Britax Marathon 70 Convertible Car Seat

by Britax USA

• Safe cell technology features safe cells designed to compress in a crash, significantly lowering the center of gravity and counteracting the forward rotation of the child seat which normally propels the child toward the front seat, Integrated steel bars strengthen the connection to the vehicle and reduce forward flexing of the child seat during a crash, Energy-absorbing versa-tether features a staged-release tether webbing to slow the forward movement, reducing the crash forces reaching the child, and a two-point attachment to minimize forward rotation while anchoring the top of the child seat, Side impact protection comprised of deep side walls lined with energy-absorbing EPP foam distributes crash forces, shields from vehicle intrusion, and contains the head, neck and body, Tangle-free; Five-point harness distributes crash forces across the strongest parts of the body and provides a secure fit

Product Description

Color: Onyx

Amazon.com Product Description

The BRITAX MARATHON 70 Convertible Car Seat achieves optimum head safety through the combination of BRITAX SafeCell Technology, integrated steel bars, and a Versa-Tether, which work together to minimize head excursion and reduce the risk of head injury during a frontal impact. It also features easy installation, Side Impact Protection, and innovative details for your child's comfort and safety. The seat fits children in the rear-facing position weighing from 5 to 40 pounds, and children in the forward-facing position starting at one year old and 20 pounds, up to 70 pounds.

MARATHON 70 (Crimson) Convertible Car Seat At a Glance: Age/Weight Requirements: In rear- facing position, fits children weighing 5 - 40 pounds; in forward-facing position, fits children 1+ years old weighing 20 - 70 pounds Warranty: 1-year limited warranty

Available in (from left to right): Onyx, Crimson, Waverly, Cowmooflage, Blueprint, and Allison.

Safety features include SafeCell Technology and True Side Impact Protection. View larger.

Comfort features include dual recline positions and high-density comfort foam. (Shown here in Allison.) View larger.

BRITAX 360 Degree Protection
The BRITAX MARATHON 70 features technologies that work to minimize injury to your child during a crash from any direction, including both frontal and side impact crashes - the most frequent types of crashes. These technologies work together with other features on the car seat to minimize injury to your child during a crash by:

keeping your child in the vehicle, diverting crash forces away from your child, helping to slow down your child's body, minimizing movement of your child, and protecting your child's brain and spinal cord.

SafeCell Technology for Advanced Head Safety
Designed with SafeCell Technology, the MARATHON 70 features SafeCells, which are engineered structures located in the base of the seat designed to compress in the event of a crash. This compression significantly lowers the center of gravity and counteracts the forward rotation of the car seat, delivering unprecedented performance in a crash.

The MARATHON 70 also features integrated steel bars, which strengthen the connection to the vehicle seat and reduce the forward flexing of the car seat. In addition, the energy-absorbing Versa-Tether anchors the top of the car seat and minimizes forward rotation of the car seat to reduce the crash forces that can reach your child if an accident occurs. These three features work together as a system to provide revolutionary head safety protection for your child.

Side Impact Protection for Added Security
To keep your child safe in the event of a side-impact collision, the MARATHON 70 includes Side Impact Protection. Side Impact Protection is a system composed of a rigid seat shell with deep side walls and energy-absorbing EPP (Expanded Polypropylene) foam lining the seat shell. These combined features work together to protect your child's head and chest from incoming crash forces by distributing the forces over a larger surface area, helping shield your child from vehicle intrusion and contain your child's head and body in the seat.

Premium Fit and Comfort Features
Whether children are watching the world go by or snuggling in for a nap, they'll enjoy that the MARATHON 70 reclines in both the forward and rear positions. And thanks to additional features, which include high-density comfort foam and a plush cover set with a matching belly pad, they'll always ride in style and comfort. A 70-pound weight capacity, two buckle positions, and a tangle-free five-point harness with ten harness-height settings provide a snug, custom fit for your growing child. Plus, an optional Infant Positioning Insert (sold separately) allows you to properly and snugly fit smaller infants into the car seat.

Ease-of-Use for Safety and Convenience
Packed with perks for parents, the MARATHON 70 makes it easy to secure your child in the proper position without guesswork. Premium lower LATCH connectors make for a quick, simple, and tight installation, while the push-button allows you to easily uninstall the connectors. Easy-to-access built-in lock-offs allow you to install the car seat with ease using your vehicle's lap and shoulder belt. The quick-adjust harness system and buckle allow you to reposition the harness height without disassembling the harness straps.

