We recently purchased this seat for our 5 month-old, specifically for long trips. It is installed rear-facing in the center of our '02 Jetta.
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br /Things we like about this seat:
br /1. It's big. We have a tall baby and this will hopefully last him through his toddler years.
br /2. Continuously adjustable shoulder-strap and headrest height. Just turn the knob. This is really my favorite feature, because the straps are never too high or two low, and it's easy to fix if he has a growth spurt.
br /3. Our child is happy riding in it for long trips.
br /4. Comes with strap cushions.
br /5. The manual is attached to the seat.
br /6. Extra body cushion removes when baby is a bit bigger, but helps "fill up" the seat right now.
br /7. Extra safety features.... of all the places to put extra money that may not be strictly necessary, a carseat is my choice.
br /8. Nice-looking, neutral without being boring, and soft fabric.
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br /Things we don't like:
br /1. It's big. It fits in our '02 Jetta (barely) but it was a struggle to get it there and the back seat is pretty unuseable for anyone else when it's in the middle, where it is safest. It does also fit behind the passenger seat, with some towels under it to get it level. It is taller than the front seats when installed. I'm also not sure it would really fit on a plane.
br /2. Difficult to get baby in and out between the seat sides, headrest, and body cushion. Adding the top tethers makes it virtually impossible.
br /3. Even more difficult to tighten the straps. I think this is mainly a question of angle when trying to pull them tight -- it's hard because the adjuster is so close to the seat of the car.
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br /Neutrals:
br /1. I have a feeling we will never use the recline feature. For one thing there's no room in the car.
br /2. The top tether-straps, a nice safety concept, make it even harder to get the child in and out as they come straight across a few inches above the sides of the seat in rear-facing use. Thus the temptation is to leave them off. I call this a neutral feature because I can't see how it would be any different on any other carseat.
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br /In summary, this is a good seat, and I can recommend it with some caveats about useability. However, after using both this and the Britax Roundabout, I wish we had bought two of those rather than splurging on this larger and more feature-laden seat.

My toddler at 25 months was 38 1/2" and 34 lbs. Her other convertible car seat went to 40 lbs 40". I wanted to keep her in a five point harness as long as possible. Now she should be in it until she is 6 or 7. She had no problem adjusting to the TSIP (True Side Impact Protection). They make nice pillows too. It is a big seat but is designed for a bigger child than the Roundabout (65lbs 49" vs 40 lbs 40"). It sits up high which allows her to see out the window very well. My toddler is forward facing. FYI at 48 lbs you have to go from latch to seat belt install.
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br /I also have one for my 5 month old. She loves it. She's been in it since 2 1/2 months no problem. The straps on her infant seat were falling off her shoulders (not quite ready for the top slots but too tall and skinny for the bottom). The insert is great. It keeps her straight, no slouching. She looks so cozy.
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br /The fabric is sooo nice. They installed easily in our 2005 Honda Odyssey. We have the tether on the rear facing attached to the base of the front seat and it appears to be ok but can get in the way. I think we may take it off.
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br /The only thing I don't like is the crotch strap has only one position. In the decathalon (which mother in law has 2 in her car) there are 3 positions. I agree the straps are hard to tighten. You have to get the angle right and use some force, but they don't budge and the velcro that holds them on the sides of the seat is cool!
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br /If you are tall then just buy one seat and go for the marathon, decathalon or boulevard. Because if you are as safety paranoid as I am you will be back to get it when your child is 2, 3, or 4. I would have saved myself $180 for each of the 2 other convertible seats I bought. Granted I could have used them for my infant but then in 1 1/2 years I'd be in the same boat and in my opinion Britax is the safest!
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br /PS We chose the Boulevard over the Husky (or whatever the new name is) because it is airline approved, a little smaller, and is ok for our infant. The husky is forward facing only and not airline approved, but goes up to maybe 80 lbs??

