3 stars

Older children may not fit into the Marathon, as they're likely to outgrow it in height way before they reach the 65 lb weight limit. The Roundabout has a lower weight limit (to 40 lbs) but it may indeed be a better choice if you're transitioning from an infant seat because of possible design flaws in the Marathon.

The Marathon seat is shallow and the crotch strap is too short, especially for toddler boys. I measured the seat depth on the Marathon and it's 6 inches from seat back to the base of the strap. The Roundabout is deeper, 7 inches from seat back to the base of the strap, which is perplexing. Why would Britax make the larger seat shallower, if it has to fit both infants and older children?

Second, the quick release of the Marathon is so easy to use (gently lift the metal part under the front flap) even a toddler can do it- if they fiddle with it they can loosen the harness while strapped in! As a solution, I read suggestions about teaching the child the meaning of "no" and placing safety pins on the flap. Not what one would expect on an expensive car seat.

The best solution I've found is to tuck the release strap between the Britax and the car's seat so your child can't grab it or loosen it.

I thought this sounded crazy until I saw that some models of the Marathon have a flap with velcro that is easy to lift. The Marathon Greystone now sold at Target stores has a slightly different flap (the metal clasp is still underneath but hidden by a flap that's sewn on the sides - not velcroed like the picture shown above). This looks like an improvement as most Marathon models sold in other sites have the velcro version which is rudimentary at best.

The Roundabout has a different harness release system (button) and you need to press hard to release it.

Also, please note both the Marathon and the Roundabout are handwash & drip dry only according to their manuals AND the instructions attached to the seats.

This is a good car seat, albeit with these observations. You'll see many raves for the Marathon from parents who just bought the seats for their infants, but not many from parents who have older kids, especially boys. So if you can, take a tape measure to the store, measure the seat depths, have your baby sit in both and figure out if there is room to grow before deciding.

5 stars

My son is now 3 1/2 years old. We were in a car accident two days ago in which a young man hit us almost head on. Our Accord was totaled, all air bags, including side bags, deployed. My son received only strap marks while my husband and I were pretty badly banged up with seat belts on. I will be getting a replacement exactly like the one that left my child unharmed. The only reason I have not yet is I can't walk on my ankle yet! I highly recommend buying this carseat. It is more expensive then the others but it is worth every single penny.

3 stars

I did a ton of research on car seats before my daughter was born and it was easy to see that Britax seats are the best. I put the Marathon on my registry and was delighted that the car seat would work for my child from birth to 60 pounds. My parents bought the car seat for my husband and I for Christmas (daughter was born this March) and my husband went on and installed it in rear-facing in our Honda Civic. It was a very tight squeeze. My daughter weighed 6 lbs., 14 oz. and was 20. 5 in. long when she was born which was fine since the Marathon states it will work for babies 5 lbs. and up. Well, when it came time to come home from the hospital the nurse had to come down to the car with us to verify that we had a car seat since we could not bring it inside to show her. When we placed our daughter in the car seat and tried to adjust the straps for her we very quickly realized that it would not work for our almost 7 lb. baby. The nurse would not let us leave the hospital with our daughter and this seat. Fortunately, my husband had thought to bring an infant seat our brother and sister-in-law had passed down to us to use as an extra for his car. We were able to exchange seats and go home. Two weeks later, when I took the infant seat to our local Safe Kids Coalition to see if we had installed it properly, the expert there said it would be a few months before our daughter would be tall enough to use the Marathon. The strap positioning is just too high for someone her size. Also the seat does not have any type of head support which is important for a newborn. I had received the Kiddopotamus Snuzzler as a gift and was going to use this as a head support with the Marathon. However, the expert at Safe Kids told me not to use the Snuzzler in a car seat because car seats are not crash tested with them. My husband and I ended up not being very comfortable with the hand-me-down car seat (which was an Evenflo Discovery) and so we have just purchased a Graco SafeSeat which I think will work well for now. We are planning to use the Britax eventually but it will be several months from now. So much for just buying one car set.

5 stars

This is a great seat. It's cute and practical. My son loves it. He used to scream and cry every time we put him in the car until we got this seat. It must be a lot more comfortable than his infant carrier was. The seat fits in our car perfectly and was easy to install. I like the fact that the manual is attached to the seat and just tucks underneath for safe keeping. That way it is always handy when you need it and you can't lose it! I also like the velcro on the sides and the straps, so you can hold the straps off to the side for easier placement of your child in the seat. As far as cleaning goes, you can machine wash the cover, even though it says not to. Just use the gentle cycle and air dry it. I had a friend that did this with hers after her son threw up in his seat and she said the cover was just fine. I plan on doing the same if needs be.

