shop cybex cloud z i-size car seat: john lewis, samuel johnston and mamas & potatoes
tested by
lara, a mother of 2, lives in essex with her husband, 5-year-old son, dexter, and 17-month-old son, felix. She tested her car seat and base in her Ce’ed Kia.
Reading: Cloud z car seat reviews
in addition, christy, a mother of 3, tested the seat with her newborn baby, both with the seatbelt of grandpa’s vw golf and with the sensorsafe feature and cybex z-base in her volvo xc90.
what are your first impressions of the cybex cloud z?
It looks great, despite the flashy color. It is well made and the movements of the handle and sunshade are smooth and graceful. I’m impressed.
do I need to buy a base to use the cybex cloud z?
You don’t have to buy the base: the cloud z can be installed with your car’s seatbelt, but this means it is no longer classified as i-size (as i-size requires an isofix fit). However, you still get the added side impact protection and the car seat still exceeds current safety requirements. If you’re set on using an isofix base, then it’s reassuring to know that the cloud z can still be safely used in an alternative car, like grandparents’, without needing to use the base.
Fellow reviewer Christy says: “We found it very easy to install when we borrowed my father-in-law’s VW Golf, which doesn’t have Isofix. Just loop the 3-point belt around the seat, making sure it clips into certain points, and buckle up as usual, however, it is not as convenient as using the base.”
The compatible base is the cybex base z, a swivel base which has an RRP of £184.95. It’s another big cost, but it’s part of what Cybex calls its z-line modular system, which means it can be used with Cybex’s next-stage car seat: the sirona z i-size (from birth to about 4 years). This means that if you stick with Cybex car seats you can use 1 base from newborn to 4 years, and the £184.95 price tag is starting to look like good value for money.
How is the cybex cloud z i-size car seat different from the cloud q?
The z i-size cloud differs from the popular cybex q cloud in that it is i-size compatible when used with the base. i-size regulations require a higher level of side impact protection and the cloud z features what cybex calls linear side impact protection (lsp). Cloud Z is also 15% lighter than Cloud Q. Since the two car seats are similarly priced, I would personally choose the cloud z i size.
What age is the car seat suitable for?
the cloud z i-size is suitable from birth to 13kg. Interestingly, Cybex claims that 13kg equates to around 18 months, whereas most manufacturers (and Madeformums) use the more common comparison of 12-15 months. my son is 17 months but not yet 13kg so this is great proof of the cybex 18 month claim. while at the end of the cybex suggested age range, the rear-facing seat is a little snug but fits him well.
reviewer christy tested the seat with her son from birth. She says, “It’s a great seat for newborns, with thick padding, a newborn insert, and the option to make it flatter out of the car so there’s less worry about having them in it for too long. I felt very confident bringing our son home from the cloud hospital and his frequent naps suggest he finds it comfortable.”
how is the cybex cloud z i-size car seat installed in the car?
The car seat can be strapped to the car quite easily or used with the cybex z-base to be installed with isofix fixings (required to fully comply with i-size standards). Like 80% of parents we surveyed*, I found the seat easy to install. For added peace of mind, there’s a noise sensor that alerts you if the base isn’t positioned correctly.
I would definitely choose to use the car seat with the isofix base instead of the belt. it feels safer, and it’s quick and easy, much less messing around running late trying to get the family to the car!
Christy, a mother of 3, agrees, adding, “Once we have the older kids strapped in, it’s so nice to be able to quickly snap my newborn’s cloud seat onto the base. She’s always in a rush to get on.” in gear before he starts crying when the movement of the car puts him to sleep, so speed is the name of the game!
“if he’s fidgeting and I’m stressed, the base is so easy and clear to use that I don’t worry if I’ve installed the seat correctly the way I might use the seatbelt method.”
how do i install the z-base?
follow cybex instructions and checks, including helpful videos online, but in a nutshell:
- slide each of the 2 isofix plugs on the base into the corresponding isofix sockets in the car
- extend the leg of the z-base so that it touches the floor of the footwell of the car
- to make the process easier, you can use the plastic isofix guides included with the seat, which help open up the gap between the car seat cushions so you can find the plugs more easily
- verify that the relevant ‘traffic light’ on the front of the base is green
- unfasten the clip
- run the risk of vehicular heat stroke due to overheating
- stay alone in the car
- sitting for a long time
- cybex platinum cloud z car seat
- inlays for newborns
- cloud base z – £189.95
- summer cover – £44.95
- sun shade – £16.18
- bug net – £19.95
- rain cover – £17.95
- foot covers – £55.99
- the best car seats in group 1 – from 9 months
- best swivel and swivel car seats
- rear-facing car seats explained
how easy is it to use the base with the seat?
