[vigilante]

MaxiCosi Tobi review

Carseat Brand: MaxiCosi
Carseat Name: Tobi
Attachment method: Seat Belt
Childs weight: 9.2kg (20lb3oz) when first used this seat but now she's about 11.8kg (26lb)
Childs age: 10 Months When we started using it and now she is 17 months
Carseat weight range:/B] Group 1 9months to 42months - 9-18kg
MINI Type: ONE
Body Type: Hatch
MINI build date: July 02
Interior trim: standard cloth seats

Maxi-Cosi products - gb-en

Group/weight class:
Group 1
For children from 9-18 kg
Ca. 9 months - 3.5 years

Conforms to:
ECE R44/04

Size of the product:
Max. internal seat width: 290 mm
Internal seat depth: 310 mm
Internal height of seat: 590 mm (headrest in upper position)
External width of seat: 440 mm
External depth of seat: 565 mm (sit position)
640 mm (sleep position)
External height of seat: 740 mm
Weight: 8,9 kg

Features:

Innovative easy-out harness; the harness belts and belt buckle no longer get in the way
Easy adjustment of the headrest and harness belts at front of product with one hand
Side Protection System offers optimal protection against side impact
Extra firm installation in car -> the belt tensioner tightens seat belt securely
Colour indicator to confirm proper installation of child
Head hugger for extra protection for the head
Spring operated handle for changing from sit to real sleeping position (5 positions)
Easy to remove cover without opening the harness by extra opening in the cover
Belt pads are easy to remove/install
Intuitive and easy to read belt routing
Height adjustment of headrest from the front even with child in seat (7 positions)
Lengthen the harness with one hand (no need to push a button)
Cover is easy to remove and washable (spare covers are available)


This is designed to fit in cars where seat belt crimp is a problem...which our newly British designed Nissan Qashqai suffers from...nice one Nissan......safest car for adults though they say they didn't think about car seats...muppets..:hmph:
Even though the MINI has not such problem with its wide rear seating share. Obviously you spend £160 on a car seat :aargh: your gonna need to transfer it between cars for a while cos you can't afford another one but the fit in the MINI is great...really secure and quick and easy to put in with a couple of practise runs...its belt tensioner as the last part of installation ensures a rock solid fit.

Morgan didn't really like being in the MINI in her rear facing seat (Bebe Confort Creatis 2006 model) but she love it now in the Tobi...the base puts her up a height that she can see out of the window and the mutli recline operated by a big handle at the front of the squab is very easy to use if she takes a cat nap The 7 position headrest it great as it integrates the harness should height and there is no messing re-feeding straps etc. But...you can't adjust it with the tot in situe - you'd crack them on the back of the head if you did. Therefore its a bit of trial and error to find whats comfy...you can make it a great game though!

Now the only flaws in this seat....
A: its a bit big! you only notice when fitting it: Through the door...not a problem...and, around the folded forward front seat (humming to ones self) maybe a little rotate...and OWWW! jammed fingers...
B: When carrying it to transfer it I have been know to drop my car keys into the base and its a pain to get them out again
C: The strap mechanism can be a bit reluctant sometimes when pulling the harness straps lose...it gets better the more its used though...
Thats it

Will post some better pictures of the seat fitted in the MINI and some other cars too but so for its been in without any problems: 2002 MINI ONE hatch, 2007 Nissan Qashqai, 2000 Toyota Yaris 5dr, 1998 Ford Mondeo 5 dr hatch, 1996 Pug 106 3dr, 1996 Mazda Bongo 8str, 1996 Nissan Almera GTi 3dr, Lexus IS200 4dr, 1997 Nissan Primera GT 4dr.

Hope any of you multi car famlilies out there have found this review helpful. The Tobi is a practical solution if your other car was not designed as well as the MINI was or you need to put your precious cargo in many cars and are worried about compatibility issues.