I am a car seat technician and have checked and installed a lot of car seats over the years. Britax has the market with regard to comfort, features and safety hands down. Really there isn't a better choice. I like this car seat and my daughter seems to enjoy being in it. A few things I don't like are:
br /The buckle seems very close to the child and it isn't adjustable. I have a four month old now and am using the pillow so maybe it will be better once the pillow is gone, but it seems pretty tight and I wonder if it feels ok once the straps are tightend.
br /I agree with other reviewers that the strap add on's do seem a little excessive and bulky at least with the 4 month old.
br /Not a big deal but the color wasn't as shown on Britax's website there is a lot of brown and beige, not my favorite but we will live with it since the safety benefits and features outweigh the Aesthetics.

We ended up getting Britax Boulevard after much research because it's the only seat in the market with true side impact protection, beside the Safeguard car seat ($$$).
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br /Pros:
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br /* Good front-crash rating, not excellent like the Roundabout (per Consumer reports).
br /* The only Britax 65 lb seat with true side impact protection.
br /* The harness is very easy to adjust and you don't need to uninstall the seat to change the shoulder height.
br /* Can be back-tethered to the base of the front seat with a special strap adaptor (included).
br /* Easy installation. It took 10-15 minutes to get it rock solid, and it took up a lot less room than expected due to it's design.
br /* It's approved for airline use although you can't wheel this one down the airplane aisle because of its width, like you can the Roundabout. I think it's too bulky to travel with.
br /* The wings are not too obtrusive and provide great head support for naps.
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br /Cons (more than I would like):
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br /* This is a rather big seat - It needs 31' for installation in the back seat. This fit easily in a Honda Accord.
br /* The harness is harder to tighten that with the Roundabout - a few short tugs usually does it though.
br /* This seat is a little on the shallow side. The seat is 6.5" inches deep without the padded infant insert, compared to 6" in for the Marathon and 7" for the Roundabout. The Decathalon has adjustable depth - the farthest out slot is 7".
br /* The harness release mechanism is easy to figure out. It's simply a metal tab that lifts with a flick of a finger, just like the Marathon's. If you tuck excess strap between the Britax and the seat it makes loosening the harness by a toddler impossible.
br /* This car seat had a recall in 2006 (the weight limit was lowered to 50 lbs tethered for the affected seats only) but I understand that the new seats have been fixed with a redesigned tether strap, so it's back to 65 lbs - just make sure it was manufactured after August 2006 (please refer to the recall info on the Britax website).
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br /All said, I was so happy after we installed it and didn't budge.
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br /UPDATE: Washing and reassembling Bouevard car seat is a nightmare! My baby threw up in the car and it is hand wash only, drip dry, do not machine wash dry or else. I washed it in Woolite in a large sink, then rolled it up in a towel to take out the excess water, and hung it up to dry. A day later, it was dry, but putting the car seat back together was like a puzzle. Unfortunately, the instructions just say "put cover back on" with no tips at all of how to do it without going nuts.
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br /The car seat has a headrest that's independent of the shell, with EPS foam lining that you have to be careful not to break. After many failed attempts, as the cover doesn't stretch and the headrest will break if you try to bend it, I realized that if you slide the cover gently over both wings at once (sort of like putting your pants on both legs at once), and then wrap the fabric cover around the top, it's easy and you won't break the headrest. I had a few tense moments thinking that Britax has to sell replacement parts, as the EPS foam is very easy to damage if not done this way (Huge hint to Britax - clearer instructions?) You have to put the headrest contraption on before putting the harness straps back into the shoulder slots - I forgot and had to redo the whole process.
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br /Threading the harness through the fabric cover was also nearly impossible. You're not supposed to remove the components of the harness, and you don't have to either. It's easy if you just take out the harness strap out from the top slot of the grey rubber holder (leaving it threaded through the bottom slot), enough to slide the chest clip up a little bit beyod the rubber part. Put each part individually through the fabric cover's slot (chest clip, rubber thingie folded in half lengthwise, buckle with the metal tip first). When you're done, you slide the chest clip down again on the strap and rethread the strap through the top slot of the rubber holder.
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br /Then you rethread the shoulder staps through the back, making sure the straps are not twisted and that it's well secured to the metal yoke.
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br /It takes about half an hour to reassemble properly. The cover came out fine without shrinking or fading. But I understand now why Britax sells replacement covers and why you shouldn't feed a baby before you put them in a car seat.
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br /Other than this it's a great car seat though. Just make sure you have another cover on hand if this is your only car seat!

