Evenflo SureRide/Titan 65 Review

Evenflo Titan 65/SureRide

The Evenflo SureRide/Titan 65 has made a name for itself in the car seat world, and rightfully so. This seat offers some of the tallest harness slots of any convertible seat as well as a good fit for many newborns, making it is one of the only convertibles that will expire before kids outgrow it. The icing on the SureRide cake? It retails for $100 or less!

Evenflo ADVANCED SensorSafe Titan 65 rear facing recline stand

The recline mechanism is a stand that flips down for rear facing, and is stowed back for forward facing. When it is moved out for rear facing mode, it locks into place with a tab on either side. If a rolled towel is necessary to achieve the proper recline for rear facing, it goes under the stand.

Evenflo SureRide/Titan 65 recline line, highlighted in red

The recline indicator for rear facing is an embossed line on both sides of the seat. It must be parallel with the ground in rear facing mode. Parents might find it useful to color over this line with a permanent marker, or perhaps try a small piece of colored tape, in order to make the line more visible.

Evenflo SureRide / Titan 65 anchor storage spot on the side – stow anchors when not in use!

When opening a brand new SureRide / Titan 65, we found the lower anchors threaded through the forward facing belt path and stowed on the storage clips at the top on either side of the seat.

Evenflo SureRide / Titan 65: lower anchor connector strap attached with a plastic strap – no need to cut or remove it!

The lower anchor connector webbing is attached to the shell under the padding with a white plastic loop — don’t cut this loop! To switch the lower anchors from the forward facing belt path to the rear facing belt path, move the webbing from the forward facing belt path into the rear facing belt path. The easiest way to do this is to fold back the cover on the seat part of the SureRide so you can clearly see the lower anchors and the white plastic strap. The cord is flexible and will easily move from side to side, allowing the lower anchor connectors to be switched from one mode to the other.Once the lower anchors are in the rear facing belt path and the recline stand is out, simply attach the lower anchors to the vehicle’s lower anchors, and tighten. Double check that the recline line is level with the ground, and you’re good to go!

Evenflo ADVANCED SensorSafe Titan 65 installed with lap and shoulder belt in a 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix

To install the SureRide / Titan 65 with the vehicle seat belt, place the lower anchor connectors on the storage loops at the top of the seat. Stow the tether anchor on one side or the other, since it won’t be used in rear facing mode. In this photo, I’m using a lap and shoulder belt that locks at the buckle and rolled towel positioned under the recline stand to achieve the recline required for rear facing.Learn more about the stunningly wide variety of locking mechanisms if you’re not sure how your vehicle’s seat belts lock.

Pro tip: Need more leverage? Try standing behind the seat and putting pressure on it from behind as you pull the vehicle seat belt or lower anchor connectors.

Evenflo SureRide: Canada

Canadian versions of this seat require one extra step for the rear facing installation. Page 37 of the manual has instructions to wrap the velcro strap around the recline stand, insert the strap through the d-ring, tighten until the strap is just taut, and adhere the velcro to itself.

Evenflo SureRide: Canada

Be sure not to overtighten because this could cause the strap to detach. Should the strap detach from the seat, discontinue use of the seat and contact Evenflo for a replacement strap.

Evenflo ADVANCED SensorSafe Titan 65: installed with the lower anchors in a 2010 Honda Odyssey

To prepare the SureRide for forward facing installation with the lower anchors, first unhook the tether from its storage spot. Next move the lower anchors into the forward facing belt path. Again, the easiest way to do this is to peel the seat portion of the cover back so you can see the entire seat pan and route the lower anchor strap so that it does not interfere with the harness. Flip the recline stand back under the seat for forward facing; sometimes this can be a bit tricky, but we found that pushing gently on the tab that holds the stand in place can help.

Evenflo ADVANCED SensorSafe Titan 65 would need a tether extender for the centre of my 2010 Honda Odyssey in the third row so the tether can be attached

In one of our vehicles, the third row of a 2010 Honda Odyssey, the tether anchor is on the rear sill which is the inside of the back hatch near the door opening. One can see in the photo that the Titan 65’s tether anchor strap was not long enough to reach the anchor. Evenflo does offer a tether extender, for situations like this one in which it is necessary. There are four other seating positions with tether anchors in this vehicle, so moving it to another spot would probably be a good solution in this situation.

Evenflo SureRide newborn doll

This Huggable Images newborn doll weighs 7 pounds and is 17 inches tall.  She fits well in the SureRide using the lowest harness position, closest crotch buckle position, and infant insert. The harness is on the newborn harness setting: this is a separate set of loops on the harness itself that allows for a snug fit on a small body. The harness passes the pinch test and fits her well.

The seat also has a newborn crotch buckle routing, which involves pulling the crotch buckle down through the inner setting and attaching it on the inside of the outer setting. This setting is not required for children who weigh less than 10 pounds, but it does provide a good fit for a little one like our Huggable Images baby. Once the child weighs 10 pounds, the crotch buckle setting must be moved back to the first slot without the newborn routing.

Note: At 17 inches tall, this doll is technically too short for the 19 inch minimum height for the SureRide. Since her 9.5 inch torso represents an average to large sized newborn, we’re including her here.

