Customer Reviews

RECARO ProSPORT Combination Harness To Booster Car Seat, Midnight

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Just wanted to let everyone know that I spoke with Recaro today and beginning in July 2011, they started manufacturing this model with a longer harness and they will send a new replacement harness to anyone who purchased the previous model. Hope this helps those of you (like myself) who were struggling with short straps! It is really a great (albeit heavy) seat that had a major flaw, which seems to have now been corrected!

Let me start by saying that this is one of the nicest harness to booster seats out there. And I feel like I reviewed/tested them all. The seat has many great features as previous posters have indicated, my favorites being:

- Seat comfort/plushness: I have seen several of the harness to booster seats in person (and my almost 5 year old has "tested" them) and it has the most substantial padding. No surprise there, Recaro is known for their seats!

- Adjustable 5pt. harness without having to re-thread harness straps - there is a nifty mechanism on the back of the seat that allows you to adjust the harness straps and head restraint up and down to 4 different locations. Great for when child grows.

- Head and side impact protection - I loved the way the head and side "wings" fit around her body - looked to me like she would be super duper safe in the event of an accident from the side and also looked to protect the body better than some other seats (of course, no real crash test evidence here, just stating my opinion)

- Fit to Vehicle - a cinch to install, took me less than 5 minutes to get a good, tight fit with LATCH.

So why only 3 stars?

One of the reasons I was attracted to this seat was the harness option to 90 lbs and 57 inches tall. After having a long conversation with a car seat safety expert in my area who convinced me that children should be harnessed as long as possible for obvious safety reasons, I decided to switch her out of the booster I was already using and get her back into a harness that I could switch to booster mode when she is older. The ProSport seemed to fit the bill perfectly as it looks like a "big girl seat" to her and I would have the option to harness her for one or two more years (or more if she let me!)

So here's the major con - my daughter is pretty average for height and weight for an almost 5 year old at 40 lbs, 40 inches. With a winter coat on, the harness is incredibly snug and extremely difficult to close. I can't imagine someone even 10 lbs. heavier being able to fit in the harness with a jacket, let alone at 90 lbs. For comparison purposes, I checked the Britax Frontier 85 to see how much "slack" the harness had, and it had WAY more room to grow.

I really feel like the Recaro is a better seat, but since the harness is important to me, I might have to reconsider. I did play around with it to make sure I wasn't missing anything and also went back to the store where I purchased it and watched the salesperson try to adjust it. Unfortunately, it's the way it is. He also agreed it was difficult to close.

For those that have younger / smaller kids, I can certainly understand why people love the seat, and my gripe may not even be an issue for those that won't be harnessing their 5+ year old, 40 lb. children. I'm just extremely disappointed that Recaro claims the seat will accommodate a 90lb / 57 inch tall child when I think those numbers are way off. Fix the harness Recaro, and you have one incredible seat on your hands. Until then, I think I have to consider a harness to booster with more room.

My wife and I are new parents, and we may fall for the gimmicks offered by the general baby market. However, I feel strongly about providing the best support in a vehicle possible to kids who are not fully formed, and Recaro delivers. I held on to our rear facing child seat, until my son was about to outgrow it any day now, and he was whiny/fussy every time in it. Even though this didn't bother me as long as he was safe, I knew the time was coming that we had to upgrade, so I started to research. I found several seats that claimed all kinds of things, and every price tag. I asked other parents, and even looked up independent reviews online, but I came to the conclusion. If you are after "piece of mind," and want the safest seat possible for your little one, don't shop at your local retailer or the brands that are offered to any passer by at the plaza. Recaro has revolutionized the safety seats for over 100 years now, and after buying one, I'm not disappointed. Craftsmanship, is far superior to the loose/falling apart local store brands, and the materials feel amazing for a baby seat. It's big, but fits my 15 month old, and he absolutely loves it. I can't sit in the seat to tell you how it feels for extensive periods, but the way it felt, made all the other low end padded chairs seem like a rip off. Yes this chair is over 200 dollars, but would I be happy buying a 100 dollar chair that my son hated? or wouldn't sit in? Just to find out that I should of purchased the model that everyone is raving about? NO. Believe the reviews, this thing is really nice.