Christy, who tried it out on her newborn baby, says, “I hadn’t used a base before and it was really revealing, which made the seat so much more enjoyable to use. I found it a little tricky at first to get the seat on.” seat in place, but got easier with practice.
“and removing the seat from the base is very easy. If you want, you can turn it towards you – there is a button on each side of the turntable and you only need to press one of them to unlock it. then to unlock the seat, simply lift the button on the front of the base and pop out the cloud z.”
does the z base rotate a full 360°?
It has a 360° rotation for the sirona z i-size car seat, and 180° for the cloud z i-size car seat. this is because the cloud only faces rear as it is an infant car seat so there is no need to turn forward.
Christy says, “When you rotate the z cloud, it will go a little past 180° and won’t lock into position when it’s at the side angle. this is a great safety feature as there’s no risk that parents could lock it in the side-facing position and mistakenly think it’s safe to drive that way.
“Basically, the seat will only lock into the base when it’s positioned correctly in the rearward direction, which is helpful. it also means you can’t mistakenly use it in a forward-facing position, which would be unsafe for a baby.”
how easy was it to turn the car seat?
okay, but the only downside to the swivel feature is that if you have long nails or just got a manicure, you might have a hard time grabbing the shallow lever, pulling it towards you, and pushing it to the side to turn the chair. , with one hand: a minor detail, but important for when you’ve really had a chance to pamper yourself.
Reviewer Christy says, “I don’t have particularly long nails, so I found it pretty easy to use, but I can see it’s superficial. If I can get a nice manicure when my son is a little older, let’s cruise!” fingers! – I don’t think this will bother me too much as it’s still easy to fit into the seat when rear-facing.”
does the car seat feel well installed?
I tried both methods for installation (the instruction booklet clearly helped me with both). Just using the strap felt like the seat was held in place and I would be safe using it this way. however, once I installed the cloud z i-size with the isofix base, I instantly felt more comfortable because the car seat wasn’t going anywhere.
Christy adds: “The base unit has a really useful traffic light system to show if the seat is installed correctly. each of the 3 lights indicates if the base leg is attached correctly, if the seat is engaged in the base, and if it is locked in a rear-facing position: green for yes, red for no.
“Obviously, I also check everything manually every time I wrap it up, but it’s such a simple feature that it gave me more peace of mind.”
how comfortable is the cybex cloud z i-size car seat for your child?
felix seemed comfortable on cloud z, despite being on the upper limit for this seat. The harness and leashes were easy to put on and take off and I felt like I was comfortably and securely attached.
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Although he felt comfortable in it for short trips, on long trips he began to get anxious, possibly because it was more restrictive for him. Since he’s right at the higher end of the recommended age for this car seat, this may be why.
He’s also used to being in a forward-facing car seat and has gotten used to seeing more of what’s going on, so I think this was a factor in how much he liked the product.
Female reviewer Christy, who tried it on her newborn, says, “My son seems very comfortable on the cloud. he is very well padded and the fabric feels hard but quite soft. he often falls asleep in it, which is a good sign.”
in our survey, 60% of parents gave the seat top marks for comfort, while natural baby shower and bella baby customers also gave the seat thumbs up for this aspect as well.
what are the main safety features of the cybex cloud z i-size car seat?
the z cloud has several security features and most notably when used with the z base it is i-size compatible. This means her baby can stay rear facing until she is 13kg and the seat has better side impact protection.
our article on what you need to know about i-size car seats explains exactly what this means for car seats and how regulations can affect your choices.
I was really impressed with the linear telescoping side impact protection system. It features an “arm” on each side that pulls out to help stabilize the car seat and will absorb some of the impact, if you are involved in a crash, before it reaches the flexible shell. Since there is an ‘arm’ on each side, this protection is there on whichever side the seat is installed on. it’s a great idea and as cybex is innovating in the safety features, i hope it will be another element to keep my baby safer even if it doesn’t seem like a big deal.
what is sensorsafe and how does it work with cloud z?
it’s a piece of new technology that cybex works by using a clip attached to your car seat harness, a smartphone app, and a dongle attached to your car to connect the two. the feature is also available for other cybex car seats, such as the atonm i-size (£189 at amazon), and you can buy the cloud z with or without the clip; the sensorsafe version is around £75 more.
If you purchase the sensorsafe version of the car seat, it comes with the clip attached to the harness straps. the idea is that you fasten it together with the usual harness buckle, and it provides updates and alarms to help prevent dangerous situations, that is, take care of your child:
Is it easy to configure sensorsafe?
reviewer christy says: “yes and no. In theory, it’s done in minutes, especially since the clip is already attached to the seat: follow the instructions to plug the dongle (a little gray device) into your car’s obd-ii port (usually just below and to the right of the steering wheel). and download the app on your smartphone.
