Review of Britax Frontier 85 Combination Booster Car Seat

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Don't even blink at the price or anything else that really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of life. We were in a freeway rollover accident yesterday in our Honda Pilot that completely totalled the car. My precious 4 year old daughter was all strapped in tight in this carseat and walked away without even a scratch. As soon as I finish up this review, I am buying another one. Seriously, when you are in an accident like that, won't you be glad you put your munchkin in the safest seat possible, even if it can be a pain in the neck to install and annoying to get the cover off to clean? Also should note my 22 month old son was in an Evenflo Triumph (also gets high safety ratings). Thank God he was totally fine, but the strap that attaches the carseat to the anchor in the car literally ripped in half horizontally. It is a miracle that he is okay, because I shudder to think he could have been flopping around with only one anchor attached in addition to the over the seat tether...

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I own several high weight harness seats, and this is my favorite! My son (5 yrs old, 47", and 43 lbs) has previously been in a Radian XT and a Graco Nautilus. He started to complain about the crotch strap being tight on both seatsI looked at it closer and it turns out the straps were coming out from underneath him even though they were on the furthest setting outin both seats! We tried the Frontier 85 and he was much more comfortablehe has at least an inch or two until he'll be up against the crotch strap in the FN 85. I was worried about install, especially after reading about the original Frontier not installing well (or at all) in Toyotas. I had the FN 85 installed with the seatbelt in my '05 Highlander within 10 minutes, and that includes trying the short belt path first (I had to recline the seat and use the long belt path, but I have a rock solid install.) It really helps to watch the Britax install videos before trying to install it, as I could see how I would have had some trouble if I didn't watch the video first. The 9 year lifespan of the set is also a huge bonus!

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I own a Britax Marathon which I still use for my younger child, and had purchased the Britax Frontier 85 as a long term seat for my oldest child, currently 3 years old. Occasionally I need to remove the car seats and install in another vehicle. The Marathon can be done with ease. The Frontier, is the most frustrating installation I have ever experienced. I believe it is due to a cheaper design. The Marathon offers 2 independent straps for the latch system. Each is pulled individually for a taught fit. The Frontier however, only offers 1 pull strap for both latches. This may have saved $10 in design and construction costs per unit, but for the customer , far more a struggle than the Marathon design.

What makes it difficult is how incredibly easy it is for the strap to become twisted and tangled in an area behind the seat which you have no visual nor access to. I have read some of the positive reviews here and one individual was questioning intelligence for those that are having difficulty with the installation. I am a technical engineer by day with a master's degree, and can assure you, I am not lacking intelligence. I am also a volunteer firefighter, and have knowledge and experience on how to install, uninstall and in emergency situations, cut these seats in half.

Their customer service is what may save them from losing me as a customer. The representative acknowledged that if you pull taught when the strap is in a twisted state, that could cause it to want to twist during successive pulls. They are sending me a new set of straps to try. Ultimately I'd rather see an independent 2 strap design like the Marathon.

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After doing the prerequisite research on all the car seats available, We decided on the Frontier. It seems to me that all the seats were decent, it boils down to a personal choice. We based our choice on features and safety. The seat appeals to me because of the height adjustment feature and its ability to grow with our child up until she only needs the booster alone. Our 3 year old had grown out of our Marathon but was not ready of course to be in a booster without at least a 3 point harness. I am, so far very pleased with the seat. The only complainst or comments I have are: The seat has a net like material on top of the microfiber on the seat..The netting gets caught on everything like velcro and snaps. It became ripped within the first week. I would rather have had the microfiber that is on the marathon (it does not appear that I can cut the netting out). Second, the seat is a little difficult to install. We went to the Fire Department as I had in the past and they had no idea how to install it seeing how its so new to the market. I called an install expert who came out to the house and installed it properly so we could see for ourselves how it should look. Third, the crotch buckle is really difficult to adjust, it took the expert and myself more than 15 minutes to get the buckle through the slot. Overall, I like the seat and would reccomend it.

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I was all set to buy the Graco Nautilus carseat, but was still wondering if Britax Frontier 85 might be better. Both carseats were not being sold in any stores for me to go and check them out, so I decided to order both and test them out. I am SO glad I did, because in comparison, the Britax was BY FAR the better seat! And believe me, I REALLY wanted to love the Graco seat.

I would recommend to anyone to pay $100 more for the Britax Frontier 85, cause you get so much more in the long run!

Here's why:

1. The furthest crotch strap slot on the Graco Nautilus measured at 6.5 inches from the back of the seat. On the Britax Frontier 85, the furthest crotch slot is 8.5 inches! My son was almost sitting on the Graco crotch strap in its furthest position and he's only 10 months and SKINNY. With the Britax, he has plenty of room to grow and most likely will not be sitting on the crotch strap!

2. When I put my son in the Britax Frontier 85, his back and head were straight and aligned (no curving of the spine). In the Graco Nautilus, my son was hunchback cause the seat or headrest pushed his head forward and curved his spine. That totally made me question how it would affect his developing posture.

3. The material on the Britax Frontier 85 is sooo soft and smooth, but still SAFE (rock hard on the outside, cushiony on the inside). The material on the Graco Nautilus is awful! The seat is rigid and feels like sand paper/cardboard!

4. The harness strap on the Graco Nautilus is kinda short when pulled to the limit and doesn't look like there's much room to grow in it. Pretty disappointing when they claim a child can be harnessed up to 65 lbs! I highly doubt that! BUT the harness strap on the Britax Frontier 85 is LONG!!!!! And here's the best part -I'M HIS MOTHER AND I WAS ABLE TO SIT IN THE SEAT AND STRAP MYSELF IN! I am 5'1 and 105 lbs, and I was able to sit comfortably in the Britax and strap myself in harnessed no problem! Most importantly, the crotch strap was still NOT under me. That means my son can grow to my size and still remain harnessed! That is phenomenal!!! Not that he'll need to be harnessed when he's my size, but the option is there! That's how I know I made the right decision.

My son hasn't been in the Britax for a drive yet (cause he's still too little), but I imagine it will be very comfortable (to the point of sleeping in it). And when he sits in it in the house, he doesn't squirm or scream (like he did in the Graco Nautilus). He loves it! Go for the Britax Frontier 85 over the Graco Nautilus... you will thank me! I returned the Graco Nautilus ASAP!

UPDATE: I did not realize that this seat specifies the child must be at least 2 years old. So with MUCH regret, I have to send it back. I still love it very much!!! And because I loved it so much, I decided to go for the Britax Marathon 70 -also a fantastic car seat for my 10 month old son. I am now a total Britax fan! They truly make the best car seats I've ever seen. They are very expensive IMO, but so worth the money! I will be purchasing the Britax Frontier 85 in the future for sure, unless Britax comes out with an even better model by then! All I know is that every car seat I buy from now on is going to be a Britax! :)