By Alex Nunez on December 26, 2009 in
While the vast majority of convertible car seats top out at a 40-pound maximum capacity, both the Sunshine Kids Radian65 (*Est. $215) and Britax Boulevard (*Est. $310) have higher 65-pound limits, which make them suitable for heavier kids. The Radian65's key selling point beyond its higher weight capacity is its narrow profile, made possible thanks to its steel inner frame (most othr car seats are all plastic). It's better for cars in which the back seat is a tighter squeeze. Furthermore, the Sunshine Kids Radian65 folds for transport, but its relatively heavy weight still makes it less-than-ideal in terms of portability. At $215, it's by no means cheap, either.
At $310, the Britax Boulevard is flat-out expensive, but it provides excellent side impact protection, is loaded with features, and is easy to adjust. The downsides are that its EPS foam-padded side protection wings are so pronounced that they may block a child's view, and that the Boulevard's heavy weight and bulky profile can make it hard to properly install and difficult to wrangle if you need to move it between vehicles. For that, you're better off with the aforementioned Radian65 from Sunshine Kids.
Finally, if all these seats are leaving you with a feeling of sticker shock, the Cosco Scenera (*Est. $65) performs as well as Britax seats in one review, while costing a fraction of the price. Just don't expect any of the other luxuries you'll find in a Britax. The Scenera's got less padding and its straps are prone to twisting, for example. If you're on a budget, though, it's a safe and very inexpensive choice.
Read more about these and other runner-up convertible car seats in our freshly-updated report.
(*Est. $190) is the best-reviewed convertible overall. Chalk it up to solid crash-test performance and the lowest price in that a price that's less than other Britax seats