Britax Roundabout versus Maxi Cosi Priori

This page compares the Britax Roundabout to the Cosco Maxi Cosi Priori. They are both great seats and it can be hard to make a decision about which one would be best in your situation. Since I have both of them, I decided to set up this page to help people get the info they need and make their decision. The car seat measurements have been taken from Toby McAdams's Car Seat Measurements page , so if you want to compare those measurements to other car seats, check out that page.

Britax Roundabout Maxi Cosi Priori

Description Kate, 17mo, rear facing in
Roundabout The Britax Roundabout is a convertible car seat, which means that it can be used both backward facing, and forward facing. It can be installed in a lap belt only, or in a lap and shoulder belt. It has a tether when forward facing and it is one of the few seats on the market which can be tethered rear facing, too.
This seat would be a good choice for a younger kid, especially if he/she still would be able to ride rear facing in it. Rear facing is always safer than forward facing, even if your kid is older than 12 months.
The Maxi Cosi Priori is a forward facing only seat, so not suitable for babies, but only for kids who are at least 12 months old and 20 lbs.
This seat would be a good choice for a taller and older kid, who could not be rear facing anymore, because of outgrowing that by height or weight. There is more growing room in it than in the Roundabout.

Weight limits Rearfacing 5 - 30 lbs
Forward facing 20-40 lbs Cannot be used rearfacing
Forward facing 20-40 lbs

Tethers Can be tethered both rear facing and forward facing. Can be tethered forward facing.

Height of shoulder slots Three shoulder slots, at 10, 12.5, and 15 inches. Three shoulder slots, at 13, 14.5, and 16.5 inches.

Recline feature Can be reclined in two different positions, but you have to uninstall the seat to change the recline. Also, when the seat is not reclined, it is often very upright while using rear facing, although the tether can usually fix that. Can be reclined in five different positions, without having to uninstall the seat. Very easy to change the recline. This is a great feature if you have a kid who still sleeps in the car a lot. When the seat is not inclined, the kid is up pretty high and the kid is more forward than in other seats.

Chest clip Two pieces, which click together. My 18mo can do the clicking together by herself, which gives her a feeling of power and helps in cooperating with the buckling. She cannot undo it by herself though, which is good. My 8yo and 7yo are able to undo it, they are not able to undo the Priori's one.
BRA chest clip Two pieces, but a little harder to do and undo than the Roundabout. Also, it is connected in the 'paperclip style' to one of the straps, and I am not sure how well that will hold long term. It also would make it easier for a child to undo the chest clip while driving. If you use the clip opening, it is hard to undo for a kid, neither my 8yo, 7yo or 4yo was able to undo it. But even the 3yo is able to slip off the 'paper clip' of the other strap, so it doesn't help that much that the clip part is hard to open.
MCP chest clip

Width 18 inches wide. 19 inches wide.

EPS foam and padding BRA foam and padding There is EPS foam around the head of the kid, both behind it and at the sides. It seems to start lower than the Maxi Cosi's one, but that makes sense, since younger and shorter kids can go in it. It also has a nice layer of padding underneath the baby, about 1 inch thick, soft foam. The cover feels padded too. MCP foam and padding There is EPS foam around the head of the kid, both behind it and at the sides. It seems to start higher than the Roundabout's one. It does not have the layer of padding like the Roundabout does, so the comfort for the kid would be a little less. The cover feels padded though. My 3yo seems very comfortable in the seat and has not complained about the lack of padding.

Straps The harness straps are very anti-twist, and very sturdy. I had problems with twisty straps in Tara's old seat and these straps are so much better. It looks like both seats have the same kind of straps, I couldn't really detect a difference. The shoulder straps are not padded, and I have heard that some people have problems with their kid's neck being chafed by the straps. That has not been an issue for us. The harness straps are very anti-twist, and very sturdy. I had problems with twisty straps in Tara's old seat and these straps are so much better. It looks like both seats have the same kind of straps, I couldn't really detect a difference. Shoulder straps have padding on them, adding to the comfort of the kid. Look at the picture on top and you will see the zebra striped padding next to Jane's neck.

Strap holders RA built in locking clip This seat has velcro on the side of the bottom to hold the straps, so they don't get under the kid when he gets into the seat. They work pretty well, and they almost automatically get attached when you take the kid out of the seat. MCP strap holders This seat has hooks at the side of the kid, to hold the straps, so they don't get under the kids when she gets into the seat. They work well, if you remember to use them, and I turn out to forget about them most of the time.

Locking clip BRA strap holders Seat has a built in locking clip, but it feels less sturdy than the Maxi Cosi's one. MCP built in locking clip Seat has a built in locking clip, and it feels sturdier than the Roundabout's one.

