Nice booster but not perfect.
I've been a bit of a car seat fanatic since before my first child was conceived (she's nearly 8). In that time I have tested out lots of seats and done side by side comparisons of the features each seat offers. Britax and Graco are two of my favorite brands of car seats. Both generally offer ease of use and adequately cushioned and comfortable seats. When it comes to five point harness convertible seats Britax has always been my brand of choice. Once you experience the superior design impact protection luxurious fabrics and incredible ease of use most other seats on the market simply don't compare.
In the past I have not been impressed with many elements on Britax booster seats. Four and a half years ago the ease of use when compared to the Graco high back Turbo Booster was dismal and the comfort level was lacking as well. I was hopeful when the Britax Parkway Slide Guard was offered to me for review as part of the Amazon Vine Program that things might have changed for the better. I am pleased to say that in many ways Britax has improved on their booster seats. Because I have been using Graco Turbo Booster seats for my oldest child for four and a half years I'm going to give you the pros and cons of the Britax Parkway when compared to the Graco Turbo Booster.
Overall the Britax Parkway SG is a very nicely designed seat. In many ways it is much nicer than the Turbo Booster but I did take issue with it on a few minor points. I ran the seat through my usual critical scrutiny and asked my daughters ages 4 and nearly 8 to give me their input on the seat. For the most part they both liked the seat. The 4 year old found nothing wrong with the seat other than the fact that she is 1 1/2 pounds too light to be able to ride in this seat but I didn't let that stop me from sizing her up in it in the garage since she meets the minimum height requirement. My older child took issue with the seat on two points. She did not like the "Slide Guard" safety feature that prevents your child from "submarining" in a crash. I can't say I blame her since she has ridden in a seat without strap between her legs for over four years now. She also was disappointed in the arm rests. They're smaller than the arm rests that are found on the Turbo Booster and they're not adjustable. Because of this the arm rests are about an inch or two two low for her to be able to put her elbows on them (and this is a child who is only 49 inches tall-it would be worse for a taller child) and they are are not long enough to even make it to her wrist. Those two features left my daughter feeling disappointed.
I took issue with Britax's claim that this was a thinner profile seat that would allow you to put three seats in the back seat. I tested this out in my van with two Graco Turbo Booster (which by the way are about 2 inches thinner widthwise). If you're not going to be buckling the kids into the seats you can fit three across but if you actually want to secure the kids in the seats (And why wouldn't you?) there is probably no way you are going to fit three of this seat in your car's back seat.
I also had a problem with the slide guard. I tried it out in three different seat positions in my minivan. If you have a seatbelt that has one of those little plastic button things that keep the buckle from sliding all the way to the end of the belt you may not be able to properly use the slide guard with the seat belt as the opening on the slide guard is too narrow to accommodate it. Because of this I only have two possible seats in my car out of five that the seat can be used.
Assembly (putting the seat back on the seat base) was a snap. It took me no more than one minute. Assembly took merely seconds more than the Graco Turbo Booster but unlike the Turbo Booster it doesn't fall apart easily. The Parkway is a seat that you can easily carry from one car to the next and not have to worry that the base is going to detach from the seat back in transit (a scenario that I have witnessed many times).
Adjusting the head rest is a snap. Much like the Turbo Booster all you need to do is squeeze and pull or push depending on whether you are raising or lowering the headrest and the adjustment is done. That alone is a huge improvement on past Britax booster models.
The fabric on the seat is very nice (the Turbo Booster simply can't compete on this point). The printed fabric is a smoother material that you could easily wipe clean. The solid black fabric is a velvety plush. It's a thicker pile that the material you find on most Britax Marathon seats. The seat pad is thick and cushiony.
The foam beneath the seat pad is nice and firm. It will comfortably support a larger child. My four year old tells me the seat is just as comfortable as her Britax Marathon. Given how soft and cushy that seat is I think that says a lot.
The cup holders are a nice touch and they appear to be slightly roomier than the Graco Turbo Booster's. I did find that they're a little stiff sliding in and out. My 8 year old had difficulty getting the cup holders to slide out and my 4 year old couldn't get them out at all.
The high back for the booster got two thumbs up from both of my daughters. Both said it was comfortable and neither one complained of the sides obstructing their view. The high impact foam is thicker on this seat than the impact foam found on the Turbo Booster. It is the typical higher quality that I have come to expect from Britax over the years. The slide guard is easy to adjust (when the child is out of the seat) and easy to attach to the lap portion of the seat belt.
Since kids can be messy and seat covers need to be washed from time to time I decided to see how difficult it is to take off the cover and reattach it. If you're like me you've probably found yourself in this nightmare of wrestling with a seat to get the cover off or on. Some seats are a breeze while others make you want to rip out your hair. I'm pleased to tell you that it is a pretty simple job. It only took a few minutes to take the cover off and replace it. The cover itself is hand wash and line dry.
In all the Britax Parkway SG is a very nice booster seat. I'm annoyed that the designers didn't put a little more thought into the opening on the slide guard. If they had made it a smidge bigger it would have been able to handle the issue I mentioned about about the seat belts. The great thing about the slide guard is it ensures that the lap belt does not ride up on your child's abdomen which could cause severe internal injuries in a car crash. I'm actually surprised that it has taken this many years for any of the car seat manufacturers to come out with something like this for the booster seats. I like the added safety feature but I wish it had a wider opening. The arm rests and the slide guard openings are the reasons why I only gave this seat 4 stars. Adjustable arm rests that are a bit longer and a more thoughtfully designed slide guard would have easily made this a 5 star booster seat.
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