Nuna EXEC All-in-1 Carseat Preview
A few months ago, I had an extremely cool opportunity to meet up with a small group of other technicians and the team at Nuna to see the new things they had been working on. And after keeping my mouth shut for several agonizing months, I can finally spill some beans, and trust me, if you’re a Nuna fan (or just a well designed, high-quality car seat fan) you won’t be disappointed.
Yesterday Nuna announced their newest car seat, the EXEC. The EXEC definitely looks a little different from the Rava and the Aace, but at its core, it’s an obvious member of the same car seat family. It’s like Nuna took the best parts of two already great seats, added a few extra safety and comfort features, and the result is this awesome all-in-one.
Nuna EXEC Features
- The EXEC is an all-in-one seat: rear-facing, forward-facing and highback belt-positioning booster
- Rear-facing: 5-50 pounds, up to 49″
- Forward-facing: 25-65 pounds, up to 49″
- Belt-positioning booster: 40-120 pounds, 38-57″, 4 years old minimum
- No-rethread harness with 12 harness height positions
- 4 rear-facing and 4 forward-facing recline options with easy push button adjust and no bubbles or lines or zones or any other indicator to keep track of
- True tension doors, one for each rear facing and forward facing, as seen on the Rava, make installation an absolute dream
- Anti-rebound bar, that both extends to give extra leg room for rear-facing AND flips around to become a leg rest for forward-facing.
- EPP energy absorbing foam
- Aeroflex™ Side Impact Protection System
- Merino wool insert
- Additional GOTS certified organic cotton inserts and harness covers
- No added fire retardant chemicals
- Spring touch shoulder belt guides make getting the belt into place a breeze for kids and adults, but hold it in place while in booster mode.
- Magnetic harness holders
- Delightfully narrow, to allow 3 across in most mid-size vehicles
EXEC Dimensions:
These are provided by Nuna, but will be verified once I get my hands on a final product in a few weeks.
- Seat width at widest point: 18.5″
- Seat height lowest and highest harness position: 26″, 33″
- Inside shoulder width: 14″
- Inside hip width: 11.5″
- Seat weight: 26.6 pounds
- 12 harness height positions from 5″ with insert to 17.5″
- Crotch buckle positions 4″ with insert, 4.5″ without insert and 6.5″ at farthest position
So What’s New Here?
The first, biggest, coolest thing is the anti-rebound bar. In rear-facing mode, the anti-rebound bar is a super cool, adjustable component to reduce potential rebound in a crash. It can be adjusted in 2 ways: first, the angle can be adjusted up or down to ensure it lays flat against the vehicle seat back; second, it adjusts in or out to provide extra inches of legroom. I don’t have the exact details on how much extra room it provides at this moment, but when playing with a prototype a few months ago, it wasn’t insignificant. It also comes with a slipcover so that the fabric on the anti-rebound bar doesn’t get totally destroyed by shoes before you’re able to use it in forward-facing mode.
When you switch to forward-facing mode, the anti-rebound bar flips around and becomes a leg rest. Like a legitimate, substantial leg rest. It can be adjusted up and down in several positions and would provide a lot of comfort to little dangling legs. Also, you’ll find the EXEC offers more room for growth when forward facing than the Rava (top harness height is 17.5” on the EXEC vs. 16” on the Rava), which has been a complaint some have had about the Rava in the past. The EXEC will harness the vast majority of (typically developing, average-sized) kids to booster age.
In booster mode, the spring touch shoulder guides are this tiny detail that I am obsessed with. They spring open to let the belt in easily, but they hold it securely in place. The prototype had good mobility of the belt through the guides (no bunching), but we will have to confirm that on the final product. It was definitely a thing Nuna was keeping its eye on, which is a good thing.
Fine Print Details
- 10-year lifespan
- The cover is machine wash and air dry
- 2 different fashions are offered currently, a black (caviar) and a gray (granite)
- Crash replacement follows NHTSA guidelines(!)
- FAA certified in rear-facing and forward-facing, not in booster mode (this is true of all boosters, it’s not a shortcoming of the EXEC)
- MSRP $649.95
- Available at Nordstrom and assorted small boutique shops for pre-order to be released on 8/21/2019.
I can tell you that even the prototype of the EXEC impressed me and that isn’t easy to do. Nuna has combined and I think, improved upon, two already excellent seats, to create a seat that could literally last you the full 10 years and potentially be the only one you’d ever need. There is a myriad of thoughtful details that make carseating easier and more comfortable for everyone involved. Nuna has a history of raising the bar in the car seat world and once we can do a full review, I suspect we will confirm that the EXEC is another example of that.
Hold on tight, the EXEC is coming soon, see our preview video on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carseatblog/videos/387928288488783
