July 14, 2016 Dana

NEW: The Nuna Rava Convertible Car Seat

Rarely does a product come around that changes a category, but the Nuna RAVA Convertible Car Seat has just blown us away. A couple of years ago, Britax came out with their Clicktight system, which finally made car seats easier to install with a seat belt as opposed to LATCH (Lower Anchor and Tether for Children). Nuna has taken that winning formula and run with it: the Simply Secure system on the Rava takes this car seat technology to a whole new level.

Given that the Nuna Pipa Infant Car Seat already featured super-easy installation with rigid latch (Isofix), we expected to see a similar advance when Nuna brought their first convertible to the US. LATCH is a little trickier with convertibles, though: a 2014 change in car seat regulations made it so that parents won’t be able to enjoy the ease of installing with LATCH until about 40 pounds, as they could before. Depending on the weight limit established by the manufacturer of your convertible car seat, at some point, you will be installing your car seat with the safety belt.

So that’s why the designers at Nuna decided to bypass LATCH altogether and create an incredibly easy seat belt installation system for the Rava. Similar to the Britax Clicktight system, Simply Secure utilizes a belt tensioning plate to spare you all of the tugging and pushing that usually comes with a seat belt installation: just open the True Tension door, thread the belt through, buckle it, and click the door shut for a perfect, tight install, no wiggle. It’s a beautiful thing.

We’re also psyched that the Rava is optimized to enable longer-term rear-facing. At Magic Beans we always remind our customers that riding rear facing is the safest way to ride. In fact, it’s 532% safer. Five times safer! That’s a big deal! And yes, long-legged kids can do it too, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make it easier on ‘em.

The Nuna Rava Convertible Car Seat not only enables long-term rear-facing with a whopping 50-pound rear-facing weight limit, but it also adds a pop-out leg rest so your bigger kid can ride “business class.” It’s a small feature that can make a big difference when you’re trying to get every day of that weight limit in.

More quick facts about the Rava:

The Rava offers superior side impact protection, with energy-absorbing foam and SIP pods.
You can operate the no-rethread 5-point harness and the 10-position head support with one hand!
Recline angle guides clearly confirm the perfect riding angle for the car seat, so there’s no need to read a level indicator.
The Rava includes integrated cupholders on both sides, which flip out or tuck away when they’re not in use.
Ventilation panels within the seat shell and breathable fabrics provide a comfortable ride.
Included, removable infant head and body inserts provide the proper support for newborns riding in the Rava.

The specs:

Rear-facing: Use from 5-50 pounds, or up to 49″; up to at least 2 years of age
Forward-facing: Use from 25-65 pounds, or up to 49″; begin use at age 2 or older
Item weight: 27.2 pounds

There’s a lot more to say about the Nuna Rava Convertible Car Seat, so we’ve created a bunch of resources for you to check out, starting with a great demo video below. Keep an eye on our Youtube channel for comparisons to some of our other favorite car seats, and obviously, watch this space for more reviews!