Britax Marathon 70 Review

Part of Britax's "new generation" of car seats, the Marathon 70 (*Est. $290) improves upon the renowned Marathon Classic with higher weight ratings, new usability features and improved safety features. In the words of BabyGizmo's editorial team, "[i]t just keeps getting better."

Takes child safety a step further

The new Marathon 70 includes a base design with cells that compress in a crash, significantly lowering the child's center of gravity and reducing his or her forward thrust. Integrated steel bars strengthen the connection to the vehicle and reduce forward flexing in the seat, also minimizing the forward thrust of the child. Deep, rigid sides with energy-absorbing foam provide side impact protection for the child's head and chest. Energy-absorbing tethers stabilize the car seat from the top in both the forward and the rear-facing positions, reducing the motion of the seat and reducing the crash impact. Finally, the Marathon's thick and sturdy five-point harness is equipped with chest pads that keep the top restraint of the harness in place over the child's chest, ensuring that the harness provides maximum restraint.

An intuitive design for ease of use

One reviewer describes the Britax Marathon 70's manual as "simple and straightforward." Parents and reviewers alike praise its no-rethread harness height adjuster that allows you to change the harness height from the front with a simple one-handed move while the seat is installed. The Marathon 70 has thick, nontangling harness straps and a long, 8-inch, two-position crotch strap, making it easier to secure larger children. The seat installs easily with push-button, seatbelt-style attachments that you can connect from above to the car's anchors without digging in between the seats. The Marathon 70 is also equipped with lock off fasteners that keep the seat belt tight around the seat when latch connectors are being used. Finally, the Marathon cover removes easily, in one piece while the seat is installed, for washing. The cover is sturdy and will endure repeat washings.

Simple luxury for comfortable riding

Both parents and reviewers comment on the plush feel of the Marathon 70 seat. The entire chassis is lined with high-quality foam that provides energy absorption in a crash and softer cushioning for children. The seat is deeper and roomier than in the Marathon Classic, and the protective side wings provide a resting point for sleepy heads. The Marathon 70 offers rear and forward facing recline positions to keep kids comfortable. It will also take your child from infancy to childhood with a rear-facing weight rating of 40 pounds and a forward-facing weight rating of 70 pounds. An attachable cup holder and a travel cart for airport use can be purchased separately. The only criticism of the Marathon 70 is that its larger size makes it harder to fit in smaller vehicles or when more than one car seat is used.

Britax stands behind its products

No complaints about Britax service were found in our research of the Marathon 70. The Britax website offers comprehensive installation instructions for all car seat models, but you must know the date of manufacture to access the information. All Britax car seats carry a one year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship with proof of purchase. Like most car seats, the seat expires and should not be used after seven years.

The bottom line

The Marathon 70 gets our Best Reviewed rating because it offers the advantage of the capacity for years of use with quality components that will hold up over time as well as safety features that exceed safety standards. Britax car seats are the only convertible car seats that that have a tether that works in both the front and rear-facing positions. However, the Marathon 70 is big, so if you have a small car, need to move the seat frequently or need to fit more than one car seat in one row of seating, you may prefer a less bulky car seat.