new Britax carseats

luckygirl13

Does anyone have any info on the new Britax carseats coming out this month?  I am looking to buy a seat for DD2 and have been searching for reviews on the Marathon 70 and Roundabout 55.  They are the same price as the current Marathon and Roundabout. 

I am worried the Marathon might be too big for my '06 Honda Civic (4 door).  Does BRU let you try them in your car before you purchase?

emiliemadison

They weight limits have gone up (including making them RF to 40 instead of 35 lbs) and they made the lowest harness height lower to fit small babies better. But, the shell height of the seats is still the same, which means most kids will outgrow them by height LONG before they are anywhere near the weight limits. For a little more than the price of one new Marathon, you could buy TWO seats of another brand that you will actually be able to use longer.

Both the First Years TrueFit and Sunshine Kids Radian have taller shells and higher harness height slots, which means your child will realistically be able to use them longer than a seat with a shorter shell (like a Britax). The weight limit on the TrueFit is 65 lbs, and an extra 5 lbs wouldnt be a benefit for most kids. The Radian has two models- one that goes to 65 lbs and one that goes to 80 lbs. The 65 lb model is just fine.

Both of these seats can be purchased for between $150 and $250-ish and I happen to like both of these seats better. Plus, if you look at the new design of the Britax seats, they look a lot like the shape of the TrueFit, if that says anything

And yes, any of these seats will fit in your car. I've installed all of them in a 4 door civic before.

luckygirl13

Wow thank you so much for the info!  DD1 is in a Britax Frontier so that's why I started looking at those.  We've been really happy with her seat. I will look in to both of those other seats.  This is great information to have!

Halo79RN

the roundabout is pretty short. most friends I know who purchased this, had to get a new carseat by age 2 or 3.  dd is in a decathelon (I think the same ht as the marathon) and ds is in a boulevard.  dd is 4 1/2 and still has a shoulder slot to go.  they are big seats.  both will be in them for a while.  when they move out, I'll get a traditional booster.  I've heard good thinks about the radian... they are more narrow.  look to reviews online, epinions, amazon, tru, etc.  I have no complaints with britax.   both dc were in an infant carseat first, so no need for the smaller fit.  our car is a hyundai tuscon, think base like an elantra or civic.  I think you'll be find ff... not sure about rear facing if you have a taller driver.  we could put dd's decathelon rf in the center seat and dh be able to drive... but we had to turn her around at 19m so that we could put the infant seat rf in the passenger side backseat.  dh is 6' and has to push the seat as far back as it will go.  that is b/c it's so long.... so these longer seats, if you're looking for rf, may not work.  go to a baby store and see if they will let you try the model out in your car.  

JOEBunny

I would look at the True fit.  I have a smaller car and cannot fit the sunshine kids in it rear facing (I have it for DD, when she outgrew the roundabout.)  The true fit has a removable head rest, so you can use it rear facing without sitting in the dash in the front.  You add the head rest, once they turn around and grow.  I adore the Sunshine kids seat, but the rear facing is just not an option.  I am not a fan of the higher up higher limit seats, like the britax marathon, just because at a certain point, I wanted DD to be able to get in and out of the car without having to climb a mountain.

Andrewsgal

I totally regret buying our roundabout, dd outgrew it so fast and I think dS will too!

And CRAP just checked the height on the roundabout the one we own is 40 inches, DS is already 39 inches at 21 months he will be out if it by 2, that sucks!

Andrewsgal

emiliemadison:

They weight limits have gone up (including making them RF to 40 instead of 35 lbs) and they made the lowest harness height lower to fit small babies better. But, the shell height of the seats is still the same, which means most kids will outgrow them by height LONG before they are anywhere near the weight limits. For a little more than the price of one new Marathon, you could buy TWO seats of another brand that you will actually be able to use longer.

Both the First Years TrueFit and Sunshine Kids Radian have taller shells and higher harness height slots, which means your child will realistically be able to use them longer than a seat with a shorter shell (like a Britax). The weight limit on the TrueFit is 65 lbs, and an extra 5 lbs wouldnt be a benefit for most kids. The Radian has two models- one that goes to 65 lbs and one that goes to 80 lbs. The 65 lb model is just fine.

Both of these seats can be purchased for between $150 and $250-ish and I happen to like both of these seats better. Plus, if you look at the new design of the Britax seats, they look a lot like the shape of the TrueFit, if that says anything

And yes, any of these seats will fit in your car. I've installed all of them in a 4 door civic before.

Which one would you reccomend more? Ds is an inch away from outgrowing his roundabout so I obviously need to order another one.