When my daughter turned 4 in March, I let her start riding forward-facing in the car even though she technically still fit rear-facing in a few of the convertible seats we owned. Thanks to trusted friends with trusted seats to lend, plus some reviews CarseatBlog needed, we’ve been able to try out just about every forward-facing combination seat out there. I’ll admit that by the time we got to the Recaro Performance SPORT, I was a little burned out on trying new seats, and I wasn’t optimistic it would do anything to wow me. Boy was I wrong!
The Performance SPORT is similar to the discontinued Recaro ProSport model but has some nice updated features, which I’ll get to in a minute. You can also read our review of the original ProSport here.
First, the Performance SPORT stats:
Height/weight range harness: 27-50″ and 20-65 lbs (and at least 1 year old)
Height/weight range booster: 37-59″ and 30-120 lbs
Widest exterior measurement: 19″ (at torso wings)
Narrowest part of base: 11.25″ (at very back)
Widest part of base: 17″ (toward front)
Seat back: 27″
Seat depth: 14″
Crotch strap positions: 6″, 7″, 8″
Seated Shoulder Height Measurements:
Lowest harness height (of 4): 12″
Highest harness height (of 4): 18″
Highest booster height: 20″
The Performance SPORT features seatback and harness heights similar to many other combination seats on the market, with four harness height positions, the highest of which is about 18″ tall. There are some seats with higher top slots, but 18″ should be sufficient to get most kids to the point where they are big enough and mature enough to safely transition to booster mode on this seat.
How is the Performance SPORT improved from the previous ProSport model? It features a quick-flip recline mechanism, a HERO system to help keep the harness from twisting (more on this in a bit), memory foam for comfort, and temperature-balancing fabrics.
The Performance SPORT feature side-impact protection (tested to European standards), premium push-on LATCH connectors, a no-rethread harness, and EPS foam.
Fit to Child
Because the lowest harness slots are only 12″ high, the Perfomance SPORT could fit very small children astoundingly well. But that’s not really a good thing. Remember, the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends that all children ride in a rear-facing carseat (like the Recaro Performance RIDE convertible which can be used rear-facing or forward-facing) if they are younger than 2 years old. Honestly, any child small enough to fit in the Performance SPORT on the lowest harness height setting could easily still be rear-facing in a convertible seat, likely for a very long time. Still, if parents are going to forward-face a very small or young child anyway, at least they’ll have a good harness fit.
Here is my just-turned-2-year-old, who is 35″, 25 lbs, and wears size 24-month shirts. He was too tall for the lowest harness position, so I had to move it up to the second:
The Performance Sport should last most kids for a long time in harness mode. My 41″, 35-lb 4-year-old is on the slightly taller side and wearing size 5 shirts. She’s JUST even with the second harness position. The large harness pads (though optional) just didn’t work right in that position, as they sort of stuck straight out. Because of that, and since she was just about to need to move up anyway, I put the harness on the third setting. Here she is on the second and third settings:
  
She has even more growing room before she would outgrow the top (4th) harness height position. My guess is she’d have at least two years left in this seat using the 5-point harness, and possibly more.
Here’s Darren’s son, who’s 8 years old and 53″ tall. He’s close to maxing out the harness by height, but still has a bit of room:
The Performance Sport has three loops on the end of the harness so you can adjust the length for smaller kids. It comes set to the longest setting, which was just fine for us. I even used that setting for my 2-year-old. I can’t imagine needing the smaller loops except for a very, very small child on the bottom harness setting.
I wasn’t thrilled with the fit as a booster, but keep in mind my daughter is still younger and lighter than what’s considered ideal for booster seats. In the captain’s chair of our 2010 Honda Odyssey, the lap and shoulder fit were marginal. In the driver’s side rear seat of a 2007 Honda Civic, the lap belt looked a little better, but the shoulder portion looked a bit worse.
