Product Reviews

Jane Matrix Pro/Cup

Overall score: 

creme de la creme of car seats - great if you do long journeys

I've had a Jane Powertrack 360 with Matrix car seat for over two years and having read some of the reviews listed, felt that I had to submit my own. This is a really great car seat and I'm so delighted that we bought it. If you don't do many car journeys, it's not for you as it is fiddly to take out and put in (but practice makes perfect!) but if you do a lot of driving, it's superb as I didn't want my wee boy sitting upright in a car seat for too long. The lie flat clips in and out of the car and straight onto the pram chassis, so you can use it as a pram carrycot (not for overnight sleeping though) as well as a car seat. Yes, it's heavier than standard first stage car seats but you've got a totally different class of product for your money so what do you expect? And yes, it can be fiddly at first but so are most prams and car seats. I'm not a technical person and I soon got the hang of it, so anyone can.

I noticed that one reviewer said she couldn't attach it or detach it without help but it's really simple when you get the hang of it. It's also totally untrue that you can't use it in the lie-flat position next to an upright car seat. We are getting the Matrix fitted into our car by the retailer who sold us the system in the next week or so, as we just wanted a bit of help on how to do it. Our son is in a front facing seat now and you can still use the lie flat Matrix next to it if you get some initial guidance on where to attach the clips on the seatbelts. there'd be no point in Jane designing a lie flat seat that you could only use for your first child!

I'd recommend the Jane Matrix/Powertrack system to anyone who doesn't want a small baby all scrunched up in a standard car seat, it's been great for us and a fab investment.

Best Feature: Lie-flat option Worst Feature: A tad fiddly but easy once you get used to it. Verdict: A superb car seat

Ease of Use:   Value for Money:   Quality:   Overall score:

About the reviewer:

mother of one and expecting one

Great idea, but not very practical

I really liked the idea of this car seat as it is best for baby to be lying flat on journeys and in the pram, but I found it a pain to get in and out of the car. Plus I could never get it into a tight fit. I ended up selling this at 6 months as it was too small for my baby to fit comfortably in and she was only of average or smaller size for her age. Oh, and this was quite heavy to lift with baby inside too.

Best Feature: Lie flat facility Worst Feature: Difficult to secure tightly in car Verdict: A great idea but would not buy another one.

Ease of Use:   Value for Money:   Quality:   Overall score:

About the reviewer:

Mother of one.

excellent piece of kit

Ease of Use:I liked this seat very much. At times I did find it heavy but it is an excellent seat and the first one I have ever seen that allows the baby to lie flat in the earlier months. It is very easy to secure the baby into the seat and adjusting the restraints wasn't a problem. It took a while to take the instructions in but after a while I found them easy.

Portability:This seat is a little bigger than the rest as it accomodates babies until 18 months of age. It was good for getting Olivia in and out of the car with out taking it out as he lap belt goes underneath the seat so you have easy access. It is quite heavy in comparison to other Group0+ seats but for extra portability, it can be attached to any of the Jane chassis or pushchairs to make a travel system.

Fitting in Car: It's relatively straightforward to fit and has the added bonus of being able to lie flat, although it does take up 2 seats in the car that way. You also have to ensure that you change the handle position - if it's in the lie flat position the handle must be down but if the seat is upright, it has to move up. Seatbelt routing is fuss-free and the instructions clearly state how they need to be fixed for both the lie flat and upright positions.

Comfort/Quality: The seat is comfortably padded and great for travelling long distances so baby can sleep. The quality is also good and it felt very sturdy and safe in the car.

Additional Extras: It comes with a hood which has a mesh bit at the back so allows for air to ventilate and also an apron to fit over the seat. I would probably say it was highly priced but there has been a lot of work involved in the seat and it offers a lot of benefits.

Best Feature: The lie-flat position Worst Feature: Quite heavy to carry Verdict: A brilliant buy - especially for younger babies

Ease of Use:   Value for Money:   Quality:   Overall score:

About the reviewer:

Mother of 3

Member reviews

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "Safe" We bought this car seat as part of a travel system, Slalom Pro.The car seat is heavy,but safe.Our son loves it very much.At first I found it difficult to put it to the car,but when you get the hang of it becomes a lot easier.And about the safety,it has 7 stars as the rest of the car seats has max.5 stars according to the ESS.It is a great buy. Member review by Kristina - mum of one,he is 2 month old - review date 14 November 2008

