I bought the Marathon after having used two Roundabouts for my older sons. I had been very pleased with the Roundabout and used them until my sons were almost 4. They loved them, easy to use, and they always fell asleep in them. Worth every penny.
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br /The Marathon is a total joke and has a huge design flaw to it - the buckle is too close to the crotch/back of the seat, so there's no way that it could accomodate a 65 or even 25 lb child. I'm so disappointed in Britax for making the Marathon and hawking it as better than the Roundabout. It's not even as plush or padded as the Roundabout. And it was way too big for my minivan!
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br /Stick with a good investment and a solid, long-term winner, the Roundabout. I know I'll have it for many more years and get good resale on it like I did the other ones. And the sales cleark at BRU said that they see too many returns on the Marathon because it doesn't fit babies' crotches and it doesn't fit most cars/vans.

Ok, I LOVE MY BRITAX!! My daughter and I were in a six car pile up and my SUV was totaled!! My 20mo old daughter came out with out a scratch on her, she didn't even act like she was sore the next couple of days. No bruising from straps, nothing! Praise GOD! State Farm has already cut me a check for my car seat (always save your receipts) and I plan on upgrading my Roundabout to the next size up because my little girl is in the 95% in her height and I think she may outgrow the Roundabout before she is 40lbs. I will ALWAYS use BRITAX products from now on! I've had to use an Evenflo carseat the last couple of days and it's going in the trash because I can't get the straps secure and it's sooo much harder to use than my old Roundabout. I just don't feel safe with her in the Evenflo seat.

I own 2 Roundabouts and cannot say enough positive things about the style, quality, safety and comfort of the Britax Roundabout. My 3 year old son has been using this seat since he was a year old. You defnitely get your money's worth from this seat. I have never had any prolems with it, and it works well with either the tether, latch and/or car seat belt. My son never complains about it and loves that he can easily see out of the windows as we drive.
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br /I will need to replace the seats soon as my son will be 40 pounds, but the 3 years that I got from the seats were well worth the $400 that I spent. I will now have to shell out $259 for a each of the new Britax Seats, but my son is more than worth it. My advise is to purchase the Marathon or Boulevard from the beginning, the extra $60 or $80 you pay now will save you quadruple that a few years from now. The more expensive Britax seats will last much longer than the Roundabout, as they go up to 65 and not 40 pounds.
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br /My only negative about the seat would be that of the size, it sits very high, and in small cars there is the chance of the child bumbing their head when entering and exiting the seat.
br /For me no other company surpasses Britax in style, comfort, quality and saftey. A great value for your money.
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br /Side bar... combine the installation of the seat with a "Mighty Tight" and you do not have to worry about securing it tightly if your car does not have a latch system.

I own the Boulevard too, and I love them both. This one is not as bulky as the Boulevard, so it's in Daddy's truck. The fabric is very soft and plush. Very easy to install. Easy to maneuver infant in and out of. I really like the velcro tabs that hold the straps out of the way while you put your child in the car seat. It also has a nice recline feature that allows you to adjust according to rear facing or forward facing. I highly recommend this product. This particular design offers a variety of fabrics or replacement covers that can be ordered separately.

We own both the Roundabout the Marathon. We use the Roundabout for travel as it is smaller for airplane seats. We are extremely happy with the Marathon. It has great plush material and our son loves to be in it. If we had known that the Marathon was a bit bigger we would have just got the Roundabout. But overall this is a fantastic seat.

I bought this car seat last year for my daughter when she turned one. I have had no problems what so ever and am extremely satisfied. My daughter is slim and never did I have any problems with the strap not fitting her correctly. I guess some people have had problems with this, maybe they just did not know how to do it the correct way. It is different than most seats as none of my friends took her out or put her in correctly. I always had to show them. This seat is so comfortable and soft. My daughter has never had any problems and never fusses when she has to go somewhere. Also it is by far the easiest car seat to put in I have seen. The latch is the best!

i'm so bummed that this carseat is not the quality i expected and hoped it would be. we bought this for our 14 month old son because of the rave reviews and tons of personal recommendations. while very comfy and fits tightly in the vehicle, the restraint system has a huge problem. the lap belt goes on my sons upper thighs, not his hips! if we were to get in an accident this could cause dislocation of his legs. like my husband says "it's just basic physics". i can't believe this seat is considered the *best* and i've only read one other review that mentioned this problem. nonetheless, i'm am taking it back tomorrow. we will test the marathon to see if it is a different restraint system, but if not, we will have to find something else. again though, it baffles me that no one else has mentioned this problem!!!!!

This car seat is the best! Not only are its safety features superb, it is so comfortable for the baby. This fabric is so soft, and all the extra padding is so nice. The seat fits well in my car and is easy to install. I love this seat!

We started shopping for our first convertible car seat when our oldest, now 3 1/2, was 1 year old. We initially tried out two other car seat brands, but we returned them right away because they both felt hard, uncomfortable, and flimsy, and the thin, little harness straps twisted constantly. I had read the great reviews about the Roundabout, but we were apprehensive about spending so much money on a seat. However, after trying those other brands, we decided that a car seat is really one baby product on which it is not worth skimping. Children's safety is definitely an absolute priority (Britax seats are built VERY well), and comfort is also important since children spend so much time in them (the Roundabout is so cushiony and plush). We ended up purchasing two Roundabouts, one for each vehicle, and are very glad that we did. They fit very well in our vehicles (Accord sedan and Odyssey minivan), first rear-facing and now forward-facing. Our son really loves his seat, seems very comfortable, and never complains about riding in it, even during long road trips. It's a great purchase that's worth the extra money!

I BOUGHT THIS FOR MY LITTLE NEPHEW, HE IS LOVING IT....VERY EASY TO INSTALL, COMFORTABLE AND SAFE FOR THAT LITTLE GUY.