  
One thing I didn’t like is that the belt guides on the Performance SPORT in booster mode seem to be much farther forward than what I’m used to. This makes it hard to buckle, and it causes the shoulder belt to bunch a little, making it difficult to pull out all of the slack in the lap belt portion of the seatbelt.
  
Remember that every child and every seating position is different, so your results may vary.
Here’s Darren’s 8-year-old using it as a booster. The seatbelt fit is excellent, and he’s got room to grow.
My very tall 9-year-old wears a size 10/12 shirt and almost passes the 5-step test to wear just the adult seatbelt. Not surprisingly, he’s too tall for the booster, but not by much.
Installation
The Performance SPORT is a little “different” in how it installs with a seatbelt. Like the original ProSport, the belt path isn’t enclosed behind the seat. Instead, the belt path is exposed and visible from the front of the seat. In a way, it’s very easy. In another way, it’s sort of disconcerting just because it seems like it shouldn’t be that way!
  
In practice, it doesn’t seem to be an issue, though. I worried that the belt might poke my daughter in the back, but she didn’t complain at all. And I’ve gotta say that not having to scratch up my hands in an interior belt path does make things a lot easier.
Here’s a video showing how to install with a lap/shoulder seatbelt:
It seems like having the seatbelt right there behind the child could be uncomfortable, but my daughter didn’t notice at all. Although the manual mentions only routing the belt under the top fabric flap, we talked to a Recaro rep who said it’s fine to route the belt behind that bottom fabric, too, if you’d like. They also have a foam insert available to put in front of the seatbelt if comfort is an issue, but like I said, I didn’t find it to be a problem at all.
There is one other potential issue to having the seatbelt route on the front of the seat, and that’s how the seatbelt can interfere with the harness slots. Here are some naked photos showing how the seatbelt lies in relation to the harness in all four positions. (This is the driver’s side captain’s chair in a 2010 Honda Odyssey.)
  
  
You can see that in each case, the belt overlaps the harness slot, sometimes more than others—and it looks rather shocking.
However, in all cases, I had no difficultly adjusting the harness as tight as it needed to be. Even though my shoulder belt was locked, the tightening harness just kind of shoved it out of the way, and that was that.
So although it seems like this could be a major problem, in practice it didn’t seem to be an issue at all. However, it’s possible that people with different vehicles (and therefore different seatbelt geometries) might have differing results.
With LATCH, the seat installed very easily. The connectors are stored in little pockets on either side of the belt path, nicely hidden but easily accessible. Just take them out, pop them on, and tighten.
Older models will say that LATCH use must be discontinued at 52 lbs, but the newer and current seats have a LATCH limit of 40 lbs. (child weight).
Older models also used to prohibit tether use past 52 lbs., but the newer and current seats allow (and encourage) tether use up to the full child weight of 65 lbs. If a top tether anchor isn’t available, the way the shoulder belt routes over the top of the seat could potentially provide some tether-like benefits. (It’s still better to use the top tether when available, though.)
You must use a tether when installing with a lap-only belt. If you have a lap-only belt but no top tether in that seating position, you need to move it to a position with a top tether or with a shoulder belt.
In booster mode, you can use LATCH to secure the seat, regardless of the child’s weight.
I installed the seat in the captain’s chair and the third row passenger side of a 2010 Odyssey and in the driver’s side rear seat of a 2007 Honda Civic and had no trouble getting a tight, almost effortless installation. The only issue I had was getting the top tether tight enough in the Civic, but that’s an issue with many seats in that car due to the position of the tether anchor. Here it is in the third row of the Odyssey at its highest setting, and in the Civic in the third setting (second-highest).
  
The Performance Sport has a quick-flip recline feature which I would have missed entirely had I not seen a chart touting it. It’s a foot on the bottom of the seat that can flip forward to give the seat a bit more recline. A couple issues with the recline:
First, I read through the manual four times and saw no mention of the recline feature at all. It is possible that I missed it, but I specifically looked for it—many times—and saw nothing. I don’t know if there are situations where it’s not allowed, if it’s allowed in booster mode, etc. (Incidentally, Recaro says the vehicle seat should be upright when installing the Performance Sport, so that can interfere with the ability for a reclined child restraint to fit well.)