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT" We bought this as part of the slalom pro travel system. Bad points: - Harness very difficult to adjust, particularly for new born, as when adjusted very small the adjusters get in the way of the fastener clips - If you need to adjust the shoulder height, the straps are very difficult to get through the slots. The padded adjustor covers started to loose their rubber coating after we forced them through. - The strap at the base which is meant to tighten the straps is useless - far too much force is required...not easy when child in place! - The cover is fixed on with poppers, which unpop easily when attached to the slalom pro. The removable cover cannot be fitted without removing the matrix compleley from the push chair. - The unit is way too heavy: not practical for carrying a child for anything more than to the car and back. - Most important of all: Which magazine awarded the seat just 10%, and classified it in their 'don't buy' category. Under 'cons', they state: 'Risk of serious injury in a crash' Good points: - Looks nice. Slalom pro is also rubbish, but that's a different story.... For what it's worth, we bought a maxi cosi cabriofix with easyfix base to replace it, which is much, much better and safer. Member review by Phil - father of 5 week old - review date 26 May 2008

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "Absolute Rubbish, very dissapointed" I bought the matrix along with the slalom pro pushchair to create a travel system, The car seat is so difficult to fit in the car, the 2 spaces on the back of the seat where the seatbelt passes through are so tight it is very hard to do so without trying to stick your head in to have a look, and once it is in place it doesnt feel safe, it moves from side to side quite a bit. The matrix doesnt fit propperly onto the slalom chasis when used in pram mode, it wobbles around. The matrix is very heavy even without a baby in. It is not safe as a freestanding carseat like so many others are. The lever on the handle which moves the angle at which the handle is held is very stiff to use and keeps sticking and hurts your fingers when trying to move it, The upright position is not suitable for small babies, it is far too upright and my babies head lolls forward all of the time, even at 4 months old she looks very uncomfortable in it on the rare occasion that i have to use it ( I had to buy a gracco one shortly after birth as was so dissapointed with the matrix). When the baby is fastened in with the straps, there are 2 big plastic adjusters which sit right next to my babies ears, not very comfy, and also the straps wont tighten with the pull strap on the foot of the seat. The 1 thing I do like is the colour!! We originally went for this model as we saw an advertisement in a baby magazing and thought it looked nice, we are very dissapointed, the whole thing looks and feels very cheap. Member review by Rebecca - mother of 4 month old - review date 7 May 2008

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "Great idea..." I've only used this seat in the lie flat position, as my daughter is still tiny. But it feels sturdy and safe. It clips easily onto the Slalom Pro chassis and with the hood & apron becomes a funky looking pram. If your car has 3 shoulder belts then you can put the Matrix Cup and another upright child's car seat on the back seat. But both of our cars have 2 shoulder belts and a lap belt in the middle, so the Matrix takes up the entire back seat. Ok for one baby, but when another comes along we are going to have to find a car we like with 3 shoulder belts in the back (or just keep our 7 seat 4x4!). Another set of seatbelt clips for the seat to go in the other car cost £25, but all of the Jane stuff is expensive, but I'm not too annoyed as it's all top quality stuff. It's a bit fiddly with the clips at first but we soon got the hang of it. The Matrix Cup is very heavy though, at 6kg which is twice that of the Rebel Pro car seat. But I will put up with that until she can sit up unaided and then I'll buy the Rebel Pro seat for her, as I'm slightly concerned about other reviews saying that it's not very secure in the car in the upright position, and it will be too heavy for me when she's older. But at the moment the correct development of her back is the most important thing to me. Member review by Caroline - Mum of 1 gorgeous little girl - review date 26 April 2008

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "loved this seat" I loved this car seat it has been brilliant. Our baby has had the best sleeps ever in this car seat. It is so well padded around the head. Also when you are in town you can let him sit up and look around and if he falls asleep you can just lay him flat, excellent. BUT beware the seat is useless in car in upright position. It would rock and fall over with every corner. In lay flat it was superb and no complaints. But our baby is now 6 months old and we have to buy a new car seat, he wants to look out and he really is too small to lie flat. But he is just between ages for the 9mth car seats which concerns me so am hanging in there he is a big baby so it wont be long. Member review by Julie - mother of 1 baby boy - review date 31 January 2008

