The Maxi Cosi Cabrio is a Group0 (0-13kg) rear facing baby seat which is easy to install and not too heavy. The handle bar has three positions - upright for carrying and travelling in the car, midway so the seat can rock when not in the car and fully down behind so the seat does not rock when on the floor.
The imminent arrival of twins and a day trip to John Lewis faced us with a bewildering choice of baby seats, which I had basically decided on pre purchase research was going to be a Britax seat of sorts. All the pre purchase research was binned when my wife decided on the day that we were going to buy a (did I say "a"?, sorry should have been "some") Bugaboo Frog pushchair system (see review elsewhere), and this system's car seat solution was(exclusively) a Maxi Cosi car seat and adaptor. So the only decision was then "What colour?", and this was decided on a grey/blue tiny chequered pattern as it matched the aforementioned Bugaboo (I think it's
the one in the picture). They were bought for £80 each.
The seat comes fully assembled with nothing to do but read the instructions as to how to thread the seat belt. The instructions also come on a cd-rom with moving pictures, which does make things slightly clearer (at one point I was going to take the laptop out with the instructions on, but I worked it out in the end). It isn't actually that difficult to do. You hook the lap bit of your belt under two large hooks on the front and insert in the clip and then stretch the long side of the belt around the seat, through another guide, and make sure it's all in tight. The hooks the belt goes through are large and easy to thread, and cosmetically don't stand out on the car seat. I personally find putting the car seat in the seat behind the passenger seat a bit of a stretch, but that might be my own problem stretching, I have no problem on the other side (my wife ironically finds it the other way round, and we're both right handed). The seats have been tried in a VW Golf, where there was just enough belt to go round, a Honda CRV where there is plenty of belt, and a Chrysler Grand Voyager where in the middle "airline" seats it is easy, but impossible in the rear "bench" seats as the belt is not long enough. In use the seats look solid, don't move around and I am confident they are safe. They have some side impact protection as well, but I can't vouch for the efficacy of it!
The girls have sat comfortably in the car seat from leaving hospital even as low birth weight babies (just over 3lb and 4lb) the (removable) head cushion providing comfortable and sufficient support for them. The straps, which have moveable soft cushioning on them, weren't too intrusive either. Now, 11 months later, the only issue is that the girls legs are too long for the seat and are a bit cramped against the back of the "host" car seat, I don't think this is because the MaxiCosi is too short, it's just that Florence appears to have particularly long legs! So we are now about to buy the next car seats (even though they're still a bit light).
Getting the babies into the seat and securing them is not too difficult. It is easier with the bar at the midway position, especially as they get older and more awkward, grabbing on to the bar etc. The harness fits easily as well and it's a cinch to put the two clasps together and slot in the locking mechanism. The button on the front is stiff to stop it being opened by the wrong fingers, but easy for parents to release. The straps can be pulled tighter by means of one strap at the front, which can be a bit tricky if the strap is trapped between the Maxi Cosi and the car seat. There is a big grey button to press, which loosens the straps in one go, which is successful.
The seat comes with a sun screen which tucks away into the rim of the Maxi-Cosi or pulls out and hooks on the bar. This is very useful, it's made of a fabric not unlike umbrella material, but thinner, and not water proof and is entirely unlike umbrella material! It keeps the rain off enough for the dash from car to house. It also creates a little dark individual room for the girls to easily sleep in when in the car, free from distractions of, usually, the other baby.
A mentioned before, the bar moves to provide easy access to the seat and to provide a rocking chair on the floor. This has been used successfully using a foot while nursing the other baby. Or it moves round to provide a firm base for a steady seat on the floor. We have used the seat in the early days of weaning to feed them. To move the bar you have to press two buttons on the hinge which is easy enough, however, you must press both buttons at the same time, and this is impossible while holding baby, I would rather just have to press one, but there may be safety implications.
There's a "useful" cupboard in the back of the seat which we've never found a use for.
The material is hardwearing but yet soft. It doesn't show the dirt/sick/food much, in fact the whole seat is still in very good nick, ready for use by number three which we've just found out is on the way. The padding is comfortable and there is a removable headrest which came out as the girls got bigger at about 8 months old. The carrying bar is comfortable to hold, but quite wide so you can walk a little bow armed (if you see what I mean), especially carrying two at a time, and this is not the most comfortable when they (the babies) weigh 17lbs each!
We used two adaptors that slot into the seat which in turn slot onto the frame of a Bugaboo for use as a pushchair, it should be remembered that newborns shouldn't be in a car seat for longer than 1 1/2 hours at a time. These cost £25 per pair. My advice is if you are using them with a Bugaboo to keep them attached to the seat (they don't get in the way) rather than the bugaboo, as it can be confusing (even though they are marked left and right) as to which left and right, baby facing you/away in town or country mode, the very flexibility of the Bugaboo makes it a bit tricky - however, if attached to the chair, just bung it on anywhichway. Maxi Cosi do their own travel systems that the seats fit on, but I don't know anything about them.
In conclusion. A good seat, looks neat, fits well, looks comfortable, not to heavy, keeps clean. We've been pleased with it.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Great review. We've got one of these, and Maxi-Cosi will certainly be on the top of the list when the little one's not quite so little and needs a bigger car seat...
tinals 19.08.2005 22:00
thank you! i have recently ordered this carseat without even seeing it :) this has helped me loads as it sounds much like one i used for my daughter..
jens25 30.03.2005 15:53
Great review, this sounds like a good car seat. Jens x
Test winner! Highest recommendation in European Consumer Associations car seat tests ... more
Summer 2007 Can be installed using a 3 point seat belt or with one of the bases Side protection system offers optimal protection against side impact Integrated sun can...
Postage & Packaging: £6.31 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix is a universal group 0+ child car seat for children up to 13 kg ... more
(birth until 12 months). The CabrioFix can be fitted with an automatic or static 3-point seat belt , the CabrioFix can also be used in combination with the Maxi-Cos...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: Next day delivery by lunch time....
Test winner! Highest recommendation in European Consumer Associations car seat tests ... more
Summer 2007 Can be installed using a 3 point seat belt or with one of the bases Side protection system offers optimal protection against side impact Integrated sun can...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
The Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix is a universal group 0+ child car seat for children up to 13 kg ... more
(birth until 12 months). The CabrioFix can be fitted with an automatic or static 3-point seat belt , the CabrioFix can also be used in combination with the Maxi-Cos...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: Next day delivery by lunch time....
Advantages: easy to use, flexible good technology, well made great colour range Disadvantages: slight high price, very expensive if you buy all bits seperately
Mar 29th, 2005
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