The Car Seat Diaries: My Recaro Love Song

My 2-year-old daughter and I have spent a good deal of time with the Recaro Como convertible car seat  now, and I’m pleased to report that we both are very happy with its performance in most areas. We’ve tested it in a large percentage of our long-term test vehicles, including the 2008 Honda Accord, 2007 Saturn Aura, 2008 Buick Enclave, 2008 Cadillac CTS, 2008 Hyundai Veracruz, 2007 Honda Fit, 2008 Pontiac G8, and 2005 Volkswagen Jetta. I thought it was time for a little update on how it's been working out.

What I Love:

Ease of Use: It’s delightfully easy to install with a seat belt, especially compared to our less expensive Evenflo Titan (which we also are very fond of, but which requires extraordinary acrobatic feats to get cinched in properly). I can get the Recaro Como tightly cinched down in most cars in less than 60 seconds. Ease of use is a main area of focus for Recaro, especially in their line of child seats.

Headrest: The super-bolstery adjustable headrest is great for toddler naps in the car. Somehow it’s able to keep her head from flopping down on her chest even though it’s only supporting the sides of her head. Amazing!

Safety: How snug and safe she is in it

Ease of Cleaning: Crumbled Cheerios and playground sand just brush right off the microfiber fabric

What She Loves:

Fabric: The plush, velvety microfiber fabric, is especially good for kids who love to rub soft things

Position: Facing forward in every car (the Como’s enormousness precludes it from fitting rear-facing in most of our long-term cars)

Funny Toddler Quirk: Calling it “My Recaro,” as in “Mommy, where’s my Recaro?”

What I Don’t Love:

Forward Facing Only: It’s only worked forward-facing only in most cars generally because of her height (which is considered average on the growth charts), but also because of the seat’s size. This makes me wonder what it would be like to use the Como for a small baby (it’s supposed to work for babies and kids from 5 to 70 pounds), since you must use a car seat rear-facing until the baby weighs 20 pounds and/or is 1 year old. She’s still rear-facing in our Evenflo Titan, so this is definitely a car seat-specific height issue.

Visibility Obstruction: Installation in the center seating position in most cars (the safest position) blocks the driver’s rear view too much (and in the Cadillac CTS, it basically obscures all rearward visibility)

It's Huge: Wouldn’t even fit through the door of the Mini Cooper, no matter how much I cursed and pleaded with it (out of earshot of the child, of course).

What She Doesn’t Love:

Visibility Obstruction: Not being able to see very well to either side of her (My husband: “Oh, look! Cows! Did you see the cows?” My daughter: “I didn’t see them.” This type of scenario happens on every car trip.)

Though I do have a few complaints, overall, I’ve loved my time with the Recaro Como convertible car seat, and I’ll be sure to report back on any additional impressions as they happen.

Posted by

Bryn MacKinnon May 15, 2008, 4:28 PM

Permalink

Categories:

Car Safety, Family Cars and Concerns