“I downloaded the app and started the process of trying to link them all together. the first step is a simple registration process, but then it seems the app couldn’t find the sensorsafe clip to pair with.
“trying to follow the instructions on paper and in the app, i tried standing next to the car, standing closer to our wi-fi, putting the seat next to the car, starting the car, clipping on and off the clip as much with and without the baby in the seat (not funny as I was crying at the time) and still the app wouldn’t move from the pairing step and the clip wouldn’t light up to indicate it was activated.”
adds, “the troubleshooting section of the app suggested that the problem might be a low battery. as it was a new seat, i was skeptical, but i changed the battery and was relieved to find that it solved the problem, although changing the battery is quite complicated.
“I think cybex would be worth highlighting the risk of needing to change the battery before first use in the manual to avoid frustration during setup. It doesn’t help that the app endlessly searches for the clip without asking it to check the battery, offers a helpline that wouldn’t connect my call, and a battery change video that froze permanently.
“However, with a fresh battery, the blue light on the clip blinked twice immediately when I clipped it on and the app picked up the clip. so if the battery works, that’s a pretty quick setup!”
how useful did you find sensorsafe with cloud z?
Christy says, “I don’t think my son has the dexterity to undo the buckle before he outgrows the seat, although I can see it would be a useful feature on cybex toddler and older child seats.”
“As the parent of a newborn baby, the temperature gauge and 2-hour warning were of great interest.
“Once set up, the app is very easy to follow. you have to keep the app open during your trip, and the home page confirms that the clip is fastened and tells you the ambient temperature around your baby (with green color and the word “optimal” when it’s in a safe range of 8-34 degrees ).
“traveling in July, it said the inside of the car was 90-90 degrees on most trips, which surprised me because it certainly didn’t feel that warm and we had the air conditioning on. when my baby’s legs felt cold at one point i put a blanket over him, and around 15 minutes later a red alert came up to say the temperature around him was too high. His legs felt a bit warm, so I removed the blanket and the app confirmed that the temperature dropped to a safer level. I check it regularly anyway, but it was helpful here.”
adds, “you also get a warning if the clip is on for more than 2 hours. we’re very careful not to put our newborn in the seat for too long, but it’s an extra layer of reassurance that’s nice to have and could be useful to help parents keep track on a long trip.
“The main warning it seemed to trigger was the ‘child alone’ alert, informing me that I (or presumably my phone, since I’m not personally tracked!) had strayed too far from my child. this happened when he was sitting in the car while i was walking 3 feet away from the trunk to fold the stroller.
“I’m not sure exactly how far I can get from the car before the alarm goes off, but it seems to be a pretty tight radius even though we chose the longer distance option in the app. To be honest, it felt a bit irritating to be alerted when I was right next to the car. it also doesn’t work if I leave the car to go to the store, for example, while my partner stays in the car with the kids.
“However, the idea is that if you don’t acknowledge the alert and your child is left unattended for too long, their location will be sent to your emergency contacts. having heard of rare but tragic incidents where a child was left behind and overheated in the car, I can understand why it would appeal to some concerned parents.”
is it worth the extra money?
Raising a new baby can be scary, and for some parents, having a device that offers additional features like temperature warnings and “child alone” alerts will really offer added peace of mind. And of course, in some situations, it could really make all the difference: no one thinks they’ll be leaving their baby alone in a hot car, and yet it’s very rarely happened. so some parents will love it and find it very comforting.
however, cybex emphasizes that it is a complementary security support system, not a replacement, e.g. the responsibility for your child’s safety will always rest with you.
Christy says, “I think the seat is very safe without SensorSafe, so it’s more of an added reassurance feature than a safety essential. It’s also another thing to check out, which is if you’re prone to anxiety, like I am with newborns, it may not serve you well.”
how heavy and bulky is the cybex cloud z i-size car seat?
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The car seat weighs 4.8 kg, 15% lighter than the cloud q. The handle makes it very easy to carry, even with the sun visor down, there is still enough room to put your arm through for a more comfortable grip. the seat’s portability is endorsed by parents we surveyed, who gave it 8/10 or higher for it.
despite its lighter weight, the cloud z is a reasonable size, big enough for my 17 month old. However, given Felix’s size now, I wouldn’t want to pick him up and out of the car with him in it, but when he was younger this would have been fine.
Christy, fellow reviewer, agrees, saying, “It’s easy to carry our newborn in this with or without the hood up and it doesn’t feel particularly heavy.”