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "Fantastic product" I bought a jane matrix car seat and a powertrack 360 when they were still relatively new in 2004 when expecting my first child. I have used the matix for 9 months for both of my children and found it to be the most fantastic piece of kit. When I bought it I made sure that I knew how to fit it and that it would fit into every car that I was going to use (mine, my husbands and my mums) I also bought an extra set of clips for the lay flat position so that we could move it between cars easily. I use it in its lie flat position for many months and loved the fact that my children could lay flat most of their early life – it is so much better for them. Initially I did find it faffy to get it into the car, until I learnt the knack! I was always out and about and I never had to wake my child to transfer them and if they fell asleep on a journey home I could just bring the car seat indoors and let them carry on sleeping knowing that they were safe and comfy. Once they were about 6 months old I started using the seat in its upright position and when clipped onto my buggy I could interact with them, and the best part was with my second I found if I used a buggy board the children could amuse each other! Great for socialising and building bonds. I have loved my matrix and have recommended it to friends. However I would recommend that people check that it fits in any car they are planning to use in both the lay flat and the upright position as (as all car seat) it does not fit in all cars. Member review by Victoria - Mother of 2 - review date 23 January 2008

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "Outstanding or Is It" I bought the Matrix as i thought it would be the best thing for my baby. The first time i used it was obviously coming home from hospital. With all the bags that i also had my son had to come home sitting up. This i found awful, i had to sit the whole journey holding my newborns chin up as his head kept falling forward. From then on i used it lying down in the back of my car. This was brilliant, i found the seat easy to install and it pulled tight enough to satisfy my concerns. However, over time the fastening clips started to bend, probably through over use and the constant starin on them. But i feel my sons was comfortable. When my son reach 6 months he was too long to be lying down, he would kick his legs and bang his head, so i decided it was time to sit him up. I have a medium sized 5 door family hatch back, but this seat was impossible. In the back it would only just fit in the bolt upright position, but the seatbelt simply is not long enough. My son now rides in the front of the car with his car seat reclined 1 click. This seems to work but my husband cannot wait to get his front seat back. Overall i think this seat has a brilliant concept, it is everything a parent could want in a car seat, but there are still some hurdles to overcome. Member review by Gemma - Mother of one - review date 13 January 2008

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "used with two kids, the truth" Looks beautiful. Heavy. Awkward to fit until you have the knack. I lost the knack between babies - lol. Regained the ability after some attempts but would still rather lift the baby and leave the seat where possible. Was able to use it beside toddler seat in VW Polo, now also in BMW1. Do have to get into some contorted positions to fit tho and I am the build of CBeebies Sarah Jane, not sure how larger/stiffer mums would manage. Am already looking forward to putting pushchair fitting on chassis and baby only 3 months. Recent reviews about safety have me a little concerned, but overall my experience of this as a carseat is good, would probably still keep this for a third or fourth baby as a layflat carseat (with a peoplecarrier!) during early months and just buy a more up-to-date pushchair for everyday use and upright carseat for optional use on short journeys when baby at transitional age. Member review by susan - Mum of two boys - review date 15 December 2007

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "Great pram - nightmare carseat" I have the Matrix car seat, and the Carrera chasis. The pram is fantastic but the carseat is a complete nightmare. I though the idea of the lie-flat carseat was a great idea. In fairness, when used as a pram it was very nice - although my daughter was too big for this after about 6 weeks! When in the car as a lie-flat carseat it didn't feel in the least bit secure. It moved around all over the place. We used it once and didn't dare use it again. As an upright carseat it is heavy, cumbersome, doesn't fit the chassis of the pram properly....I could go on, and will! Fitting the seat in the car is fiddly - by the time you have wrestled with it and sworn at it 5 times, the baby is awake! Treading the seatbelt through it is tricky, and if my husband is driving with the seat pushed back a bit, the seat won't even fit in the car! It doesn't feel like it is anchored down and I spend my days praying we don't crash so we have to test the seat! Carrying the seat with the baby in it is impossible. It is so heavy (which I appreciate the need for sturdiness, but as I said, it doesn't even feel remotely safe when in the car!) I have permanent bruises on my legs from carrying it. The handle is not firm, and the seat tips forward so the poor baby is leaning right out of the seat when being carried. Fitting the seat on and off the chassis is by far the worst aspect of this seat. It requires the strength of 10 men to remove it as the Profix syestem thing is not aligned properly. When I have the buggyboard on it;s not so bad as I can get leverage, but one time it got so badly stuck that I ended up bending the front wheel of the pram with my foot while trying to prise the thing off! My husband has resorted to using a screwdriver to lever it off when he uses it. ALso the seat is supposed to last a lot longer than the 6 months we have had it, and the baby's feet are hanging over the edge! I would never buy this seat again, and indeed if I have another baby we will be buying a different seat altogether! Member review by Karen - mother of a toddler & a baby - review date 7 November 2007