Second, when you flip the recline foot forward, it looks like it should snap into place just like it does when it’s not engaged. However, this was really really hard to do. I tried and tried, but I couldn’t get it to lock in place. Finally I asked my husband, who had to work really hard at it (and he’s a big, strong guy), and finally succeeded by doing one side then the other.
Third, when it was time to un-recline it, the foot was nearly impossible to dislodge, probably because we worked so hard getting it to lock in the first place. Again, I needed my husband to do it. When he finally pulled it free, the entire foot flew off the seat. It snapped back in place easily enough, but the whole recline scenario has me scratching my head.
Like most forward-facing combination seats, the recline doesn’t do a whole lot to change the position of the seat, so my recommendation is not to bother.
No recline:
  
Recline:
  
Ease of use
I have to say I was really impressed with how easy the Performance SPORT is to use. Besides installing nice and fast, it adjusts beautifully. The harness tightens smoothly—no fidgeting or needing to make little adjustments as you go: Just buckle and pull. Of the many many many combo seats I’ve used over the past few months, the Performance SPORT is definitely the easiest to tighten.
The buckle is easy to fasten and unfasten—so much so that my 4-year-old could unbuckle it when she wasn’t able to on the other seats we used. For some people, that might be a problem, but for conscientious kids who won’t unbuckle at inappropriate times, I think it’s a huge plus. The Performance SPORT also sit very low, allowing my daughter to climb in and out of it with ease.
Adjusting the height of the harness is straightforward, though not as effortless as I had hoped. It adjusts on the back of the seat, so you can’t change the height while it’s installed. You pull  on a handle then lift the bar into the necessary spot. The concept is simple enough, but it takes some effort to move the bar, especially when moving up. I needed to brace the seat against my legs, use one hand to pull the lever and the other to pull the handle on the top of the seat to get it to move. It was still easier than having to rethread the harness, but not as easy as some other no-rethread harnesses out there.
The Performance SPORT has a feature called the HERO System for keeping the harness from twisting. These are lightly padded shoulder covers that are attached to each other and slip in behind the headrest. (They’re removable and optional, according to the manual). My daughter found them a bit bulky at first, but by the second trip she said she really liked them. She HATES having a harness on her neck, so she wound up really appreciating the pads. They also hold the harness out just a bit when not in use, which makes it really easy for kids to slip their arms into. Yay!
The only downside I found to the HERO covers is that once you remove the harness from them, it takes some work to get the harness back in, sort of like trying to cram a toddler’s hand into a mitten. I felt some grippy material inside, so that plus the bulk of the covers is what keeps the harness nice and straight. We didn’t have any issues at all with twisting, and I can’t imagine it would be possible for the harness to twist inside those things, even with prolonged use.
Speaking of the harness twisting, the Performance SPORT’s harness has white stitching along the outside edge to help parents see if everything is in place. If the harness is twisted, you’d be able to tell because the stitching would be out of place. Such a simple but smart idea!
The cover is held in place by large metal snaps and some Velcro. It wasn’t the easiest cover to remove and replace, but nowhere near the hardest either. I did have one complaint about the crotch-buckle cover. It seems like the bottom of it should Velcro to itself or attach in some other way. It doesn’t, though, so I guess you’re supposed to just tuck it in. The problem with that is that it slips off very easily. That should be an easy fix, and hopefully Recaro will take note of it.
  
Converting to booster mode does require removing the harness. That’s easy enough to do, but you’ll need to budget some time to take it out (and put it back in if you plan on using at a harnessed seat again).
This isn’t really an “ease-of-use” issue as much as a convenience one, but one complaint I have is about the lack of cupholders. The specs say the seat has cupholders, but what it really has are some elastic pockets. You can wedge a cup in there, but they seem better suited for holding toys than drinks.
