Britax Marathon 70 Convertible Car Seat (Previous Version), Onyx (Prior Model)

My husband and I researched carseats for a while before deciding on the Britax Marathon 70. We needed 2 carseats. We bought this one for my 2009 Honda Accord and a First Years True Fit for my husbands Jeep Wrangler. My 1 year old daughter is in my car more often so we wanted to splurge on one of the carseats. I'm so glad we did.After taking the time to read the instruction manual, the actual installation was pretty easy. (Not so easy with the True Fit in my husband's Jeep, but that's for another review) We installed it rear facing using the Latch system. I was not able to use the Latch with our infant seat because in using the middle of the back seat the Latch was too far apart. With the Britax Marathon 70, it states you can use the Latch up to 20 inches apart. Mine were about 16 inches. I did have to roll up a towel in order to get the seat level. I wish it had a better way of determining it being level. You just have to gauge it by determining whether a line on a sticker is parallel to the ground. I would feel more comfortable not just "eye-balling" it.The Marathon 70 has velcro on the straps to stick them to the seat to aid in getting her your child in the carseat without having to dig under him/her for the straps. This also helps with the straps not getting twisted. I wasn't sure about the bellypad at first. I liked the idea of it, but it seemed to flop down, and I had to dig it out under my child. Now after using it a week, I'm getting the hang of it. I am able to fold it forward before putting my daughter in and it stays forward. I also like how you can adjust the height and tightness of the straps without taking the seat out of the car. It is very easy to use.I was worried about it fitting in my Honda Accord. We installed it rear-facing in the middle of the backseat, and it fits perfectly. I have a mirror attached to the back headrest and I can check on my daughter using the rearview mirror. She seems very happy and comfortable so far in her seat.I am very pleased with my purchase and feel like this seat is worth the money.

I bought this car seat in December 2010. My son turned two in February, and in March, he began complaining of back pain. We've taken him to his pediatrician and we've had multiple tests including a back x-ray performed on him to try to determine the source of the pain. Interestingly, we found this thread when searching for back pain in toddlers:[...]It is amazing how many of these people own Britax car seats, have toddlers that complain of back pain, and have that back pain magically disappear when they switch to another seat. So, we just switched to the Graco Nautilus seat, and today my son says, "seat no hurt back daddy!".We called Britax, and they are completely insensitive to the issue. They told us that there is nothing they can do and that they have never gotten a single complaint about back pain with their seats. Unbelievable when you look at the link above. BOTTOM LINE: SAVE YOUR CHILD'S BACK. DO NOT PURCHASE THIS SEAT!

This car seat is nice and like everyone else, I too appreciate that my baby can stay in it for so long. The cover is fairly easy to remove for washing. I like that there a few different pieces so that if only one part is dirty, I don't have to take the entire cover off. There are a couple of things that I don't like about this seat and that is why I gave 4 stars. 1 I don't like the velcro on the waist belt and side cover. It doesn't do what it is meant to do and I just don't like something so scratchy being near my baby. 2 I feel like the head area is so wide and if my baby falls asleep in the car (which nearly all babies are prone to do), his head falls to his shoulder. I know babies are like rubber but I personally don't like sleeping that way (on a plane) so I don't want my baby to be uncomfortable. Also, if he is asleep and I need to turn a corner, his head goes from one side to the other. I just don't like all of the jostling around. Plus, I feel that if I were to ever get into an accident, his poor little head would get knocked around a lot because the area is so wide. To fix this, I put folded up receiving blankets between the headrest and the seat so that the head bumper is closer to his head and he can basically keep his head upright even while he sleeps. As a tip, if you will ever be taking this car seat in and out of a vehicle, I recommend safety pinning the pocket in the back that stores the access belt. The pocket does not close and the belt is so long that having it fall out is a pain. After two nightmare-ish events at the airport and again trying to get on a cruise ship, I learned my lesson.

I own a Britax Marathon 65- the older model- and I LOVE it. So I was surprised to get this new model the Marathon 70 and dislike it so much.Here were my cons:The back of the car seat has a VERY flimsy sliding piece of plastic, that is meant to "customize" the seat to your child but it is not very sturdy and made the car seat feel less solid. Not pleased with this at all.The cover did not fit the front right curve of the car seat and kept popping off- very annoying for a brand new, very expensive car seat.The base is huge and stable, But the sides of the car seat are flexible and feel wobbly and bendable-not really what I want "protecting" my child's head in a crash! Bottom line- it is not at all as sturdy as the previous model.I am sorely disappointed that they changed the carseat from the older model which I thought was excellent.I searched around online and found the old model-the Marathon Convertible- in granite color on Albee baby's site for $209- which is cheaper than it's listed on Amazon ($299)Britax Marathon 65 Convertible Car Seat, OnyxThe other thing that is bothersome is that they are charging MORE for the older model than the new one- which means that is what people are still wanting since it is a way sturdier seat- check it out before you buy this piece of junk! I returned this new model and hunted down the older model! Trust me it is way sturdier and much better!