Child Seats in M3 Sedan

[FriedPiston]

Originally Posted by MomoM3

My wife mostly carts the kids around in the 'ol X5 but we've been taking road trips in the M3 since I got it a few months back. Picked up a spare set of seats and went with the Diono radian 3r + mats since they fold away nicely and are uninstalled/put away when not in-use. At ~25 lbs each, they're pretty sturdy too. Wish it came with a v-tether like my Britax instead of the single strap and also would be great if the top of the carseat didn't press against the headrest as much as it does.

They're very nice looking seats! I have the same model in blue as a 3rd/4th baby seat (1 child, 4 cars) for close to 5 months now. As you mentioned, they fold down nicely, and they're perfect for travelling.

The only issue I've had with the Diono is getting the seat to latch with minimal base play... because the rear seats on the M3/M4 are slightly angled, it makes it difficult to secure the Diono tightly. For comparison, I've had no issues securing the Chicco NextFit convertible with their SuperCinch latch system.

[Alan l.]

^^ same here.

I have two older Diono RXT in my X5M and now in my M3. After living with them for a couple of years I have mix feelings about them. Originally what swayed me was how narrow they were. I was still able to fit two of them and a full size adult in the X5M. In the M3 it doesn't really matter because no matter what you can't fit a person between the two seats unless its for a very very short ride. I was only able to fit a small 6yo in between and it was snug for him.

Pros
Narrow
Solid Build

Cons
Seating position is a tad too upright and its not adjustable.
Like you said its hard to secure this seat tightly this car no matter what
Heavy and hard to remove fabrics to clean

I've decided to replace mine and switch over to the Clek Foonf for both of my kids (6 and 3) due to some of the reasons above and a recent crash test rating I saw of how poorly the RXT did against the competitors. Especially head and chest impact ratings. In my X5M where the car sits higher up and bigger it felt safer compared to now the much lower M3. I want something that wraps around my kids more than the RXT does.

Alan

[MomoM3]

Originally Posted by Alan l.

^^ same here.

I have two older Diono RXT in my X5M and now in my M3. After living with them for a couple of years I have mix feelings about them. Originally what swayed me was how narrow they were. I was still able to fit two of them and a full size adult in the X5M. In the M3 it doesn't really matter because no matter what you can't fit a person between the two seats unless its for a very very short ride. I was only able to fit a small 6yo in between and it was snug for him.

Pros
Narrow
Solid Build

Cons
Seating position is a tad too upright and its not adjustable.
Like you said its hard to secure this seat tightly this car no matter what
Heavy and hard to remove fabrics to clean

I've decided to replace mine and switch over to the Clek Foonf for both of my kids (6 and 3) due to some of the reasons above and a recent crash test rating I saw of how poorly the RXT did against the competitors. Especially head and chest impact ratings. In my X5M where the car sits higher up and bigger it felt safer compared to now the much lower M3. I want something that wraps around my kids more than the RXT does.

Alan

Can you post pics of your new car seats in the M3?

[10"]

Originally Posted by Alan l.

^^ same here.

I have two older Diono RXT in my X5M and now in my M3. After living with them for a couple of years I have mix feelings about them. Originally what swayed me was how narrow they were. I was still able to fit two of them and a full size adult in the X5M. In the M3 it doesn't really matter because no matter what you can't fit a person between the two seats unless its for a very very short ride. I was only able to fit a small 6yo in between and it was snug for him.

Pros
Narrow
Solid Build

Cons
Seating position is a tad too upright and its not adjustable.
Like you said its hard to secure this seat tightly this car no matter what
Heavy and hard to remove fabrics to clean

I've decided to replace mine and switch over to the Clek Foonf for both of my kids (6 and 3) due to some of the reasons above and a recent crash test rating I saw of how poorly the RXT did against the competitors. Especially head and chest impact ratings. In my X5M where the car sits higher up and bigger it felt safer compared to now the much lower M3. I want something that wraps around my kids more than the RXT does.

Alan

Please post a link to the crash ratings you're referring to? I've always seen that Diono seats do excellent in all crash ratings...

[Alan l.]

Originally Posted by 10"

Please post a link to the crash ratings you're referring to? I've always seen that Diono seats do excellent in all crash ratings...

I thought the same until I saw this. Someone else posted this in another thread here somewhere... Granted I always knew Diono RXT wasn't the BEST in terms of crash tests but it was up there. This latest test says otherwise which prompted me to change my seats out also because of some of my other dislikes about it after using it for a couple of years.

https://www.babygearlab.com/topics/v...tible-car-seat

talks about the method used for the tests
https://www.babygearlab.com/topics/v...at/how-we-test

Also keep this in mind about these test results...

All of the Products we test Provide a Basic, Safe Level of Protection
All of the convertible car seats we test have passed the Federal minimum safety standards. Therefore, every seat we test has at least the basic level of crash safety protection required by US Federal law. Our primary focus for crash test scores is to identify those seats whose crash test performance exceed the Federal requirements by a wide margin. These car seats can be considered as providing an additional level of protection based on the data from their crash test sensors.