I will update the review if anything should change my mind or an accident happens, I will report back anything learned. Also the Recaro website doesn't provide fabric used for each of the seats, so I emailed them, and will copy it below. Enjoy, if you are able to purchase this seat... You will be happy, and so will your little one.

Misty - Micro Suede

Blue Opal - Soft Cotton Poly

Midnight - Microfiber

Two new seats added:

ENVY - SOFT COTTON POLY MATERIAL

HANNA - DENIER

Bought the Prosport 5 months ago (not from Amazon- out of stock then).

Loved the quality and construction......we have 2 Britax Frontiers already (wifes car & grandparents car) and I needed a seat for mine. Read that this did very well in tests and because of the higher weight limit bought it unseen/tried.

Harness straps are VERY short.

My daughter is now almost 5yr old, 46 lbs and 46 1/2" tall. The straps have almost no adjustment left if wearing anything more than a sweater.

The weight/height claims appear to be 'advertising optimism'.

The headrest height adjuster that carries the shoulder strap is already at its maximum, when she adds any torso length the shoulder straps will start to slope down from her shoulder into the seat back, so will be unusable as the straps are supposed to be level with or above shoulder height.

I would like to see the child that is 90 lbs and 50" tall AND fit this harness !!!!!.

Called Recaro and was promised another harness would be mailed incase mine was defective, never received it or the promised follow up phone call after "we check with our techs' ".......

Our Britaxs' even though having lower weight and height limits still have growing room left however. So beware, check fit before buying or be prepared to return.

Also the belt webbing is wider than the slots in the 2 waist latch plates, which then do not slide freely when buckling her in.

First things first, Recaro describes the Hanna color as rasberry. That's correct - somewhere between red and pink. It's classy looking. I am a 2nd time Recaro owner. We bought this seat for my 2.5 yr old, who is 38in and 40lbs. Big kid. We have had him in the Recaro Signo since 5mos, but need the Signo for our 5mos daughter now. I knew we would go with another Recaro because we have been SO happy with our Signo and the customer service we have received over the years with Recaro. While we may not keep our son in this carseat until the max harness weight, it's nice to have the option. It's also comforting to know that the side impact protection we laud in the Signo is here in the Prosport. Not only is this great for safety, but comfort. I hate seeing kids slumped sideways in their carseats sleeping and I have been so happy with this aspect of the Recaro's. Both of my children go right to sleep in their carseats without any fuss. So, in case you are like me, a previous Recaro owner, here are the differences in this seat vs the Signo. It's not as wide looking, but just as plush, more so actually, even once you remove the padding for harness mode. Comfort is still high on Recaro's priority list. They switched to foam for the side protection, which doesn't seem as comfy for the headrest as the Signo, but my son has no issues. The pro changes: handle for carrying this heavy beast, much easier to lengthen latch straps, easier to tighten harness. For those who have commented on the harness straps not being long enough: Recaro has lengthend the straps on all seats made after June 2011. If you have a seat made before this they will replace the straps for free. In addition, no carseat maker recommends putting your child in his/her carseat with a bulky winter jacket on - it compromises their safety. I realize that's inconvenient, but it's reality. Con changes: the position of the harness release. Other reviewers have commented their children can release the harness themselves because you lift up on the release button as opposed to push down. I think that's a parenting problem, but I can see how it would happen. Another con: removal of the infinite release harness, which makes us sad that we will have to remove the seat to adjust the harness the next time he grows. However, the likelihood of an older child growing constantly has decreased, so this is probably ok. They also removed the recline adjust handle and replaced with a piece of plastic that flips up or down - kid is either reclined or not. That removes the several recline positions, but maybe that doesn't matter at this age/facing forward. And maybe that, with the infinite adjust harness, were just not possible with the booster mode. The only real con for me is the lower latch anchor - it's one piece as opposed to two separate belts. I cannot get it as tight as having two separate belts. It's still fine and latches tight enough, but I'd like a little more. Our truck has very visible latch anchors and the Prosport seat is shorter than the Signo, so maybe that combo isn't good for these straps. Overall however, the Prosport does not disappoint. We now have two Recaro's next to each other in the back of our truck without any problems. I love the safety and comfort of these seats and will continue to recommend Recaro to everyone.

