Cybex sirona S or Z, what’s the difference?! And would you recommend?

[SRK16]

I can’t figure out what the difference between these car seats is, aside from price. The S has the base attached, that’s the only thing I can see.
Would you recommend either of these, or another rotating car seat? Thanks!

That's the difference :) Having the base separate can be useful if you need to swap cars regularly as you can just swap the seat part while leaving the bases installed. I think that base is also a modular one so does the baby seat as well, which presumably is a stage you're past? The Z ends up vastly more expensive because you need to buy the base as well. But I think it's the only modular one that spins,

There is just one other difference that I can see - the rotate function on the S requires two hands, one to release and then turn (not a big deal IME - you tend to leave it sideways when the seat is empty, and it doesn't lock in at the side, so don't need to release, just straighten) whereas only one hand needed for the Z wherever it is.

It's a lovely seat overall whichever one you go for. The sensorsafe is also a nice upgrade that's only offered by Cybex.

Other comparable seats to look at would be:

Joie 360 spin/i-spin
Britax Dualfix
GB Vaya (made by the same company as Cybex)
Maxi Cosi Mica
Besafe izi Turn/Twist
Recaro Zero 1 (not Elite)

The best one is the one that fits your child + car the best, so ideally see how many you can try out in person.

*Only modular seat that spins, which is why it has such a high price tag. (Actually, the Recaro does as well but works slightly differently.)

I forgot to add Nuna Rebl Plus to the list of seats to compare :)

Oh wow! Thank you so much, that is incredibly helpful and a great summary. Really appreciate the time you took to reply :). I’ll have a look at the other ones you mentioned but I feel pretty set on the sirona. I will need to move it between cars or get a second (cheaper!) car seat.. or as you say get a second base. Thanks again!

Just saw your bit about trying out in person- I feel that could be quite tricky as things stand. Do you think it’s really important to do? I’ve checked and the sirona fits my car but I guess I should check my partner and mums!

I think it would be important to try out in person, in all the cats, as the isofix can be in different “positions”. Our car seat fitted really well in our CMax, not too well but surprisingly okay in an Audi TT, and absolutely appallingly in the Land Rover . There was a massive fucking gap between the seat and the car seat base (we test drove an older version and it was okay ) and the isofix wouldn’t go back tightly enough so we ended up replacing the seat in the end.

cars not cats. Obviously

Of course yes it's tricky at the minute, although most shops are open now, but I really would hugely recommend trying seats out if you can. In the absence of being able to, check the fit list, but having a proper look at the height (can you get DC in without clonking their head on the door frame), the recline angle (depends on your seats) and the amount of room for back seat passengers (middle seat) and front seat passengers is really helpful as well as checking whether the fit of that seat in your car is solid enough, as there can be a surprising amount of movement allowed by fit lists. Looking at seats online is all very well but in store you get a totally different sense of their proportions and how easy they are to operate - try out the recline, headrest adjustment, spin button etc. If you can take the child with you, and sit her in a few, even better.

It's not essential to try it out if you've checked the fit list, but I highly recommend it! It's enough money to spend out blind after all, and would be really annoying to later discover a brilliant seat which is even better that you could have bought sooner. And the bonus is if you buy it from a proper retailer, if you have any problems with it you can get the retailer to act as your first contact. Independents are better for this than chains. Have a look for Cybex stockists and see what is near you. Then you should definitely be able to look at at least one Sirona model and potentially a few other spin seats as well. You don't have to buy from the place you try seats out. But I would say if you do have a good independent store near you and they are a little bit more expensive than online, it is generally worth it in terms of the after sales support and service.

BTW, if you go for the i-size version, the fit list works a bit differently. If any car you're putting it in is i-size approved you don't need to check the fit list for that car. You only check the list for cars which are not i-size but still isofix. And if anyone has a Vauxhall they are sometimes listed as Opel.

If it's for a newborn, the recline angle would be especially important to check, I feel. You want it to be no more than 45 degrees and ideally more like 40 or less. Shops often have a weighted doll you can practice putting in and out of the seat, tightening the harness etc.

Sorry for the delay. No seats in stock near me so can’t see it in store. However I have been able to see a friends one and I like it. However, checked online for the fit in my car (polo) and it says ‘despite the compatibility with your car it´s possible that your child has limitation in comfort because of the steep geometry of the back seat‘
I’m not sure what this means really?! Any ideas? Does it mean don’t bother?! Or it won’t recline as much?
Husband thinks to order it and return if it’s no good...

It means your seats are very tilted back and so you won't get a very deep recline because the rear facing car seat when installed will be tipped forwards to start with. That might be a problem depending on the age of child you are planning to use it with. Is it for a newborn?

Would your friend let you try theirs in your car? I'd do that, maybe compare against their car.

While technically you have the right to return up to 14 days following an online purchase, many retailers will be funny about accepting car seats back in case you've dropped them or driven with them and had a crash. However I think the law is on your side. But it might be a long conversation.

What about contacting the in car safety centre for advice and asking whether they can send you one to try? They would probably be open to it being returnable if it didn't fit and know what to suggest if it doesn't.

