Suzanne Keane tries out the Sirona Z i-Size: A flexible Car Seat for 0–4 year olds
What is it? The Sirona Z i-size is the latest seat in the Cybex Z-Line. This seat rotates 360 degrees to allow for easy entry and exit, no matter what car you’re driving. The Sirona Z allows rear facing up to 18kg or 105cm (approx. 4 years old). A rear-facing car seat reduces the risk of injury in a head-on collision by more than 80% when compared to a forward-facing system car seat. The Sirona Z and Base Z can be bought on their own or if you already have a Cloud Z infant seat the Sirona Z will fit your existing isofix Base Z.
What’s in the box? The Sirona Z seat and Base Z come packaged separately. A new-born insert also comes with the seat but we would always recommend you use an infant carrier as the first seat for your baby. An infant seat – the Cloud Z – is also compatible with this system and is an ideal first step for a new-born.
The Z system is also compatible with the SensorSafe 4-in-1 Safety Kit. This can be connected to your smartphone and will alert you to critical situations such as: if your child is left unattended in the car, if temperatures in the car get too hot or cold, if the child unbuckles the clip on their seat or if they’ve been seated for too long.
An optional cup holder and summer cover made from bamboo cellulose, to keep your precious cargo cool, are also available.
Fitting? As it’s an i-size seat fitting is extremely easy. The two connectors simply click into your isofix points, and the leg can be adjusted until it hits the floor of the car. There are 3 indicators on the top of the support leg and if all is okay these will be green. These are for the support leg, to tell you the Sirona Z is correctly fitted to the base and to indicate when the seat is locked in the correct position for driving. A warning beep also sounds if the leg isn’t correctly fitted.
Finally, you need to pull out the Side impact protection at the side nearest to the door and you’re ready to hit the road. The swivel and recline functions are through a single lever just below the buckle and the headrest can be easily adjusted on top.
See if the Sirona Z will fit your car here or an information video
Daily use There are 12 adjustments on the headrest and 5 recline positions to make it really adaptable and allow it to grow with your child. Unlike other 360-degree seats I’ve used I found it really easy to strap the toddler in without even having to rotate the seat. However, you can swivel the seat with just one hand and it’s the same lever for the recline function so really easy to use. The seat was tested with a 2-year-old who isn’t yet able to climb in and popping her in and out of the seat was a dream. The straps tighten really smoothly, and she did say it was a very “cosy” seat – we didn’t have a single complaint and covered plenty of mileage while testing it out.
The seat covers can also be taken off and washed at 30 degrees.
Safety The Sirona Z is tested to UN R129/02 and it has a number of safety features including integrated Linear Side-Impact Protection which provides increased safety in the event of a side-impact collision. These fold into the side of the seat when not being used – I did however bang my head on it numerous times when retrieving hats and coats from the footwell!
Combined with the energy absorbing shell, the side impact protection reduces the force of a side-impact in combination by approximately 25%. The CYBEX Sirona Z is suitable from 45cm to 105cm and 18kg.
Why you’ll want one
i-Size combined with the separate base and seat make it really easy to move between cars and the 360-degree rotation is ideal for awkward 3 door hatches. Also, the side impact protection folds into the seat for storage.
Why you won’t
It’s expensive upfront, especially if you don’t already have a base from your Cloud Z infant seat.
Seat: CYBEX Sirona Z i-size
Height limit: 45-105cm
Weight limit: 18kg (approx. 4 years)
Fixing: ISOFIX/i-size, with Base Z (sold separately)
RRP: There are different fabrics and pricing tiers for this seat but as a guide you’re looking at €239.95 for the CYBEX Base Z, €369.95 for the Sirona Z and €269.95 for the Cloud Z. Model tested was Platinum in Autumn Gold.
Stockists:Tony Kealys, In Car Safety Centre, Bella Baby
Star Rating: 4.2* (the swivel function makes it ideal for getting children in and out of awkward rear seats but the price for the base and seat combined is hefty, especially if you don’t already have the Cloud Z and Base)
Disclaimer – Wheelsforwomen was sent this car seat from CYBEX to review, however all reviews are unbiased and honest. This is not a sponsored post.