Cybex Cloud G LUX Rear Facing Only Car Seat Review

Cybex Cloud G LUX

The Cybex family of rear facing only car seats are known for being quite plush, fairly easy to install and use, and fit most babies well, though they do tend to be a bit heavy and not particularly compact.  That family of seats has expanded to include the Cloud G LUX, which brings everything we like about Cybex rear facing only car seats and adds the recline function when the seat is not being used in a vehicle.  Come along as we check out the Cloud G LUX!

Cybex Cloud G LUX canopy extended

The seat includes a large canopy with four sections, it extends pretty far over the child’s body so if a large canopy is important to you, this seat could be a solid option.

Cybex Cloud G LUX back of carrier

There are two release handles on the back of the carrier. The one closest to the top of the carrier is for releasing the recline when the carrier is not in the vehicle, the lower handle releases the carrier from the base. I checked this several times for your convenience. Yep, it’s the lower handle to release from the base.

You’re welcome.

Cybex Cloud G LUX raise harness

The seat’s harness adjusts easily, just loosen the harness, then pull the tab at the top of the headrest.

Cybex Cloud G LUX recline angle indicator

The recline angle indicator has two zones:

4-20 pounds: the indicator will be blue when the seat is the acceptable recline range for this weight

20-35 pounds: the indicator will be greenwhen the seat is the acceptable recline range for this weight

Red: if the indicator shows red, the base is not at a suitable angle for any weight. Adjust the recline angle adjuster to a different, appropriate level for the child’s weight.

Cybex Cloud G LUX load leg

The base includes an optional load leg. This device absorbs crash forces and is available on the LUX trim level of this seat. The manual strongly suggests using the load leg if your seat is equipped with one — we echo this recommendation.

Cybex Cloud G LUX load leg locked

Release the load leg from the bottom of the base by pulling it away from the base. Set the base on the vehicle seat — when your install is complete, return to the load leg and make sure that the indicator is showing green. I found that it took a little bit of wrangling to get the indicator into the green — I had the best luck by pulling the leg away from the base a bit.

Cybex Cloud G LUX lower anchors

The Cloud G LUX includes rigid lower anchor connectors that swivel out from their storage location on the base. To install the base using these handy connectors, rotate them so they are pointing toward the back of the vehicle, then push them onto the lower anchors in the vehicle. You will hear a click when they’re attached and the indicator on the lower anchor will turn green.

Cybex Cloud G LUX lower anchors attached

That’s all there is to it! In theory. I did have a bit of trouble lining the anchor connectors up with the lower anchors in my vehicle. I’d advise taking your time on this part, find the lower anchor in the vehicle then slowly attach the lower anchor connector that’s the furthest away from the vehicle door. Then attach the connector that’s closest to the door. That way, you’re not attempting to wrangle the base as much.

Cybex Cloud G LUX installed with lower anchors

Here’s how that attached lower anchor looks. We found that when we installed the Cloud G LUX with the lower anchors, the base didn’t quite sit flush with the vehicle seat. We reached out to our friends at Cybex, they said this was fine since the lower anchors were connected.

Cybex Cloud G LUX release lower anchors

To put the anchors back into their storage spot, squeeze the handle on the bottom of the base and rotate them back into position.

Cybex Cloud G LUX installed with the vehicle seat belt

The seat includes a tensioning plate that may appear to the naked eye as a lockoff. It’s actually a SafeLock Belt Tensioner, aka a tensioning plate. This means that the vehicle seat belt must be locked in addition to using the plate.

Cybex Cloud G LUX installed without the base

The Cloud G LUX has Euro routing for baseless installations. This type of installation tends to be quite secure and this seat is no exception. To install the seat without the base, set it on the vehicle seat with the harness facing the rear of the vehicle. Thread the lap portion of the vehicle seat belt through the clearly-marked, easy-to-use belt guides on the side of the carrier, buckle the belt, then carefully extend the shoulder portion of the belt around the back of the carrier. Thread it through the clip on the back of the seat (making sure that your vehicle seat belt doesn’t start to lock, should that happen, you’ll need to let the belt go back into the retractor and start your installation over), if the seat belt hasn’t locked itself by now, pull the shoulder portion out from the vehicle until you hear it click. Then slowly feed the belt back into the vehicle with one hand while pressing down on the carrier with your other hand.

Check that the level line on the side of the seat is level with the ground before heading out on your drive.

Cybex Cloud G LUX reclined

The manual calls this a reclining backrest. Since we’ve never used the term backrest in any of our reviews, we’re not going to start now. Well, other than the two times I just used it right now.

This recline feature could be handy when the carrier is used outside of the vehicle — it is designed to be used with the stroller.

We caution against using the carrier as a primary child containment device — we tend to advocate for using the carrier only in the vehicle but should you desire or need to leave the child in the carrier, this recline feature could be pretty handy. Not to worry, the carrier cannot be reclined when the carrier is in the base.

That does mean it’s possible to install the carrier without the base in recline mode. We confirmed this — it’s mostly possible with the lap-only seat belt install, it wasn’t really possible with the Euro routing. We’re grateful for that since this scenario is by no means proper use. In fact, it’s specifically prohibited so do not do this.

When the carrier is NOT in a vehicle, squeeze the handle on the top of the carrier’s shell to engage this recline. Again, this feature is designed to be used with the stroller.  Squeeze it again and push the back of the carrier toward the front to collapse the carrier back into actual car seat mode.

Safe Sleep

The Cloud G LUX (and all car seats) is not designed to be a sleeping surface.  Please follow the AAP guidelines for safe sleep and remove your child from the car seat when your drive has finished.

Cybex Cloud G LUX preemie doll with infant insert

The Cloud G LUX’s weight range is 4-35 pounds so we’ve tasked our tireless Huggable Images preemie doll with modelling the seat. We definitely expected the Cloud G LUX to fit our doll well — and it does! The seat includes an optional set of padding that goes behind the child and can be folded for a better fit.

Cybex Cloud G LUX newborn doll without padding

Our newborn Huggable Images doll weighs 7 pounds and is 17 inches long. The Cloud G LUX fit our doll quite well.

Cybex Cloud G LUX date of manufacture label

Date of manufacture label:there are two date of manufacture labels. One is on the bottom of the base, the other is on the underside of the carrier.  Both labels include a “do not use after…” date.

Manual storage: The manual stores on the bottom of the carrier.

Cybex Cloud G LUX bottom of carrier

FAA Approval: the Cloud G LUX is approved for use on aircraft without the base.  The label for this approval is found on the bottom of the carrier.

However, the carrier is pretty long front-to-back so I’m not totally convinced that this is a seat we’d recommend as a first choice for travel. The L.I.S.P. cannot be used on the airplane.