[$hah$]

Originally Posted by boi222

I used the cyber cloud q for the infant months and the clek foonf as the convertible ... both fit the f82/f80 fine

How much room does the passenger seat have with a Clek in the F80? Can it fit in the middle seat as well without losing too much room in the driver's seat?Any updates/recommends for convertible seats rearward facing in the F80? Everything looks so huge to me coming from a Uppababy Mesa in my wife's car. Just traded in the M4 for an M3, so I'm getting the itch to pull the trigger on the Clek Foonf, unless there are other recommendations out there for a one year old.

[volkl23]

Originally Posted by $hah$

How much room does the passenger seat have with a Clek in the F80? Can it fit in the middle seat as well without losing too much room in the driver's seat?Any updates/recommends for convertible seats rearward facing in the F80? Everything looks so huge to me coming from a Uppababy Mesa in my wife's car. Just traded in the M4 for an M3, so I'm getting the itch to pull the trigger on the Clek Foonf, unless there are other recommendations out there for a one year old.

I have the Clek Fllo which is similar to the Foonf in the my F80. It's installed on the passenger side and I will say that there isn't a ton of leg room left if you have it rear facing. Wife is smaller, so it's not a big deal when she's riding shotgun. Having said that, my 18 month daughter and I both love it! I would not get a different car seat if I had to do it again.

[danniexi]

Originally Posted by $hah$

How much room does the passenger seat have with a Clek in the F80? Can it fit in the middle seat as well without losing too much room in the driver's seat?Any updates/recommends for convertible seats rearward facing in the F80? Everything looks so huge to me coming from a Uppababy Mesa in my wife's car. Just traded in the M4 for an M3, so I'm getting the itch to pull the trigger on the Clek Foonf, unless there are other recommendations out there for a one year old.

Originally Posted by volkl23

I have the Clek Fllo which is similar to the Foonf in the my F80. It's installed on the passenger side and I will say that there isn't a ton of leg room left if you have it rear facing. Wife is smaller, so it's not a big deal when she's riding shotgun. Having said that, my 18 month daughter and I both love it! I would not get a different car seat if I had to do it again.

same here. i ultimately got the Clek Fllo over any other car seat (Nuna Rava was a close second). it’s served us well so far. with the Fllo in the rear seating position, there really isnt much room for anyone in the front passenger seat. i actually blame it more on the F80 rear seats rather than the baby seats themselves. something about the angle of the bottom cushion that prevents the base to stay parallel to the ground. after adding a couple of towels underneath to keep it in the proper orientation, the head piece is sticking up, forcing me to push that passenger seat farther foward and upright. it wouldve been even worse with the Foonf since that one is even taller.

Despite that annoyance, I am extremely happy with the Fllo. My daughter is always comfortable in the seat and the peace of mind that she will be safe is reassuring. and with the small footprint, my wife sits in the back and loves to sprawl out since she has so much room (much more room then when we used to have a Chicco Keyfit Infant carrier). The Fllo is also super easy to clean as well. There were a few instances where my daughter vomited (damn near projectile) and it got all over her and the seat. Took the panels and the rest of the padding off, dunked them in water and vinegar for a while, rinsed and let dry. The base i simply hosed down. Let dry. Boom. All clean and no smell. Super simple god forbid something like that ever happens.

[$hah$]

Thanks fellas! I ended up ordering the Clek Fllo as well, but damn this thing is huge!!! I'm not sure how I feel about killing the front seat and I really haven't been able to install it yet. I cannot get the clips to latch on. I looked inside the latch system and these latches are placed in the most awkward upright/weirdly angled position (not sure if mine are defective). Any tricks or tips? My wife's Merc is so easy to latch seats into. I actually broke out in a sweat trying to angle the clips a hundred different ways. Any pics would be greatly appreciated from those of you who have the Clek Fllo rearward facing. At this point I may return this and stick to our Uppababy Mesa until he hits the max 35lbs and hope by then I can go frontward facing with a Clek. Any advice? My boy just turned one and about 22 pounds for reference. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[gerardleary]

What Back Seat Mirrors is everyone using for their rear facing infant car seats in their M3/M4? With the M3 Comp rear seat the headrest is integrated so I cannot find suitable mirrors that will fit on the outside headrests. Anyone with a good solution? Have tried the BRITAX Back Seat Mirror and JJ Cole® 2-in-1 Car Mirror and Tablet Holder as they have different strapping setups to each other but neither will fit securely.

[danniexi]

Originally Posted by $hah$

Thanks fellas! I ended up ordering the Clek Fllo as well, but damn this thing is huge!!! I'm not sure how I feel about killing the front seat and I really haven't been able to install it yet. I cannot get the clips to latch on. I looked inside the latch system and these latches are placed in the most awkward upright/weirdly angled position (not sure if mine are defective). Any tricks or tips? My wife's Merc is so easy to latch seats into. I actually broke out in a sweat trying to angle the clips a hundred different ways. Any pics would be greatly appreciated from those of you who have the Clek Fllo rearward facing. At this point I may return this and stick to our Uppababy Mesa until he hits the max 35lbs and hope by then I can go frontward facing with a Clek. Any advice? My boy just turned one and about 22 pounds for reference. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

seatbelt was easier vs the latch for the rear seats (like you said, positioning was really awkward). in any case, seatbelts are safer and recommended over ISOFIX anyway so that’s the route I went with.