This 
Britax Marathon 70 Installation Review is a continuation of review Part I and Part II. The Britax Marathon 70, Boulevard 70, Boulevard 70 CS (Click & Safe), Advocate 70 CS and the Roundabout 55 are the all new Britax convertible carseat line.
Installation comments in 2005 Ford Freestar minivan (middle row captain’s chair) with LATCH:
The Good News – Everything! The seat practically installs itself, both rear-facing or forward-facing, if you’re using the LATCH system. Unless otherwise specified by your vehicle manufacturer – you can use the lower LATCH anchors until your child reaches 40 lbs, then you must switch to a seatbelt install. Many vehicle manufacturers allow the LATCH system to be used up to 48 lbs so check your vehicle owners manual for guidance. Britax recommends that the tether be used at all times. If using LATCH in a center seating position that doesn’t have dedicated lower anchors – you can use the lower LATCH attachments on the Marathon 70 if the spacing between those lower anchors is 20″ or less and the vehicle manufacturer allows it. The “Non-Handed” lower anchor attachments on the MA70 allow you to easily switch the connectors from the rear-facing to the forward-facing orientation. You just slide the straps back and forth along the metal bar and attach them to the lower LATCH anchors! No more “switching” the LATCH connectors like you had to do on the original Marathon model.
Now the big question: How much room does the new MA70 take up in the rear-facing position?
I’m happy to report that it actually takes up LESS room than the original Marathon model! Here are comparison pics of the Decathlon (similar shell to the original MA) installed in the captain’s chair of my van, then the MA70 installed with the level line level to the ground (the level line is the mid-point between the recommended 30-45 degree angle range allowed), and installed again with a single pool noodle to get it closer to the 45 degree recline that you would want for a newborn.
Needless to say, installation with LATCH in the captain’s chair of my van was as easy as possible and I was happy to see that that much hadn’t changed. The original Britax convertible models were well-known for their ease of installation. The rear-facing install took a little longer only because I had to find a place to attach the tether connector strap to tether the seat Swedish style.
Since I already had the seat installed at a recline angle appropriate for a newborn – I put my 20″ newborn-sized doll in the seat to see how it looked. This doll is about the size of a “big” newborn. Harness fit with the doll (without the newborn insert that can be ordered separately from Britax) wasn’t too bad. I used the body insert pillow that came with the seat but removed the belly pad and the harness strap covers because stuff like that just tends to get in the way with a smaller baby. You can see that the harness straps were still a bit over the shoulders but the fit was acceptable in my opinion. If this were a real newborn baby, I would probably recommend removing the rubber HUGS pads on the harness as well. The HUGS pads are optional when the seat is being used rear-facing but they are mandatory for forward-facing use.
Next up, installation in my husband’s 2000 Honda Accord. This vehicle has top tether anchors but no lower LATCH anchors so I had to use the lap/shoulder seatbelt to install the MA70 in this vehicle. The good news here was that the seat fit just fine in the rear-facing position even with the driver’s seat pushed all the way back. As long as you don’t need a 45 degree recline for a newborn – there was plenty of room to fit this seat. The bad news was that the new lock-offs (both rear-facing and forward-facing) gave me a hard time. You have to clamp them shut while there is still slack in the seatbelt and then attempt to pull all the slack out of the belt thru the closed lock-off. I found this to be counter-intuitive as well as counter-productive. Unfortunately, there is no way around this since the lock-off won’t shut if the belt is “pre-tensioned”. The good news regarding the bad news is that the lock-offs are optional if your vehicle seatbelt can be locked (locking latchplate, switchable retractor, etc). In the end, I was able to get better, tighter installs both rear-facing and forward-facing by bypassing the lock-offs and just locking my seatbelt using the switchable retractor.
Here is a video demonstrating rear-facing installation with lap/shoulder seatbelt using the lock-offs:
Yup, he’s tall 🙂 At one year, he outgrew by standing height; he’ll be four at the end of this month, and he’s almost outgrown it by seated height. (We actually had an infant SafeSeat, which it turns out to have the same RF height limit.) He’ll be getting a Frontier as a birthday gift from his grandparents!
