Yep, it’s that time again—Consumer Reports is out
with their latest crash test ratings in their May 2005 issue. Read it
here.

As usual, there are some
questions about the results and, unfortunately, some confusion over CR’s work.
Here are some headlines:

? Combi
Avatar and the Evenflo PortAbout 5 Premier were singled out for poor
performance. (See earlier blog entry on the Avatar).

? Britax seats continued to score
well, with the Companion infant seat earning top honors and the Roundabout
coming in second for convertible seats.

Yet, we are troubled by inconsistencies
with Consumer Reports testing—often the very same seat has scored very
differently from year to year. Some
examples:

1. The Safety 1st Designer 22
car seat (22-325) was given “very good” scores for ease of use in the 2005
report. Yet the same seat (trust us, it hasn’t changed) was rated only “fair” in
ease of use for 2004. Huh? The same seat earned “excellent” marks for crash
protection with a LATCH belt in 2005, yet only “very good” ratings in 2004.

2. Similar confusion reins for the Baby
Trend Latch Loc Adjustable Back. It earned “very good” crash test ratings in
2005, up from only “good” ratings for crash protection with LATCH in 2004 (and
“excellent” for crash protection with belt in 2004). Same seat, different
results?

3. Most puzzling was the Combi
Tyro, which earned EXCELLENT crash protection with LATCH in 2004. Yet in 2005
the very same seat earns only average (good) marks for LATCH. Combi confirms the
seat has not changed at all. Did CR change the
test?

Unfortunately, we don’t know.
Consumer Reports is tight-lipped about HOW they crash test seats, with only
vague comments that “all seats are tested . . . at least once.” A bit more
transparency (perhaps CR could post more detail on their web site?) would help
parents decipher these ratings.

For
convertible seats, we noted similar inconsistencies with the Graco ComfortSport.
In 2004, it received “very good” ratings for crash protection with belts with an
infant dummy. The same seat in 2005 scores only
“good”.

And while CR is entitled to its
opinion, we have to strongly disagree about “ease of use” ratings for the
Evenflo Triumph and Cosco Alpha Omega. In our research, both seats score poorly
with parents on that very subject. That’s why our ratings of those seats have
been lower in recent years.

So, that’s
our take. As usual, CR does valuable work on behalf of consumers. Yet a bit more
honesty and openness on HOW they crash test seats (as well as an explanation of
inconsistent results) would go a long way toward helping parents pick the best
seat for their child.