I’ve decided to document how various combination (harness/booster) seats fit my youngest son in booster mode. In these photos he is 5 ½ years-old, 48 lbs and 46″ tall. Our full Maestro review has been delayed for some time as we were unable to procure a sample from Evenflo. So, for a quick review of this CR in booster mode, I borrowed one from a CPST-Instructor friend of mine (thanks, Pamela!).
Since the 
Evenflo Maestro has a 50 lb weight limit on the 5-point harness, he’s getting close to outgrowing the harness by weight even though he still has ample growing room height wise. He’s also well within the age and size range to use this seat in booster mode. As with all the previous combo seat as booster reviews that I’ve done – I’ve used the same seating position in my van – driver’s side captain’s chair in a 2005 Ford Freestar.
The IIHS booster study compared the fit of various boosters using the 6-year-old Hybrid lll dummy who weighs 51.6 lbs (23.41 kg) and has a standing height of almost 45″. The Maestro was not rated by the IIHS in their last round of booster fit testing but after seeing the belt fit on my son (whose size is currently comparable to the 6 year old Hybrid III dummy) I would venture to speculate that it would probably do well in their testing.
The Good: Belt fit in this case is ideal. Lap belt is positioned low across the strong hip bones and is touching the top of his thighs. Shoulder belt is positioned properly across his collar bone.
The Bad: Doesn’t have much growing room in booster mode. He will definitely need another booster once this seat is outgrown.
Bottom Line: Even though it won’t be the last seat you’ll ever need for your child, Evenflo hit a home run with this affordable combination CR. High top harness slots, 50 lb weight limit for the harness and very good belt fit (at least in this situation) in booster mode. And all for under $80 – amazing! I tip my hat to Evenflo for a job well done in this case.
Is this a comfortable seat for long car rides? My family and I will be moving across country at the end of the year (approximately 4,000 miles) and I want to be sure my 3 year old will be comfortable in this seat for several hours a day, several days in a row.
Thank you!
Does anyone have a seat depth for this seat and or the chase lx. I Am looking at getting one of them. Love to get britax pinnacle but don’t think it will fit in our 12 accent and may be difficult even in the mazdz5 which is short on leg room. Also not sure my tenth percentile five year old would make it to it min for booster use before she is nine. And seat depth seems to influence comfort in booster. She is my third child .
Thanks for the review. I have a petite 2 yr old and she is ready to FF however I’m having a hard time finding one that fits all my needs. Maybe you could help me. I’m not worried about ht or wt as she will likely not hit those until very late in development. In other words would this be a good choice for a child that is not going to outgrow it soon? I also have captain chairs in my middle row, but they have fixed head rests. Would this be a good choice (i.e.; the top doesn’t “dig” into the head rest? Is there another carseat you would personally recommend, if this one isn’t the best choice for my family? Thanks for all of your help.
MACIASCL – if you are still contemplating this seat for your 3-across, or if anyone else out there is also wondering, the Maestro has an external measurement of 18.75″ across.
How wide is this seat? We are trying to fit 3 across in a Corolla and this was suggested to us.
I recently got this seat for my 4yr old when he was complaining that the crotch strap was hurting him on his Graco Nautilus (which was on the biggest child setting). I still wanted him in a 5 point harness, as I do not feel he is ready for a booster yet. The Evenflo Maestro has been great! My son is comfortable, the harness fits him well (with room to grow), and it was affordable too. I am VERY HAPPY with this car seat. 🙂
MBR – Eventually we will have a full review of the Maestro but it will have to wait until I order a few for my local CPS program. Hopefully, that will happen in the next few weeks. As for the Maestro’s 100 lb weight limit – that’s completely unrealistic. Even if a 100 lb child managed to squeeze in there – they would almost certainly be too tall for it. Then again, the same could be said for almost any other combo seat with a 100 lb max weight rating.
Will we be getting a review of the Maestro in harnessed form?
What do you think of the 100 pound “limit” on the Maestro?
BABYKAYKES – I didn’t ask him to try but I don’t think he’s able to buckle himself in any booster yet. IMO, the Maestro may be easier to buckle than some other dedicated boosters with deeper sidewings and armrests but then again, the fact that shoulder belt needs to be routed under the headrest portion may add some difficulty to the task.
BOOKMAMA – I’m in love with this as a program seat too!
Thinking of getting one of these for my mom’s car. Can your son buckle it himself in booster mode?
Glad to hear that this seat works well as a booster, even given the height limitations. I’ve installed a couple at seat checks/distributions, and I am in love with it as a program seat!