After quite a bit of research, we decided on the Boulevard for our 5 month-old who, at 20 pounds, had outgrown her infant seat (the Groca SnugRide). It is big, but I drive a 2002 Honda CRV-EX and it fits just fine in the back on the passenger side, though the front passenger seat can't be slid back all the way now (due to the recline of the Boulevard). That's not too much of an issue though, as there is still plenty of leg room for the front passenger.
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br /As for the installation gripes, I can't comment one way or the other, as I simply went to my local fire department and had them install it for free. It took them a little while to get it in b/c they first tried to install it in the middle of the backseat but we decided not to leave it there as I have no LATCH connectors there and the seatbelt didn't get it secure enough. They then installed it on the passenger side and, to be fair, it did take one noodle (which they had on hand, luckily) to get it to sit right. However, it only took them about 5-10 minutes to get it installed and it is rock-solid!! I know not everyone has this option, but you should at least check into it...call your local fire department(s) and ask if they do installations (or at least checks)...most will be happy to do so. The two firemen that installed this seat were very nice and patient in getting it installed correctly.
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br /It took a day or two for both myself and my daughter to get used to the new seat...I missed the convenience of buckling her into her infant seat in the apartment and just snapping it in the car, but I never felt that it was as secure as the Boulevard is now. I also miss being able to carry her in the apartment/store/etc. sleeping in her carrier, rather than waking her up when I'm getting her out of the seat. Now that I've 'got the hang' of putting her in the seat, it's wonderful. Whenever we're in the car for more than 5 minutes, she's fast asleep. She looks much more comfortable now, probably b/c she is a big baby and the Boulevard is much roomier. I like the HUGS system and the belly pad that the Boulevard has, as the pad eliminates the possibility of me accidentally pinching her thighs when buckling the belt and the HUGS system distributes the strap force (or however that it best worded) and the coordinating 'strap guards' keep the straps from digging into her neck.
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br /Overall, I would definitely reccommend this seat to anyone looking for a good convertible car seat, especially those with larger than average babies (as it goes up to 65 pounds forward facing).

My child and I were recently in an accident, and from the combination of the automobile's safety features and this seat, the baby was not injured at all. I am definitely gettting this one again, as I have been lectured that the old one should not be re-used. The seat looks great, and although everything looks in place, I am not taking a chance on some part getting stresses that I cannot evaluate.
br / My husband and I even carried this seat on an airplane so our child could sit comfortably and in his own seat. This seat is large, and takes up a lot of room, but in the long run, absolutely worth every penny.

This child seat is great - installs much easier on LATCH systems than the Roundabout, the shoulder harnesses are easier to adjust, TSIP and Hugs system provides my daughter a much more comfortable ride.
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br /However, when my daughter turned 2, she figured out how to lift up the latch/ratchet system and completely loosen the straps to the point where she could remove her arms and lean forward. She's still secured by the belt buckle but she is free to move her upper body, which isn't safe at all.
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br /I am not sure why Britax hasn't addressed this, but for long trips I have to replace the Boulevard with the Roundabout, which has a button that makes it more difficult for my daughter to loosen the straps. Otherwise, I'm constantly pulling over on the road and re-tightening the straps.
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br /I will be calling the Britax customer service to see if they have a way to prevent this from happening...
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br /9/17 UPDATE: I finally received an "Adjuster Training Kit" to address this flaw in the Boulevard design. The kit is basically a small plastic piece that covers the rather large, accessible hole to the adjuster strap. The plastic part snaps in place and is secured by a piece of velcro that they give you (they also give you an alcohol wipe to help clean the plastic before you secure the self-adhesive velcro strap in place). The instructions are a little hard to follow because it's a black-and-white photo copy and the pictures are a bit difficult to make out. However, the kit itself does the trick and my 2 year old can no longer loosen the straps at will. The adjuster strap is a little more difficult for adults to loosen because now you have to stick your finger in a much small hole to loosen the adjuster, but it's well worth it now.