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "Fab Car Seat" I hate babies all crunched up when they are sleeping and really hated the idea of having to have our newborn in the car in a cradle style car seat. I did a lot of research and found the Matrix car seat the only affordable lie flat car seat (their is another one on the market fot about £400 on its own). I found the easiest way to attach the seat to the car in the lie flat postion was to leave the catches on the seat belts and re-thread the belt through each time I used the car seat. This was so much easier and I can honestly say I still use the car seat daily, although my eldest has now progressed to the pushchair seat so its only a car seat. I have ordered the same car seat for my expecting baby and thje Twin two chasis so I will again be able to transfer a sleeping baby easily when out and about. Another point to add is that when you baby is about 3-4 months and getting nosy when you are out and about you can easily sit the car seat up whilst on the pushchair chasis and lie it flat when they are sleeping. Overall Iam very happy and I think when it comes to baby number three I will have to buy a minibus so I can have another Matrix car seat. Member review by Jennie - Mother of one and expecting - review date 7 May 2007

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "Worrying Information!" Really like the Jane Nomad and Slalom Prams so have decided to buy one. However could not decide on the car seat i.e. Matrix vs Rebel Pro. Really liked the Matrix as it did both carry cot and car seat and the important 'lie-flat' positioning. I had heard bad opinions about the Matrix so looked at the Which? report as others seemed to do this and it says that although it's great in all aspects of comfort etc, the safety is shocking especially in the 'lie-flat' position. Looked at the reason why Which? expresses this opinion and they do their tests and 40mph and not 30mph which is the European standard (I believe). I guessed that this would make a big difference with any seat as the car damage would be much more severe at this speed too. However, I have recently been to MotherCare looking at the Matrix and was told that they do not recommend the Matrix car seat as a lie-flat option or in fact any lie-flat car seat. With MotherCare being who they are i.e. the british institution for babies, we have decided to go with the Rebel car seat and pay extra for the carry cot. Remember - at the end of the day these are all opinions and all car seats must meet the EU standards. But it makes you think though! Member review by Calum - First-time Expectant Father - review date 22 January 2007

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "Best I found!" I spent a very long time testing out "travel systems" as they are now called and found the Jane Matrix seat to be the very best. It is the ONLY seat on sale at this time which can lay the child completely flat to 180 degrees. Vital for long car travel or simply allowing the young child lung space to breath. The earlier review which said - "Sounds great - the reality stinks." This seat was the biggest waste of money EVER. In both our cars the seat was so upright no young baby could ride in it. Even with foam car-seat lifters. Babies who are young or older and sleeping must ride laying down! - IS SIMPLY IS NOT TRUE! They must have made a mistake with the product. Like all car seats some intelligence is required when fitting into a car. Those who lack opposable thumbs should take public transport only! The whole Jane Nomad "Matrix" travel package is of a better build quality and lighter than Bugaboo, but does take up a little more space than a Quinny. It does have 4 wheels and not the dangerously unbalanced 3. Member review by Dave - Father - review date 18 December 2006

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "Love the pram and pushchair - hate the car seat" I was all for this and convinced my husband this was a must have. Because of what we spent, my son has endured this car seat, but I am counting the minutes until I can move him into something more comfortable - and easier to use! Initially, we struggled for weeks to get this fit properly, just when we thought it was safe our baoy would engage in a dangerous wobble and we were back at it - sleep deprived and struggling with poor directions on the side of the seat. He is so far pitched forward that I have wedged a water bottle under his seat so that he can hold his head back easily. When we laid him flat to ride it was wonderful, but my guy is not small and he soon was too big for this option. I loved it as a pram, he was cosy and happy - I love the nomad chassis and I would buy Jane again - but never the car seat. Member review by Christina - mother of 1 6.5 months - review date 31 October 2006