Front adjuster The harness can be adjusted from the front very easily, which helps when the kid is not always dressed in the same thickness of clothes, or when the kid is not cooperating. This seat has a button to push to make the straps longer, sometimes it is hard to get that button all the way in. The harness can be adjusted from the front very easily, which helps when the kid is not always dressed in the same thickness of clothes, or when the kid is not cooperating. This seat has a little latch to lift to make the seat longer and it seems to be working even easier than the Roundabout's seat adjusting mechanism.

Compound buckle BRA compound buckle, open and closed The buckle is a so called compound buckle, you have to put both parts together and only then can click it into the base. It is like putting two puzzle pieces together. It works pretty easily, unless the kid is fighthing to be buckled in. In that case, it helps to loosen the harness first, buckle the kid and then tighten the harness again. The advantage of a compound buckle is that you can't leave one of the halfs undone.
I find the Roundabout's buckle a little harder to undo than the Priori's one. I let my kids test it too, and only the 8yo is able to undo this buckle, the 7yo can't do it yet.
MCP compound buckle, open and closed The buckle is a so called compound buckle, you have to put both parts together and only then can click it into the base. It is like putting two puzzle pieces together. It is harder to put together than the Britax Roundabout's one, it took me a few minutes the first time to figure it out and it is harder to hold together while buckling. I have heard that it is easier to buckle if you place one side in the buckle (it's not latched yet, but now you have one less piece to juggle) and then place the second side in the buckle and snap them both in simultaneously. In It also can help to loosen the harness first, buckle the kid and then tighten the harness again. The advantage of a compound buckle is that you can't leave one of the halfs undone.
I find the Priori's buckle a little easier to undo than the Roundabout's buckle, especially if you have your hands full and can only use one hand at that time. Kids testing gave the same result. My 8yo, 7yo and 4yo all were able to undo this buckle. I didn't let the 3yo try, since she rides in this seat and I don't want to give her any ideas and start experimenting with it while we are driving.

Installation Seat installs very easily, both in lap belt only, as in lap/shoulder belt. The rear facing tether helps with getting the right angle when kid is still rear facing. Seat installs very easily, both in lap belt only, as in lap/shoulder belt.

Price $200, but often can be found cheaper on line, using coupons. Also, if you don't need the rear facing feature, you could consider using the Britax Freeway instead, which is basically exactly the same seat as the Roundabout, but it does not rear face, so it can only be used forward facing, 20 to 40 lbs. The Freeway is priced around $150, but as with the others, often can be found cheaper. $200, but often can be found cheaper on line, using coupons. There is a version with a leather cover, which is more expensive, usually around $350.

Pictures to compare different sized kids in the two seats

I added these pictures to the page, so that it will be easier to compare the same kid in the 2 different seats. The three kids in the seat are Tara, Jane, and Kate. Tara is 4yo, 40.5 inches and 38 lbs. Jane is 3yo, 39.5 inches and 33 lbs. Kate is 20mo, 33 inches and 24 lbs. The car seats are located on our living room couch, and are not buckled in, I just put them there for the photos :-) I had to take them out of the car anyway to change to another car and thought it would be easier to make the pictures inside the house. The pictures on top of this page have Kate in her Roundabout, and Jane in her Maxi Cosi.

BTW, after taking the pictures and putting them up, I found out that the Roundabout was in its reclined position, so that makes it look somewhat smaller in the pictures. But even if you consider that, the Roundabout shell seems to be smaller than the Maxi Cosi's one, just based on seeing my kids in the different seats.

Jane Maxi Cosi, Tara Roundabout Jane in the Maxi Cosi Priori, which is her usual car seat. The slots are in the middle position and she definitely has quite some room to grow in there.
Tara in the Britax Roundabout, she would need the slots in the top position (didn't change the slots for the picture, and she still had room there, but her ears are close to the top of the seat. She wouldn't have much growing room in this seat, although it would still fit her. She is close to the upper weight limit though, so she would most likely outgrow it by weight before she does by height. She is exactly average for both height and weight.

Kate Maxi Cosi, Jane Roundabout Kate in the Maxi Cosi Priori, which is still big on her, she would need the harness in the lowest position, which I didn't do for the picture. But it definitely would fit her and she would fit in it for a long time. I just prefer to have her rear facing, so the Roundabout is better for her at this point in time.
Jane in the Roundabout in which her shoulders are exactly at the height of the middle slots. The top of her ears aren't that far off the top of the seat either, it looks like she would outgrow this seat by height, before she does by weight. She is tall for her age and her weight is average.