Looking here (http://www.britax.ca/car-seats/marathon-65/product-demo), it seems that the seated and standing heights have the same upper maximum for both RF and FF. Is this really correct??
Awesome! Thank you for the reply! I just ordered my Marathon! 🙂
Hi Angela, the crotch strap issue has been resolved with a 2nd setting that is much farther out. As for your 11 week old, I hope to have the new infant insert in a few days and will post some photos with it in my review at http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=135236 .
Melanie, the standing height limit is the same, but that is not the only height limit. The seated torso height limit is based on the top of the shell that is actually a bit shorter than the previous model. If you had a 1-year old who outgrew the original Marathon rear-facing by height at 12 months old, that is way off the charts! A model like the Learning Curve True Fit would last longer since it is very tall, even though it is limited to 35 pounds in the USA. The Sunshine Kids Radian is another relatively tall model.
I just found this blog while trying to find out more about the new Britax models. We have a 3 year old Canada-spec Marathon with an upper weight limit of 48lbs. (It was bought during the transition period, and for us the issue is height rather than weight limits.) I assume the model you’re describing here is basically the same as the one for the Canadian market, but with a slightly higher weight limit.
Does this one really rear-face to the same standing height limit as for forward facing?
If so, I think I want to replace our original Marathon with this one for our second child; our first is tall enough that he outgrew rear-facing by height within days of his first birthday, while we’d hoped to keep him rear-facing far longer. Looks like this new design might have solved that issue!
Hi Angela,
You will probably have more luck having your question answered if you post on car-seat.org (the sister site of carseatblog.com ). You don’t have to register, and youll probably have better luck finding someone who has experience with your vehicle!
Awesome information!!!Okay, I think I want to purchase this. I have some questions? Can someone help?
I have a 11week old weighing around 12lbs and she hates the bucket seat.. we are looking to transition right now! We have a small 1998 Nissan Altima. Will this fit in our car and will my infant fit comfortably?? And I noticed the the previous Marathon model had a lot of complaints regarding the “crotch strap”…have they improved this?? My little girl wears cloth diapers which makes her bum extra bulky which concerns me regarding the crotch strap. Help!! Blessings!!! 🙂
Hi Kecia,
Thank you for these very informative reviews, very helpful, especially for the first time moms who are learning as we go!
Question: I bought the MA65 for my 7 month old son, and we love it, except the crotch strap is really snug for his thunder thighs. (He’s in the 80+ percentile for height and weight). Would the longer crotch strap you mentioned address this problem? I’m so worried about pinching his skin when I snap him in. Thank you!
NAZNEEN – The extra length on the new, longer crotch strap should help the situation but I can’t say for certain. Do you have a local retailer that carries this seat so you can try it out?
Kecia, you rock! You make the best videos ;). I’m gonna have to talk to D about creating a new category just for you: Kecia Rocks.
MONE198 – the answer will really depend on what you’re looking for in a new seat and how you define “best car seat”. Ultimately, the “Best” carseat is the one that fits your child, installs tightly in your vehicle(s) and that you can use correctly every single ride. Feel free to visit our forums at http://www.car-seat.org for more info.
Greetings,
I was wondering how this car seat compares to other car seats. Is it one of the best car seats out there or there others that are better? Britax has a long standing reputation for quality and I am looking to buy a car seat this month and this was my number one choice. Are there better seats out there for the money?
thanks 🙂 cant wait to get a hold of some of the other colors!
LOVE-PINK the entire Crimson MA70 cover is a soft, nubby, almost corduroy-like fabic. You can see a close-up of the fabric in my initial blog video review here: https://carseatblog.com/?p=6468
is the black portion of the cover soft and plush like the old covers or is it kind of fleece like??? when i got the parkway sg and frontier 85 i was really disappointed that the covers werent that soft or plush like the old britax covers 🙁
You comment that the new MA 70 takes less front to back space and it does look like there is more space between it and the front seat. *Was your front seat in the same position for all pics?* This is really important to us because we have a very small back seat and being able to push our front seat back another click would make a huge difference for us. Thanks! This might make me consider this even though I am very unhappy that my child will outgrow it an inch sooner. Will many kids outgrow the height before they go over 35 pounds?