We have the Roundabout for our son and I love it! The seat is so secure and the latch system couldn't be easier.
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br /The adjustable straps are a great feature! I cannot say enough good things about this carseat!

My daughter loves this seat - plain and simple. It's easy to install securely in almost any vehicle, and getting her in an out is a breeze. We love the design and ease of use - long straps with plenty of slack and the buckle pad around the leg area (lower buckles) that protect the baby from getting pinched or uncomfortable from the tight straps.
br /This is a perfect buy for us that I'd recommend to anyone looking to upgrade from a baby/infant seat. She certainly loves resting in it or taking in all the sights as we drive along.

We love this car seat. It is durable, plush, good quality and appeard very comfortable.

My son who is 2 1/2 has one that he has always loved. Now that it is time for my son who is almost 1 to get a new seat, I did a lot of research wondering if I really had to spend the money on another Britax. After much research and buying a different brand, I purchased another roundabout. It is red. Love it.

This is a great car seat-- it's comfortable, easy to clean (washine washable cover), easy to adjust, and most important...safe. It allows you to keep your child rear facing longer than the typical seat. Rear facing is safest in crash tests, even for children past a year old. It can also be used up to 40 lbs., which is also a safety plus-- a lot of cheaper ones can't be used past 30-35 lbs, and then you have to go to a booster style seat, which is really not safe for young toddlers because it doesn't have the cradling structure of a full car seat. True, it costs a little more...but it's worth it for the precious cargo it's protecting!

i bought this carseat when my daughter was 6 months old to replace a carseat we had been using for a little over a month. The one we were using before was to tight around her arms and hated being in the car. But this seat is wonderful, light, easy to install and very comfortable. She likes being in the car a little better now. I would suggest before buying anything, that you go to the store and try the seat out. This was our second carseat purchase and I wish I would have bought it in the first place.

I purchased this car seat for my 6 month old son, based on reviews online and saftey tests. The car seat is beautiful, very plush and roomy, however, the crouch strap is too short making the leg straps too tight and they cut across my son's upper thighs. He is average height and weight and I do not understand how this isn't a problem for more buyers. The only way to prevent this problem is to loosen the straps and that is not an option because if the straps are not secure there is not protection in an accident. Needless to say I returned this seat and purchased a different brand. I would recommend to anyone considering this seat, go to a Target store, use the display model, put your child in the seat and adjust the straps to fit, just to make sure you do not encounter the same problem.

We have 4-yr-old twins and owned 4 Roundabouts for over 3 years. This is an excellent product: comfortable, solid and versatile. We've used ours forward-facing and backward, with and without LATCH, in large cars (Volvo V70 wagon) and small (Honda Civic). The seats have been easy to install and use in every setting. We've also taken the Roundabout on board aircraft and our son (then 9 mos old) slept most of the time. Can't recommend them strongly enough. A little extra money, OK, but you will not need (or want) to buy another seat for years to come.

If you have a new baby, don't mess around with car seats and try to save a few bucks. Britax is the best one out there. The Roundabout is the best value and the easiest to install. Pay a few bucks more and save yourself years of headache!

My twin sons are 5 months old, and this is the only seat they have ever used (as well as my 24 month old daughter)
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br /Take it from me, its easier (and cheaper!) to purchase a convertable from the beggining. This means you dont have to transition to the change of removible carrier to large convertable, and babies are usually much safer in the convertables. It also saves you money since you have one less carseat to buy, and maybe one less stroller to buy (doesnt have to hold the carrier). I think its similar to if you think you should train a boy to sit on the potty and THAN to stand, or if you would rather it be less confusing and teach them to stand from the beggining... If you want to have the few conviniences over the economical choice, than go for a carrier... Basically this seat works WONDERS from the VERY BEGGINING, (of course you need to purchase head support and stuff)
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br /I love that the carseat is easy to install into my mini van, two in the second row, one seat down and my daughters in the back. I also love that they are easy to move from car to car and are safe with the LATCH or not, they are just terrific! Its really easy to strap them in since theres velcro on the sides to "attatch" the harness onto, taking it out of the way, but this velcro doesnt irritate the babies. The harness is a five-point (not regulated on some carriers, I am not sure about convertables though) and is VERY comfortable and secure. Even with my premies the straps stay put and dont slide off of their shoulders, niether does my daughters. I also love the ease of adjusting for the weather, if baby has a heavy jacket on you can turn a knob and extend the width to fit them. But adjusting the hieght settings of the harness takes removing the cover to do, but who does that too much anyway? I LOVE the plush fabric, its comfortable and hugs my children. It keeps them warm in the winter, yet allows air to flow through in the summer. Its easy to wipe up small spills, or take it off to wash it in the washing machine. Its very durable and hasnt shown any signs of wear, it also comes in a variety of patterns and colors for whatever your tastes are. The seat reqlines well for rearfacing, and its easy to do and you DONT need a pool noodle or a papertowel roll like in some carseats (very dangerous). I love that the carseat can hold many sized children, and sits them up high enough to see out the windows and arent too big to fit all of them in my Mini Van or my husbands Explorer. For an average car you could definatly fit two and be able to have an extra seat in the back, or fit all three and only allow a passenger in the front.
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br /I love our seats, they are great for all ages, although they can only hold 45 lbs, as opposed to the Marathons 60 lbs. I love them, easy to use and have the famous and safe Britax name.
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I just looked at this car seat tonight and I didn't buy it because of the short length of the buckle strap that goes between the legs. It is too short which would cause the hip straps to go across the legs/hip sockets instead of across the hip bones as recommended. I agree with Christina H. How can this possibly pass NTSB inspection? If anyone knows - boy would I like to hear it!!!!!