We had the Britax Companion and it was very hard to use. We had even purchases extra bases. I was a pain to use. Our daughter sits in the middle of our car so we need something easy to use. The store that we bought it from said it had the same lining at Britax that they use in helmets for motercycles. Most infant carriers to not have this protectant. We like the snugride but they said it doesn't have the lining in it. So we bought this one plus an extra base. Let me said that it clicks in and out so easily. It has saved my back! Plus it doesn't wake up our daughter when she is sleeping too. It is a wonderful seat. I hope consumer reports gets a chance to review it this year. I bet it will be among the top seats.
P.S. It also will fit with Baby Trend or Kolkraft Universal Strollers
DP

this is the best car seat I have owned. I have three children and have owned many "light weight" and "easy to use" car seats but the Explorer is the best one yet. Extremely light weight and easy to carry. The base is the best part with clear bubble levels on both sides and easy one hand isntallation. It uses seatbelt like clips to hold the "latch" system connections in place. The only down side is the required use of the base but extremely minor issue with a newborn car seat. Excellent product...

This is my third child and third infant car seat. This was the most expensive, but worth the money. The padding keeps the baby's head from that scary 90 degree flop; the shoulder straps have padding which prevents the red marks the others left on my kids; the straps don't get twisted and it's much easier to get in and out of the car. It's the same weight as the others (which is to say rather heavy and awkward to carry). The only thing I don't like is it does not fit on shopping carts. Worth the money!

I really like this car seat. I did a ton of research before we bought this one and I can say I am very pleased with it. The straps are really easy to use and do not tangle, it tighten with a pull of the strap in the front. Getting it in and out of the car is also pretty easy. All you have to do is grab the handle on the back of the seat and lift up. To get it in the car you simply place it in the base and listen for a couple of clicks to make sure it is in securely.

The only things I have found that bother me is that the baby seems to have a hot and sweaty back whenever I take him out. The material doesn't seem to breathe very well. Also, I have had a few grocery carts that it has not fit into. I found that if I lowered the handle bar all the way back I could sometimes make it work. Worst case, I just place it in the large part of the cart sideways.

I have the Peg Perego Pliko P3 stroller and it fits into it perfectly.

Be sure to have the installation of the car seat checked. We thought we had it in our car correctly and when we brought it to the police station to have it checked, they showed us it was in wrong.

The KeyFit is a great infant seat. It feels like good quality. It is so easy to install, either with LATCH or with the belt, because of the built-in lockoff notches. We mostly used it in a Subaru Outback and a VW Jetta, but I've installed it in several other cars and always was able to get a solid installation with no problem. The fabric is durable and easy to clean, and my daughter looked comfortable in it from the start and always loved riding in it. The newborn insert really supports a newborn head, unlike some other seats, such as the Graco Snugride. My daughter was 7 lbs. 5 oz. at birth, and now at 8 months weighs about 17 lbs. We have moved her to a convertible seat for the most part, but she still uses her KeyFit in our other car and she fits in it just fine.

I actually bought the whole travel system through another website and love it! I first looked at this system at Babies R Us, but they only had three colors available, the orange, the green, and the brown (I don't remember all the specific color titles). I didn't particularly care for those even thought I liked the product, so I went exploring.

One thing I really like is that the texture of the this color is nicer than the others. It has a more cloth like feel, less "vinyl-like", which makes it less sticky when my daughter gets really warm in her seat. A girlfriend bought the green color system for her son and the texture was the first thing she commented on when she saw mine. The Explorer colors are also very classy.

I remember the horror stories that my sister told about it taking "hours" to install her kids' car seats. Prepared for the worst, my husband and I were amazed at the ease of installation. In less than 10 minutes, we had the base attached and everything tightened and leveled. We thought we had missed something!

The stroller is really easy to open and collapse too. It's not too heavy to lift into the car, and it's very easy to maneuver (people don't often hold doors for you, so you'll want a product that is easy!). This product is definitely worth the investment!

I love the car seat and the stroller. The stroller is so easy to use, very light weight, very smooth ride. The car seat is easy to use and it adjusts easily. Really glad I got this.

Only thing is that the car seat does not fit into many grocery carts. That is a downer, for obvious reasons. But most stores have those built in baby seats anyway, or I just use a sling.

The thing I love the most about the seat is that the straps adjust with the pull of the cord so easily. If the baby is wearing extra layers and doesn't fit into the straps, it just takes a second to adjust it.

I would buy this again in a heartbeat.

This carseat is the best! Not only is it the easiest installation ever (we actually went back and re-read instructions because we couldn't believe it could be so easy), but it's also a very safe seat. They have the special bicycle padding to add more protection for baby. The safety features are outstanding. The child restraint is so easy to use with non-twisting straps, an easy lock system and a pull belt to tighten the harness without struggle. And, it looks great too! We have the Explorer print and love it. All our Chicco products are fabulous (Polly high chair and the playard too).

Please ignore the reviewer who rated the seat one star due to the rebound issue. I am a certified child passenger safety technician and this is NOT a safety concern. Almost all rear facing seats will rebound in a crash. The only ones that won't are infant seats with rigid LATCH (the only one currently available in the US is the Baby Trend Latch-Loc with rigid LATCH) or one with an anti-rebound bar like the Britax Companion and convertible seats that tether rear facing (all Britax convertible seats, Sunshine Kids Radian, etc). As long as your seat moves less than an inch in any direction AT THE BELT PATH (i.e. on an infant seat with a base, right at the seat crack where the other poster said it was tight) it is safe. The Chicco KeyFit is a very good seat. It is without a doubt one of the best on the market currently. It installs like a dream and fits small babies very well. As a tech of seven years, I would not hesitate to recommend this seat or use it for my own child.

We purchased this car seat for our 2nd child. Our 1st infant seat wasn't horrible, the buckle was our main complaint. Of course once we got this seat and put them next to eachother the 1st seat looked like a toy. :)
The base was a breeze to install and level in the car. The seat comes in and out of the base easier than any other seat I've seen. The infant padding is perfect. There is no need for extra blankets to support her. The seat doesn't lock into our Eddie Baur stoller but fits fine. We've ben using the seat for 2 weeks now and really have no complaints!

I purchased this seat on the recommendation of Consumer Reports, expecting the safest seat on the market. In order to make certain it was installed perfectly, I visited a local California police department and had a trained and certified car seat inspector install it.
Where the LATCH system attaches (or along the belt path if not using LATCH) the seat is very secure. Won't budge an inch. HOWEVER, the back of the seat and base remain completely untethered and will lift up at least seven inches off the seat. My installer said this is incredibly unsafe in the event of being rear ended at moderate to high speeds.

I spoke with Chicco's car seat safety person who said it isn't a concern because most accidents are head on collisions. She also mentioned that in the past month they have received at least eight other complaints from the California Highway Patrol about this issue.
I've been looking into this issue extensively and have learned that all infant seats with bases are designed this way and have the same problem. It's so common it has a name: Rebound.

So, unless you are certain that you will not be rear-ended avoid this and all infant seats designed to pop out of a base at all costs. They are not safe. Yes, being able to easily remove your child from the car is a great feature, but it IS NOT worth risking the safety of your child. My local certified police installer deems this seat and others of the same style unsafe. And from the mouth of Chicco's own representative, so does the California Highway Patrol.

Britax Roundabout, Britax Roundabout Advantage, Britax Galaxy and the Britax Marathon are all convertible seats that are VERY safe and have been tested using a tether in a rear facing position that removes this 'rebound' issue.

For the sake of your child, bypass convenience and go with safety.