITH A LITTLE PAD AND MY DD SAID THAT "IT WAS THE MOST COMFORTABLE CAR SEAT IN THE WORLD". I LOVE THAT THERE IS NO MOVING OF THE STRAPS TO THE NEXT HOLES. WHEN YOUR CHILD OUT GROWS THE CURRENT SETTING YOU JUST PULL ON A BOTTON, PULL THE SEAT UP AND PUSH THE BOTTON BACK IN THE NEXT HOLE, LIKE A GYM MACHINE(SUCH A GREAT IDEA). I HAVE AN ACCENT, IF YOU ARE WORRY ABOUT THE SIZE DON'T BE, IT IS TALLER BUT TAKES LESS SPACE ON THE BACKSEAT THAN MY GRACO CARSEAT DID. CONFY, HEAVY CONSTRUCTION, SAFE, GROWS WITH YOUR CHILD, USER FRIENDLY AND IT LOOKS COOL!!! NO REGRETS WITH THIS ONE.

I purchased the "top of the line" Britax Boulevard for $300. There were two major flaws with the seat:
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br /1.) Not enough side support -- When my son fell asleep, his head would droop over the side of the seat. I found myself stopping the car to get out and put his head back into the seat!
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br /2.) Buckle position/flexibility were terrible -- The tension of the buckle was tight up against his crotch and there was no slack on it what-so-ever.
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br /The Recaro seat overcame both of these flaws. The side support is amazing on this seat. Now when my son tilts his head when sleeping, it's well supported by the side bolsters. The side bolsters are big and deep and very comfy. The buckle is long which allows greater flexibility in positioning it in a comfortable way as not to be crammed up his little family jewels.
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br /In addition, the Britax had these rubber strap guards above the chest clasp. In theory, it's a nice feature I suppose (although I wouldn't find a rubber pad on my seatbelt comfortable so I don't see how it would be for a child). The problem was, my son (like many other 1 year olds) likes to chew on things and he loved chewing on these rubber pads which were right below his chin and in easy reach. By comparision, the Recaro seat has a simple strap design with a chest clasp and comfy pads which I adjust up top -- nothing for him to bite on.
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br /Also I'd like to add that on the first day of use, he happened to vomit all over the seat and cleanup was easy thanks to the microfiber fabric design of the seat cover. Another plus.
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br /All this for $50 less than the Britax Marathon, which I returned the same week I got it.

My car was too small for the alpha omega that my son was quickly outgrowing (because of my compact car...). He just didn't fit with the chunky base under the car seat, so I looked into new car seats for him with a flatter base. He was fitted by a fireman and put into this seat. He is 4 years old, 40 inches tall and 36 lbs. I am keeping him in the harness as long as possible, because he knows how to get out of the lap belt on a booster. The fireman said that I should keep him in the 5 pt. harness at LEAST until he hits 40 lbs. I LOVE this seat. The safety features are amazing and as soon as my other child is old enough, I'll buy Recaro again! The only thing is the very first time I put him in the seat, he begged for his old seat and I thought...oh no! Well that only lasted less that a week. Plus when he sleeps he is upright and his head is nicely supported, he is NOT slouched over like in the regular booster that we have. I HIGHLY recommend this seat, plus getting it in and out is a breeze with the latch this comes with. This seat is the best!

This is the same car seat my daughter son in law bought for my granddaughter, my son in law researched car seats and found this to be one of the safest for infants/toddlers. Could not be happier.

I received the car seat on Monday and knew the second I "tried" to lift the box it was a quality seat, others I have felt in the stores were so light but this one is made of stronger stuff.
br /One of the most impressive features is that latches for the LATCH system are encased in a plastic not unlike a seat belt, this makes them easy to use but almost impossible to accidentally unlatch, I have seen other car seats with bent latches after a few uses.
br /My one year old is so happy in his new seat, he can see everything that is going on and if he needs to fall asleep the cushy sides on the head rest make a perfect pillow.
br /Don't fall for the cutesy patterns on other seats, this is the one to go for.

We bought this for my three year old son because his old seat was rubbing his back, making a sore. This seat is so comfortable for him, he loves it! There is very good head protection too. It is on the expensive side, but I felt it was well worth the money!

