Britax Frontier -Red Rock Booster Car Seat

We have already a Britax Boulevard for our older son, which we intend to use for our younger son (he has just outgrown his Graco s
Snug Ride infant carrier), so the older son needed a new seat. My husband and I decided to buy the Britax Frontier after we had seen other comparable car seats in the store, which did not meet our expectations or had features that we did not think were very comfortable or convenient.

The Frontier has a very thick padding, also on the back rest, with no uncomfortable seams, which is a plus on long car rides. In this respect, the Frontier is clearly superior to other seats. The fabric (we have the "Red Rock" pattern) is of a "net" type, I hope it will hold up just as well as the "velvet" type fabric of our Britax Boulevard seat. I have not taken off the padding for washing yet, but I expect it to be just as easy as on other car seats, or the Boulevard.

The harness straps are a little softer than that of the Boulevard, but they do not tangle. I found this much better than in other seats (evenflo, Cosco, Safety First, The First Years). The harness adjustment works well, although it is somewhat hard to pull (similar to that of the Boulevard). The buckle works very well, but it is a little hard to push to open it, especially if you have arthritis in your hands like me. I found the buckle of the Graco Nautilus (which opens by sliding the tab towards your thumb rather than pushing it into the buckle) more thought out, as this one can more easily be operated with one hand only.

We are using the Frontier in harness mode, so I do not have experience with the booster mode.

My husband and I had read about installation problems with the Frontier ("unusual belt path") on several web pages, so we were concerned when we ordered the seat through the internet (we would have felt more confident if we had been able to try it out in a store).
However, turned out that the installation was as easy as strawberry pie. Not different from the installation of any other car seat that I know of (and as a frequent driver for our preschool, I get to experience many different seats). It can be a bit tricky to loop the buckle of the car's seat belt through the openings in the seat, as these are not very big, but that's about it. And if you use LATCH, the installation is simple and quick, no different from other seats. So don't get too impressed by other reviews on this topic.

The Frontier is a very bulky and heavyweight seat, so it might not be easy to change the seat between cars frequently. This is not a concern for us, however, because we use the seat almost exclusively in our Honda Odyssey (right next to the Boulevard, so that the third seat in the row can be used by our older daughter), and not in our second, smaller car.

The price of the Frontier is high, but we got a very good deal on it, and the difference to other seats was then only about $40. I think the better comfort and safety of the Frontier clearly make up for its higher price.

All in all, I am very happy with our Frontier, and if I needed another seat today, I would definitely buy a Frontier again.

My first experience with Britax was the Marathon. Got rear-ended by a SUV whose driver did not even hit the brakes. My granddaughter was fine; wish I could say the same for me. So, I bought another Marathon and have been happy with it, but recently noticed that my 4 y/o was getting too tall for it, altho she was still comfortable. My cousin told me about this new Britax model that gets really tall, but still uses the 5 point harness system. (This is exactly what I've been looking for, since I can see, when the child falls asleep and leans forward, exactly how inadequate those carseats that use the seatbelt system as a restraint really are.) It is super easy to adjust the height, and to install, too. Extra cushy and better side-impact protection than I have seen in any other carseat. Not as "pretty" as some other Britax models, but does have 2 built-in cupholders. Armrests are great, too. But more than these things, and I realize this is a very unscientific remark, my granddaughter actually looks well-protected sitting in it, sort of surrounded by padding, especially on the sides. And, if installed properly, it is tilted back just a little, too, so the child looks like she's sitting in an easy chair. She's happy. So far, so good!

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 seats- I looked at it closer and it turns out the straps were coming out from underneath him even though they were on the furthest setting out- in both seats! We tried the Frontier 85 and he was much more comfortable- he 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 Toyota's. I had the FN 85 installed with the seat belt 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!

I got this car seat to replace the Britax Marathon, and it is wonderful! It fits in my minivan perfectly, just as easy as the Marathon! It works very well with the LATCH system. I have no complaints! My son loves it and can nap easily with the reclining feature! Great product!

These are the best car seats I have come across. They are a little heavy and wide but great to install and if you use the long belt path or latch system they do not budge!

My 7 1/2 year old who is big for her age still fits in this thing with the 5 point harness which is amazing for me! I got these and spent more on three car seats than my vehicle. The vehicle came with only lap belts and short seats so I wanted something that was extremely safe. I have bought three for myself and just bought one for my nephew. They are worth every penny! It's worth the extra money for the extra safety features. Also, they are very durable. My oldest seat is a little over a year and it looks like it just came out of the box still despite them eating and drinking in them.