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "Would not use another seat for a young baby" I have the Jane 360 Powertrack pushchair and bought this as a pramtop to the pushchair and a carseat, as I didn't want to faff around with extra bits and wanted a proper pram for my son when he was small. I found the instructions for the fitting of the lie-flat seat a bit peculiar, but once the red clips were on the seatbelt in the back, I found attaching and detaching the carseat fine, I do think it's worth practicing with it when it isn't raining with a crying baby in one ear though. We had to drive to visit family fairly regularly and the lie-flat seat was fantastic, I never worried about my baby's back or breathing, as I would have if he had been in a situp car seat. Also the fact we could take the sleeping baby from the car, take him into the house and actually let him sleep rather than transferring him to a cot, fab! I didn't use a cosytoes with the carseat, but I don't think it would work that well anyway. Just a blanket under the poppered raincover was more than adequate and my son was never cold, more likely to be hot if anything. I personally love the look of this system with the matrix as a pram, and I think it appeals to blokes as it looks very high tech. We did use ours as a cot for a while, as our son was a bit early and quite teeny - he seemed happier in the carseat. The downside is fitting and unfitting it to the pram, what a pain. However, I think for baby two I will be buying the Slalom with the pro-fit, which I have heard is a doddle. Just a great seat and worth every penny IMO. Member review by maisie - Mother of One - review date 10 August 2006

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "Sounds great - the reality stinks." This seat was the biggest waste of money EVER. In both our cars the seat was so upright no young baby could ride in it. Even with foam carseat lifters. Babies who are young or older and sleeping must ride laying down! Also, it was terrible to put in and out, not easy in the slightest. Be aware - if you plan to have more than one child you can't fit this in the back seat lying down with another car seat either (and it pretty much must be lying down for a new baby so you are screwed). After spending all that money on the Matrix we had to go and buy a Britax Rock-a-tot just to get out of the house. For baby number 2 as we still had the Jane frame we bought a Jane Rebel but it is not great either (although 100x better than the Matrix). I still like the cheap old Rock-a-tot best! Member review by April - review date 9 June 2006

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "expensive, not up to scratch" The lie flat idea is great, but poorly executed. -Difficult to get into the car both upright and lie-flat. -Fabric is low quality compared to others like Quinny. -Fabric of seat attached by poppers - cosy toe uses same popper points, so seat fabric is popped off every time you remove the cosy toe -large, heavy -as an upright seat, is too upright so that baby's head rolls forward, even when front of seat is packed to make it sit higher -will take your whole back seat. If you use the Slalom buggy, then your boot is also full. That leaves the space behind the front seats for all your shopping.. -expensive, particularly given all of the above! Member review by Lee - Dad - review date 15 May 2006

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "Too much hassle" Superb idea, but aweful fittings for the car. One of those catches that either goes on first time or can take 5 minutes ! Once baby is bigger and sitting up in the car, the fitting with the seat belt is very flimsey and has no sideways fittings allowing the seat to rock and turn over ! Looks great, but not so practical. Another problem now the weather is getting warmer (in France at least) the fabric is not breatheable giving baby head sweats. Not good - looking for another NOW. Member review by Steve - Father of one boy - 8 months - review date 8 May 2006

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "A bit fiddley" We spent a fortune on the Jane Powertrack pram and carseat--namely because the carseat went flat. However, the carseat is pretty bulky and we found that in some vehicles, we could not get the seatbelt around the carseat. I also found that I had great difficulty in securing the carseat without the assistance of another individual.....not ideal when it is just you and a fussy baby. It was really hard to secure the seatbelt around the bottom without it coming loose. The seat is excellent quality--nice padding and cosy, but in hindsight, I wish that we had been a bit more economical and erred on the side of a product that was a bit more practical. Member review by danna - mother of 1 - review date 10 February 2006

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "I hated it" I bought this when pregnant with second baby. We had used a Britax Rockatot with our first, but I'd read about the Matrix and liked the lie flat idea. I bought it with the Carrera pushchair to use as a travel system. I never once managed to get the seat onto the chassis without my husband's help. I also couldn't fit it in the lying down position in the car without help. It was heavy, and I didn't like the fact that it didn't rock when you had it on the ground - my boys both liked to be rocked in the Rockatot if I was at a friend's house, and it would really settle them. I thoroughly disliked this car seat, though loved the idea behind it. Member review by kate - Mother of 2 - review date 14 January 2006

Ease of Use:    Value for Money:    Quality:    Overall score:   "rolls royce of car seats" I loved using the Jane Matrix for my 9 month old son Dylan. I already have the Jane Powertrack and Dylan's first car seat was the Jane Rebel which he grew out of quite fast, but this car seat is perfect for the larger baby and is easy to use. You can have it sitting up or laying down in car and you can also attach it to most of the Jane pushchairs. I would throughly reccomend it. Member review by gemma - mother of 4 - review date 18 September 2005