Tara Maxi Cosi, Kate Roundabout Tara in the Maxi Cosi Priori. Even although she is close to the weight limit, the seat still is nice and roomy on her. She would definitely outgrow this seat by weight, not by height. She would have to use the top slots though, which I didn't do for the pictures.
Kate in the Britax Roundabout, which is her usual seat, in which she still rides rear facing. During this picture session I found out that I am using the wrong slots for her, visually it looked like the middle slots were beneath her shoulders, but it turned out that the seat cover with the padding distorts things and if you feel her shoulders and the plastic, it turns out that the middle slots are a little above her shoulders and I should use the lowest slots for her. So this seat will be rethreaded before it goes back into the car tonight!
She is close to the 'one inch from the top of her head to the top of her seat', so I will have to turn her forward facing soon I think. Depends how fast her torso grows over the next few months.

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Page last updated: Sunday, November 19, 2000.

	Britax Roundabout	Maxi Cosi Priori
Description	The Britax Roundabout is a convertible car seat, which means that it can be used both backward facing, and forward facing. It can be installed in a lap belt only, or in a lap and shoulder belt. It has a tether when forward facing and it is one of the few seats on the market which can be tethered rear facing, too. This seat would be a good choice for a younger kid, especially if he/she still would be able to ride rear facing in it. Rear facing is always safer than forward facing, even if your kid is older than 12 months.	The Maxi Cosi Priori is a forward facing only seat, so not suitable for babies, but only for kids who are at least 12 months old and 20 lbs. This seat would be a good choice for a taller and older kid, who could not be rear facing anymore, because of outgrowing that by height or weight. There is more growing room in it than in the Roundabout.
Weight limits	Rearfacing 5 - 30 lbs Forward facing 20-40 lbs	Cannot be used rearfacing Forward facing 20-40 lbs
Tethers	Can be tethered both rear facing and forward facing.	Can be tethered forward facing.
Height of shoulder slots	Three shoulder slots, at 10, 12.5, and 15 inches.	Three shoulder slots, at 13, 14.5, and 16.5 inches.
Recline feature	Can be reclined in two different positions, but you have to uninstall the seat to change the recline. Also, when the seat is not reclined, it is often very upright while using rear facing, although the tether can usually fix that.	Can be reclined in five different positions, without having to uninstall the seat. Very easy to change the recline. This is a great feature if you have a kid who still sleeps in the car a lot. When the seat is not inclined, the kid is up pretty high and the kid is more forward than in other seats.
Chest clip	Two pieces, which click together. My 18mo can do the clicking together by herself, which gives her a feeling of power and helps in cooperating with the buckling. She cannot undo it by herself though, which is good. My 8yo and 7yo are able to undo it, they are not able to undo the Priori's one.	Two pieces, but a little harder to do and undo than the Roundabout. Also, it is connected in the 'paperclip style' to one of the straps, and I am not sure how well that will hold long term. It also would make it easier for a child to undo the chest clip while driving. If you use the clip opening, it is hard to undo for a kid, neither my 8yo, 7yo or 4yo was able to undo it. But even the 3yo is able to slip off the 'paper clip' of the other strap, so it doesn't help that much that the clip part is hard to open.
Width	18 inches wide.	19 inches wide.
EPS foam and padding	There is EPS foam around the head of the kid, both behind it and at the sides. It seems to start lower than the Maxi Cosi's one, but that makes sense, since younger and shorter kids can go in it. It also has a nice layer of padding underneath the baby, about 1 inch thick, soft foam. The cover feels padded too.	There is EPS foam around the head of the kid, both behind it and at the sides. It seems to start higher than the Roundabout's one. It does not have the layer of padding like the Roundabout does, so the comfort for the kid would be a little less. The cover feels padded though. My 3yo seems very comfortable in the seat and has not complained about the lack of padding.
Straps	The harness straps are very anti-twist, and very sturdy. I had problems with twisty straps in Tara's old seat and these straps are so much better. It looks like both seats have the same kind of straps, I couldn't really detect a difference. The shoulder straps are not padded, and I have heard that some people have problems with their kid's neck being chafed by the straps. That has not been an issue for us.	The harness straps are very anti-twist, and very sturdy. I had problems with twisty straps in Tara's old seat and these straps are so much better. It looks like both seats have the same kind of straps, I couldn't really detect a difference. Shoulder straps have padding on them, adding to the comfort of the kid. Look at the picture on top and you will see the zebra striped padding next to Jane's neck.
Strap holders	This seat has velcro on the side of the bottom to hold the straps, so they don't get under the kid when he gets into the seat. They work pretty well, and they almost automatically get attached when you take the kid out of the seat.	This seat has hooks at the side of the kid, to hold the straps, so they don't get under the kids when she gets into the seat. They work well, if you remember to use them, and I turn out to forget about them most of the time.
Locking clip	Seat has a built in locking clip, but it feels less sturdy than the Maxi Cosi's one.	Seat has a built in locking clip, and it feels sturdier than the Roundabout's one.
Front adjuster	The harness can be adjusted from the front very easily, which helps when the kid is not always dressed in the same thickness of clothes, or when the kid is not cooperating. This seat has a button to push to make the straps longer, sometimes it is hard to get that button all the way in.	The harness can be adjusted from the front very easily, which helps when the kid is not always dressed in the same thickness of clothes, or when the kid is not cooperating. This seat has a little latch to lift to make the seat longer and it seems to be working even easier than the Roundabout's seat adjusting mechanism.
Compound buckle	The buckle is a so called compound buckle, you have to put both parts together and only then can click it into the base. It is like putting two puzzle pieces together. It works pretty easily, unless the kid is fighthing to be buckled in. In that case, it helps to loosen the harness first, buckle the kid and then tighten the harness again. The advantage of a compound buckle is that you can't leave one of the halfs undone. I find the Roundabout's buckle a little harder to undo than the Priori's one. I let my kids test it too, and only the 8yo is able to undo this buckle, the 7yo can't do it yet.	The buckle is a so called compound buckle, you have to put both parts together and only then can click it into the base. It is like putting two puzzle pieces together. It is harder to put together than the Britax Roundabout's one, it took me a few minutes the first time to figure it out and it is harder to hold together while buckling. I have heard that it is easier to buckle if you place one side in the buckle (it's not latched yet, but now you have one less piece to juggle) and then place the second side in the buckle and snap them both in simultaneously. In It also can help to loosen the harness first, buckle the kid and then tighten the harness again. The advantage of a compound buckle is that you can't leave one of the halfs undone. I find the Priori's buckle a little easier to undo than the Roundabout's buckle, especially if you have your hands full and can only use one hand at that time. Kids testing gave the same result. My 8yo, 7yo and 4yo all were able to undo this buckle. I didn't let the 3yo try, since she rides in this seat and I don't want to give her any ideas and start experimenting with it while we are driving.
Installation	Seat installs very easily, both in lap belt only, as in lap/shoulder belt. The rear facing tether helps with getting the right angle when kid is still rear facing.	Seat installs very easily, both in lap belt only, as in lap/shoulder belt.
Price	$200, but often can be found cheaper on line, using coupons. Also, if you don't need the rear facing feature, you could consider using the Britax Freeway instead, which is basically exactly the same seat as the Roundabout, but it does not rear face, so it can only be used forward facing, 20 to 40 lbs. The Freeway is priced around $150, but as with the others, often can be found cheaper.	$200, but often can be found cheaper on line, using coupons. There is a version with a leather cover, which is more expensive, usually around $350.

