New rear facing car seats

A few new and interesting rear facing car seats have recently arrived. The manufacturers face some interesting choices in deciding which rear facing seats to develop.

Should it be Isofix seats which are easy to install but also are heavier, with the lower 18 kg rear facing weight limit and also more expensive? Should the focus be on cheaper rear facing seats? Should development be for the current European standard or the new I-Size standard? Combination seats or dedicated rear facing seats?

Britax Max-Fix: This seat was shown the first time during last years car seat convention in Cologne and arrived on the market in the first quarter of this year. Not so new to the market but it offers a stylish design with the new light shells from Britax.

Max-Fix last from birth to age 4-5 with 18 kg as the maximum weight limit. It has the same seat shell as Max-Way with the addition of a baby insert. It has adjustable angle in seven position which can be changed while driving.

Max-Fix is quickly installed with Isofix and is a nice premium seat at a price which is less than premium. It has passed the ultra strict Swedish Plus Test up to 18 kg.

More information about Max-Fix is found here.

Britax Dualfix: Arrived recently and offer some interesting features. Similar to Cybex Sirona but with far longer rear facing time and also without the horrible and uncomfortable shield system for forward facing use.

Dualfix is installed with Isofix and can be used rear or forward facing from birth to around age 4 or 18 kg. It also has a function to rotate the seat 360 degrees. The seat can be turned sideways with press of a button which means easy entering and exiting with a child, especially for those with back problems. This is a feature requested by some parents.

Dualfix has some nice features but is not a seat for the Swedish market. Why? In Sweden we strongly recommend children to sit rear facing to age 4 or longer. Forward facing seats for young kids are not sold in the country.

Dualfix will be used forward facing way before age 4 by many parents. We want parents to keep kids rear facing to age 4 or longer but realize that parents outside of Sweden will sometimes have to make some compromises. Dualfix then offer fast and easy installation with relatively long rear facing time.

More information about Dualfix is found here.

Axkid Minikid: A relatively new seat which is similiar to Axkid Kidzone and Kidzofix. Shown first time last year in Cologne as well. Minikid is similar to Max-Way and is used rear facing up to 25 kg. It has a tall seat shell and will last rear facing to age 5 or about 120 cm of height.

Features such as automatic adjustment of head support and self adjusting tether straps are the same as the more expensive Kidzone and Kidzofix models. Weight of Minikid is much lower than Kidzone and Kidzofix. Minikid also has the new manual brake button for the head support. Head support can now be locked manually in any position desired.

Adjustment of angle is very flexible like Max-Way. A metal bar underneath the seat is moved up and down with quick release button. Base is narrow and the seat does not need much space making it the best all-round seat together with Britax Hi-Way and Britax Max-Way.

More information about Minikid is found here.

Besafe Izi Plus: We consider this a great improvement of the Izikid X3 model which is quite upright, has more complicated installation and has the lower 18 kg rear facing weight limit.

Izi Plus is using the same seat shell as X3 but the base is different. Installation is now easier and the support leg is integrated in the seat. The large head support is like previously integrated and easily adjusted.

Adjustable recline is the main feature of this seat. It’s easily changed with a button to a nice sleep position which works well in most cars. Space required is quite ok. It’s not the most compact seat but does fit well in most midsize cars. New for Besafe is the higher 25 kg rear facing weight limit and the seat has also passed the Swedish Plus Test up to 25 kg.

More information about Izi Plus is found here.