Britax Roundabout vs. Marathon vs. Boulevard? (overdue update: none of the above!)

[macandcheese]

I'm car seat shopping, and I've reached an impasse regarding which convertible seat to go with. I'm trying to decide between the Roundabout 55, the Marathon 70, and the Boulevard 70—though the Roundabout is probably at the bottom of the list due to the lower weight/height limit. 

We plan to use the seat from birth–whenever. We rarely drive anywhere (we live in town and walk to everything, so we will mainly just make trips to the pediatrician if we can't find one in town) so I'm not concerned about a tiny baby in a convertible seat. We can get a safe positioner to use for the first few months if that's necessary. 

I guess my main question is about which of these seats will work best for RF in a small-ish car. We have a 2007 4-door VW Rabbit that is really pretty roomy in the back (my 6' 2" DH can fit comfortably without even moving the front seats forward), but it is still a small car. 

Any experiences or advice would be really appreciated! 

[leighi123]

If you are buying for a newborn I wouldnt get a Britax convertable. 

[mama2soren]

While the newer Britax models are more likely than the older generation to fit babies at birth, it is still quite possible that your newborn will not fit properly.  The lowest harness height is often still too high for new babies (the harness must be at or below the level of the baby's shoulders).  Other convertible seats, such as the TrueFit and MyRide are much more likely to fit a newbie than a Britax is.

I've had a Marathon and a Boulevard RF in a smaller 2-door without much trouble.  However, they fit well because I installed them quite upright for my older baby (30-35*).  Newborns and younger babies MUST ride at a 45* angle.  Fitting a Marathon/Blvd at a 45* angle in a small car could be a challenge.  

The Marathon and Blvd do have higher FF weight limits than the Roundabout, like you noticed.  Keep in mind, though, that almost ALL kids will outgrow a Britax by height long before reaching the weight limit on the seat.  The Britax shells are shorter than most other "high weight limit" seats on the market.  It is likely that you will have to buy another FF harnessed seat, because your child may outgrow this seat by height before s/he is ready for a booster.  

The Marathon/Blvd are pretty much the same seat, except the Blvd has headwings.  The Roundabout is almost as tall (so will work just as long RF), but has a slightly shorter top harness height (will be outgrown a little earlier FF).  IMO, the extra inch of FF growing room in the Marathon/Blvd vs. the Roundabout would not be worth an additional $80-150.

Are you dead set on Britax?  There are other seats that might meet your needs much better than Britax.  I have owned many Britax seats, but I will not buy another.  $200-350 for a seat that will probably not fit my newborn (so, $100+ for an infant bucket), and probably won't get my kid to boostering age (meaning, $150 for another FF harnessed seat) is not a good deal. 

The TrueFit is a very nice seat, very plush like Britax.  It fits newborns beautifully.  The headrest portion is removable for younger babies, so that you can start with a very compact little RF seat that should fit well at a 45* angle in a small car.  When your baby is bigger and has better head control, you put the headrest back on and install the seat more upright.  With the headrest on, it has a much taller shell than Britax, so that your child will fit much longer FF.   The regular model is around $150, and the Premiere model, which has an anti-rebound bar, is $250-ish.

The MyRide is also a great choice if you want a convertible from birth.  It is a wide seat, but pretty compact front-to-back.  It has a 40 pound RF limit, but (like Britax!) most kids will outgrow it RF by height before reaching 40 pounds.  It will still get most kids to 3 RF.   The shell is shorter, like Britax, so it will probably not get a child to boostering age.  But, it fits newborns very well, and costs about $125, still a good deal even if another FF seat must be purchased 4-5 years down the line.  

[TheGirls]

I second that Britax seats are not great  for newborns.  And if you're buying for a smaller car Britax wouldn't be my first choice either.  also since your DH is tall, the child may be tall, and Britax seats are outgrown by height relatively young.

I'd look at the Radian or the TrueFit, personally.  Maybe the MyRide (though it's not very tall, either,  but it will fit newborns and is a lot less expensive).  Or borrow an infant seat for a few months and look at the Complete Air.  The Radian could be a problem in a smaller car, but the others should be fine. 

[macandcheese]

Thank you all very much for the advice! We're definitely not set on Britax by any means—just starting there, I guess, due to the overwhelming number of choices! 

The True Fit seems like it would work really well for us—is this the model that you all are referring to?

http://www.learningcurve.com/product/detail/Y11011BR1?locale=en_US

[mama2soren]

That's the one :)

The Premier version has a flip out anti-rebound bar (see the red thing by the harness adjuster strap?) that can be used RF to prevent the seat from moving towards the back of the car's seat in a collision.  The jury's out on if that's actually a significant safety advantage.  But, some parents find that the harness adjuster strap is easier to reach with the Premier model, since the ARB creates a bit of space between the car's seat and the  car seat.  The one complaint I hear a lot with the regular True Fit is that the adjuster strap is tough to reach when RF.  However, I find that I hardly ever use my adjuster strap on any of my car seats.  I don't loosen the straps to get my kiddo out, and he never wears really bulky clothes in his car seat that would necessitate much loosening/tightening.  So, you may not find this "issue" to be a problem either.

Here is a thread with pics of newborns in True Fits (scroll a bit, the first pic is the baby in the blue and black True Fit).  See how cute and compact (and super plush!) it is?  See the brown/red True Fit (right below the blue and black one)?  That's the Premier.

[macandcheese]

Updating for others who might be car seat shopping:

We went with the TrueFit (regular version), and it fits very nicely in our small VW hatchback. Jude was just about 6.5lbs at birth and just under 6 at the ped. a few days later, and he was very secure and well-supported in the seat even at that tiny size. I would definitely recommend the TrueFit to anyone who is looking to use a convertible from birth.

Thanks for all your helpful advice, ladies!

[beebalmmama]

I thouht I'd chime in even though you've picked one out. We have a Britax Roundabout and it worked great with ds 1, although we didn't use it from birth. He actually fit in it until he hit the weight limit at 40 lbs. But when we bought it it fit our budget and we knew he was a bit of a short stuff like his mom and dad. Ds 2 has been in it from about 6 months (occasional seat in the extra car) and I felt like even though he "fit" it he was swimming in it until about 9+ months. I doubt he'll reach the weight limit on the Roundabout because he's more tall and lean than his brother was. If we decide to stay rear facing we'll probaly go with a True Fit Premier when he out grows it. (Our second is a Jude too!)