Cybex Car Seat Reviews – Innovation for Infants
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Cybex Infant Car Seat Reviews
Cybex are an innovative German manufacturer of child car seats, baby carriers and strollers. Innovative design is a core part of the Cybex brand, which they combine with unsurpassed safety, stylish quality and intelligent functionality to deliver award winning car seats.
For example, Cybex car seats have received the Red Dot Design Award a total of nine times and also won several JPMA Innovation Awards. So what is all the fuss about? We take a close look at the popular Cybex Aton infant rear facing car seat range in these Cybex Car Seat Reviews.
Cybex Aton Reviews
The Cybex Aton Series is a tiered product range of infant car seats with the Cybex Aton Q at the top:
- Platinum - Cybex Aton Q
- Gold - Cybex Aton 2
- Silver - Cybex Aton
Each increase in level comes with an increase in safety and comfort features but also an increase in price. The intent of the Cybex Aton range is to provide a seat that can suit all budgets.
All of the seats in these Cybex Aton Reviews come with a separate base enabling 3 methods of installation: LATCH with the base, seatbelt with the base, and seatbelt with the carrier.
As these seats are German engineered, you can use the European method for installing the carrier with the seatbelt, which the Car Seat Lady thinks is better. The seats also have a compact design and are a good choice for smaller cars (so are these seats).
Cybex Aton Q Review
The Cybex Aton Q is an award winning seat that provides the latest advances in safety technology and has achieved the top ratings in several crash tests. For instance, it achieved a Consumer Reports "best" rating for crash protection and has achieved "good" ratings from 3 German crash testing organizations (Stiftung Warentest, ADAC and ÖAMTC).
It is also the highest rated in the range of seats in these Cybex Aton Reviews for its ease of use by the NHTSA. It is particularly highly rated for its telescopic linear side impact protection when installed with the LATCH compatible base. This can be seen in the image below:
In addition a new function enabling the flattest possible lying angle between head, neck and chest reduces the risk of breathing difficulties for premature babies and very small newborns.
The seat comes in a range of fashionable colours and you can also check compatibility with your car on the Cybex Aton Q product page on the Cybex website.
Features
- NHTSA Ease of Use Rating
- Weight limits: from 4 to 35 lbs
- Height limits: 30" or less with a minimum of 1" above the head
- Dimensions: 25.6 L x 17.3 W x 15.4-22 H inches
- Infant Car Seat weight: 11.6 lbs; weight on base 23.86 lbs
- FAA Approved (to be used without the base)
- Included base comes with a Load Leg, LATCH connection, level indicators and Tensioning Plate Technology for a secure fit
- No re-thread harness with 8 height positions from 7.5” to 12.5”
- Innovative Perfect Positioner™ fabric insert can be adjusted to 8 different height positions to best fit your baby
- Telescopic Linear Side-impact Protection (L.S.P. System) - redirects the force of a side collision away fom your child
- Energy absorbing shell absorbs the forces of an impact and protectively covers the baby
- EPS Foam
- Extra wide 5 point Y-harness straps with soft belt and crotch pads
- Matching integrated XXL foldaway sun canopy with UVP50+ protects against high sun irradation and strong wind
- Removable seat insert that enables a near flat lying angle between head, neck and chest. This significantly reduces the risk of baby's head tipping forward while it sleeps and associated breathing problems.
- Shoulder belt guide on back of carrier for European method of baseless install
Pros
- Safest infant car seat verified by independent crash testing
- Innovative design provides enhanced safety features and function
- Luxury adjustable comfort for your baby
- New 8 position height-adjustable headrest with integrated harness guide. The length of the harness changes automatically when the headrest is adjusted. This prevents any need for the difficult threading in and out of the harness.
- Super easy installation by clipping into the base
- Recline positions for 2 weight ranges
- Compatible with a large range of strollers: all Cybex strollers and using Maxi Cosi adapters other strollers such as the Baby Jogger, Bugaboo, iCandy, Quinny and UPPAbaby among others.
Cons
- Expensive
- The Cybex Aton Q is much heavier than the Cybex Aton 2 (See below for Cybex Aton 2 Review)
- The "tensioning plate" technology helps to provide a secure fit, however it can also make some installations more difficult
- Base angle indicator could be easier to read.
Video Review
The 5 minute video below showcases all the features noted above in this Cybex Aton Q Review.
Cybex Car Seats Feature Innovative Safety Technology - the Load Leg
Cybex Aton 2 Base with Load Leg
There aren't many infant car seats in the market like the ones featured in these Cybex Car Seat reviews. What sets the Cybex Aton Q and Aton 2 apart from others is that they feature a load leg on the base. A load leg improves the safety performance of the car seat by enabling more of the crash forces to be absorbed into the back of the car seat. They also limit the re-bound, i.e. the movement of the car seat toward the back of the vehicle in a frontal crash.
As a result of the load leg, the Cybex Aton Q and Aton 2 are two of the safest infant car seats on the market.
Consumer Reports crash tests show that car seats with load legs reduced head injury risk by 46% compared to those without. 4 out of 6 of Consumer Reports August 2016 Infant Seat ratings that earned a "best" in crash protection featured a load leg (including the Cybex Aton Q and Aton 2). Cybex are one of the few car seats available in the US that feature load legs. The Clek Liing is another great infant seat that features one.
Cybex Aton 2 Review
The Cybex Aton 2 has been around for a few years now, having first released in 2013. The seat base is identical to the one that comes with the Aton Q and features the load leg for the best crash performance.
