Maxi Cosi Pria 85 Convertible Car Seat Review
This car seat features a detachable soft carrier that reduces carrying weight by 50%. This is a great choice for parents who want to get the most of their investment.
It features a visual indicator that changes from red to green to indicate that the seat belt has been properly tightened during installation. This ensures that your child is secure in their seat during an accident.
Height
Dorel Juvenile Group (Dorel) is recalling certain Maxi-Cosi Pria 85 Convertible car seats due to the head extension when using the lap belt without the tether in forward-facing mode could exceed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213, "Child Restraint Systems." This could result in your child being less protected from injury in the event an accident. To determine the model number and the date of manufacture of your child's seat, visit their recall site here.
The seat is extremely comfortable and has ample padding in the headrest to ensure comfort for your child as they ride. It comes with torso side-impact protection which can help prevent head trauma in the event of an accident. Its shell is simpler to clean than many seats due to its open. It's possible to clean grime from the buckle area and the seat back. It comes with two cup holders that have a rubber rim. However, they're too small for larger snacks or sippy cups.
The crotch cover is difficult to remove, and kids may complain that it pinches them when they use the seat. The cover also covers stiff belt stalks, which can be difficult for older children to use when buckled up in booster mode. The seat also has a shorter rigid belt path than some of the other models that makes it harder to get a tight fit and may require assistance from an adult.
The Pria rear-facing seat features three crotch straps that are different in terms of size and position. However they are only suitable for children weighing up to 85 pounds or 52 inches tall. That's very short and many children will outgrow the seat well before the height limit especially if they're using the highest harness position, which requires the shoulders to be higher than the top of the headrest that is fully extended.
It has a decent line of a decal for the belt on your vehicle but there is no color-coding or lock off to inform you when it's at the correct angle for installation and is sturdy enough. It's also heavy and requires some wrestling to ensure it stays upright during installation. The anchors for LATCH were not very good, but the tether was much simpler to use.
Weight
Maxi Cosi is famous for its luxurious seating, and this one certainly lives up to that description. The materials of this seat are extremely plush and cushioned, and it's extremely comfortable to ride on. Even on long trips. (Getting kids in and out of the seat is difficult.) The seat comes with three ways to adjust the headrest and harness height. It also comes with built-in harness holders that keep the straps out of the way while allowing a child to and from. The seat comes with two removable cup holders that are machine-washable and can be used for bottles or sippy cups.
The seat has a lower rear-facing limit than most of its rivals, with a maximum weight limit of 40 pounds and 43 inches. It's going to be difficult to get most children to age 5 in this seat, before they need to transition to a high back booster. The crotch buckle can only be used in one position when forward facing and we believe that the majority of kids will outgrow it before they reach the belt-positioning booster stage.
The seat comes with a cushioned harness cover to protect the chest sensor when you use the crotch buckle when in forward facing mode. It was a little harder to take off than other seats and we're wondering how it'll stand up in time. However, it's machine washable and dryer safe. The Pria 85 Max has the super-comfy ClipQuik chest clip, which is magnetic and designed to be easy for caregivers to use, but difficult for kids to let go on their own.
Similar to the Pria 85 Max, this seat has a comparatively low rear-facing limit, at 39 pounds and 41 inches. It's a bit difficult for children to use until they reach the 5-year-old mark, and there's only one forward-facing position on the strap for the crotch. The installation process is easier than most of the other seats we've test. The LATCH anchors are effective and the formed line that appears on the decal when the seat is correctly angled to allow for belt installation in the vehicle can be useful to parents who are new to the process.
Head Circumference
This seat is a great choice for kids with a well-padded SIP and a headrest. We like the fact that it comes with 14 height adjustments for the headrest, allowing you to raise your child's head as they increase in height. This will ensure that their head is not too close to the seat back, which can result in serious injuries in the event of a crash. It is also beneficial that the headrest includes an infant insert, which will add some extra padding to ensure that your child will stay more comfortable.
The fabric of the Maxi-Cosi is soft and feels high-quality. It's a little harder to take off the cover and clean than some of its competitors however, you can wash it at the lowest setting. The user's manual is kept inside the cover instead of being attached to the straps of the car seat. This makes it easier for caregivers installing or using the car seat.
When considering this car seat, it's important to keep in mind that the top tether is connected with clip. The clip is designed to minimize head movement in the event of an accident. The tether may not be required by the iSize regulations, but it will help to ensure your child's safety. The manual recommends using a tether if your child is under 65 pounds. It also advises caregivers to use harness pads to help keep them away from the way during the installation.
It is also worth noting that the Cosi car seat weighs a bit more than other seats in its class and its wider dimensions could pose a challenge for families who use it in rental cars or taxis. It has two forward-facing recline positions and the second is more reclined than position one. This can create a gap between your child's head and the vehicle seat in a crash.
This seat has fantastic crash test results on sleds which is a positive indicator of its overall safety. It also offers a generous amount of padding and is simple to set up and use. It's an excellent option for parents who wish to ensure their child's safety in any situation.
Neck Circumference
This isn't as big of an issue as head circumference when it comes to safety of the car seat, but it is important to consider the neck size of your child. A properly-fit car seat will allow your child to travel with their head in a secure position. You can test this by placing your child's head inside the car seat and seeing if the top of their head is in contact with the back of the car seat. If it is, then it's time to move them to the next stage of a car seat.
One of the major differences between new iSize car seats and the older R44/04 car seats is that iSize makes use of length to alter the group for a particular seat instead of weight. This is because children can vary significantly in weight and height. In addition, using length is a consideration that a child may have a growth spurt at any time and leave their car seat earlier than they would have expected.
The Pria 85 Max convertible car seat is rated for up to 85 pounds, and can accommodate children as tall as 52 inches in height. The crotch strap could be too short, and it can pinch the legs of children who sit in the seat for prolonged periods of time. Push Chairs & Prams offers a crotch buckle cover to alleviate this problem.
The Pria 85 Max outperformed many of its competitors in the sled crash test. This is a sign the seat has been constructed to the highest standards of safety and should provide your child with some extra protection in a collision.
The only drawback of this seat is the difficult process of installing it. It comes with an ISOFIX base that is built-in, but it lacks a locking mechanism. Installing the belt on the vehicle through the lower anchors could be a challenge. It is also very top-heavy, which means you will need to struggle with the seat to keep it upright while threading the belt through the narrow belt path. It's a bit difficult and may take several attempts to get it right.