We've moved up from the travel system pumpkin seat (chico), and I was not looking forward to this. The Chico was so good, and I didn't like what I saw in the next step up.
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br /I bought the Recaro more as a joke than anything, but I know the name from my driving days, and respect their products. I figured it had to be better than the Britax Boulevard we bought. I was right.
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br /The latch is second to none, very easy to install and secure. The front elevator for the base works great, exactly as needed. The fabric is soft and comfortable, my son loves is. He actually LIKES being in the seat, amd doesn't want to get out when we stop! That is a first. The straps are very sturdy and secure, with positve latching buckles that have a secure feel. The sliding pads on the shoulder straps protect my son from being irritated by the straps.
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br /I also happen to be a mech engineer, and I am very impressed with the sturdy design and construction of the seat. The side protection is first rate, and provides a comfortable headrest for my son as well. An excellent design, and very well executed. A flawless seat.
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br /I have installed it in an Acura MDX, BMW 335 (4 dr) and a Nissan Titan King Cab (2 door) - it fits perfectly in all.

This is best car seat in the market. It is little bit pricy. My one year old son loves this seat.

Like most moms, I researched car seats for my little one online. I wanted one that would be a safe, transition to a booster, aesthetically pleasing, and easy to clean. Not sure about the cleaning yet but the the other 3 points were right on the money with this product. Hopefully this will be the last car seat I will have to purchase. The issue I had with this seat was that it is forward-facing only. It was my plan to keep my baby rear-facing for as long as possible. Recaro Young Sport car seats do not provide this feature. However, with the Side Impact safety features built-in it didn't matter.
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br /The Recaro car seat is so cushy and comfy, that it took my baby no time to adjust to the change in seats. My baby loved just sitting in the seat even before I installed it in my car. The installation was very easy due to the LATCH system connectors. I would recommend this seat to any mother looking for a safe seat for their child.

My husband insisted on getting this car seat for our one year-old daughter, and though I fought him at first because of the price (and the fact that we had to buy two to accommodate both cars), I'm glad I gave in. This is a very well made seat, solidly constructed and extremely plush and comfortable. I have no doubt that Kate is well protected in this seat. She loves sitting in it, and even sometimes cries when we take her out of it. :) I had read other reviews where the parent said that the child's head slumped over when he/she fell asleep in it, but I haven't found that to be true. Our daughter nestles her head up against the side cushions and is good to go. The only drawback I can find about this seat is that it's heavy, but once it's installed, that's not an issue. Bottom line: I highly recommend this seat; it's worth the extra money.

We bought this seat over a year ago and still love it! We actually just bought a recaro booster for my husbands car.
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br /I read all the reviews on this and have to disagree with the few poor reviews it received. I find it to be well made - extremely easy to put in your car and easy to wipe down in case it needs to be (we had a puke in the seat and it wiped out beautifully). it seems very comfortable and is really easy to put my son into. We recently bought our daughter a britax boulevard (because it was pretty and highly rated) and are not as pleased. Don't get me wrong it is a great seat and too has the side impact but is not as easy to put her into and take her out of. other than that i would say the seats are very comparable. safety is not something i value shop for - so i don't mind paying extra if that means my kids have the safest seats on the market.
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br /the added benefit of the side impact protection is that my son falls asleep in this seat with his head resting up against the side wings and not flopped over like most seats. he actually looks comfortable sleeping in this seat. the added benefit is that he a car guy and we call it his race car seat. . . no complaints about being strapped in.
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br /I think Recaro and Britax are the best seats out there. . . i just think the Recaro is a little easier to strap a kid into.

So simple to install and even easier to adjust as they grow. Only downside is that it's really heavy. My toddler is 28lbs and we bought it for her, but my four year old would sit comfortably in it as well. We love it.

