Graco Turn2Me DLX i-Size review: an affordable extended rear-facing car seat with premium safety features

I tested the Graco Turn2Me DLX R129 car seat with my three-year-old

How we tested the Graco Turn2Me DLX

• One month of using the Graco Turn2Me DLX multiple times a week

• Used on both short and longer journeys of up to two hours

• Tested with a three-year-old

• Tested in a Volvo V40 Cross Country

I tested the Graco Turn2Me DLX out with my three-year-old over the course of a month. It was installed in my Volvo V40 Cross Country and used on both long and short journeys to see how well it handled everyday family life. I was able to compare it to the similarly designed Joie i-Spin 360 i-Size, which is the regular extended rear-facing car seat I use with my preschooler.   

After testing was complete, I scored the Graco Turn2Me DLX on eight key criteria, including: performance, quality and durability, ease of use, value for money, safety and stability, comfort and adjustability. This gave a total score of 86 out of 100, which then translated to a five-star rating overall.

What’s the difference between the Graco Turn2Me and the Graco Turn2Me DLX?

While the Graco Turn2Me and the Graco Turn2Me DLX look almost identical and are both 360 spin car seats, there are a few key differences, including price. The Turn2Me DLX has a:

• Rotation button on both sides, rather than a single central button, so you can spin the seat from either side depending on where in your car it's installed.

• True all-round, one-handed 360-degree spin so you can always swivel the car seat towards the car door for buckling in, no matter which way your child is travelling (this could only be done when rear-facing with the original Turn2Me).

• Fully integrated anti-rebound bar: this absorbs energy during a crash and reduces movement during frontal collisions.

• Forward-facing safety lock: additional release needed to activate forward-facing mode, which encourages extended rear-facing use.

• Enhanced side-impact protection: an interchangeable TrueShield™ Side-Impact Protection Pod, for use on both sides of the car seat depending on where the car seat is installed, and Safety Surround™ car seat shell.

• Improved installation: one-click with indicators and 12-position load leg.

• Higher price tag: Retails at £190 versus £160 for the original Turn2Me i-Size.

Overall, the Graco Turn2Me DLX offers enhanced safety, especially for side impacts and longer rear-facing, and a smoother, easier-to-use 360-degree rotation than its predecessor.

Graco Turn2Me DLX: what’s in the box?

• Turn2Me DLX i-Size R129 ISOFIX car seat with fixed base

• Newborn insert

• 2 harness pads

• 1 crotch pad

• TrueShield™ Side Impact Protection Pod

• Instruction manual

Colour-coded installation indictors, including on 360-spin button and five-point harness

How easy is the Graco Turn2Me DLX to install?

Very easy! It took me just 20 seconds to install the Graco Turn2Me DLX and the process was very similar to my regular car seat, the Joie i-Spin 360 i-Size. All you have to do is extend the ISOFIX connectors, click the connectors into your car’s ISOFIX anchor points then extend the support leg using the button. All in all, very intuitive and I found the diagrams on the side of the seat very helpful for a quick, stress-free installation. 

I love that the Turn2Me DLX comes with a fixed ISOFIX base, so doesn't need to be fitted separately. I also really appreciated the car seat's colour-coded installation indicators (this is something I’m also used to with the Joie i-Spin 360 i-Size), which turn green when the car seat is correctly installed and red when it’s not. This reduces any margin for error and offers peace of mind. 

There is an indicator on each ISOFIX connector, one on the top of the support leg and further indicators on the 360-degree rotation and five-point harness buttons, which I found really helpful for ensuring the car seat and harness were always securely in place.

Graco Turn2Me DLX: how does it look?

The Graco Turn2Me DLX has a lighter and more compact swivel base and frame than the original Turn2Me i-Size as well as my regular toddler car seat, the Joie i-Spin 360 i-Size. The Turn2Me DLX weighs 13.4kg versus the Joie’s 13.9kg, although it feels just as robust. This makes the Turn2Me DLX easier to carry between cars.

Aesthetically, the Turn2Me DLX has a rounded silhouette with soft, clean-looking polyester fabrics, although it’s currently only available to buy in a Midnight Black colour. The plush, well padded fabrics (including the newborn insert and headrest) are paired with side-shell ventilation panels to improve airflow. However, I found the padding to be more substantial on the Joie i-Spin 360 i-Size.

Unlike the Axkid One 3, which I also recently tested, the Turn2Me DLX’s anti-rebound bar is subtly incorporated into the swivel base, which helps to make the car seat less bulky as a whole. 

TrueShield™ Side-Impact Protection Pod can be clipped in either side

How safe is the Graco Turn2Me DLX?