	Jane in the Maxi Cosi Priori, which is her usual car seat. The slots are in the middle position and she definitely has quite some room to grow in there. Tara in the Britax Roundabout, she would need the slots in the top position (didn't change the slots for the picture, and she still had room there, but her ears are close to the top of the seat. She wouldn't have much growing room in this seat, although it would still fit her. She is close to the upper weight limit though, so she would most likely outgrow it by weight before she does by height. She is exactly average for both height and weight.
	Kate in the Maxi Cosi Priori, which is still big on her, she would need the harness in the lowest position, which I didn't do for the picture. But it definitely would fit her and she would fit in it for a long time. I just prefer to have her rear facing, so the Roundabout is better for her at this point in time. Jane in the Roundabout in which her shoulders are exactly at the height of the middle slots. The top of her ears aren't that far off the top of the seat either, it looks like she would outgrow this seat by height, before she does by weight. She is tall for her age and her weight is average.
	Tara in the Maxi Cosi Priori. Even although she is close to the weight limit, the seat still is nice and roomy on her. She would definitely outgrow this seat by weight, not by height. She would have to use the top slots though, which I didn't do for the pictures. Kate in the Britax Roundabout, which is her usual seat, in which she still rides rear facing. During this picture session I found out that I am using the wrong slots for her, visually it looked like the middle slots were beneath her shoulders, but it turned out that the seat cover with the padding distorts things and if you feel her shoulders and the plastic, it turns out that the middle slots are a little above her shoulders and I should use the lowest slots for her. So this seat will be rethreaded before it goes back into the car tonight! She is close to the 'one inch from the top of her head to the top of her seat', so I will have to turn her forward facing soon I think. Depends how fast her torso grows over the next few months.