Great, sturdy, cozy, safe-looking seat. I hope I never actually find out how safe it is, but my daughter (13 mos) is very comfortable sitting in it. She falls asleep comfortably sitting straight up, and I thought it was much easier to attach to my Liberty's bench than the Graco SafeSeat I had for her as an infant. I didn't do too much shopping around, but from what I did do, I thought that this seat had much more side impact protection (my car doesn't have side airbags) and was narrower than most (in a Liberty, space is at a premium in the back) and it had a 5 point harness system that lasted longer than most, and the seat will last a long time. I'm very happy with my purchase and saw it as an investment in both my child's safety and my future pocketbook.

This car seat is of great quality and design. My 2.5 year old seems to be very comfortable in it. This car seat can be compared to the Britax Boulevard, which is unquestionably the top pick of most. I like Recaro's design a little better, although I would add some things to it: a retractable side snack tray and a better designed fabric piece on the buckle in between child's legs - it always falls off when you take the child out of the seat and we've already lost ours. Overall, a great product.

I'm not much of a writer, but I can tell you that I'm very satisfied with this seat. It certainly has style, looks really cool and is built very sturdy. I did a lot of reasearch as far as which seat is best before I purchased this one and found out that they all have to pass the same federal crash tests. Some seats will be easier to install than others and may have extra cushion but it all boils down to one thing: the best car seat is the one that fits your vehicle, your budget, your baby and that you will use properly each time your baby rides in the car. With that said, instalation is easy as well as putting my 1 year old in and out of it.

Originally had bought another seat from another store, never took it out of the box and went back and forth in my head on whether or not the Recaro was worth the money...
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br /Best decision i've made in a LONG time, taking back the other seat and ordering this. The quality, safety features and comfort it appears to give my daughter is worth it!!
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br /She sleeps in it without her head tipping forward, the straps are soft and dont bother her even when snug... the head rest is perfect...
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br /highly recommended.

Sturdy, Sturdy, Sturdy. What else can I say? The latch system is easy to install and easy to take off. No problems getting it setup in a small or large car. Easy to tighten so that the carseat doesn't move around. All you have to do is pull the straps. Only problem I had was that you can't take it on the plane. It's too heavy so they say you can't take it on.

I bought this seat because it was one of the few that would fit in the narrow rear seat of a BMW convertible. And yes, I did also buy it because of Recaro's racing history. But in the end, it did not live up to the reputation of the name.
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br /The materials, fit and finish are mediocre. The materials feel cheap and you can see the backing at the seam edges. The real problem comes with the fit and finish of the plastic. Because of a large seam between the bottom and the back, the yoke (the piece of metal connecting the two belts with the center strap) gets stuck. It can give you the impression that the belts are tight, but they are not. This is very dangerous in case of an accident. The other problem is the A-lock (the center strap lock). Due to loose tolerances, the center strap gets stuck between the lock and the edge of the lock. This prevents the lock from releasing when you need to loosen the belts. Now you have to struggle to release the belts trying not to hit the poor kid stuck in the seat. Plus that the center strap gets fraid.

If you care about whether your car is equipped with side air bag, this is for you. Do not leave your child without side protection.

My son loves his car seat. Its great material and looks real comfy! Great product.

My baby is riding around in a better seat than I am. I am very pleased with quality of the seat. Being that I have had four kids, and have bought many baby seats, this one is at the top of the list in terms of quality and safety.

I have two of these seats and my kids are very comfortable , long trips , sleeping.
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br /These seats are perfect!

I did research on this product and was excited to see it on sale for 203.00. Received the produce 3 days early. Only set back is it is forward facing only. I did not read this in description. It only stated 18lb. I am very disappointed as it was a well designed car seat that had great reviews. Parents just need to be aware of positioning limitations.

Good quality , FAST SHIPPING
br /this seat is so safer for your kids i would recommend to have one for the kids

This carseat is not stable and unsafe. It can be rocked by hand and if your child leans too much it can tilt on it's side. What would force from impact in an accident cause. A latch would help tremendously. We were disappointed as it looked comfortable and read well as a safe seat. NO matter how we worked the straps it could not secure our 3 year old.
br /Unfortunately return was a poor experience. IF you want to try it purchase only one seat at a time (if you have two cars) you pay return if disatisfied. We will return to other carseat companies that stand behind customer satisfaction and security. Safety first, Eddie Bauer 3in 1 keep up the good work!