This updated version of the Cosco Scenera Convertible Car Seat should be used as a rear-facing car seat for children 5 to 35 pounds, and can be used as a forward-facing car seat for children weighing 22 to 40 pounds. Cosco improves on the previous Scenera model by abandoning the car seat's overhead shield. The overhead shield, a large padded bar that swings down over a child's head, has been replaced by a five-point harness alone. This is an important improvement because overhead shields, while they meet minimum Federal safety standards, do not offer as much protection as a five-point harness and may actually harm a child during impact because the bar can cause a head or chest injury -- especially for children at the bottom of the weight and height chart.

Thus, we were pleased to find the Cosco Scenera now sports a five-point harness. Fortunately, this car seat's designers updated another important feature: The previous model required one to rethread the harness to adjust the shoulder height. Now, there is an up-front adjustment that, with the push of a button, loosens or tightens the harness. Unfortunately, the harness slots and the car seat cover openings are not aligned. This makes it difficult to insert the harness through the slot (there are four) and the cover's matching opening, and makes it easy to either misalign the harness or delay adjusting it altogether.

The Cosco Scenera Convertible Car Seat does not have an EPS foam liner for additional impact protection. The installation instructions are minimal and not very clear. Because of this, and the fact that a "winged" base seems to get in the way of tightening a vehicle's safety belts, the Cosco Scenera Convertible Car Seat is difficult to install. The verdict? We like the addition of a five-point harness and up-front adjustment, but there's still plenty of room for improvement.


Pros: Overhead shield makes way for five-point harness, up-front adjustment
Cons: Hard to install, no EPS foam

Warranty
1 year, limited