Customer Reviews

Britax Diplomat Convertible Car Seat, Onyx

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We bought the Britax Diplomat to replace the Britax Boulevard we had been using for our 15-month-old daughter. The Boulevard takes up way too much room rear-facing - our front passenger seat (in a compact car) was basically unavailable because it had to be pushed all the way forward in order to accommodate the Boulevard.

So far, we love the Diplomat. The LATCH installation was a breeze. The seat is a few inches shorter than the Boulevard, so we were able to move the front passenger seat back and resume using it. We like the side impact protection feature, the fact that it is one of very few convertible seats that you can tether rear-facing, and the fact that you can adjust the harness without uninstalling the seat.

Also, the Onyx fabric is far more comfortable for our daughter than the Central Park fabric on our Boulevard. I didn't realize how hot the Central Park (velour) fabric would be in the summer. I would definitely recommend the Diplomat in the Onyx fabric.

The Britax Diplomat Onyx car seat is outstanding! We had purchased a Britax Boulevard over a month ago and had a few pet peeves... also, the Boulevard was too big for our cars. We were sure that we wanted the beefy side-impact protection, though; so we were thrilled to hear that the Diplomat was coming out - a compact version of the Boulevard - and signed up. The car seat arrived today and we have noticed that none of our pet peeves were carried over to this model! We easily got the car seat installed, ordered another Diplomat Onyx for the second car, then took junior for a spin to return the Boulevard model.
Specifically... the fabric is fine, the headrest and straps are easy to adjust, the padding is superior, and the placement/length of the buckle and belly pad (which were problematic on the Boulevard) are very good. Although the seat only goes up to 40 lbs. max, its compact size (versus the Boulevard) should make it easier to use on a plane. We are entirely happy with this car seat, and are so glad the timing worked out that the Diplomat was introduced just when we needed it!

The Diplomat is the smaller companion to the Boulevard series. Due to its compact size, it's great for parents whose children are in the lower size and weight percentiles - it's smaller overall size will free room in your car also.

Per Britax, the Diplomat can accommodate children in a weight range from 5lb to 40lb and a maximum height of 40 inches. The child can weigh between 5-35 lb while facing rearward and 20-40 lb while facing forward. The American Association of Pediatrics recommends rear-facing seats until the child is at least one year of age and weighs 20 lb.

The car seat is permanently attached to a hard base that allows the seat to be swiveled forward and backward. Ideally, the swivel base would allow a wider range of motion - our seat could not be made level without the addition of padding underneath the base. Also, the Chicco infant carrier that preceded the Diplomat in our car had a separable base, making the base install easier. A separable base would be a big plus in my opinion. The Chicco base also held the infant carrier more snugly to the car.

The Diplomat headrest can be adjusted up and down to maximize the comfort of your child, and there are multiple seat pads that can be removed as the child gets bigger. The seat cover is removable (with work), so this seat works for parents that have to deal with spit-up, spills, and other debris that is left in the wake of the typical kid. Because the seat is big enough to accommodate a 40" long, 40lb kid, a one-year old transitioning into it may feel a bit "loose" after the snugness of the infant carrier preceding it.

A variety of attachment options are possible, from standard car and aircraft seat belts (3-point or lap) to the LATCH system, which is my personal favorite. The seat is certified for use in aircraft, a big plus if you have to travel. Here, the smaller size of the Diplomat really becomes handy since running through an aircraft aisle with all the baby goodies is hard enough as it is. Threading the seat belt through the base might get interesting, depending on the size of the aircraft.

I noted two minor annoyances with the unit that was shipped to us. The fixed base has a single set of LATCH buckles, requiring them to be reversed every time the seat orientation is changed (i.e. left has to become right). A separable base and seat would not require this extra step. Also, our old Chicco infant carrier base had a air-bubble level to make a proper install easier to gauge than the "this line should be level" instruction on the side of the Diplomat. The Diplomat base is also wide enough where attaching the LATCH buckles is not necessarily easy.

This unit really requires the careful study of the manual... which is permanently attached to the unit in a location that is inaccessible when the seat has been installed in a rear-facing orientation. I wonder how many parents will struggle and/or install their seats incorrectly because they did not notice the fine print in the manual. A nice to have would be a small manual attached to the chair, and a bigger one (with a text font size above 4pts) delivered separately inside the same box.

Another minor ding is that the injection molded base that the seat is permanently attached to was still covered with fuzz from the injection-molding process. Most manufacturers deburr such edges to make them smooth and to remove such fuzz, but Britax has elected not to. In my opinion, such fuzz is undesirable around children, you cannot discount the possibility that a kid will try to eat it. Fixing the problem is easy enough, just run over those coarse edges with a Brillo pad to remove the fuzz and smooth them over.

Which brings me to my last issue with Britax and their web site. They want you to register your e-mail address as part of the product registration process, but they do not reciprocate by allowing you to contact them by e-mail once you have registered the product. Perhaps there is a legal reason, but there is no means to contact them other than snail mail or to wait until weekday business hours and to call them. Curiously, they do publish one e-mail address on their site for employment opportunities.

Still, all in all a great seat. I expect this seat will continue to delight our daughter and keep her safe while we're driving.

After searching and searching for the right fit, I am very happy I purchased the Britax Diplomat. I first purchased the Britax Boulevard, but it was way too big for my car (Infiniti G35). So, our super girly Boulevard is now in my husband's truck.
The Diplomat has all the positive features of the Boulevard plus the push button release found on the other Britax car seats. The Diplomat is the best combination of the Britax convertible car seats!
I definitely recommend the Diplomat. I could only find the Onyx color online.