Additionally, an anti-slip contoured base grips and protects the vehicle seat, ensuring a tight installation in all types of vehicles. Convenient holders keep harness straps out of the way when you're placing your child in the seat, and the plush cover set with matching pads removes easily for cleaning without requiring you to disassemble or uninstall the car seat.

The BRITAX MARATHON 70 Convertible Car Seat is backed by a one-year limited warranty.

What's in the Box
One BRITAX MARATHON 70 Convertible Car Seat and manual.

Product Description

The Britax Marathon 70 convertible car seat is designed for children rear facing from 5 to 40 pounds and forward facing from 1 year and 20 lbs up to 70 pounds. The Marathon 70 achieves revolutionary head safety through the use of Britax SafeCell Technology, integrated steel bars, and versa-tether that work together to minimize head excursion and reduce the risk of head injury during a frontal impact. The Marathon 70 also incorporates Britax side impact protection, offers a no-rethread and quick-adjust five-point harness, multiple buckle and recline adjustments, and an easy access cover and access to belt paths from the front of the seat. A head and body pillow is provided for comfort.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 79 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the money!!! December 16, 2011

By JT

Color Name:Cowmooflage|Amazon Verified Purchase

This thing is the rolls royce of carseats. I seriously regret not getting a Britax for my first child. I thought "How can it be so much better?" In every way its better! It is thick, substantial padding, awesome convenient features. I have a giant 21 lb. 6 month old baby. I searched for a rear-facing car seat with a good recline and I got it. He reclines very comfortably in this. The latch and tether on this are very solid. It also has a feature that makes changing the harness height literally a snap. It takes a second and it is secure. I will never go back to less expensive brands. I have a reputation for being frugal and this is something that is worth the price!

83 of 87 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fits fine RF in small car December 13, 2011

By --

Color Name:Onyx|Amazon Verified Purchase

I just had this car seat installed RF in my VW GTI and it fits perfectly fine with room for someone to sit in the front seat. I had looked all over the internet for this info but could not find it so I was concerned I would have to return the seat for lack of space. Pleasantly surprised I didn't have to!. Also, I had it professionally installed but I was there as it was done and it looked like a breeze (RF with the latch system).

67 of 71 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars No Leg Space for Rear Facing Position!!! UPDATE: Britax still safest seat out there June 3, 2012

By Ed Mind

Color Name:Onyx

We bought this car seat because our baby outgrew his infant car seat. We installed it rear-facing and placed our baby in it and was absolutely shocked by how little leg space there is. My 17 month old baby is in the 60th percentile for length/height, so he is not too tall and his legs are no unusual length, but his knees have to bend at least 45 degrees because they hit the seat of our car and his legs look very uncomfortably scrunched up when we place him in the seat. There is no way we can have him ride in this car seat like that! I guess that all the positive reviews is for the safety aspect of the seat, or the front-facing use, or maybe some paid reviewers, because I cannot imagine any child being comfortable in this seat rear-facing unless they are still very small or have REALLY short legs. This seat would probably be fine forward facing, since it is room in the seat part and well cushioned but PLEASE test out the chair in your car with your child in it before buying. We tested the seat at the store to make sure it fit in our car, but we didn't think of testing the child in it too, big mistake! We are returning this seat ASAP.

NOTE: I just read that the Britax Marathon 70 was rated #1 in having the most toxic chemicals, so consider this before buying.

UPDATE: Upon further research, I've found that most convertible carseats in the rear-facing position offer little leg space for toddlers and that it is "normal" for kids' legs to bend or rest on top of the back of the seat in which the carseat is on. Rear-facing is still safest for kids under 40 lbs. However, some carseats do offer more leg space than others. We are continuing or search for the right one....

UPDATE: After hours upon hours of more research, reading a ton of reviews and accident annecdotes from parents,and even subscribing to Consumer Reports to gather info., we've decided to buy the Britax Advocate 70. Britax continues to outrank all other carseats in safety (usually the Britax Boulevard 70 and Britax Advocate 70 had best reviews by consumers and various "specialists" with the Marathon 70 coming in a close second). In regards to the toxicity levels, it depends on the color, with onyx being the highest. We chose the opus grey, which had a "medium" rating in toxicity level, which was the lowest level for Britax carseats. The chemicals are used to protect against fire. Other carseats are ranked as less toxic, but none are as safe in crashes as Britax. To further comment on the lack of leg space with the seat rear-facing (found out lots of parents are concerned about this too), various sources say that despite the lack of leg space and its seemingly awkwardness, there is still a 75% HIGHER risk of serious injuries including leg injuries in the FORWARD facing position.

I changed my previous 2 star rating to 4 stars based on the updated info.

Whew! So much info out there, hope this helps.