I own a LOT of carseats and for a forward facing child this is BY FAR my favorite. I use this seat mostly for my 3 yr old in my car and he loves it. I have also used it with my 2 yr old (only in a pinch since he usually is rear-facing still)and 4 yr old nephew and it adjusts easily. I bought this seat because I love all my other Recaro seats and the ProSport does not disappoint. (I also own a Recaro ProRide, Como, Signo, Signo G2, Sunshine Radian XTSL, Britax Companion, Britax Decathalon, Graco snugride)I bought my 1st Recaro seat about 3 yrs ago because my husband loved it and it got good safety ratings. Now, I only use other seats if I have to. Install was a breeze and super tight (as with all my Recaro seats), very comfortable (from what my son says), easy to strap child in correctly every time (not the case with the Radian seat), fits well in our cars (grand caravan, buick rendezvoux, acura integra). I have nothing bad to say about this seat. Only downside is the cost but considering a weight max of 120lbs I feel comfortable with the price. I would absolutely recommend this seat! Also, I have bought 4 seats off Amazon and had a good experience every time. I even returned one (never used) and return was very easy and quick.

Update:

Very happy with the seat still. My 3 yr old loves it. He is comfortable and still falls asleep in the car on longer rides. We just bought a 2nd one to use when my 2 yr old is FF. I was curious about the harness strap length as I have seen a few people note it might be too short. I am 60" and 94lbs (a bit larger than max allowable by recaro for harness use) and I could not fit in the harness. However, it was pretty close. I would probably have to be 6 inches shorter to fit correctly. Hard to say for sure though. I did try the booster only mode and found it comfortable. If you have a tall or husky child, this seat might not work in harness mode as long as advertised but I think it is still a worthwhile purchase. A very sturdy, safe, easy to use carseat.

Having a lightweight infant seat helps to offset the fact you have to tote around an infant. It's really useful in street races between fairly evenly matched cars and will ensure your pudgy toddler doesn't cost you the race. This seat kept my child well anchored for several track days, and the additional weight was so insignificant that I couldn't tell a difference it my ET's at the drag strip. I can't say enough about this car seat so I won't even try. I am looking for a good infant Nomex suit and helmet to complete the look, so if anyone has any recommendations please send them my way.

We had a Chicco infant seat which we loved. When my daughter grew too big, I sadly realized that I had to get a new seat for her and that Chicco strangely only made infant and booster seats. Where is the in-between seat? After multiple searches and a couple hours spent searching around I found this seat. Strangely it seems that a lot of the Chicco users moved onto Recaro. Recaro is an interesting company. I found out that they also make racing car seats. I was reminded that my first mustang had Recaro seats and they were really comfortable! So we bought it and it's excellent. My daughter fell asleep within minutes of sitting in it the first time. It was relatively easy to install in our car and seems very stable with the very scientific shake-the-crap-out-of-it test. The color is very nice too.

This is a very nice car seat! We ordered 2, one for both of our vehicles. We previously had a Chicco infant car seat and couldn't find anything even close in quality at our local retailers. If you are looking for a high quality, well built, and very safe booster car seat I promise you will not be disappointed with the Recaro ProSport! One note on the fabric...we ordered one in Midnight and one in Blue Opal. The Midnight one is more of a cloth/microfiber cover and the Blue Opal is more of a polyester fabric cover like our Chicco seat. Both look like they will hold up well and clean up nicely.

I wanted a seat to keep at my parents' house, and my two and a half year old daughter is just about to outgrow her rear-facing seat, a RECARO Signo, so I went with their new carseat/booster combo. It is very comfortable, relatively compact (it's a lunker at 25 pounds but it fits into small cars easily), and has the highest weight limits in the industry. My daughter loved it from the second we took it out of the box, and gets excited about getting to ride in it. The shoulder straps resize without having to rethread, and the LATCH system is easy to use.