Newborn

Evenflo SureRide newborn fit

This little newborn weighs 8 pounds and is 20 inches long.  She was kind enough to model a few different car seats for us so you may see her in some other reviews along the way!  The SureRide fits her very well — the harness is below her shoulders and of course, she’s got plenty of room to grow in this seat.  She confirms our assertion that the SureRide can last from birth-booster age.

7 Months Old

Evenflo SureRide 7 months old

This is model is 7 months old.  He weighs 19 pounds and is 26 inches long. He still fits with the harness on the lowest slot, but his shoulders are just a tiny bit below the 2nd slot so he’ll need to move to that 2nd slot soon. He had a lot of room side to side and if he preferred it, he could also use the insert for a more snug fit.

2.5 Years Old

Evenflo Titan 65: 2.5 years, 24 pounds, 32.5 inches

This model is 2.5 years old.  She weighs 24 pounds and is 32 inches tall.  We found that her little body scoots around side to side while she’s in the seat. She is using the third harness position, smallest harness loop, has the crotch buckle in the closest position to her body, but the insert has been removed. The insert could help position her bum in the center of the seat, but her shoulders are so narrow that she might have leeway to wiggle them out of the harness. The large gap between slots also makes it so that her shoulders are quite a bit above the proper slot, but way below the next one.

2.5 Years Old

Evenflo SureRide: 2.5 years, 28 pounds, 34 inches

This model is 2.5 years old.  She weighs 28 pounds and is 34.5 inches tall. She is using the same harness and crotch buckle settings as the previous model. You can see how much room she has left in this seat. She’s doesn’t wiggle side to side very much, even when she’s sleeping! The next harness slot is still well above her shoulders.

Harness Rules for the United States and Canada

In the United States, the SureRide’s bottom four harness slots on the SureRide can be used in rear facing mode.  In Canada, however, the fourth slot is for forward facing only.  This means that some rear facing Canadian preschoolers may find, since only the bottom three slots can be used rear facing, that the straps come from lower than is comfortable. The SureRide’s tall height means that most children should fit in the seat in rear facing mode until they’re 40 inches tall.

Fit to Child Forward Facing

3 years old

Evenflo Titan 65- 3 years old, 29 pounds, and 37.5 inches

This model recently turned 3 and usually rides rear facing but she was kind enough to model for us! The top three slots of the SureRide are used for forward facing. At 29 pounds and 37.5 inches tall, she is using the lowest of the forward facing harness positions, the longest harness loops, and the closest crotch buckle position. You can see how much room she has left, as the top harness slot is near the top of her head. She enjoyed having the space to tuck her usually rear facing feet up!

6 Years Old

Evenflo SureRide 6 years old

This 6 year old model has quite a bit of room left to grow in this seat and finds it comfortable enough to fall asleep in!  In the SureRide her headslump is not a safety concern, but it might be in a booster seat. So for this tired 6 year old, the SureRide is a better choice than a booster.

Big Kids

Children who are tall enough to use the SureRide on the top harness slot can find themselves in a dilemma. The harness doesn’t leave much extra slack for the largest of passengers.  Though the SureRide will not be comfortable for all kids at the very end of the weight range, it’s nice to know there are affordable seats out there for bigger children who still need a harness to sit properly.

Recalls

In April 2014, Evenflo announced a recall on some models of their seats in both the USA and Canada going back to 2011

A Canadian Advisory was also announced in April 2016 for some models of the SureRide / Titan 65 made between 2013 and 2015.

New seats will not be affected by these issues, but please make sure your older seat is not recalled and always remember to register your car seats with the manufacturers!

Many Many Versions!

SureSafe lower anchor connectors on Evenflo Titan 65

The Evenflo SureRide / Titan 65 has been sold in a few different versions. For a time, Walmart carried an exclusive version of this seat that included Evenflo’s SureSafe quick release lower anchor connectors, lower anchor attachment guides that attach to the vehicle’s lower anchors before installation to help access the lower anchors and a buckle pocket.

Evenflo ADVANCED SensorSafe Titan 65

In 2016 Evenflo added their SensorSafe technology to the Titan 65: we took an in depth look at that seat and its features.

Important Information: Where to Find

Evenflo SureRide FAA approval label

FAA Approval  At 11 pounds the SureRide is a nice, lightweight option for travel. The label stating FAA approval is on the left side of the seat at the bottom. The approval is also in the manual, along with instructions on how to install the seat on an airplane.

Evenflo SureRide/Titan 65 has a 6 year expiration

Expiration The sticker with the date of manufacture, model number, and expiration are found on inside ‘lip’ of the back of the seat.

Manual storage the manual stores in some little clips at the back of the seat’s shell

Overall Thoughts

The SureRide/Titan 65 is, possibly, the most versatile convertible car seat ever. It’s inexpensive, fits average newborns and average 7 year olds alike. Although the space between the harness slots may briefly be awkward for some smaller rear facing toddlers and the harness may not be long enough for children who are approaching 65 pounds in weight, installation is simple, use is straightforward and nearly every child under the age of 8 fits in this seat. For the price, size, and versatility, the SureRide can’t be beat as your main seat or a spare!