The seat also features linear side-impact protection to transfer the initial impact of a side impact to the seat's shell. The LSP System is slightly different to the one on the Aton Q as it is located on the handle rather than the shell and is not telescopic.
The optimized structure of the shell absorbs the forces and channels the forces away from your baby. The L.S.P. devices, in combination with the flexible energy absorbing shell, thick EPS foam and extra thick padded covers, absorb and distribute crash forces away from your child, especially during a side impact collision.
Features
- NHTSA Ease of Use Rating
- Weight limits: from 4 to 35 lbs
- Height limits: 30" or less with a minimum of 1" above the head
- Dimensions: 25 L x 17.25 W x 15.25 - 21 H inches
- Infant Car Seat weight: 9 lbs; weight with base 21.2lbs
- FAA Approved (to be used without the base)
- Included base comes with push-on LATCH connections, level indicators, Load Leg and Tensioning Plate Technology for a secure fit.
- 3 position handle (must be in up position when in the vehicle for rebound)
- Energy absorbing shell absorbs the forces of an impact and protectively covers the baby
- Linear side-impact protection (L.S.P. System)
- EPS Foam
- 5 point harness with soft shoulders and buckle pads for safety and comfort
- 3 harness slots and 1 buckle slot
- Integrated foldaway canopy provides sun and wind protection with UVP50+ in two positions
- Infant insert for up to 22lbs to provide a better harness fit and stability for the torso
- Removable newborn inlay for up to 11lbs positions smaller babies properly
- Shoulder belt guide on back of carrier for European method of baseless install
Pros
- Excellent side-impact protection and other safety features make the Cybex Aton 2 one of the safest infant car seats available
- Ultra-lightweight making it easy to take in and out of the car without breaking your back
- Super easy installation by clipping into the base
- Tensioning plate helps to ensure a secure connection
- Recline positions for 2 weight ranges
- Compatible with a large range of strollers: all Cybex strollers and using Maxi Cosi adapters other strollers such as the Baby Jogger, Bugaboo, iCandy, Quinny and UPPAbaby among others.
Cons
- The "tensioning plate" technology helps to provide a secure fit, however it can also make some installations more difficult
- The sunshade canopy, although really cool, only has small coverage. The canopy on the Aton Q is much bigger.
Video Review
The video below from Cybex shows off all of the features highlighted in the above Cybex Aton 2 Review. It also shows how to install the seat in your car via the different methods available.
Cybex Aton 2
is available at a discount price on Amazon
Cybex Aton Review
The Cybex Aton is the original seat in the series (first manufactured in 2011) and is the most affordable seat in our Cybex Aton Review. The seat features the same unique base tensioning system as the others and is quick and easy to install by clicking it onto the base.
However the base itself does not feature a load leg and the seat doesn't have the L.S.P. System found on the other models. It therefore doesn't score as highly for crash protection. As a result though, it is the lightest seat in the series and one of the lightest infant car seats you will find.
Features
- NHTSA Ease of Use Rating
- Weight limits: from 4 to 32 lbs;
- Height limits: 30" or less with a minimum of 1" above the head;
- Dimensions: 24.8 L x 17.32 W x 15-22 H inches (14.5 inches wide at base at belt path).
- Infant Car Seat weight: 8.8 lbs; weight with base 19lbs;
- FAA Approved (to be used without the base);
- Included base comes with push-on LATCH connections, level indicators and "tensioning plate" technology for a secure fit.
- 3 position handle (must be in up position when in the vehicle for rebound);
- Energy absorbing shell absorbs the forces of an impact and protectively covers the baby;
- Enhanced side-impact protection;
- EPS Foam;
- 5 point harness with soft shoulders and buckle pads for safety and comfort;
- 3 harness slots and 1 buckle slot;
- Integrated foldaway canopy provides sun and wind protection with UVP50+ in two positions;
- Infant insert for up to 22lbs to provide a snug and secure harness fit;
- Removable EPS foam newborn inlay for up to 11lbs protects your baby;
- Shoulder belt guide on back of carrier for European method of baseless install.
Pros
- Ultra-lightweight making it easy to take in and out of the car without breaking your back
- Super easy installation by clipping into the base
- Tensioning plate helps to ensure a secure connection
- Recline positions for 2 weight ranges (4-22lbs and 22-32lbs)
- 4 position recline on base to adjust to the correct angle
- Compatible with a large range of strollers: all Cybex strollers and using Maxi Cosi adapters other strollers such as the Baby Jogger, Bugaboo, iCandy, Quinny and UPPAbaby among others.
Cons
- The "tensioning plate" technology helps to provide a secure fit, however it can also make some installations more difficult
- Missing the additional safety features of the other seats in these Cybex Aton Reviews
- Although we really like the style of canopy, its coverage is not huge. The Cybex Aton Q canopy is much larger.
Video Review
The 6 minute video below courtesy of Baby Gizmo showcases all of the features and easy installation that we've highlighted above in our Cybex Aton Review. Well worth a watch if you're interested in this seat!
Conclusion
These Cybex Car Seat Reviews have provided a detailed comparison of the features of the 3 current models in the Cybex Aton infant car seat range. All of these seats are premium seats and the price of the Aton 2 and Aton Q particularly may be too expensive for many people.
However, we think the enhanced safety features of these seats, especially the Load Leg helps to justify the additional cost. This is backed up by the performance of the seats in independent crash testing. For this reason we have added the Cybex Aton 2 and Aton Q to our Top Rated Car Seats for 2016.
