Customer Reviews

Britax Marathon 65 Convertible Car Seat, Onyx

5 star:		(194)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Don't get me wrong....I would own nothing other than Britax seats at this point. We have 4 children and we've tried various models. We've donated the others to Goodwill. We currently own 5 Britax car seats for 4 children. We have 2 Regents, 1 Parkway(used as a spare), 1 Marathon, and 1 Roundabout. I feel as though I'm a walking advertisement for Britax and we've been accused of being uptight about car seats.

As far as I'm concerned, there are three main features that we look for in a car seat:

1. Does it fit securely in the vehicle?

Forward facing, this seat is awesome. We don't have the latch system in our van, so we never had the opportunity to use the latch belts although I'm sure they work fine. We use the shoulder belt and we've never seen any other seat get as secure as our seat. When we try to move the seat side to side, the van moves instead. The beauty of the system is that after you've tightened the lap part of the belt down as far as you can, you then slide the shoulder part of the belt into a slot that latches down on the side of the seat. Once you've done this, the belt doesn't develop any slack. Then for good measure, you attach the tether to the underside of the rear of the seat (or a tether hook in some cars). This seat doesn't move after that.

Rear facing, the seat could be improved. This is why the seat doesn't get 5 stars from me. The side lock down mechanism is tightened more by the thickness of the belt. Unfortunately, it can pop open without much pressure. (As a side note, the lockdown on the side of our older Roundabout works great. It is a different design. I'm not sure if Britax thought they were improving and have changed the design or if they have a different lockdown on this seat.) The annoying thing about this is that you have to continuously check to see if it has released.

2. Condition of the straps is important. I haven't seen one manufacturer compare to the quality of the straps. The shoulder straps are thick and wide. They don't fold up on themselves or get tangled. They are also wide across your child's shoulders.

3. Child's comfort. The side guards around the head are great for when they are getting tired and the safety foam is the same as you would find in bike helmets.

Overall, the seat is great. If I could have given it 4.5 stars, I would have. The rear facing problem was minor to us because we could use our Roundabout rear facing, but for someone who needs to use it rear facing for a while, it might be more of a problem. I'm hoping Britax improves that one thing, but overall, this seat is highly recommended by me.

This car seat was a life saver!

Our daughter is almost 4 months now and cried everytime we placed her in her infant seat, except on the day home from the hospital. We couldn't drive down the road without listening to screams - the only time we went anywhere was if she was asleep and often she woke up the minute we put her in her seat. My 8 year old and I would both sit in the back seat with her, it didn't matter. I read the reviews on this seat so we went to 2 different stores and placed her in the demo. She was fine. My mother offered to purchase it for us so we got it.

Sketptical?
I was skeptical, so I first took her for a 5 minute ride - no crying. The next day I chanced 15 minutes - still no crying. The third day we went to my mother's - a 40 minute drive each way. Within a week we were willing to try her on a 3 hour trip. She did great!

I think the key for us was my daughter can see out and doesn't feel confined like the infant seat. She spends most trips gazing out the window and quietly sucking her thumb.

Size
I've read people complain about the size, but it fits fine in our Toyota Prius and our Subaru Outback. In fact it actually allows the front passanger seat to be further back than our previous car seat with a base (Graco Snugride).

Buy Two!
We've had the seat now for 3 weeks and no crying! My husband asks me everyday "How was she in the car" and everyday I say "GREAT!" We bought a second one for the other car.

Installation
This is the easiest car seat I have ever installed, we use the latch system in the Prius and in my mother's car. IT is so much easier than the latch with the Graco seat. Using latch it takes only minutes to go from one car to another. In the Subaru we use the regular shoulder/seat belt (it's 8 years old so latch wasn't available). Which I still like better than the Graco.

It is quite expensive, but to us well worth it. If you're still reading this then you want this seat! (It doesn't feed hungry babies, so they may still fuss.)

A year late...

My daughter is 15 months now and the seat is still wonderful! We now have the seat facing forward and we still love this car seat.

