Britax Diplomat Convertible Car Seat, Onyx
by Britax USA
(Click here)
Product Summary
Manufacturer: Britax USABrand: Britax USA
Model: E9L6669
Color: Onyx
Product features:
- 5 point harness with patented Floating HUGS system and True Side Impact Protection
- Built-in lock-off clips, Versa-Tether & Safe Guard LATCH Connectors
- EPS and Comfort Foam for safety and comfort
- Quick adjust headrest and recline
- Rear facing: 5 to 35 pounds. Forward facing: At least 1 year old and 20 to 40 pounds
- Britax Diplomat Convertible Car Seat Cover Set, Cowmooflage
- Britax Diplomat Convertible Car Seat Cover Set, Huntington
- Britax Diplomat Convertible Car Seat Cover Set, Onyx
- Britax Diplomat Convertible Car Seat Cover Set, Taylor
Description of Britax Diplomat Convertible Car Seat, Onyx
Designed with True Side Impact Protection and other advanced features to keep your child safe, secure and comfortable in the car, the Britax Diplomat Convertible Car Seat (Onyx) is ideal for vehicles with limited rear-seat space. The seat fits children in the rear-facing position weighing from 5 to 35 pounds and measuring 40 inches or less, and children in the forward-facing position starting at one year old and 20 pounds, up to 40 pounds.
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 The Quick-Adjust Head Restraint and No-Rethread Harness allow you to easily adjust the harness height and headrest to fit your child. View larger. |
 The Diplomat's compact design is ideal for vehicles with small backseats. |
True Side Impact Protection for Advanced SecurityOffering True Side Impact Protection, the Diplomat Convertible Car Seat delivers superior protection if you happen to face an unexpected side-impact accident. If such an event takes place, the solid head support and deep side walls work efficiently to distribute crash forces, shield the child from vehicle intrusion, contain the head and body, and keep the head, neck, and spine aligned to limit injury.
Superior 360-Degree Protection to Minimize the Risk of Injury
In addition to True Side Impact Protection, the Diplomat offers a variety of superior crash force management features to keep your child properly positioned and protected. First, the patented, energy-absorbing Versa-Tether has staged-release tether webbing, anchoring the top of the seat at two points to minimize forward movement. For growing babies, the easy-adjust, tangle-free five-point harness offers infinite harness height adjustments for a snug, custom fit.
For additional protection, an energy-absorbing EPS foam liner and energy-absorbing base absorb and distribute forces in the event of an unexpected impact.
Superior Fit and Comfort Features
Whether children are watching the world go by or snuggling in for a nap, they'll enjoy that the Diplomat reclines in both the forward and rear position. With additional features which include high-density comfort foam for extra padding, a plush cover set with a matching belly pad for comfort, and an infant body pillow for a custom fit, they'll always ride in style and comfort.
Superior Ease of Use for Safety and Convenience
For quick adjustments, the Diplomat features an easy-turn knob that changes the headrest and harness height without requiring you to uninstall the seat, and a front harness adjuster allows for easy loosening of the straps. Premium push-button lower LATCH connectors provide a simple and tight installation, while built-in lock-offs secure the vehicle seat belt so that the car seat does not move more than one inch side-to-side or front-to-back at the belt path.
Compact Design Fits in Small Back Seats
Measuring 17.7 x 24.1 x 22.1 inches (W x L x D), the Diplomat is compact enough to fit into vehicles with small backseats.
The Britax Diplomat Convertible Car Seat is available in the following patterns: Onyx and Cowmooflage.
The Britax Diplomat Convertible Car Seat is backed by a one-year limited warranty.
What's in the Box
One Britax Diplomat Convertible Car Seat and manual.
Baby Products Reviews of Britax Diplomat Convertible Car Seat, Onyx
Customer Review: Great for smaller kids but watch for minor issues
Summary: 4 Stars
The Diplomat is the smaller companion to the Boulevard series. Due to its compact size, it's great for parents whose children are in the lower size and weight percentiles - it's smaller overall size will free room in your car also.
Per Britax, the Diplomat can accommodate children in a weight range from 5lb to 40lb and a maximum height of 40 inches. The child can weigh between 5-35 lb while facing rearward and 20-40 lb while facing forward. The American Association of Pediatrics recommends rear-facing seats until the child is at least one year of age and weighs 20 lb.
The car seat is permanently attached to a hard base that allows the seat to be swiveled forward and backward. Ideally, the swivel base would allow a wider range of motion - our seat could not be made level without the addition of padding underneath the base. Also, the Chicco infant carrier that preceded the Diplomat in our car had a separable base, making the base install easier. A separable base would be a big plus in my opinion. The Chicco base also held the infant carrier more snugly to the car.
The Diplomat headrest can be adjusted up and down to maximize the comfort of your child, and there are multiple seat pads that can be removed as the child gets bigger. The seat cover is removable (with work), so this seat works for parents that have to deal with spit-up, spills, and other debris that is left in the wake of the typical kid. Because the seat is big enough to accommodate a 40" long, 40lb kid, a one-year old transitioning into it may feel a bit "loose" after the snugness of the infant carrier preceding it.
A variety of attachment options are possible, from standard car and aircraft seat belts (3-point or lap) to the LATCH system, which is my personal favorite. The seat is certified for use in aircraft, a big plus if you have to travel. Here, the smaller size of the Diplomat really becomes handy since running through an aircraft aisle with all the baby goodies is hard enough as it is. Threading the seat belt through the base might get interesting, depending on the size of the aircraft.
I noted two minor annoyances with the unit that was shipped to us. The fixed base has a single set of LATCH buckles, requiring them to be reversed every time the seat orientation is changed (i.e. left has to become right). A separable base and seat would not require this extra step. Also, our old Chicco infant carrier base had a air-bubble level to make a proper install easier to gauge than the "this line should be level" instruction on the side of the Diplomat. The Diplomat base is also wide enough where attaching the LATCH buckles is not necessarily easy.
This unit really requires the careful study of the manual... which is permanently attached to the unit in a location that is inaccessible when the seat has been installed in a rear-facing orientation. I wonder how many parents will struggle and/or install their seats incorrectly because they did not notice the fine print in the manual. A nice to have would be a small manual attached to the chair, and a bigger one (with a text font size above 4pts) delivered separately inside the same box.
Another minor ding is that the injection molded base that the seat is permanently attached to was still covered with fuzz from the injection-molding process. Most manufacturers deburr such edges to make them smooth and to remove such fuzz, but Britax has elected not to. In my opinion, such fuzz is undesirable around children, you cannot discount the possibility that a kid will try to eat it. Fixing the problem is easy enough, just run over those coarse edges with a Brillo pad to remove the fuzz and smooth them over.
Which brings me to my last issue with Britax and their web site. They want you to register your e-mail address as part of the product registration process, but they do not reciprocate by allowing you to contact them by e-mail once you have registered the product. Perhaps there is a legal reason, but there is no means to contact them other than snail mail or to wait until weekday business hours and to call them. Curiously, they do publish one e-mail address on their site for employment opportunities.
Still, all in all a great seat. I expect this seat will continue to delight our daughter and keep her safe while we're driving.
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