My only complaint about the seat so far is when it is rear facing it's really hard to reach back and soothe your child, retrieve dropped items, etc. Once we can switch the seat to a forward facing position that will no longer be an issue though and we would have this problem with any convertible seat.

The Britax website is great. I checked out the testimonials there prior to purchasing the seat and it really solidified my choice. I feel confident that my child will be safe in this seat in the event that we ever get into an accident. I highly suggest taking a look at their site if you are having any second thoughts.

Yes this seat is pricey, but when it comes to my son's safety I am willing to splurge!

3 stars

Overall, a decent seat that works OK. But there are issues:

Seat does not recline far enough for rear-facing installation. We have a Dodge Grand Caravan with Stow&Go seats, one of the most popular family vehicles on the planet, but this seat does not fit properly without rolling up a towel underneath it. Same thing in our Toyota 4Runner. Unless your rear seats are almost level to the ground to start with, you will neet to put towels underneath it to get it at the correct angle.

Cover is not machine washable. You will need to wash it.

Seat sits higher than most. Your child will be able to see out great, but may also be less protected in an accident, since they will be more exposed to the windows. Also shorter people may have a tougher time getting their child in and out of an SUV or minivan.

It is large, but that isn't necessarily bad. It takes up about the same amount of space as our Graco SnugRide infant seat (with base). It is great for taller kids. If you want a smaller one, look at the Britax Roundabout.

Quality seems to be good. Nice LATCH clips and buckles, good materials, solid build, made in USA. Adjustments aren't as easy as in some seats, but some seats compromise durability and perhaps safety, so I don't mind that.

Personally, I don't understand why this seat gets such glowing reviews. It is not a bad seat, but really, hand washing? Rolled up towels? At this price? They should also include a level indicator similar to Graco, I'm guessing many of these seats have been installed rear-facing improperly.

There's room for improvement here.

5 stars

[...]

That said, this carseat is WONDERFUL. I really feel better knowing that my daughter (11 months) is very safe and comfortable in this carseat. We put her in it last night (prior to installing it) to adjust the straps to her body, and she was extremely upset when we took her out and spent the rest of the night trying to get to the carseat again so that she could sit in it!

My husband installed the carseat this evening with no problem. We have a 2005 Subaru Outback and he was able to install it rear-facing with absolutely no problem. We are tall people (I'm 6'1" and he's 6'4") and push our driver seat back all the way; we'd been very skeptical and thought for certain we wouldn't be able to install it rearfacing, but he did! I must also say, this carseat feels so solid, heavy (which is good) and the tightening system works to easily that the carseat can be adjusted to fit VERY snugly into the seat. We are beyond pleased.

5 stars

I've had this carseat for my child for over 2 years now and it's absolutely wonderful! The seatbelt doesn't tangle, it's super-easy to get your child in and out of it, and relatively lightweight.

5 stars

I bought the Evenflo Symphony because I was told it had the same rating as the Britax and was cheaper. My daughter (11months) did ok for the first couple of days and then started to scream when I had to put her in it. When she fell asleep in the Evenflo her head would fall down and hang. I returned it and got this seat. It is sooo worth the money. The seat is constructed so the child's bottom sits low in the seat making it effortless for them to sit up straight. When she falls asleep her head doesn't fall over or hang. It is very comfortable and well manufactured. The straps are also easy to deal with so you don't dread getting them in and out.

4 stars

Though it took us a little bit to install this car seat (our 1st born is 16 years old, and things have changed in the car seat world!), we have been so pleased with the results! It is comfortable, sturdy and we still have room on both sides in our mid-size SUV (Mitz, Endeavor). "Yes", it is a little heavy in weight (hopefully you won't have to move it too much) and "Yes", my husband was NOT too crazy about the price at all (we had a lengthy discussion in the Target car seat isle with me stating how it's highly recommended by Consumer Reports, and "how can you put a price tag on your son's life?" :o). The next day, his co-worker sees this car seat in the back of our vehicle and comments on how Britax makes safe car seats! I'm still glowing . . . but MOST importantly, our little 23 lb guy (10 months) LOVES riding in this seat since he was 7 months and enjoys looking out the windows! He likes this seat much more than his infant one (Chicco), that he out-grew in weight and length. I'd recommend this seat to anyone, including Grandparents!