My 2 year old daughter has been in a britax marathon ever since she was 7 months old. After hours of research and asking around, I decided that this was a good investment for the safety of my daughter, although it is quite expensive compared to the other carseats in the market. We never had a problem with this carseat and my daughter always looked comfortable in it whether she's sitting up looking out the window or sleeping. I love the headrest on the sides that allows her to sleep in the car without her head bouncing around. After using this for over a year, I decided to move my daughter into a cheaper Eddie Bauer covertible seat so her younger sister can use her Britax. BAD DECISION!! I realized on the first drive that there is no car seat out there that beats this one. In less than five minutes, her head was bobbing around, padding was so horrible, her headrest was so stiff and upright that she was struggling to get out. I thought she was old enough to use cheaper brands comfortably but I now realize how good we all had it by using a high quality carseat. I'm now looking for a larger version (Britax Regent) for my daughter so my younger can use this one. Yes its a bit pricey but I truly truly believe that it's worth every penny considering the comfort and safety of our children. If you're hesitant about spending $100 more on a carseat, consider skipping one nice dinner out with your spouse and investing it instead on a Britax. I highly recommend it and there really is nothing out there that compares to this one. Once you use one, you'll see that there really is a difference.

My husband and I purchased this for our quick growing son when he was about 6mo old and hanging out of his infant carrier. I had done a lot of research on car seats and quickly found myself looking at the Britax models for their quality, safety, and reliability. We choose the Marathon specifically because it can hold a child up to 65lbs.

Yes, this car seat is larger and heavier than others, but I would not trade it for anything else. The seat fits very comfortably in the back of our Honda Civic and does not obstruct any views from the rearview mirror. We have traveled extensively with this seat it goes everywhere with us. We never, never have a problem getting it to fit correctly in any type of vehicle. The seat has been in old and new cars alike and it always fits quickly and more importantly correctly!

More important than my love for this seat is my son's. He loves the incredible views provided from the seat and the comfort as well. When he naps his head never falls forward or looks like it is in an uncomfortable position. He sleeps as soundly in the seat as in his bed. My son fits securly in the seat, yet it is large enough it makes him feel like he has space to move.

With all the travel and use this seat is cleaned frequently. I can't beleive how easy it is to disasemble and wash and you don't have to video tape yourself taking it apart to remember how to get it back together. I just can't say enough awesome things about this seat. I am so glad that I found this seat and would encourage anyone to take advantage of the many great and easy to use features.

We have 2 of these and love them. We recently brought one with us to Europe with a Go-go Baby Travelmate attachment which made travel through the airports very easy. ALWAYS ask for and use the seatbelt extender, I didn't use it on one flight which was a Big mistake. The release mechanism went behind the seat when I tightened up the strap and it was (almost) impossible to open. Also expect to have the seat hand inspected at check-in. It only fit through the x-ray machine at one of the several airports we traveled through.

We own two Britax Marathons, one for our daughter and one for our son. I did my research when my daughter was born in 2003, and this was the best car seat. One of the pros to it was that it stated that it could hold a child up to 65 lbs. My daughter is tiny, in the lower percentiles in weight and height, very petite. She is just about 40 lbs now, and is having trouble fitting in the seat, the buckle is too tight in the crotch area. When I phoned Britax, they had no explanation, and no suggestions for getting any more use out of her seat. This has also happened to three other children in her playgroup. If you want the seat to be able to grow with your child past 40 lbs, DO NOT BUY THIS SEAT!! Otherwise it is a good seat for babies, and did make me feel safe.

This car seat has very high safety ratings, and it fits kids up to 65 lbs. However, I didn't see the detailed product description that Amazon now has online. Pay attention to the info about how much headroom a car needs to accomodate this seat! We had to send it back, because rear-facing, it touched the ceiling of our 1999 Subaru Legacy wagon. I purchased the Britax Roundabout instead, and that fits much better. Also, I'm glad we got the smaller seat because we took the Roundabout on vacation, and it fit great into an airline seat (coach). The Marathon would not have fit.

My 16 month old daughter was riding in one of these when the truck she was in, a Dodge Ram, rolled over repeatedly at highway speed. My wife was cut and bruised and her mother suffered fractured vertebrae. My daughter literally was not scratched. She didn't even have red marks or scrapes where the straps went across her shoulder. This seat is as good or better than you have heard. It is worth every penny. Plus, Britax replaces accident-damaged seats for free. So we're on our second seat and yet we've only had to pay for one. Great seat, great company.