Ok so here are the pro's and Cons from my POV.
Pro's- Seat is side impact sertified, and aircraft certified. It is so comfortable that my 7 month old is either laughing or sleeping in it, and it has a cushion under the buckle to protect her legs from the bulky buckle. It is compact enough that her seat can be in the car behind my 6'1" husband. It has all kinds of cushioning and it will extend to fit her height.
Con's_ Like everyone else, I wish it had a level in the seat so I could know if I installed it correctly, and it doesn't recline very far. While my daughter doesn't mind that it doesn't really recline, I often find her head creaked to one side while she is sleeping.
All in all I love the seat but it could use some minor updates.

We just returned the Boulevard, which was a huge heavy beast, to replace it with this option. The Diplomat is much lighter weight, fits better in our car, seems better for travel and seems very comfortable for our 21 lb. one year old girl. It is also easy to install and nice that it can be rear facing up to 35 lbs. (although I don't know how our daughter will have enough leg room rear facing at that point).

My only complaint about Britax is that it has low quality seat cover options (at least for this model). We went with the toned down Onyx because it has some nylon instead of all velour and will be cooler in summer. The seat cover is sewn in such a way that it does not fit perfectly over the base. It kind of puckers up and looks uneven. I would say all 3 color options were rather unattractive and they should make a sportier looking version like maxi cosi does, sans velour. For the price I would expect better quality.

Since safety is the most important consideration, the side impact protection made it worthwhile.

Very nice seat - the onyx fabric is easy to clean. Easy to install. Easy to fit into the car - honda accord.

The adjusting head rest is very nice too.


Didn't give it 5 stars because it hasn't been completely "tested" yet.

We love this car seat. When my son was 3 months we purchased it, his infant carrier was too big for the back seat of Suzuki Aerio (not the hatch back). We took a display model for a test drive and fell in love with it right away. The compact size of this seat and its amazing safety ratings sealed the deal.

About a year later my spouse was assigned overseas. My son and I were unable to travel at the same time as him. When you combine this carseat with the Go Go Babyz travelmate it is a complete success. On our long 8.5 hr flight across the big pond my son slept like a dream. I was worried about installing this seat on the three different airplanes we traveled on. It was more than easy, i would ask the flight attendants for the seatbelt extension and in minutes the seat was in the airplane. On the longest flight there were a few other military families with the car seats that have wheels on them and are "travel" carseats, they struggled trying to get inbetween the seats and had to pick up the entire carseat to go through the isles. I was able to wheel my son in his Diplomat carseat with GoGO Babyz attachment right to our isle with no problems. Durring the flight two of the toddlers in the other car seats were cranky and cried alot. this was an overnight flight. My son was able to sleep like a dream, this was mostly because of the head rest.

The head rest on this carseat is amazing. It provides much needed protection and comfort. There was one instance where my husband and I borrowed a friends truck to move some large furniture. Our friend had a kid about the same age and so already had a carseat in the back seat. We figured our son would be ok for the roughly 3hrs we would have the truck. About forty five minutes into our drive, when he would normally have fallen alseep, he was restless and crying. Every time he tried to rest his head on the carseat (w/o the "wings") he would drift off and then wake up as we hit a bump or if there was a turn in the road. He acted like he was trying to find his headrest by rocking his head from side to side and then crying when he couldn't find it. After this "testing" a different carseat, my husband and I fully realized how amazing the Diplomat was. We never again used a different carseat on him.


**Warning child safety rant starts here**

on a side note. If you are considering this carseat and are apprehensive about the price tag, chew on this.

This is YOUR CHILD. The price of the car seat or the missing eddie baur label should NOT be a major factor. My husband and I are baffled at the carseats we see in other peoples super "safe" cars. Parents at times can focus soo much on how safe the car is, but fail to continue looking into making the car safe for thier new arrival. Your childs carseat is a continuation of your car's safety. Cute does not always equal safe. When I see a nice newer car and an adorable iffy carseat in the backseat, it just makes me wonder. You spend soooo much on your safe car and adorable accessories but forget to make traveling in the car safe for your child. If you really want to see some shocking footage just check out sarseat safety trials on U-Tube. See how "safe" graco and eddi bauer carseats really are.




Britax Diplomat Convertible Car Seat OnyxGo-Go Kidz Travelmate

We needed to purchase another car seat for our second grandson and had heard Britax seats were good. What an understatement! It is so much easier to get the baby in and out of the seat than any other car seat we've used. Also, velcro tabs hold the harness straps back between uses, helping to keep them from twisting. Online video and written instructions at [...]are very easy to follow and well done. We recommend this seat to everyone who asks - and plan to replace our other car seat with a Britax car seat. Britax Diplomat Convertible Car Seat Onyx

I purchased this seat for use in my G35 which has a very tight backseat. It fits well with room to move the seat back without hitting the child seat. This seat seems to be as comfortable for my son as the larger Boulevard that we have in our other car. (However, my son is on the small side being eleven months old and weighing 17 lbs). I do believe that this seat would probably not be comfortable for a newborn without head control. The side support does not keep my son's head from leaning when he falls asleep and I cannot imagine that it would support a newborn. This is our third Britax seat and we have been very happy with all. They seem to be comfortable and well made as well as consistently rated among the best for safety. This seat does tend to be more expensive than most of the competition but is worth the extra money in my opinion to keep my child safe.