Love this rotating seat, a real back saver!
March 16, 2020
I was a certified Child Passenger Safety technician for several years and have installed many different car seats in many different types of vehicles. I have only tried the Sirona S in my vehicle (Toyota Prius V) for my toddler (25 months 30lbs. and 33.5" tall). I installed the Sensorsafe app on my iPhone, it works well and the setup instructions within the app were easy to follow.
I love that you install this seat using the same belt path for rear or forward facing, less things to have to remember! I highly recommend the using the seat belt to install this car seat because it was easy to get a tight install with the seat belt and you must cease using LATCH at 30lbs rear facing and 35lbs forward facing, just more things to have to remember. I really like the lock off in the base (the bottom of the car seat is called the base, but the top part does NOT come off like an infant car seat) it was very easy to feed the seatbelt through and lock it down with the Easy Lock lever, I did not have to put my weight in the car seat to get it tight. I like the pull strap release on the LATCH buckles.
The rotate feature is my favorite feature by far! My 25 month old can climb in by herself when the car seat is rotated to face the car door. I hurt my back from lifting the toddler after having my second baby. The most difficult lifts I had to do with her were getting her in and out of her rear facing convertible car seat. If I had this car seat back then it would have really helped, maybe even avoided the 10 weeks of physical therapy I ended up having to do. Be aware that the user manual requires the top tether to be used forward facing (and you want to use it, it greatly reduces head movement in an accident), the rotate feature will not work unless you detach the tether each time. This is not huge negative for me because I plan rear face until at least 3 years old, by that time she will easily be able to climb in and out of the car seat without rotating.
When I checked out the seat in the house I was very excited to see how upright the seat can sit while rear facing. I thought my toddler could sit upright and have lots of leg room and see out the window better when she is awake and I could easily recline the seat more when she takes an occasional nap in the car. When it is installed in my car however, the only positions that can be used according to the level indicator are the 4 most reclined positions. There is not really any more leg room than with our other convertible car seat and she is at about the same recline. I only had to move my front passenger seat up one notch to allow the Sirona to recline fully for a newborn, it is very unusual for such a large seat to take up so little front to back space! For forward facing, only the most upright position can be used in my car, the level indicator was barely in the red zone (red is for forward facing, blue is for rear facing).
Pros:
-A load leg and L.S.P on a convertible car seat!
-Looks like it will work well for a small newborn
-Does not take up much room front to back even in the most reclined position
-High rear facing capacity, 4-50 lbs. and 17"-49"
-High forward facing capacity, 22-65 lbs. and 28"-49"
-The headrest adjusts smoothly and easily up and down
-Very well cushioned and comfortable for babies and toddlers, when I press the seat bottom cushion with my hand I can't even feel the plastic through the very thick cushion
-The harness adjuster moves very smoothly and easily when loosening or tightening the harness
-Retractable L.S.P. only takes up extra width in your car when in use
-LATCH strap pull release mechanism is easy to use
-Clear, easy to understand user manual and stickers on the car seat
-10 year expiration date
Cons:
-The chest clip is stiff to buckle and unbuckle, this may get better with use
-Only 5 of the 12 recline positions are usable in my car
-The rotate feature isn't really useful in forward facing mode because of the top tether
-The user manual is clear, but very long with many rules for using the different features, it took me several days of spare moments to read the whole manual, it is a little overwhelming
-Not certified for use on aircraft, this is not a huge con, I assure you that you do not want to lug this gigantic car seat onto a plane
I recommend this car seat for a newborn or a toddler! I used an infant car seat for both of my newborns but the Sirona reclines enough for a newborn and would still allow an adult to sit comfortably in front, I will definitely consider it for the next baby! I think the rotate feature is especially useful with larger rear facing toddlers, they are so heavy to lift in and out.
I received this car seat for free in exchange for my honest review.
This product review was collected by the manufacturer.