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Maxi-Cosi Pria 85 Review

March 13, 2017 By Kristian

Full Price: £299.99 – $399.99

Weight Range (RF): 14 – 40 lbs

Weight Range (FF): 22 – 85 lbs 

Height Range (RF): 40 inches or less (see below)

Height Range (FF): 52 inches or less (see below)

Machine Washable: Yes

LATCH: Yes (One-Click System)

The Good – The highest maximum weight limit of any convertible car seat; Easy snap-off seat pad for machine wash and dry; Air Protect Side Impact Protection; FlexTech System for managing crash forces; Handy harness holders to keep buckles out of the way during loading; Deep rear-facing adjustment for easy installation.

The Bad – Unlike the Pria 70 with TinyFit insert, it cannot be used from birth. Not the longest rear-facing limits on the market.

The Bottom Line – This is an excellent option for those who want a convertible car seat (with its 5-point harness protection) to last for a long time. It has lots of safety features (like the Air Protect Side Impact Protection) as you would expect, but also has a seat pad that is very easy to remove, clean, and re-instate.

The Pria 85’s Main Features Explained 


#1 Rear-Facing Limits

As I have already stated above, the Pria 85 seat cannot be used until your child weighs at least 14 lbs, so it is not suitable for use with a newborn.

If you like the look of the Pria 85, but need to be able to use the seat from birth, you can read about the Pria 70 with TinyFit here.

The rear-facing maximum weight and height limits for this seat are 40 lbs or 40 inches, whichever is reached soonest.

Note: Your child cannot be switched around to face forwards in this seat until they are at least 1 year old.

#2 Forward-facing Limits

The Pria 85 can be used in forward-facing mode until they weigh a whopping 85 lbs!

They will, however, probably breach the maximum height limits of 52 inches before that point unless they are of a heavy (but short) stature.

There are some slightly confusing rules that you need to bear in mind relating to which recline positions are allowed at the various stages of forwards-facing usage.

From 22 to 40 lbs (29 – 43 inches): If you decide to switch you child to forwards-facing before the 40 lbs/40 inch limit, you must make sure that you use the correct recline angle, which is recline option 2.

Please remember that Rear-facing is considered to be about 5 times safer than forwards-facing and the AAP recommends keeping rear-facing for at least 2 years, preferably longer if you can. You should be able to keep your child rear-facing for at least 3 years in this seat if you wish.

From 40 to 85 lbs (43 – 52 inches): At this point, you must use recline option 1.

Either way, make sure to also use the Top Tether to provide extra protection against excessive seat movement in a collision situation.

#3 The Harness Adjustment System

The Pria 85 has 9 adjustable harness positions to help achieve a good fit.

Adjustment of the harness height position is accomplished by simply squeezing and pulling the handle at the top of the seat shell upwards until you reach the level that you want.

There is a demonstration of this mechanism in the videos below.

So, adjusting the headrest with the pull-handle and adjusting the harness to the correct height is achieved with a single action. There is also no need to rethread the harness in order to make these adjustments.

#4 The Air Protect Side Impact Technology

There is an explanation of the Air Protect Side Impact Technology in the videos further down this page.

If you look carefully at the images of the Pria 85 seat, you can see that the Air Protect area on both sides are marked with “<air>” labels.

These “air cushions” are positioned in such a way as to protect the head, neck and face areas in the event of a collision.

The basic science behind the Air Protect system is that, in the event of a collision, air is released within the cushions and this acts to better distribute the crash forces away from the most vulnerable parts of your child’s body.

#5 FlexTech Energy Management System

You can’t see the FlexTech Energy Management System on any of the photographs of this seat and that is because it is hidden within the structure of the seat itself.

Maxi-Cosi have used the latest computer crash-test modelling systems to devise a structure that is rigid in some parts and flexible in others.

The basic idea (without getting too technical and scientific) is that in a crash situation you don’t necessarily want the seat to be rigid in all areas or flexible in all areas.

By extensively simulating various different common crash scenarios, Maxi-Cosi has developed what it considers to be an optimum combination of rigidity and flexibility within the structure of the seats.

#6 Cleaning the Seat Pads

Your baby will do their best to destroy the car seat by spilling all sorts of liquids and other substances on them. It is a fact of life. It’s not their fault obviously, but that does’t make dealing with the issue any easier when it happens!

Cleaning child car seat covers is often a real pain. You usually have to unthread the harness, clean the covers by hand, air dry them, re-thread the harness straps through tight spaces that are poorly designed for parents with normal-sized hands, and finally put the seat cover back on.

You will also usually have to uninstall the seat from your vehicle.

One big practical advantage of the Pria 85 seat is that its seat pad can be removed very easily via a pair of snap connectors.

The pad can then be machine washed, tumble dried, and finally re-attached without any harness re-threading and without even needing to remove the seat from your vehicle.

#7 Harness Holders for Easy Loading-up

Anything that makes loading your child into his or her car seat is to be welcomed. No-one wants to be fishing around at the bottom of the seat because your child is sitting on the hard buckles and yelping at you at the same time!

Fortunately, the Pria 85 comes with a couple of very handy harness strap holders on each side that are used to hold the straps out of the way when you are placing your child in the seat.

#8 Other Features at a Glance

The Pria 85 seat also comes with the following features:

  • One-Click LATCH System
  • FAA Approved for use in an aircraft
  • Flexible rubber cup holder
  • Some beautiful limited edition seats available
  • Made in the USA

Video Reviews of the Maxi-Cosi Pria 85


My Verdict  


This seat comes packed with high-end safety features and is cheaper than many of the other premium convertible car seats.

It has the highest maximum weight limits of any convertible car seat.

It has most (if not all) of the convenience features that parents usually look for, including machine washable seat pads, no re-thread harness, easy to adjust headrest, and harness strap holders.

There is now a Maxi-Cosi Pria 85 Max seat to consider too. The Pria 85 Max comes with “ClipQuik”, which is an automatic magnetic chest clip to make loading your child easier and faster.

Maxi-Cosi Pria 85 – The Fabric Options


The Maxi-Cosi Pria 85 seat comes in a huge variety of fabric color and texture options to suit all tastes.

They even have some limited edition ones …

You can find all of the color options here.

Where to Buy the Maxi-Cosi Pria 85  


Check the Price of Maxi-Cosi Pria 85.

Read More User Reviews.

Safety Information


After purchasing any child car seat, you should always read the User Manual thoroughly before using it. It is also advisable to visit your local Fire Department or NHTSA Child Car Seat Inspection Centre to ensure that the seat is definitely suitable for your child’s specific requirements and that you have installed it correctly. These services are usually provided free of charge.

You can find your nearest NHTSA Centre here.

Do You Need More Help?


If you need any further advice or assistance whatsoever, please feel free to contact me and I will do my very best to help.

If you have any other feedback about my “Maxi-Cosi Pria 85 Review”, please just leave a comment in the box below or send an email to kristian@kidsafetyfirst.com

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