What would you do?

[bixbie33]

Hi there,

We are trying to decide between the Evenflo Triumph 5 and the Britax Roundabout. Price is not an issue nor is space as DS is the first and we have a roomy Toyota Camry 96. We found, to my dismay, that the Toyota does not have LATCH, when we started using our Baby Trend ISOFIX infant seat. Boy was that horrible...going from a very solid installation with our 2003 Jeep to using the base with only a lap belt in the 1996 Toyota. The base slid around so much I stopped using it, instead strapping the infant carrier in with each use.

I have heard that one can have LATCH installed at dealerships. Is this true? Yet as we are currently living in a country that does not require seat belts at all, I hardly think I will be able to have the Toyota dealership here install it.

What I am looking at is using a car seat without LATCH and possibly without an upper tether. I also do not have the luxury of having the new seat installed or checked by safety professionals over here. As I have read on this forum that the Britax is fairly hard to install, I am wondering if I should buy it or if I should go with the Evenflo Triumph 5 which seems to be easier to install.

I also remember reading in the Baby Bargains book that one of the Britax seats did not crash test well without LATCH (according to Consumer Reports). Is this true of all the models?

What would you buy if you were in my shoes? Britax or Evenflo?

Best regards,
Elizabeth
Mom to Zev Ananda 12/14/03

[cpstechmom]

I would buy the Britax. I've never had any problem at all installing a Britax in any car. I've also heard that the Triumph is short and a lot of kids outgrow it rear facing too soon.
I take Consumer Reporst testing w/a grain of salt...

no, you cannot have latch anchors installed in your vehicle. There are only a couple of car manfuacturers that allow it, and I don't remember who right off hand. I believe it is VW and some other european car. I know toyota isn't one of them.


Janice M. Mom to Cias-born 4/13/02 and forever rear-facing in his Britax Marathon.

[adelynsmom]

If price and space weren't an issue, I'd buy a Britax Marathon. It harnesses up to 65 lbs whereas the Roundabout only goes to 40.

[Joolsplus2]

You could maybe get the top tether anchor installed, but you don't necessarily need to.
If it were me, I'd go with the Britax. When your seat is forward facing, it has a shoulderbelt lockoff that clamps the shoulderbelt (in the outboard/window seat in the Camry, of course), and that acts somewhat like a tether.
I think the problems that we see with installation have more to do with the "rearfacing tether" which is unique to Britaxes in the US and cause a great deal of confusion for parents and techs, but I wouldn't say it makes installing the seat difficult, per se. It's really the easiest brand of seat for most of us to install and use :)

Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[Marisa6826]

Get the Britax hands down.

I have a 2001 Camry that doesn't have LATCH either. I have rented cars with LATCH and still got a tighter fit with the regular seatbelt.

As far as a top tether goes, I have it attached to the bottom track of the front passenger seat (ETA - the seat is rearfacing). I can't move the Britax at all, it's in so well.

I'm so happy with this seat, in fact, I'm buying a second one for my daughter on the way....

-m

[murphydog77]

Hi Elizabeth. I would also go with the Roundabout--I have one. I've never had a difficult time installing Britax seats; in fact, I think they are easier to get a good rear-facing recline angle because of the tether. I've not heard anything nice about the cover on the Triumph--my friend's fell apart on her and I've read more than one account that the velcro doesn't hold the back on very well. I do really like the memory harness, though.

As everyone else has said, you cannot install the lower LATCH anchors in your Camry, but you can install the upper tether anchor. The part number is 73709-12010 and runs about $15. All you'll need is a knife to cut the fabric on the back dash, a socket wrench with size 14 socket and a torque wrench ($20 at Home Depot--as easy to use as a regular socket wrench). You'll need the upper tether anchor for when you turn the seat forward-facing, so you have plenty of time to gather the supplies. Or you can have Toyota install it, but believe me, it's an easy task. The instructions are in your Camry manual.

Heather, CPS Tech
http://www.carseatsite.com