As for comfort, the Performance SPORT is nicely padded and feels like a cushy (but not too squishy) lounge chair. My daughter rarely falls asleep in the car, but she happened to just as I was finishing up this review. Major bonus – No head-slump!
Bottom line
Pros:
- Easy to install
- Premium IMMI harness & LATCH system
- Easy to tighten harness
- No-rethread height adjustment
- LATCHable in booster mode
- Kid-friendly to use
- Made in the USA!
Cons:
- Harness height adjustment a bit clunky and can’t be adjusted while seat is installed
- Possible seatbelt interference with harness
- No lockoff for seatbelt installations
- Confusing recline
- Insufficient cupholders
Conclusion
I was surprised by how much I loved the Recaro Performance SPORT. While getting my daughter into the car the other day, I realized that the seat reminds me a lot of the old and much-loved Britax Regent, but not as huge and way easier to install. The low base, easy buckle, and smooth adjuster make it a dream for getting kids in and out. The open belt path makes installation a breeze, too. As with any seat, you should make sure it fits your child and installs in your car properly. Overall, I felt the Performance SPORT was a real winner.
The Recaro Performance SPORT is available at Amazon and other retailers for about $250.
Thanks to Recaro Child Safety for providing a a Performance SPORT for review. No other compensation was provided. All opinions expressed are those of CarseatBlog.
More info on the Recaro Performance SPORT Harness Booster can be found on the Recaro website: Â http://www.recaropromotion.com/performanceSport.html
I’ve had this seat for over a year and I’ve had nothing but problems installing this thing since day one and today while trying to install it in the back of my van, was the final straw. I like to think of myself as very adequate when it comes to installing seats and I’m the one in my family everyone comes to when they have car seat problems and over the course of five years I’ve installed tons of car seats.
I just can’t get this thing installed tight enough and I’ve installed it into at least 6 different cars. The slick bottom wants to slide all over my cloth seats (it’s not as bad in my mom’s Hyundai where there’s leather seats). I HAVE to install this with a seat belt and when I tighten the seat belt, it bows out badly. It looks like a sling shot sitting at the bottom of where my son’s spine would be. I just don’t feel like it’s safe. I’m not comfortable putting him in this seat.
He is 4 years old 3 1/2 feet tall and weighs 48 pounds. Do you think a belt positioning, high back booster would work better for him? I really wanted to keep him harnessed longer but my van’s backseat it so small I don’t know what else would fit and not give me so much trouble installing with a seat belt.
We love this seat and have 4 of them for our 2 kids in 2 cars. I wanted to correct 2 things though. First, the limit for the latch is 40lbs, not 52lbs. I’ve read the manuals on all 4 of my seats and they all state that latch use must be discontinued at 40lbs, which follows the new guidelines of latch+carseat must be less than 65lbs. Second, regarding the tether strap, the manual states that it MUST be used when using the latch (as you wrote), but when using a 3 pt seatbelt, you CAN still use the tether. It makes no mention of removing it, it only says that if you only have a 2pt lab belt to secure the seat, you also MUST use the tether. When using the seat in booster mode, it tells you to use the top tether as well. The weight limit for the tether anchor is 65lbs.
Otherwise, great review for a great seat!
Hi, Stephanie! Thanks for writing in. You’re right on all those points. This review was written for the previous version of the seat (the one that harnessed to 90 lbs), and there were different restrictions on LATCH and top tether use at that time. Recaro has since changed the LATCH limit and tether restrictions, and we have now updated our review to reflect that.
Thanks Jennie!
Hi
Can someone please tell me what material the side protection is? The white stuff with round dots on it. https://carseatblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/recaroprosporteps.jpg
Is it flexible/soft or is it hard foam, same stuff they use to protect TVs?
Thanks
Hi, Jane. The foam has a bit of a spring to it, but it’s more like the styrofoam used to protect TVs. It’s meant to absorb energy in a crash.
Thanks Jennie!
Why was this seat no recommended on the 2015 list?
