Maxi Cosi Pria 70 Review

Looks Great | Standard Safety Features | Very Comfortable | Great for Warm Climates

Another car seat very similar to the Maxi Cosi Pria 85 Max, the biggest difference between the Maxi Cosi Pria 70 and the Pria 85 Max is the upper forward-facing weight limit, which is 70 pounds on the Pria 70 vs. 85 pounds on the Pria 85 Max. This doesn't make a huge difference, since the height limit is the same on both seats (52 inches) and most children will be 52 inches before they reach 85 pounds. Similar to the 85 Max, the Pria 70 is newborn compatible with the Tiny Fit system, has moisture wicking fabrics, a no re-thread harness, and has been somewhat poorly designed such that the straps are both difficult to tighten and loosen. As you'd expect from a car seat $100 cheaper, the Pria 70 is less refined in its construction, and has a few sticking points operationally.

Things We Love

Great Looking: The Maxi Cosi Pria 70 is a modern seat that looks nice in many colors.
Newborn Compatible: The Pria 70 is suitable for babies five pounds and up using the Tiny Fit system. This system is included sometimes and not included other times, so make sure to check before buying.
Forward-Facing Until 70 Pounds (But Only 52 Inches): This is one of the higher forward-facing five-point harness weight limits out there, but know that most kiddos will hit the car seat’s height limit of 52 inches long before they hit that 70 pound limit.
No-Rethread Harness: The height adjustable headrest automatically positions the harness into the correct spot. However, the operation of this headrest is quite sticky and feels poorly made.
Easy Install: The install is uncomplicated and straightforward.
Easy Recline: The Pria 70 has push-button recline.
Washable Cover… But Beware: The Pria 70 cover can easily be removed and washed, but beware! The color can fade. For best results wash in cold water and hang to dry.

Things We Don't Love As Much

Somewhat Shoddy Quality: Everything sticks– from the adjustable headrest to the recline to the harness– and this car seat generally feels poorly made compared to the Pria 85 Max and other more expensive convertible car seats, like the Nuna Rava, the Clek Foonf, Clek Fllo, and Peg-Perego Primo Viaggio Convertible. You get what you pay for.
Difficult-to-Tighten and Loosen Harness: Going along with the above point about somewhat shoddy quality, the Pria 70 harness tends to be a bit sticky and difficult to tighten. Since you have to tighten your kid's harness every time they're in the seat, this could be a deal breaker. Maxi Cosi recommends pulling the straps from the back of the seat to tighten and loosen to prevent snags.
Standard Safety: The Pria 70 has pretty standard safety features, including Air Protect side impact protection and multi-directional energy management, but nothing fancier than that. Maxi Cosi is a brand known more for its good looks and cushy feel than its stellar safety features.
Standard Rear-Facing Weight Limit: The Pria 70 is designed for rear-facing until 40 pounds, which most kids hit sometime between ages three and five.
Too Wide for Three Across: If you need to fit three carseats in your backseat, Maxi Cosi convertible car seats are not for you.
Medium Weight: At 23.8 pounds, the Pria 70 is neither tremendously heavy nor wonderfully light. Regardless, it is not a car seat you want to be moving from car to car with any sort of frequency. Most people rarely move their convertible car seats from car to car, so weight is really not much of an issue.