While I use Britaxes in my car, I consider them to be pretty 'permanent' carseats. They are lovely; but they are big, heavy and by the time I have them all tethered in my car I don't want to move them ever again!
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br /So I have been searching for a good 'back up' carseat for my mom's car and my husband's truck. This is the best seat I've found! This seat goes from 5 to 35 lbs rearfacing, then up to 40 lbs and 43'' forward facing. There are 4 harness slot heights. The seat is very cushy, has great instructions and isn't too heavy. So far I've installed it in a Subaru outback, a Chevy Malibu and a Chevy truck.
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br /I tried the Graco Comfortsport and was unhappy with the harness slot heights (there are only three) as well as the funny front bumper it has. It was hard to get a good rearfacing install. I brought home the Cosco Scenera and found that it did install fine, but I didn't care for its lack of padding or style. I am finally happy with the Uptown!

I was at the end of my research and had been on some dead-ends with two other carseats that I thought I would like. I found this one and was impressed with the padding and how much it resembled a Britax in the comfort style. However, when I got it home, I realized it just didn't seem to fit my children well. I tried a 5 month old @ 25+ inches tall and a 2yr old @ 33 inches tall. Both of them were terribly uncomfortable with how restrictive the seat was. It seems like the side barriers should be a little higher for my oldest, as her shoulders were turning in because they were hitting the sides of the seat. My son was well protected but for some reason, just did not like the way he seemed to be in the seat. After a couple times, I decided to try yet another seat. I think for the quality and the price, if your child fits well, this will be a great seat. Very well padded and comparable to a britax (padding)but $200 less!

My daughter is very comfortable in this car seat. We only use it about every 1-2 weeks as we don't have a car. We use it for cab rides or for the airplane. The straps are easily adjusted and we are satisfied with the padding.

For children up to 35lbs rear facing, 40lbs forward facing, and 43" in height. If your like me and want to stay away from the "3-in-1" convertibles that seem to be able to come apart for later use, (doesn't that defeat the purpose of the car seat?), then you will be happy with this seat. I have only had it for a week now, and so far so good. Its sturdy, and fits snug in our smaller sedan. the four harness heights are great for our tall 6 month old who seems to be wearing 18month old clothing! (if that helps). Not sure how long it will last us, but we plan on using a backless booster after he outgrows this one. The plush padded seats will be great on long trips i'm sure, and he's already fallen asleep in it twice, although his head falls forward a bit, I just angled him so his head rested against the sides. Again, so far so good!
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br /Update: 12/31/07 my child is now 16 months old and since the growth rate slows down substantially at age 1, I anticipate he will still be able to use this seat hopefully until age 3 (height being the main outgrowing factor). We love this seat. I agree, it seems a bit restrictive (i.e. the sides are closer to the body and is not as open as the more expensive britax) but it hasn't been a problem yet, even in the winter with bulkier clothing. P.S. the cheapest I've seen it is at W-mart and goes on sale quite often for 89.XX
br /Still no problems with it. :)
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This is my 5th child and my first 5 point harness style car seat. It definitely takes some getting use to. Actually, it is a royal pain in the rear. The lower safety clips always fall to the bottom of the seat, so when I sit the baby in it I am searching under her rear end to find the clips. The left chest clip is too long and it's a pain to clip together. Also the lower clips seem to turn on the strap and unless the clip is facing the right way it is almost impossible to clip into the seat belt. Maybe these are problems with all 5 point harnesses? It takes me twice as long to buckle the baby in this car seat than it does to buckle my toddler in (not a 5 point). Also, we use the rear facing direction and the seat is practically straight up with no recline. My husband put a board underneath to recline it some so the babies head doesn't fall forward when she falls asleep. That has helped alot. I don't think I would ever buy another one.

I bought this for our 2nd car but we end using this for travel so we don't have to keep taking out car seats. Its a good car seat if you have small children my son however is huge and he only used it maybe 6 months. His shoulders where to wide for it.. I do plan on using it for my daughter when she is a little bit older.