I got this car seat for my 10 month old daughter. I was concerned that it would be too large for my car (I have a Honda Civic), but it fit just fine. Rear-facing you would need to put in the center of the back seat, so if you have 2 kids, you would have to put the seats up further, but if you are short, that will likely not be an issue. I had it installed at the fire station and it fit in perfectly -- he installed it in minutes and did NOT need any foam pieces to make it fit properly! It was a perfect fit on its own.
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br /Pros:
br /1. it is the best car seat you can get!
br /2. has side impact protection -- also makes a good headrest when baby falls asleep
br /3. the adjust knob for the harness is awesome to adjust especially over large coats
br /4. the seat is very well cushioned, soft fabric
br /5. fits fine a small car even rear facing (I have a Civic)
br /6. it's heavy so its not going anywhere!
br /7. works for up to 65 pounds, so we will get a lot of use out of the seat
br /8. she loves it!
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br /Cons:
br /1. it is large/heavy (though it is staying in my car so heavy is not a problem)
br /2. the strap to tighted the harness is a little tough to pull tight on a smaller child, but you need to pull straight out and not up
br /3. it is expensive
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br /I highly recommend this seat (we have the Onyx fabric). It is large, heavy and expensive, but it is the best!! I had buyer's remorse for a few minutes, but I figured it is the best seat on the market right now and $300 is a small price to pay for protecting my daughter. I did a lot of research before buying and felt confident in my decision and in the seat! Very pleased with this seat! Also, please make sure you get your seat installed by a certified technician (Check with your local Children's Hospital). Improperly installed car seats and improper use of car seats is the leading cause of death among children and infants. Something very easy to prevent!

I purchased this seat for my son who is almost one year old and was outgrowing his infant seat. I want him to stay rear facing for a while longer since that is a safer alternative and this seat allows for rear facing until 33 lbs. The fabric is very soft and the colors are great. The seat is installed in the backseat behind the passenger seat and there is still room for the passenger to sit (05 Honda CRV). My son seems very comfortable in this seat, the side impact wings are like pillows for him where he can rest his head. The wings are not in his way of looking out the window or at his friend in her car seat (Evenflo Triumph) when riding with us.

We have used a Decathlon for our 21 month old son for the past 1 1/2 years. Yesterday, after our Stroller Strides class, we were loading up, and the harness adjustment broke as I was tightening the harness. Up until this point, we have had no problems with the Decathlon. I was surprised that such a top of the line seat would up and break on us. We drove immediately to Safe and Secure Baby, here locally, and were told that the seat was broken and it was a manufacturing problem. This morning, I called Britax and they are sending me a new car seat along with a return shipping label to return to them my broken Decathlon, even though our one year warranty expired five months ago. Now, that is good customer service! Needing a car seat immediately, we purchased a Boulevard yesterday, and am completely happy with it. Initially, I was concerned about the "crotch strap" as noted earlier, but it doesn't matter, because the maximum length of the "crotch strap" on the Boulevard is the same as the maximum on the Decathlon. So, I don't know why she was concerned about her son outgrowing the car seat. He will outgrow them at the same rate - since the crotch strap maximum is the same.
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br /I was SOLD on the Boulevard when I was asked, "If you were in a car accident, would you rather have your son's face hit the side impact protection (on the Boulevard) or the window (on the Decathlon)". I didn't realize, when in an accident, the car seat (any car seat) can move quite a distance. Then, I was concerned that my son may fuss over the slightly more limited view when using the Boulevard with SIP. But, it hasn't affected him one bit. He didn't care at all, and it made a nice head rest for him when he napped off in the car today. Britax is replacing our broken Decathlon with a Boulevard. It's worth every penny! and comes with great customer service from Britax, too. FIVE STARS FOR THE BOULEVARD.

I will never use another car seat. I have a five year old and a 10 month old. I used a standard mid priced car seat for my son when he was an infant. I can't believe how much a diference an extra $50.00 makes. It is so soft, comfortable and easy to install. I don't worry about her being too tight or too loose due to the east strap adjust system. No more having to take the car seat out of the car to adjust the straps. Its just a roll of the nob away.. Love it!!!
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I love this car seat for the most part, it is very plush and fits my Baby well. I like the recline angle when it is rear facing so she can still nap and the instalation is a snap with the latch system. I also love the added safety of the Side impact protection. The reason I gave it four insted of five stars is that I think the buckle sits too low and there seems to be no way of adjusting it. I also think the chest buckle has just too much too it, with the pads, and the rubber adjusters as well as the buckle, seems a little overenginiered. All in all though I love this seat.