Will you be updating your reviews to acknowledge the revised findings on LATCH weight limit guidelines?
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2014/01/february-brings-changes-to-latch-guidelines.html
For example, you knock this car seat’s LATCH weight limit as making no sense,
“LATCH use must be discontinued at 52 lbs. The top tether also can’t be used past 52 lbs, even when a seatbelt is being used. Considering that most safety experts believe top tether usage is extremely important even (or especially) for older, heavier kids, the tether restriction is a disappointment.”
but I suspect that 52 lbs + weight of the seat puts you at the maximum 65 lb weight limit for LATCH and that’s why the restriction is there.
We’ve got both the Britax Frontier Clicktight & the Recaro Performance Sport & I’ve found the Recaro to be not as good when it comes to being secured in the car. It slips a lot more laterally & gives me pause. I’m considering swapping it out for another Britax Clicktight, which doesn’t shift side to side at all.
I was wondering if you have ever reviewed the Recaro Performance Ride? I’ve searched but I don’t see a review. If not, do you not recommend it? I’m debating between that and a Britax that seems to have lots of good reviews. Thanks.
okay. follow up to my previous comment. I ended up going with the Diono Radian RXT. I soooo wanted to love the Recaro, but just couldnt. Here were my issues.
1) weight limits. you have to stop using the lower latch at an absurdly low weight. the harness only goes up to 65 lbs.
2) size. This thing wasn’t as immense as the Britax Frontier 90 I looked at, but it was so large in my Subaru Outback backseat the kiddo wouldn’t have been able to get into it if the front seat was more than half way back! the width wasn’t too bad, but i wouldn’t have been able to think of 3 in the back with it… putting it immediately beside a Graco Snugride base proved impossible.
3) difficulty getting a tight install. With both latch AND seatbelt in my car and ALSO in my dad’s Dodge Charger, which is a huge backseat with awesome latch systems in all 3 positions… I could do it, but it took serious effort.and then the seatbelt seemed to press into where the little guy’s back would be. I found the Recaro to be wider in width than the latch positions so it was really hard to hook them in and tighten the strap well. Also the SuperLatch proved harder to hook in the charger than the traditional old-school clips were. that used to be the easiest car to latch with, but not with the big fat plastic bit to try and stuff between the seat back and bench… do-able, but tough.
4) no rethread harness? really? well yes, it’s no-rethread. However you STILL HAVE TO UNHOOK IT FROM THE CAR to change the height. so what’s the point? for me, the older model evenflos we had were awesome – you pull a section of the cover loose, flip open a plastic panel, and grip & slide the straps up or down without ever unhooking the carseat. Brilliant. this? eh, it’s very sturdy and it’s easy to do, but you still have to take it out of the car to do it. Might as well just thread the things.
Loved the fabric, anti-twist strap feature. the extra height it would have had (though only as a booster, sadly, not with 5pt), and the fact that it’s MADE IN USA!! the color (sapphire) was gorgeous. It seems very sturdy, and the big head wings probably would make for great napping on long trips. I didn’t try the recline feature, but that too would probably help on long trips.
With a 5 year old who already weighs 50 pounds it just didn’t seem like the best investment. If it was a smaller kid who could have used it in harness mode for a few years longer i would have seriously considered it. Also if i didn’t have a tiny backseat with 2 carseats to put in it…and if the kiddo didn’t have to climb around the carseat to get into it too. that was going to be a squeeze, or he would have to stand on the car seat(of the Subaru), then put his feet into the carseat to get in. he’s a gymnast, but really. this would have been tough.
For our use, the Diono Radian is much better in size, takes a child in 5pt to a much higher weight (in case he’s not too tall first) and will allow for more useability of the back seat. It’s one of those things that totally depends on individual needs. There’s my $.50 on the subject. sorry to be so long-winded!
