Our experiences:
My baby used to HATE riding in the car. Yes, from talking to other Moms who use car trips to put their babies to sleep I realize that my darling son is probably in the minority, but he couldn't tolerate riding the car for more than 10 minutes.

We had received a wonderful travel system (stroller/car seat/infant carrier) at one of my baby showers, and had been using the infant carrier on its base as the car seat. We were somewhat dismayed when our tall little boy outgrew the height restriction on his infant seat at only 3 months, and we were forced to start the hunt for a new car seat. After doing tons of internet research, we went with the Britax Roundabout -- mostly due to its high safety standards and the wonderful on-line opinions of so many customers.

I'm so happy to be able to include myself as a parent who is extremely pleased with this car seat. The first time we put my son in it and went for a ride he was actually happy! The seat sits up enough that my ever inquisitive boy can actually look out the windows and keep himself entertained! I can now make the 30 minute trip to his Grandparents' house with a happy baby in the back seat! My husband and I were amazed at how easy the buckles and straps work -- this seat is much easier to use than our infant seat (which is quite a feat -- with the infant seat we could strap him in before putting the seat in the car, I didn't think you could beat that).

My son is now 11 months old and is still very happy in his carseat. I used do whatever I could to keep from having to take him anywhere in the car (since he hated car trips so much), now with his Britax carseat I feel like we're free to travel anywhere!

Update: 9/26/02
My boy is now approaching 15 months old, and since we've switched the seat to be forward-facing he loves riding in the car even more! Now he even does something he never did when he was rear-facing -- he actually goes to sleep in it! It's pure bliss!

Switching the seat from rear-facing to forward-facing went off without a hitch -- the seat is strapped down securely and feels extremely sturdy and stable. We have been using the carseat now for just under a year, and it still looks good-as-new.

Product Description:
The Britax Roundabout is a convertible seat (meaning it can face backward for babies under 12 months, and forward for older babies). The seat accommodates babies 5-30 pounds rear-facing, and 20-40 pounds forward-facing.

My husband installed the seat so I can't comment too much about that -- he said it wasn't very hard to do (although he did put a towel under it to even it out some). There is a tether that can be used whether the seat is facing forward or backward (the only seat I saw with such a feature), and I love the extra stability it added when the seat was facing the back.

I love the way the straps work. There are 3 height positions for the straps (where the straps come out of the back of the chair), so they can be adjusted as your baby grows. A plastic buckle fits across the chest, and a "butterfly-puzzle" buckle brings the straps together between the legs. The pieces of the butterfly-buckle must be put together before the buckle can be locked in-place -- kind-of hard to explain but I think it helps to ensure that the child is buckled in properly -- and we really like it. Once he's all buckled down, there is a strap at the front you can pull to tighten up the straps and make sure he's secure. There is extra padding around the hard-plastic buckle, so that the plastic doesn't dig into your baby's legs, or doesn't burn his tender skin if the sun has been baking the car interior for a while.

When it comes time to take the baby out of the seat, a button below the buckle allows you to quickly and easily loosen the straps, so getting baby out is a breeze. Another nice feature -- there is velcro on the backs of the straps that match up with velcro on the arms of the chair, so that when you want to take baby out you can velcro the straps out of your way.

A variety of fabrics and patterns are available for the Roundabout. I think the one we chose was called "Cool Blues" -- it is mostly denim but also has a denim and tan plaid pattern down the middle of the seat. It goes nicely with our car's tan interior. We really haven't needed to wash our seat cover often, but it is removable and can be thrown in the wash.

Quick Hit Summary:
Pros:
+) 5-point harness
+) Easy to use, non-tangling straps
+) Getting baby in and out is a breeze due to convenient strap and buckle system
+) Weight range from 5 to 40 pounds
+) Rear facing (and forward-facing) tether for extra stability
+) Padding around the buckle keeps it from rubbing against the baby's legs
+) Velcro the straps out of your way when removing baby from the seat
+) Easy to clean - remove fabric covering and throw in the washer

Cons:
-) The seat is BIG - it can be hard to get into small cars (we can really only use the seat in one of our two cars)
-) It is expensive, but I personally think it is worth it

In summary:
I'm so thankful we got this seat. Dad and I both love it, but nothing beats the fact that our baby loves it too. I highly recommend this product!

Manufacturer's Website:
http://www.britaxusa.com/

Related Reviews:
Britax Marathon (my favorite seat)
Britax Husky
Cosco Summit High Back Booster

Update: 4/7/2004
Alas, just before 2½ years of age my son outgrew his Roundabout!!! He is uncommonly tall for his age (at his 2-year checkup he was above the 95th percentile on height), so this probably won't be an issue for most parents. A forward-facing carseat is considered "outgrown" when the tops of the child's ears are level with the top of the back of the carseat (at 33 pounds my son is still well within the seat's weight limit). At any rate, we loved our Roundabout dearly and I will mourn its passing (or its waiting until we have another child). I'm very glad that we have the Britax Marathon in our other car as he is nowhere near outgrowing that seat yet.



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 175
Age Range of Child: 0 to 12 Months