This could be considered the Cadillac of car seats. It has all the features you could want - latch system, 5 point harness, can attach without the latch system, adjustable straps for larger children, etc. It's also the size of a Cadillac though. I drive a Toyota Corolla and find it pretty much dominates the back seat. A back seat passenger on either side of the car seat feels cramped by the seat. A passenger in the front side cannot recline their seat more than about 15 degrees before hitting the edge of the Britax. It doesn't block my rear view mirror though (which is obviously crucial), but it is large.

I *love* this seat. I *hate* this company. It's an akward position to want a safe, comfortable car seat for your child but to not want to support a shady company. Do a little research on Britax and minimum retail price. They are not the only baby gear company that does this by any means - but in my opinion, when it comes to car seats and child safety, this practice is unacceptable. But what can you do? If you want a 5 point restraint that will last a long time - you don't have many choices. So it annoys me to no end. I won't boycott them but I want other parents to realize this. Every once in a while you can get a deal on an attractive Britax seat - snag them while you can!!! (At least one retailer is allowed to sell at a slight discount all the time but do you think it's coincidence that the seats they carry are ugly?) We just snagged two of these in the Ashley print for my twin girls who we can no longer stuff into their baby buckets easily. It's a very cute print. We have the Marathon in Granite for my son who will be 5 tomorrow so I have a lot of experience with this seat.

Now here's why I love it.

First - your child will be in this seat for a LONG time. We had a roundabout to begin with with my son - the Roundabout is a waste of money IMO. Britax pricing and your child will likely outgrow it when you're not ready to put them in a booster - skip the Roundabout, go for a Marathon. Like I said, my son will be 5 tomorrow and he is still in his Marathon. He's a big 5yo, though - he's been in a booster in my husband's car for a while and will soon be moving to a booster in my car. I hate to move him to the booster - I feel he is safer in a 5 point harness PLUS he still often falls asleep in the car and the Marathon is way more comfy for that. But you have to move them out eventually and I am glad we got as much use out of this as we did. (Just know the weight limit is not completely useful - he is no where near the weight limit, he's maybe 48 pounds - it's height that will limit your use)

Second - it is ridiculously easy to install. We have used this seat in a WIDE variety of vehicles (for a while we had to fly to visit family which meant lots of rental cars and such) - sedans, minivans, SUVs - we have never had a problem getting a rock solid installation. And while we never used this rear facing for my son (I think he was 20 months when we upgraded to the Marathon) we did try it rear facing in a few cars just to see if it would work. It worked just fine in a Hyundai Elantra and a Toyota Prius, neither of which are monster cars. Now we have a Sienna and there's no question of it fitting since that is a monster car. The rear-facing tether strap thing is pure genius - we did use this with the Roundabout and the concept is the same. Forward facing or rear facing, any vehicle, you will be happy with the installation. If you need to move the car seat to someone else's car - it will take you less than 5 minutes and there will be NO SWEARING. (I had to move a cosco seat once and that is what really drove home the point that not all car seats are equal)

Third - comfort for the child, which might just fit under the car seat having a high weight limit. Like I said my son still falls asleep in the car. It's pitiful to see him sleeping in a booster seat - he's all flopped over and contorted. When he sleeps in this, he looks perfectly comfy. The nice, soft covers are a plus, too (though they do come in some odd fabric choices as well).

Fourth - washability! You can take EVERYTHING off of this seat - cover, foam pad, straps, buckles - toss it in the washer on cold/delicate... then hang it to dry - it will look brand new. So spilled milk, a power barf, or a blown out diaper are no problem. (I think the manual may suggest washing the cover by hand and spot cleaning the straps but let's live in the real world here... I have washed my son's cover and straps many times and have had NO problems, and many other parents I have talked to have said the same. Hand washing takes time and spot cleaning is no match for the messes kids can make...)

There is one thing I do not like about this seat and that is the weird fabric wings on the straps. A lot of car seats have these and they seem to annoy a lot of kids. They used to be velcroed on so you could remove them easily but now they are sewn around the straps so now you have to remove the straps to slip them on and off. Probably saved Britax a buck or two to eighty-six the velcro.

Overall this is an awesome seat. The only reason I give it four stars instead of five is because of my feelings about the company.