# Radian vs. Nautilus



## Three~Little~Birds (Jan 10, 2005)

OK - So my MIL was in a car accident so we are replacing the car seats from her car. She is also getting a new car. We have a 41/2 and 61/2 year old.
She is buying two new car seats. We currently have 3 children, although, the baby has never gone anywhere with her.
She just bought a Hyundai Elantra. I was thinking about either getting 2 Radians or 2 Nautalus'. Do the Nautilus' have a higher height limit on them?

The advantage of the Radians is that, down the road, she could maybe fit 3 in there if need be...although I don't know that she ever will... Would 3 Radians fit in the back of an Elantra?

We currently have the Radians in our car and like them, but the Nautilus seemed really comfortable and it appeared to have a really high headrest. Is this true (I couldn't find a height limit written anywhere - although I am aware of the difficulties with a fixed height limit)?

The straps of the Nautilus seemed easy to use/tighten. Was this just because they are brand new, or do they remain that smooth?

Any other car seat suggestion? (My baby is currently in a bucket seat but will need to move to a convertable soon, so any seat could eventually be passed down to her when my oldest completely outgrows it).

Thanks!


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

I would do the nautilus, cheaper and will last a lot longer. The nautilus has a higher harness than the radian as well, and converts to a booster so it'll last until your dds don't need boosters anymore.

Oh, and the harness is ALWAYS super easy to tighten. It's on rollers. I just LOVE that feature. And it's super easy to isntall in vehicles as well.


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## Dandelionkid (Mar 6, 2007)

We just had a baby and fit 1 rear facing radian, 1 forward radian and one turbobooster in the backseat of our hyundai elantra 05. You could for sure fit 3 radians back there instead of the graco turbobooster. I was very impressed with how easy it was to get the radians installed in our elantra- very solid and took minutes to install.


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## mommyto3girls (May 3, 2005)

I have no experience with the Elantra, but I love our Nautilus seats. Easy to use, lots of seat room for the kids, cup holder, cubbies for them to stash things, etc

I find it very very easy to adjust the harness straps and also to install


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## Three~Little~Birds (Jan 10, 2005)

Thanks, all!


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## the_lissa (Oct 30, 2004)

I love our Radians. Yes you can fit 3 car seats in the back of an Elantra. We fit 3 in the back of our 07 Spectra, which is the same car as the Elantra.


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## pixiepunk (Mar 11, 2003)

i have 2 Radians and love them - but for kids of your age, if you don't need to sit three across, i would go with the Nautilus'. they will fit for longer and convert to boosters, and cost less than the Radians. but if you do think 3 across is something you will likely want to do, you're not going to be able to with two Nautis - they'll probably take up the whole back seat. in that case, you would be better off with the Radians, and you could hand down the Radian to the youngest when your oldest outgrows it, and buy your oldest a narrow booster like a TurboBooster (which is virtually identical width-wise to the Radian - i have one in between the two Radians in Highlander with room to spare).


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## Three~Little~Birds (Jan 10, 2005)

nak

thanks-

2 more questions (sorry):

1- do they both rf as long (weight-wise)

2- are they equally safe? i.e., metal frame, side impact protection...


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## TheGirls (Jan 8, 2007)

Are you talking about the Radian and Nautilus? Because the Nautilus is a forward-facing only seat - it doesn't rearface at all. It does convert to a booster though, which is probably handier for your 6 year old than RF...


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## Three~Little~Birds (Jan 10, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *TheGirls* 
Are you talking about the Radian and Nautilus? Because the Nautilus is a forward-facing only seat - it doesn't rearface at all. It does convert to a booster though, which is probably handier for your 6 year old than RF...

Yes, I was referring to the Nautilus and the Radian. I didn't realize that the Nautilus was RF only - thanks!

I realize that the Nautilus makes more sense for the 6 yo, but we also have a 5 m.o. that will grow into these seats eventually, so I am just trying to take it all into consideration. Thanks.

Are they equally safe?


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

I would do 2 Nautiluses and a Radian for the baby


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

The nautilus and the radian pass the same safety tests. But, I do feel that the nautilus has better SIP than the radian 65 or 80. The new radian xt has headwings. The nautilus also has a higher harness height and converts to a booster, which the radian does not.


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## pumpkinhead (Sep 15, 2003)

I have one of each and like them both but for different reasons. My 6 year old is in a Nautilus and it's very cushy, comfy seat. It installs relatively easily and I like the higher weight and height limits. It is, however, a very wide and somewhat bulky seat, but this isn't an issue for us.

The Radian is easier to install than the Nautilus for us provided we're using the LATCH anchors. IF I have to use the belt to install them, they're about equal. The Radian is also a cushy, comfy seat, but it's narrower and folds flat which is awesome for airplane travel.

If space is an issue, I'd go with the Radians, but if it's not, I'd do the Nautiluses. They'll last you longer at this point. While the Nautilus has slightly higher top slots, they're actually an inch or less higher than the Radian which also has a higher weight limit and higher top slots that most carseats available.


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## because (Sep 11, 2003)

I can't imagine your 6.5 yo will be in a Radian much longer height-wise. If it were me (and it practically is except I've got a 6 yo, 3 yo, and #3 due in June), I would get 2 Radians and FF them now. Then, about the time that the baby is going with Grandma, you can RF one Radian and have the oldest move into a HBB (like a Parkway, if you can find one, or a TurboBooster). It would go <Radian FF - Radian RF - HBB> in the back seat. If you can't find a HBB that works for you, I'd put a backless booster in the center position (assuming there is a shoulder belt) between a FF Radian and a RF Radian.

Things I've learned in my quest to fit 3 across in narrow backseats:
- Radians puzzle together FF and RF really well.
- Radians don't install in some cars well *at all* and have lots of quirky rules about Safestop usage, LATCH limits, height limits, etc. Do your homework.
- FF RAdians puzzle under most Britax seats really well because the Britaxes have those bases that lift the wide seat part up.
- LATCH points in outboard positions sometimes pull the seats closer to the middle (thus reducing the space for a center seat) than a seatbelt installation will. However, farther from the door is safer...

There is a great "Successful 3-across" thread on the forums at www.car-seat.org that might give you more ideas.

All that said... if you were really only going to ever put 2 in Grandma's car, I'd go with Nautiluses. That's what my mom has because of cost and longevity (turns into a booster to 100#).


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## pumpkinhead (Sep 15, 2003)

Radians are extremely tall seats, so I would test one rearfacing in your car before buying one to rearface. In my Honda, I wouldn't be able to rear face one unless the passenger seat was pushed all the way up which would mean only someone with no legs could sit there.


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## Three~Little~Birds (Jan 10, 2005)

Thank you all for taking the time to help me out.
Because space _is_ an issue, she purchased 2 Radians. When the baby is ready to go with her on occasion (she'll be a toddler by then) or when my 6y.o. outgrows the Radian, we re-jig things around.
Thanks again - you saved me a lot of headaches in this whole decision!!


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