• Value: 16/20
• Functionality: 20/20
• Ease of Use: 20/20
• Aesthetics: 18/20
• Quality: 19/20
• TOTAL: 93/100

For months, I’ve maintained a theory that’s right up there with the existence of Big Foot: My not-quite-2-year-old daughter is a sleeper cell MMA fighter, and her trigger is the car seat. She roars to life as soon as she’s lowered into the seat, going from a full-body arch to a side roll, before hurling her legs over one side and flipping onto the passenger seat, all while I’m still fumbling to grab the straps and buckle. We’ve been working on that behavior, but even when my daughter’s calm, every car seat I tried just seemed kind of annoying to use. I was secretly counting down the days (OK, years) until we’d be car seat-free.

So when I heard that Cybex’s new Sirona S car seat swiveled, making it easier to get kids in and out of the seat, I was intrigued—and desperate—enough to test it out. Even though its $500 retail price went against my belief that there’s no reason to spend more than $300 on a car seat or stroller, because there are plenty of perfectly good budget models out there. But friends, let me level with you: I thought my Graco 4Ever DLX Convertible Car Seat, with its dual cupholders and thick, padded seats, was the Cadillac of car seats. The Sirona S is the Tesla. 

IT SWIVELS EASILY—BUT STAYS LOCKED IN PLACE.

The seat rotates 360 degrees, so it doesn’t matter if you place it behind the driver’s seat, the passenger’s or in the middle—you can easily pivot it to get the angle you need, all with the push of a handle. Oh, and you can do it one-handed (critical, since most of the time, I’m holding my daughter on my hip with the other arm). Once it’s locked in place (forward- or backward-facing, depending on the age and weight of your child), it stays locked, so you don’t have to worry about rounding a corner and your kid going on an unintentional Tilt-a-Whirl ride.