Because the cloud z i-size is easy to get into the car, either with the seatbelt on or using the easier “click and go” with the isofix base, changing cars is a piece of cake. it’s a little more effort if you’re also moving the base, especially since the leg can swing around and be a good hit to the shins!
when can it be used in prone mode?
you can adjust the angle of the z-cloud to make it flatter when you’re not in the car. this is useful if, for example, your baby falls asleep on the way home and you don’t want to remove him from the seat immediately.
you can drive it into the house and then adjust the tilt by pressing the button behind the hood. It’s not completely flat, but certainly flatter than the standard cube shape found in most infant car seats, so your baby is better positioned to breathe comfortably.
This is also a very useful feature if you attach it to a stroller to use as part of a travel system.
is it easy to clean?
The covers can be washed at 30° in a delicate washing machine, which is very practical. the instruction booklet has clear guidance on how to remove them, and more importantly, how to put them back on.
Parents we surveyed were also happy with the ease of cleaning, with 80% giving 8/10 or higher for this.
what feature of the cybex cloud z i-size car seat do you like the most?
I think the flatbed feature is definitely one of my favorites, and it was also a hit with parents of john lewis and bella babies. haven’t used it much with felix, but owning this from newborn to 18 months would have been a dream!
Christy, fellow reviewer, says, “The flatbed feature makes this a real hit for me, it gives me a lot of peace of mind. Although it’s not completely flat, the more even angle and generous padding make it really comfortable for my newborn son.”
just like john lewis, bella baby and natural baby shower customers, i also love the swivel feature of the seat when used with the base – very helpful when used with an uncooperative baby!
what strollers are cloud z compatible to create a travel system?
a high number. The Cloud Z is compatible with all Cybex pushchairs, including the Priam, E-Priam, Mios and Ballios, plus a number of other pushchairs from other brands that use universal adapters, including the Bugaboo Fox (£979 from Amazon). ), cameleon and bee , uppababy cruz, cruz v2 and vista plus icandy peach and lime.
How effective is the cybex cloud z i-size car seat as a travel system?
Christy, a mom of 3, tested the seat as a travel system with the uppababy cruz v2. She says, “It’s a great car seat to use within a travel system, as it’s very well padded and comfortable, and it has the unusual feature of recline.”
“Most car seats are shaped like a fixed cube, but it can flatten the cloud when attached to the chassis. It’s not as completely flat or as rigid as a carrycot, but I’m definitely happier letting my newborn son sleep in this when we go for short walks compared to a regular seat.”
The angle of the seat can be adjusted simply by pressing a button on the back of the canopy and raising or lowering the canopy. Christy adds: “I find the clip to be quite stiff and often seems stuck which can be frustrating; however it seems the trick is to push down on the top of the seat and then squeeze the lever as this will release the mechanism. ”
Is the cybex cloud z i-size car seat elegant?
The model I tested had bright orange covers, which I found a bit conspicuous, but other options are available. Customer reviews of the Natural Baby Shower showed that parents loved the bold design of the seat. Aside from the color, I loved the hood and how far it went to protect Felix from sunlight and help him nap.
I also liked that the lens hood was separate from the handle. Previous car seats I’ve had, like the maxi-cosi pebble (£250 on amazon) have the sunshade attached to the handle, which isn’t convenient for transporting the car seat.
Is the cybex cloud z i-size car seat good value for money?
the cloud z is part of cybex’s premium platinum range and is on the higher end when it comes to pricing. so is it worth the money? for me, yes, it’s packed with safety features and added extras, like the ability to lie nearly flat and the opportunity to use a swivel base.
To fully benefit from all these features, particularly i-size compatibility, you’ll also need to invest in the isofix base, which costs another £185, but can be used with the next-stage cybex z car seat , so it can be seen as a good investment.
how established is the manufacturer cybex?
German company cybex offers car seats, strollers, baby carriers and some nursery furniture, designed for a more urban lifestyle, with child safety, innovation and style among the brand’s main objectives. The company has built a huge audience in the US, with many celebrities using Cybex car seats and strollers, and has become an increasingly important player in the UK over the last 5 years, particularly with car seats.
what’s in the box?
how easy was it to put together? were the instructions clear?
it’s very simple, no assembly. there is a small instruction book that clearly explains how to use and adjust which was helpful on some occasions.
Are there accessories available?
where can I buy it?
the cloud z i-size is available to buy from john lewis, samuel johnston and mamas & parents.
factformums verdict:
This is a great investment car seat – it’s an eye-catching seat that lives up to its bold approach. It’s packed with useful features and some smart additions, like innovative linear side-impact protection, and exudes an air of stylish confidence.
yes, it’s priced high, but personally I think if it’s within your budget then it’s worth it, and this is an opinion shared by the parents we surveyed, 100% of whom said they’d buy it again seat.
*mfm survey December 2019 to 564 users
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