The Maxi Cosi Luna Car Seat Review is now official, with the release of the Maxi Cosi Luna Car seat on the 23 January 2017 (delayed yet again from the 16 January 2017 release date).
After a number of installations for the Maxi Cosi Luna; here are my thoughts and some customer feedback when trying to use the Maxi Cosi Luna.
Maxi Cosi Luna Baby Car seat installation
The seat belt path is very clear in comparison to other models such as the Maxi Cosi Aura or the Maxi Cosi Goliath; however when feeding the seat belt through the large gap there is a tendency to twist the seat belt when passing through to the other side. This issue is increased when it is not possible to use a locking off clamp to hold the seat belt to stop retraction (eg mercedes b250)
Once you have the seat belt straight without any twists, then you will need to use a gated buckle to lock in the tension, so that the maxi cosi luna does not move laterally.
One major issue with the installation of the maxi cosi luna is that the seat belt is pressing up against the back of your child and in a accident situation may lead to bruising.
Maxi Cosi Luna Facts
Some facts which Maxi Cosi Will not mention in the advertising
- The width of the maxi cosi Luna at its widest point is around 48 to 49 cm, making the maxi cosi luna almost the widest G seat on the market after the Evolve
- The Tether is very short and will only reach the middle of the seat, meaning that it will only reach the anchor point of very few SUVs and the anchor point of sedans, all other vehicle will require at very least a 300 mm tether extension if not a 600 mm tether extension. if a tether extension is not provided with the luna ask the retailer for a 300mm tether extension.
- The Tether is upside down so that when you connect to the anchor point there is a twist in the tether strap.
- The Harness release mechanism required me to use two hands in order to press the button in and lift the harness straps to the next position, most women will struggle with this. Note if you found the Compaq MKII hard to adjust the harness this will almost be impossible for you to use.
Maxi Cosi Luna Marketing messages
Below are some marketing messages from either the Bubs n grubs website or maxi Cosi Facebook page, with an analysis of the claims
Claim : Two position recline for superior comfort
The 2 Position recline of the seat means a safer and better fit in a wider range of vehicles!
FACT – A check of the recline shows that there is only a 10 degree variation between the upright position and the reclined position, meaning that in car with flat seats the children will get head flop. Comment from a mum ‘it looked more reclined in the shop…’ explained the recline foot was extended out and that is the maximum recline available.
Claim : World First’ Dual Action Crotch Adjustment
The depth of the seat has been designed so that it will be more comfortable at all ages as opposed to other brands of G Seats.
Fact – The depth of the current Maxi Cosi seats (Hera, Euro, Vela, Moda) on average, have a depth of 12 to 14 cm from the back of the seat to the position of the buckle, where as Infa have a consistent depth of 18 cm from the back of the seat to the buckle. The Depth of the Luna is between 15 and 18 cm bringing it in line with the infa seats, on a positive note though the depth of the luna car seat is better than the britax maxi guard seat. Note most children will not use the lower setting as they tend to slide down the seat (especially in recline mode).
Additionally the adjustment for the crotch depth is under the seat; meaning that you need to un-install the seat to make the adjustment, this is a huge issue if you are a grand parent and have multiple gran children aged between 2 and 8 years of age.
Claim : Headrest designed with curve to suite smaller cars
The shape of the top of the seat back has been designed with a curve to suit smaller cars with a lower roof at the back of the vehicle as G Seats and booster seats are a taller seat
Feedback – in the Car, the Headrest had no problem in being lifted to the maximum height, though i still have not tried an A class Mercedes which has a lower roof
Claim : Helpful harness guides which help prevent straps twisting
FACT : Harness twisting is directly related to the thickness of the webbing and the design of the clip (see here). Speaking to a number of mums at playgroups who own either a Vela or Moda, the harness guide have NOT stopped twisting; and in many cases needed to learn the triangle trick so they could untwist the harness on a regular basis.
Claim : World First adjustable comfort headrest technology
Opinion – This new headrest technology is only required as the recline angle is only 10 degrees different to the upright position, making the seat more vertical than most other G seats on recline mode. The supporting headrest can easily be push back into place
Summary – Maxi Cosi Luna Car seat
The Maxi Cosi Luna car seat was a long time coming (over 2 years since the standards were signed off) and it does not offer much, compounded by the fact the seat looks cheap. The other seats such as the maxi guard/ maxi guard pro or the infa evolve offer better value for money.
Review by Jacqie Burnett – Freelance Blogger and owner of a recalled Maxi Cosi Euro