This car seat is by far the best. We started off with one of the Graco stroller/car seat combos. We loved it because we could easily take the car seat around with us. When our daughter outgrew that carseat we researched almost all carseats available. We found that this one was rated the best. Upon receiving the car seat, we were first impressed by the sheer size of the thing. It wasn't bendable like our graco carseat was (the plastic parts). It's well padded and very cushion-y. Our daughter sleeps and plays very well in it on long trips. We are also impressed by the side impact protection. The wings grow with your child. We love this car seat.
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br /Also, a side note, we own a Honda Civic. We put the car seat, rear facing, in the middle of the back seat. It fits. BUT, it definitely wouldn't fit behind the driver or passenger's side. We are moving up to a mini-van since we are expecting our next child. We are purchasing another Boulevard for our newborn because we are confident it will protect the best.
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I bought this carseat about a month ago. I am using it now for my 4 months old 97 percentile baby. She was too big for regular baby carrier car seat (just like a fat girl inside a tiny tub). Boulevard Convertible Car Seat is a big car seat but super comfortable with many cushions on it. The best thing is the adjustable head rest, which my daughter can sleep without shifting her head around. It is easy to install. It is a top of the line car seat and you pay for what you get. I am highly recommend this car seat to all the parents.
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After doing a lot of research on convertible car seats, we decided to go with this and do not regret it one bit! Our son is very comfortable in it and can see out the window, despite the side wings. It is roomy and the pads allow for ample adjustments. Britax has made a truly quality item that is durable and easy to maneuver, not to mention the safety that is considered priceless. I would definitely recommend this car seat!

This is the cadillac of car seats. I researched all the Britax (never considered the other brands, really) and this is the one that was it for me. All of the engineering that went into designing this little gem, is well-worth the $$ and gives this mom a peace of mind. Also, its TSIP (True Side Impact Protection) was very important in my decision to purchase this.
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br /One note! This is not an easy car seat to install. That said, you should ALWAYS have your car seat professionally installed at a local police station, highway patrol, or fire station. Find one in your area and please DO NOT install car seats yourself...leave it to the pros :)

This is our second Britax car seat with the side impact protection and our 11 month old absolutely loves it. The wings not only provide protection but a great place to put a snoozing head. It is easy to install with latch system. It is a little awkward to get our daughter into the seat in its rear facing mode....but the safety and all other positive attributes easily outweigh this. Once we turn it around forward facing this will be much easier.
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br /Thanks to Britax for making this fine product.

My son is 15 months old now and he had this car seat ever since he was one year old. I remember the first time he ride in the seat, he was bouncing like a monkey. The ride was about 45 minutes and he was so excited. All in all, this car seat is a good investment even though it is quite expensive for a little baby. Yet, with the comfortness and safety, I think it is well worth it. The additional side protection, my son use it as headrest on the side when he felt asleep. It did not bother him at all. The head adjustment and straps are very easy to use. No sweat!!! The car seat itself is a bit bulky and heavy, but I put it on the side next to the window to make an additional seat space in the back. I can see him thru my back mirror. With this grey stripe color is perfect for boy and girl. I just love this product. I hope the expecting parent out there, do not hestitate to add this one on your registry. The only down side I found in this product is the front has no protection, especially the baby tend to fall asleep in the car and their neck and head tend to lead forward. This might injured the baby's neck in long run.

My son hates being restricted and absolutely hated his infant car seat. He still doesn't love to be restricted in the Boulevard but he complains MUCH less. I almost didn't buy this seat because I was afraid the side wings would bother my very curious child but they don't at all. And I wanted it in the first place because of the side impact protection the wings provide. Overall, this seat is cushy, easy to use and fits perfectly in my honda accord. My only complaint is I wish they would make the buckle between the legs longer.