Very. The Graco Turn2Me DLX has various features and credentials that make it a top-notch car seat when it comes to safety. It’s R129-compliant, so meets the latest European safety standard (i-Size), and it has achieved an ADAC and Stiftung Warentest rating of ‘Good’ (2.4). 

It is an extended rear-facing car seat, so can be used rear-facing from 40cm up to 105cm (birth to approximately four years old), which is the safest way for children to travel, but it also offers the possibility to forward-face from 76cm to 105cm (approximately 15 months to 4 years).

I like that the car seat has a two-step forward-facing safety check, which means that you have to push an extra button in order to turn the car seat forward-facing. This is intended to promote extended rear-facing travel. 

The anti-rebound bar, which is integrated into the seat base, helps to reduce the chance of injury when your child is rear-facing and absorbs the impact energy by 40% (according to Graco) during a frontal collision. The car seat itself is built with a steel-reinforced frame and Expanded Polypropylene (EPP), which is an energy‑absorbing foam intended to manage impact energy effectively.

The Graco Turn2Me DLX offers Safety Surround™ Side-Impact Protection but also comes with the TrueShield™ Side-Impact Protection Pod for enhanced safety - as long as the pod is clipped into the side closest to the car door. 

While I found this feature very reassuring, the pod could easily get lost if ever removed. It also can’t be folded neatly back in so that it sits flush with the seat shell, which is one of the benefits of the side-impact protection pods on the Joie i-Spin i-Size 360 i-Size.

Graco Turn2Me DLX car seat has a 360-degree spin feature

What's the Graco Turn2Me DLX like to use day to day?

The Graco Turn2Me DLX is a car seat that easily fits into everyday family life and I found it a breeze to use day to day.

The 360 spin feature is easy to operate on either side of the car seat, although I occasionally found that the spin lock didn’t always catch correctly the first time. It did, however, allow my three-year-old some independence in getting in and out of the car seat by herself. 

When it comes to growing children, the headrest offers six different positions, and moves up and down seamlessly with one hand using a button at the back of the seat. The harness moves up and down with it, which means no rethreading needed.

There are hooks in the side padding of the seat that hold the harness points out of the way, which means that the straps don’t cause an obstruction when your child gets in and out of the seat.

However, I would have preferred magnets rather than hooks (as seen on the likes of the Axkid One 3) as I found the harness points to be small. This also made clicking the harness into place more fiddly than expected.   

That said, I found the harness easy to loosen and tighten as the pull strap and button is located in the centre of the seat.

Graco Turn2Me DLX car seat with newborn insert

How comfortable is the Graco Turn2Me DLX?

The padding on the Graco Turn2Me DLX isn’t as plush as on the comparable Joie i-Spin 360 i-Size, but it still provides lots of comfort for both newborns and toddlers. The car seat also has built-in side-shell ventilation for optimal airflow, which kept my three-year-old comfortable on both long and short journeys. 

There is a 10-position recline (five rear-facing and five forward-facing), but I found the recline to be a bit limited for my three-year-old. Leg room, however, was ample enough for her no matter the recline position, which was a relief for longer car journeys.

The Turn2Me DLX comes with a padded insert for newborns, which can be used up to approximately three months old. It slots into place easily and can be removed quickly when outgrown.

Is the Graco Turn2Me DLX easy to clean?

Happily, the Graco Turn2Me DLX cover, harness pads and crotch pad are removable and machine-washable at 30 degrees. The newborn insert can also be machine-washed.

While I didn’t have to remove the covers much for cleaning (the Midnight Black colourway hides a multitude of stains), the covers were simple to remove and put on again after washing. I also spot-cleaned the seat when needed with a damp cloth.

Does the Graco Turn2Me DLX offer good value for money?

Yes! One of the great things about Graco car seats is that they are generally very affordable and the Turn2Me DLX is cheaper than the similarly designed Joie i-Spin 360 i-Size. It retails at £190 versus £250 for the Joie. The fixed ISOFIX base is also included in the price so you don't have to fork out extra for this.

The fact that the Turn2Me DLX is an extended rear-facing car seat that can be used from birth, with excellent safety features and a 360-degree rotation, makes it a very attractive option for parents in my opinion.

About the author

Laura Westerman is an editor, writer and Deputy Head of Editorial Content at Mumsnet. She has over nine years' experience as a full-time editor, seven of which have been spent writing, commissioning and editing car seat reviews and round-ups.

Mum to a three-year-old, she is passionate about car seat safety and is fully invested in discovering the best and most affordable baby products on the market - as well as sharing her knowledge and findings with other parents.

In addition to her work as a writer and editor, she has also appeared in a number of baby product videos for Mumsnet's YouTube channel.