I would adore this carseat if it was harness mode to 90lbs, as stated here. However, on the info in the package it says 65. My almost 5 year old nephew is near to or at 50 pounds already… doesn’t make sense to purchase a new carseat that will only work for 15 more pounds at this late stage. I think we’re unfortunately going with the Diono Radian RXT, so as to fit more carseats in the back of the minivan and have the 80lb weight limit on the 5-pt harness.
If I’m going to bother to take up the space in my car with a seat i’d like to use a 5pt harness as long as possible. heck, i’d like to have one on my own car seat!
I’d love for the Recaro to go up to 80 or 90 lbs with the harness, and be just a smidge narrower in the shoulders. then it would be the best. I really REALLY was hoping to be purchasing a built-in-USA seat instead of the Chinese-made Radian, but the choice just doesn’t seem as wise in this case.
We have this seat though as Recaro says it goes to 50″ in height my 41″ 50lb two year old (soon to be three) is out growing this seat completely. I wouldn’t recommend it for the taller/heavier toddler, the straps are maxed out as it is.
The Recaro website states that the harness could be used only up to 65lb, not 90lb. it’s a deal breaker to me. http://recaropromotion.com/performanceSport.html
I was looking at this one & liked it a lot, most combination seats are too fat at the base to fit in my car, & this one would fit, but unfortunately, with the 50″ limit (which they told me 49″ on the phone) my daughter only has 3-4″ until she outgrows the harness, even though she’d very likely still fit in the harness at 50″ :-/ My daughter is 5 & I’m not sure when I’ll feel she’s ready for a booster on longer rides, probably not in the next year.
This is one of the worst written installation guides on any product I’ve ever read through. The website is useless in terms of help. They have no instructional video. Trying to install a rear facing latch car seat from Recaro is like going through major surgery without anesthetic . Even the certified fire department installer finally said to bring it back. Recaro could care less about the safety of your children. Avoid this product at all costs.
Marc – The performance sport is a front-only seat. That’s why there are no rear-facing install instructions.
Regarding the issue of the seat belt path crossing with the harness path: I did a live chat with recaro and they said “we do not recommend crossing the harness path in any way” . Frankly is seemed like the agent did not want to address the issue in detail. Probably a known issue that perhaps they will resolve. With that, I doubt I’ll buy this seat – especially since I can’t check it out in person.
Hi, thanks for the reviews. We are currently looking for a new seat for our daughter who is about to turn 3. She’s about 41″ tall and almost 40 lbs. We are trying to determine the best seat for her given height and weight. We are looking at this one, but not sure how long it would last in the harness position as the height limit is 50″. Any thoughts or recommendations? Thank you!
Thanks for a great review! I recently purchased the performance sport for my daughter as she was very jealous of her little brothers proride. We bought her an alpha omega elite 2 years ago before I knew anything about car seats! We’re now a recaro family for life! One issue I’m having is the manufacture date sticker….I can’t find it!! Do you know where it’s at on the Sport? Thanks for your help.
Oh wow, what a great review! I’ve been loving the open belt path on the Pioneer 70 (by Britax), so it’s nice to see another seat where it’s a workable solution. Thanks for all the details! 🙂
This is my absolute favorite HWH seat. We have an original ProSport which we love, and recently bought a performance Sport. The new colors are gorgeous, and I have to say my favorite part of the whole seat is the Hero harness and harness covers. The in/out of this seat is SO smooth and easy. The sides are so deep and the seatbelt install is even better than the FR85 LBP IMHO.
Great review, Jennie! I note for owners of the original ProSport, the top fabric cover section is stitched to the bottom section. This makes it so that you can’t route the seatbelt under the bottom section, like you can with the Performance Sport if you unsnap one from the other. I suspect the snaps on the new model also make cover removal a bit easier, though I didn’t have a chance to try it.
Great review! I am laughing so hard at your recline foot saga, because I had a very similar experience (right down to the foot flying across the room). I was grunting and sweating (and possibly cursing), trying to snap that sucker back in. Sheesh!
Another fabulous review! Thanks, Jennie! I’ve been a huge fan of Recaro combination seats since the old Recaro Young Sport that we owned and loved.