I just bought this carseat (in Mosaic pattern) for my Four year old daughter who is 36lbs and 39 1/2 inches. She loves it and even goes out to the garage to play in it! I felt she was getting too tall for her Evenflo and I wasn't comfortable with the idea of a belt positioning booster which is the least safe carseat option. Just about anything you might read about carseat safety will tell you that your child should be in a five point harness as long as possible.
br /I only gave this seat four stars due to the one position only crotch strap and I had a problem with the top tether twisting when adjusted and also a little difficult to tighten compared to other top tethers.
br /I have an '01 Pontiac Grand Prix and the seat fits nicely behind the passenger seat. I have no idea if it would work rear facing in that position. My car does not have LATCH and the built in lock offs secure the seat using the seatbelt just as tightly as my other car seat was using a mighty tite. I am very particular about carseat installation and do not like my carseats to budge. Supposedly a carseat is in tightly enought if it cannot be moved more than one inch in any direction. I disagree and feel that the seat shouldn't move at all.
br /The wings on this seat serve as a nice pillow and my daughter's head doesn't flop down to her chest when sleeping like in her other seat. The harness height adjuster is also great and elminates the pain of re-threading straps every time your child grows.
br /I only wish this seat had been available four years ago when I first needed a convertible seat.
br /Overall, definetly worth the money especially for babies who have just outgrown their infant seats and will use this seat for years to come. You can get lucky and find cheaper prices on NEW (never buy a used carseat) on e-bay from wholesalers. Different patterns are also available.
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br /GOOD LUCK and happy shopping!!!!!

This is a very good looking car seat. It would be great for a boy or a girl. The knob harness adjustment is worth it's weight in gold and I wish all car seats came with one. No longer do you have the weird phase where they are too tall for one slot but too short for the next. It also gives me piece of mind knowing that there is side impact protection in the wings. I drive a small car and have two children so both seats are out board. I like knowing that my daughter is a little bit safer. You really can't go wrong with any of the Britax convertibles. They are soft and plush, easy to install, and will last for many years.

I purchased this seat for my son who just turned 2. He is very big for his age (35 pounds), however, he is not mature enough for a booster seat. I liked that this was safety rated for up to 65 pounds, as I know my son will need to be buckled in for a long time yet. Anyhow, the seat is way heavy, which I liked. It looked and felt very safe. I installed it into my very small car and it fit okay. I raised the head-rest as high as it would go (since at the highest setting a child should be able to use until the top of their ears are at the top of the head-rest) and at that setting the head rest was about 2 inches from my roof. Not a huge problem since I am planning on buying a roomier car this fall. The seat was very easy to install and adjust. The crotch strap was too short and too close and my son was pretty much sitting on top of it. I had a friend of mine try it with her son who is a year older than mine (my son cannot talk and has a high tolerance for pain) and he said that it hurts his wee wee to sit in it. I sold it on ebay and bought the Marathon instead. I really liked the side impact protection. That was the reason I had purchased this instead of the Marathon to begin with. The seat sits up high, so my son really liked that. He did not have a problem with the wings blocking his view. Anyhow, I believe this seat would be great for an infant, however, it is not very comfortable for toddlers.

After doing a lot of research on the safest car seats on the market we decided on Britax. We purchased 2 Britax Boulevard seats for our cars. It's easy to install use on a daily basis. I feel my son is as safe as he can be in this seat. No complaints here, well worth the money! I would highly recommend this car seat to anyone.