Steve
vigilante

 

[mini-millie-n-dan]

Group 1 Maxi-Cosi Tobi

Hi everyone,
Just thought I'd let you know about the Maxi-Cosi Tobi car seat we had fitted in Mothercare this weekend. Fits my 2001 Copper perfect!!!
I had been searching the net for a couple of weeks looking for a group 1 that would fit, a popular choice was a Maxi-Cosi Priori XP but the girl in Halfords was not happy with it - not a good fit, which is strange as lots on Mini2 seem to use these!!
The Tobi seat is quite pricey (£170 in Mothercare, but searched Google and got it down to around £140). It also easy peasy to fit as the straps thread around the front and then across the back which is loads easier than the Britax seat in our Seat Leon.
So if you are searching around for a Group 1 give this a try..........

 

[vigilante]

Hi everyone,
Just thought I'd let you know about the Maxi-Cosi Tobi car seat we had fitted in Mothercare this weekend. Fits my 2001 Copper perfect!!!
I had been searching the net for a couple of weeks looking for a group 1 that would fit, a popular choice was a Maxi-Cosi Priori XP but the girl in Halfords was not happy with it - not a good fit, which is strange as lots on Mini2 seem to use these!!
The Tobi seat is quite pricey (£170 in Mothercare, but searched Google and got it down to around £140). It also easy peasy to fit as the straps thread around the front and then across the back which is loads easier than the Britax seat in our Seat Leon.
So if you are searching around for a Group 1 give this a try..........

Thats what i said.

 

[RooniusMaximus]

Picture of my little girl in a Maxi Cosi Priori XP.

It is tight, but I guess it does fit..

Having said above that it didn't I must apologise. By kneeling in it when fitting, it was much, much better.

Just thought hte pic might help someone else's decision.

Kell

 

[mini-millie-n-dan]

Picture of my little girl in a Maxi Cosi Priori XP.

It is tight, but I guess it does fit..

Having said above that it didn't I must apologise. By kneeling in it when fitting, it was much, much better.

Just thought hte pic might help someone else's decision.

Kell

Cute - she looks comfy enough! Looks like she will be moving onto the next stage seat soon though!
Thanks for the piccy, am going to give Mothercare a go at getting an XP to fit mine, will mention kneeling into the seat when tightening:smile:

 

[RooniusMaximus]

Cute - she looks comfy enough! Looks like she will be moving onto the next stage seat soon though! :smile:

Yeah, she's 17.5 kg now and will need to move up a whole class.

 

[RooniusMaximus]

Well we bought another seat - the Maxi Cosi Rodi.

We're away this weekend, but I'll take some photos once I get a chance. It was tried out by a fitter at Halfords - and we got such good advice from them last time that we decided to follow it again.

 

[MURF]

Help

Hi

I am 5 months pregnant - first baby! I own a Mini Cooper 03 model. I want to get the Maxi Cosi Cabriofix with Easyfix base...how do I know it will definitely fit before I buy one?

Also, I was thinking about putting it in the front passenger seat and disabling the airbag - has anyone else done this? I was thinking this might be easier for me to lift and get it in the front rather than back?

Assuming it will fit...any recommendations on where I could get it fitted?

Thanks

 

[KC04]

Another vote for the Priorifix - fits brilliantly, depsite being a bit of a squeeze to get into the back int he first place.

Carseat Brand: Maxi Cosi
Carseat Name: Priorifix
Attachment method: ISOFIX, with leg support
Childs weight: 9kg - 18kg
Childs age: 9months - 4 years
Carseat weight range: Group 1, weight see above
MINI Type: R53 (I think) Cooper S
Body Type: hatch
MINI build date: March 2006
Interior trim: sport seats half leather -chilli pack seats

Really impressed with the isofix 'flaps' - easiest arrangement I've seen on any car. I felt liek a proctologist finding the points in the golf.

