[Troesma]

Hi folks...

Right, for those Maser-owners/parents in need of giving his/her kid the possibility of a nice ride in their PNJ, as in my case here is the result of 1 month of research into child seats for the Coupe (and guess should equally transfer to the QP, and the new Coupe when it hits the streets... )

Looked into options from following brands (+ some others on the way, dismissed immediately due to construction/looks/safety compliance)

Recaro (top of my original list)
Britax
Mamas & Papas
Graco
Maxi Cosi

which are the brands most people have looked into anyway.

Recaro (my top choice) went down eventually for 2 reasons : (a) ergonomics for a Group I to III seat; and (b) color cover options. The (a) seems weird as Recaro seats if anything are known for ergonomics, but their Young Sport seat (the one I was looking into) is more of a Group I-II than I-III. The booster section is a bit too narrow to comfortably fit the hips of 8 year olds and above (not that they would not fit, I mean comfortably fit). Option (b) was a killer, as in Europe they do not supply the Tan color cover, which would have been ideal for my car (given that I have Beige hide).

And it was the more expensive of the lot... 50% more expensive, in fact, relative to my choice (see below).

Nothing negative to say about build and materials quality. You would not find a better seat on those departments. Period.

Britax products were a let down. The Evolva 123 is not bad, but does not get great marks in my list, and on top of that it does not fit well on the back of the car (booster too wide to get seatbelt buckle in right position).

Maxi Cosi Rodi XP is, again, an average seat (when compared to the likes of Recaro). It does fit very well, but I was not convinced by the overall quality.

Graco products were the worst of the lot. Nuff said.

So, what about Mamas & Papas? They have a new line (Pro Tour) which looked nice, fits snuggedly (although not drop into the bucket-shaped back seats, so you would need a foam or equivalent filler... but that's true of all seats save the Maxi Cosi, and just...) and is ergonomically balanced: not as narrow booster as the Recaro, not as wide as the Britax. Materials are excellent quality. On top of that, cover reverses on the back and bottom frames so every part of the seat in contact with the hide is, in theory, protected from tearing.

For your perusal, I post links to photos below

1. The seat

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c143/edsalazar/Car Seat/DSC00102.jpg

2. Detail of booster and harness

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c143/edsalazar/Car Seat/DSC00103.jpg

3. Side view

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c143/edsalazar/Car Seat/DSC00104.jpg

4. Bottom part, booster (note the cover wraps around the frame edges, so in fact no sharp parts are ever in contact with the hide...)

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c143/edsalazar/Car Seat/DSC00106.jpg

5. Back (ditto)

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c143/edsalazar/Car Seat/DSC00105.jpg

Will post some photos of the fitting process and looks. BTW, the Burgundy matches the color of my trim, so no problems there (and blends nicely with the Beige hide, and looks very elegant).

For those in the UK, you are looking at 100 Pounds for the M&P, against just under 150 for the Recaro alternative.

Hope this helps,

Ed

 

[Toffe]

Having driven nearly 10,000 miles with our now 8 month daughter in a QP with a Maxi Cosi baby seat, I need to move to the next seat.

Ed, how has the M&P seat worked out? I am leanding towards the Recaro Young Sport in Black/Silver, which should go nicely with our grey interior. Its microfiber, which should be easy to clean and looks somehow more expensive than M&P. I don't really care if its £100 or £150.

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CPS/CSSRating/SeatDetail.cfm?CSSID=436


- Toffe

 

[Glenn Wallace]

We've always been very happy with Britax products. We're on a Britax booster now.

 

[Troesma]

Having driven nearly 10,000 miles with our now 8 month daughter in a QP with a Maxi Cosi baby seat, I need to move to the next seat.

Ed, how has the M&P seat worked out? I am leanding towards the Recaro Young Sport in Black/Silver, which should go nicely with our grey interior. Its microfiber, which should be easy to clean and looks somehow more expensive than M&P. I don't really care if its £100 or £150.

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CPS/CSSRating/SeatDetail.cfm?CSSID=436


- Toffe

It worked out very well, I must say. TBH I was decidedly going for the Recaro YS, but it is bigger than the M&P. Now, the M&P fitted just... the key is height, because you could be obstructing the C pillar and the seat belt might not operate properly (being obstructed by the child seat head rest) so in the event of a collision it would not get enough tension. Having said that, the M&P is smaller than the Recaro (certainly less wide and lower height; I measured them both) so whilst it could fit, dunno if it will stay in place in case of a collision.

My advice: SEE both of them. The M&P is very well built, quality materials, from the photos you will the the padded seat cover wraps around all edges (thus no damage to the leather, even if you put no additional protection... I did, though, just in case).

I think the M&P is the way to go. And you could save some 50/70 quid in the process.

Ed

 

[Toffe]

Ed, thanks for the furthur thoughts. I actually ordered the Recaro, so I will test it tomorrow. Apart from seeing the seats, its hard to judge without testing in the car.

I will use it in a QP, so I hope its slightly larger than the Coupe and that the seatbelt tension you mention will not be a problem. If its too high for a QP, I wonder which car the Recaro was designed for!?

The price difference is only a tank of petrol with today's money!

- Toffe