We purchased the Britax Boulevard in September 2007. My husband and I love the pattern and texture of the cover. Prior to this car seat, we had the Britax Companion, which we loved for it's safety rating and design, but never liked the feel of the cover or how hot it made our son when he sat in it for a long time. This seat is wonderful!
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br /We tried a couple of other well rated, less expensive car seats before choosing this one, but none of them fit well in either of our vehicles and they were more difficult to use. The Boulevard is easy to install, even in our '02 Pathfinder which doesn't have LATCH.
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br /We really like the top tether which can be attached to the base of the front seat. The seat was already extremely secure without it, but it gives us peace of mind that the seat won't fold up against the backseat in a crash. None of the other non-Britax models we tried had this feature.
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br /My husband has the Marathon in the center rear position in his truck. I got them both on sale, so I splurged for the Boulevard. The Boulevard is in the side rear position in my car, so I felt better about having the side impact wings next to the window. Maybe that's stupid, but I feel better about it. The shoulder straps are so easy to adjust by turning the knobs. It's nice because he doesn't always sit as tall in the seat adn I can make an necessary adjustments on the fly without having to take anything apart.
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br /Our 9 month old sits and sleeps peacefully in the seat, doesn't get overheated and has plenty of room. I've read other articles in which people talk about the crotch strap being too short. If you're used to the long length of the strap on the Companion, this one is definitely shorter. Our little boy seems quite comfortable though. I can see the benefit of the strap being a little longer, but it works.
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br /As with the other Britax models, tightening the shoulder straps does take a little getting used to in rear-facing mode, but you do get used to it. It's well worth it to have the safety, ease of use, and comfort of this seat. It's easier to pull up on the lever to loosen the straps on the Boulevard than it is on the Marathon, so I like that the tightening strap fits neatly under the little flap, away from curious hands. Our son plays with the strap when he's in the Marathon, but I don't think he could ever get it loose. It's pretty darn tight.
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br /Anyway, I would highly recommend any of the products in the Britax line. We've had three of them now and we've been happy with all of them.

This car seat is well worth the price. It is SO EASY to install, especially if you have the LATCH system. I installed it myself and it isn't moving an inch either way. With our old seat, it took two of us and multiple tries to get it tight enough. The seat is so soft and my fifteen month old seems so comfortable and I am comforted knowing that this seat has the most up-to-date features available.

I had the Britax Companion Infant Carrier and loved it. It was safe and felt so sturdy and secure, much more than the Graco or even the Peg Perego carriers or some of the others out there. When it was time to look for a bigger seat I went directly to Britax and found the Boulevard. The Boulevard has the same side impact safety features as the Companion. The thing is HEAVY! I just feel like my son is so safe riding in it.
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br /The best feature by far on this seat besides the safety features is the straps and side impact head rest. It moves by just rolling a knob in the back. You don't have to mess with taking the whole thing apart just to adjust the straps.
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br /I haven't had to take it apart to clean yet so I can't comment on that but it looks pretty easy.
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br /All in all I couldn't imagine having anything other than a Britax! I even went out and got the booster for my older son!

This is very nice car seat, big and comfortable for children.But only draw back is children can't see outside due to True Side Impact Protection.
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br /My baby is really happy with this car seat and no need to compare with other car seats since it is very safe for the baby.

We bought this car seat when our little one outgrew her portable one. It is a good, sturdy carseat and it is easy to use. (unlike the carseat in our other car) However with all of the padding it is impossible to clean when she gets any food or toys stuck in it. We ended up buying a carseat cover and now it works great!

We love this seat! We liked this so much, we bought another one for our second child and will be purchasing a third one for our new baby. My kids were in this seat by 3 months old. It is easy to install, easy to latch and looks so comfortable for my kids. They usually fall fast asleep in them. After reading the consumer reports and seeing how safe these seats are, I recommended this seat to all of my friends. Everyone seems very happy with their decision to purchase this seat. You spend a little more money but I feel like my kids are really safe.

I purchased this because Britax had the side impact protection and I love our ROundabout. The seat fit nicely in our SUV and was very secure... my husband couldn't budge it. I loved how the shoulder adjustment was at the twist of a knob. The True Side Impact Protection did not bother my son and he could see just fine.
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br /But, when driving with my son, 2, I noticed that he was sitting funny. When I looked back, he had one finger on one pull front harness adjuster and was letting out all the slack in the harness. How safe could the seat be if a 2 year old uses one finger to get out?
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br /Shame on Britax for not knowing better! I am going to try the Decathalon too.

We own 5 Britax seats and have been happy with all of them, but this one really is a step above the others. The side head protection is nice for your kid to take a nap with (no more dangling head), and it allows you to adjust the proper strap height without taking the seat out. This is nice if you use the seat for two different kids that are not the same size. The adjustment is a little too slow in movement, like other's have said.
br /The materials used are also nicer than the other Britax we have.
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br /The only down side is it is a little difficult for them to see out the side- they have to lean forward a little and it's a pretty big seat, but no more so than a Decathalon.