 

[merv]

All a bit confused now - I have been using a Maxi Cosi Priorifix Isofix seat with leg support on occasion in my MCS for about a year. The fit seems perfect to me although the seat was really bought for our main family car a Saab 93 Sportwagon. It takes a bit of doing getting the seat in and out of the Mini so yesterday I decided to buy a second, identical Priorifix for my Mini.

In Mothercare I was quite happy to pick up another seat fit it in my Mini and go but (and good on them for it) they insisted on going through the whole 'does it fit process'. Maxi Cosi have taken their compatibility list down from their website so Mothercare phoned Maxi Cosi to check that the Priorifix is an approved seat for a R53 MCS - the answer was an emphatic no!!!!

I pointed out that everybody and their dog uses this seat in their Mini so a couple more staff turned up and Maxi Cosi were contacted again - the answer was again no!!! It seems that (and Maxi Cosi won't say) that either the seat hasn't been tested in a Mini (although unlikely on such a popular car) or that despite an apparently good fit the seat fixing does not work adequately in a crash.

When the seat was first put in my Mini a year ago my wife took the seat and theMini to the local firestation to have a fire(man)fighter fit it (she told me she likes to support local community initiatives) and the fire safety chap seemed more than happy with the fit.

The only current ISOFIX seats that do fit (according to the Mothercare system and stocked by Mothercare ) are the Britax Duoplus ISOFIX (but only with an additional underseat pads that have to be bought directly from Britax) and the Britax explora (but only with an additional tether kit)!!!!!!!!

Is this a case of over zealous shop staff or not - or is this whole situation so subjective that if I phoned Maxi Cosi today I would get a different answer again!!!!

The Priorifix is a fab seat - it feels really solid and the recline positions are great for making a nap in the car a bit more comfortable; it would be a shame to have to get something else
thanks in advance

 

[Paul]

I'm sure it's been said before that the car manufacturers test the seats in their cars, and as far as I know MINI have only approved MINI/BMW seats.

 

[Martin F]

But Britax must also test their seats and the ISOFIX Duo Plus is listed by them as approved for use in a MINI with the addition of the foam pad that costs about £10 IIRC. I would certainly not want to use a seat that was not specifically approved by the seat manufacturer for use in a MINI.

It also seems to me that with so many seats on the market, it would be an enormous task for MINI to test them all and with not much benefit to MINI. So it would be reasonable for them to conclude that it is better to leave it to the seat makers.

 

[merv]

This is what I have just got from Maxi Cosi - the makers of child seats approach the various manufacturers for a 'lone' car then test/crash it with their seat it. Is likely manufactures may say no to the likes of Britax and Maxi Cosi from time to time (the child seat person in Mothercare told me yesterday that he knew Aston Martin had said no on one model at least- understandably). What isn't know is if a seat isn't approved by the maker from a particular car whether this is because the car seat wasn't up to safety standards or if it was simply a case of the manufacturer not supplying a test car because they won't say - not worth the risk I would suggest!

The ISOFIX Duo Plus looks like the way forward - thanks Martin

 

[merv]

For Info have finally found the Maxi Cosi compatibility list:

Maxi-Cosi products - fr-en list:

 

[lil red mini]

Carseat Brand: concord
Carseat Name: ion
Attachment method: seatbelt
Childs age: 8mths
Carseat weight range: birth to 13kg (28lb)
MINI Type: one
Body Type: hatch
MINI build date: 2003
Interior trim: basic material

fits really well. the handle goes forwards (towards the back seat) when installed which means i can get the baby in and out easily as theres no handle in the way.

 

[ViscountCharles]

Costs a sodding fortune, but we've always used the BMW group I-II ISOFIX seat in the back of our R52 MCS.

 

[spot]

I have a Britax Isofix seat and a Britax Evolva 1-2-3 and both fit really well for my 2 boys age 1 and 3/4's and 3 and a bit. Details for these seats are easily available on the Britax website and they have a really good website. Covers are easily removable for washing etc.

 

[minimummy]

Has anyone got any experience of the Maxi-Cosi Rodi XR?

Good / Bad ?