JILLYBEANS5 – The push-on style lower LATCH connectors have an “up” side – look on the back side of the connector to see this imprinted in the black plastic. The fat part of the connector has to be on top (okay – that sounded really bad but that’s the best way I can describe it – LOL) when you attach it to the lower anchor in your vehicle. Before Britax switched over to the new “non-handed” LATCH connectors, the Marathon, Boulevard, and Wizard models came out of the box with the LATCH connectors properly positioned for a rear-facing installation. There is info on or near pg 28 in the Britax instruction manual on how to switch the LATCH connectors. HTH!
” No more “switching” the LATCH connectors like you had to do on the original Marathon model.”
I’ve never quite understood this, I just turned my older marathon forward facing for my heavy 2yr old. Is there anything I should be doing different? It was manufactured in late 06 if that makes a difference.
TAM – the adjustable headrest doesn’t actually buy you any additional height room even though it does extend beyond the shell. The seat will be outgrown by height when the shoulders are above the harness slots on the highest height setting – and that’s about 17″.
BABYKAYKES – The MA70 can be installed anywhere between 30-45 degress depending on what is appropriate for the child. When the line on the base is level with the ground, the seat is at the *mid-point* of that acceptable range (so basically, level line = 37.5 degrees). The slope of your vehicle seat will ultimately determine the exact recline angle that is achieved when the seat is installed. If needed, pool noodle(s) or a rolled up towel can help you get it more reclined.
It looks really upright…is it?
Can you comment on this for me, Kecia… The shorter shell in the new MA70 is not the issue since the ‘headrest’ can be moved up to add height, right? It’s the top harness slots that have not changed (for higher height), right? Thanks.
HEATHER – good question regarding the lock-offs. Obviously, I can’t make any guarantees but I don’t think that will be a problem. You really have to tug on just the shoulder belt portion of the seatbelt in between the two locked lock-offs and that’s not likely to happen under normal usage. It might be a good idea to switch the retractor (if your vehicle has this feature) just to prevent any possibility of this happening.
DARREN – it does sit a little lower on its base but the actual shell height still appears to be 1″ less than the shell height on my old DC (based on how DS2 fits in both seats).
DANIELLE – I really don’t know how well it may or may not fit in those types of seating positions but I suspect (based on experiences with the original MA model) that there will still be issues because it’s only slightly shorter than the original. FYI – there is a warning on pg 21 of the MA70 manual regarding this issue.
LEMONADE – Check out the pics in Part I of this blog review and you will see how my son fits FF in the DC and in the MA70. There is a difference but it isn’t a big difference.
Kecia – thanks for all of the information. One thing I am wondering is how much lower it sits when installed FF than the older MA. I know it does sit a little lower, but wondering how much. When we go FF these high-base seats are so difficult for the child to climb into. Thanks for any help!
How do you think the seat will fit FF on vehicle seats w/ nonmovable, protruding head restraints?
Kecia-
Is the shell really that much shorter, or is it that the base is much lower than the high base on the original models?
I am so impressed that you can tighten down a carseat with one hand while holding a video camera in the other ;). That’s awesome!
I do have a probably unanswerable question to pose to you, though. Since you pull the slack out of the belt after engaging the lockoffs, do you think the lockoffs will hold the seat tight on a day-to-day basis like they’re supposed to? The purpose of the lockoff/locking clip is to keep the belt tight day-to-day, but if you can pull the belt through it so easily, won’t the belt loosen?
Thanks for the great review!
I am not surprised it takes up less space front to back rear-facing than the original Marathon since the shell is shorter. The short shell is a problem if you have a tall child and want to keep him rear-facing as long as possible.