Strongly suggest you go in the retail store and see and test this in your car before buying.
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br /Also the head rest is not removeable.. the design is such that the baby will struggle to see side-ways and being the curious babies they are, that could be irritating.
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br /we returned this one, tried decathlon, that has no side-bars so very tough to stabilise and hence returned that and went with the Marathon..

When you tether the seat rear facing--
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br /Do NOT under any circumstances tether it to the tether for that seating position. That tether anchor is for FORWARD facing ONLY. Doing this will not prevent rebound which is what the rear facing tether is designed to do.
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br /To tether rear facing you will need to find a non moving part--like the front seat track and use the D-ring attachment that came with the seat. This is an example of why it is important to READ the instruction manual that came with the seat.
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br /There are many car seat dedicated message boards on the internet such as www.car-seat.org to help. Also don't forget to get your seat checked by a tech.

We have purchased Britax car seats in the past, and this is the best one yet. It is heavy when moving, but is well worth it due to the added protection.

After hearing what everyone says about Britax I feel that I need to urge people to do their research instead of listening to biased and/or uninformed people that act like they know what they're talking about. I have researched carseats for weeks now. I want a britax because everyone says they are the safest. BUT...they is no research showing that it is. the only published crash test is on consumer reports and the results are not the greatest! Now, I know you may think, "oh, but they recently pulled their reviews because...", but not only were the poorly designed studies that were pulled on infant seats, not the other types of car seats, but also they were pulled because they were subjecting the seats to crashes higher than stated, to crashes of 70mph...In which case, I'd rather have a seat that with stood that test!!! And as far as them being up to "european standards" like they love to brag about, that has nothing to do with the US seats. the US has different regulations on seats here. So a seat that has the exact same name in the US may not be the exact same seat that is sold in europe. Sadly, some of the additional safety features on the seats there have not yet been accepted here and so the seat is made to pass US regulations, sometimes making it a less safe seat. So, where does all this research claiming britax is the safest seat come from???? As far as I can find, it comes from britax themselves, sales people and stores who use that false info to easily sell the most expensive seat, and uninformed people passing on "what they heard" and now claim as "fact"!!! I really wanted to get a britax, but I simply could not find anything to confirm their safety, and only found ratings that state otherwise. (this is in exception to the ease of use rating, which I agree is important) and for those interested, the evenflo triumph V got the top ratings on consumer reports.

I own a Saturn SC1...yes, a small car. However, I was able to fit my Graco Snugride in it with no issues, except no passengers could fit in the front seat bc of the recline of the carseat. I got used to this and was even willing to do this with my great new Britax seat. HOWEVER, I jusy spent 2 frustrating hours trying to install this annoying seat that is all great if you have a car that doesn't have BUCKET seats (took SEVEN noddles to get it to sit properly and a no slip kitchen cabinet liner strip to keep the base in place)! The size of the car doesn't seem to be the issue...it's the seat and all it's upposed great features. This seat would be awesome in a car that had perfectly flat seats with the latch system! I on the otherhand, have the tether system. I read the instruction manual front to back and started the install (even though I've been thru 3 sessions with the EMS station locally to learn how to properly install my other seat and had ZERO problems!). The instruction inform you to simply pull the tether bag up for use later, I did this. After doing, undoing, doing, and doing the belt to get it perfectly fit with base, belt, etc. I went to take the tether out and attach it....well, to mt surprise the tether CLIP is all the way under the seat bc it doesn't explain to make sure the CLIP is loose and free before installing the lap belt portion! SOOOOO, I gave up till tomorrow bc my hands hurt and I had broken ALL my nails trying to just get the belt installed. I think the issue with carseats is that they don't accomodate for the bucket seats. I realize I have everything going against me with my style of car, but come on...Graco wasn't this much of a problem. For the price of this seat I thought it would install itself! I got my Graco installed alone several times (for practice) even at 8.5 months preggers and I can't even install this thing with no gut! Save your money unless you have a beast to put this thing in, with flat seats, middle seat available, and lots o' room and PATIENCE! I gave it 3 stars bc I hope it will be better in my other car, but I ran out of patience to try it! I didn't even bother rear facing it bc it was even more of an issue. Lets just hope my dd actually likes this seat! Good luck if you spend this kind of money!