Ah that helps! Yes maybe I’ll ask my friend if she minds if I try it in my car.
Car seat is for a nine month old, though it’s possible if we have another baby it could be used for a newborn.
Will the pitch of my seats not be an issue for all car seats though? It’s so ahead to know!

Thanks again!

Yes, it's likely the pitch of your seats will be an issue for most car seats, so that could be a reason to prioritise fitting in person, even if it means you can't get the exact model that you wanted. You might want to contact some kind of specialist like the safety centre, or maybe another independent retailer who is happy to advise over the phone (I don't know of others, unfortunately) or maybe Car Seat Libraries UK on Facebook?

For a nine month old you don't quite have the same risks as for a newborn because they have much stronger necks and don't have the same risk to their airway, so they can cope with a bit more upright seating.

As a total aside - would the 9 month old happen to be close to outgrowing their infant seat, or do you just want to change for another reason? If they are close, I would not recommend you look at spin seats at all. I would recommend that you look at rear facing seats which go from 9-25kg instead, as these are going to last a tall/heavy-for age child much longer (the spin seat could last only a couple of years), and as a plus, because they are seatbelt and tether fitted, you have a huge amount more flexibility in the angle which means you can compensate for sloped back seats extremely well in a way which isn't possible using isofix.

I can’t thank you enough for this. Yes he’s about to grow out of his baby seat. I had thought the sirona would last until hes 4, but looking at the weight limit more carefully (18kg) that seems unlikely (he’s 11kg now!)

Damn!! I thought the swivel seat would save my back. I’m so glad I started this thread and so grateful for your responses.
Back to square one.. so I suppose I’m looking at group 1-3 seats? Any recommendations?!

Ideally I want something that’s extended rear facing. I’m too sleep deprived for this 😂

Came on to say we have the sirona and my lb has just outgrown it at 2 years 3 months, as he is too tall for it (he's not overly tall). I've ordered the axkid minikid instead, as it's rear facing until 25kg or 125cm.

No, not group 123 seats. ERF seats that go to 25kg.

There are only about seven on the UK market. Axkid move/Minikid, Britax Max way /max way plus /multi tech (+ two way elite, but needs importing), Besafe izi kid X1 plus, Klippan Century, Diono Radian 5.

You will not find them in the usual baby equipment places. But the specialists have them and the prices are not really that different from the isofix seats going up to 18kg. Two Way Elite, Max Way, Axkid Move are all under £200 or often get discounted to there. Besafe and Axkid Minikid are about £350 and the others are in between.

I don't know offhand which are best for sloped seats but I know for example the Axkid and Britax ones have an angle adjusting wedge specifically for sloping seats.

Have a look at the retailer list here and see if anyone is near you. www.carseatlibrariesuk.com/approved-retailers.html#/

Thank you again for your help. Going to have to spend the day researching!

I was a bit bleary when I posted that as DS2 had me up! I will try and find a few summaries of the differences.

Comparison of Two Way Elite, Max Way, Diono Radian 5, Axkid Move and Multi-Tech:
erfmission.com/budget-friendly-erf-car-seats-to-25kg/

Comparison of Move and Minikid (the Wolmax is the old name for the Move)
www.whingewhingewine.co.uk/comparing-axkid-wolmax-and-minikid.html

Minikid review:
erfmission.com/new-axkid-minikid-review/

Klippan Century (hard to find info, I think)
www.babylor.com/en/blog/klippan-century-test-group-1-2-n48#:~:text=Great%20news%20%3A%20the%20Klippan%20Century,because%20of%20the%20transmission%20tunnel.

Videos about Minikid, Move, Diono, and Besafe:
www.youtube.com/channel/UCcjr7qJ-0IN2wd2zqJjGnLQ

I'm struggling to find linkable info on the Britax Max Way Plus which is a shame because it's my favourite! I think because most of the bloggers etc had reviewed the original, the changes are the harness is easier to adjust, the fabrics are a bit nicer, it has better side impact protection, and it has the same harness pads as the Dualfix/King seats. You can also get it in "cool flow" fabrics which are meant to reduce sweatiness (no idea if it works).

We have the Cybex Z base and baby car seat - do I have to get a Sirona Z seat now we have outgrown the seat? Or will other brands of seat fit and work with our Cybex Z base on its turntable system? Looking for good quality/safety of course but maybe something more affordable. Thanks.

Cybex customer service was awful when the rotation mechanism on our sirona I size started failing. For that reason I would not buy cybex again.

@RCNSH2022

We have the Cybex Z base and baby car seat - do I have to get a Sirona Z seat now we have outgrown the seat? Or will other brands of seat fit and work with our Cybex Z base on its turntable system? Looking for good quality/safety of course but maybe something more affordable. Thanks.

If you want to use the base then yes the sirona Z is the only one that will fit.

But since the sirona Z costs £300 I'd honestly recommend looking at other options. It's so expensive for what it is and it puts your base out of action if you wanted to use the cloud Z again.

For example
Britax Dualfix i-size M
Britax Max way plus
Recaro Salia
Joie i-Spin
Axkid move