None of the Britax Frontier seats can be used in rear-facing mode. We love how prominent of a concept safety is to the Britax brand. The Clicktight technology for easy installation and Safecell side-impact protection make this seat a top contender for keeping little ones safe.
Have you tried this car seat? Let us know in the comments below! Welcome to my car seat blog! As a mom of 3, I put together with other hard-working moms a highly informative one-stop car seat resource, full with many reviews and buyer guides. I hope you find it invaluable.
You must be logged in to post a comment. Britax Pinnacle Britax Frontier vs. Toddler to Big Kid: Easily transition from harness to belt-positioning booster as your child grows Easy installation: Patented ClickTight makes car seat installation as simple as buckling a seat belt No rethreading, ever: Quick-adjust 9-position harness with headrest for a comfortable, secure fit.
Buy Now. Britax Frontier ClickTight G1. It's not that the 85 is bad or anything, but there have been some improvements to the 90 that are well worth it. The arm rests are much more sturdy. I had a Livia 85 and I now have a Cactus Flower 90, the flower part of the 90 is the same kind of fabric as livia.
It's soft but slick kind of like a track suit material. But the black material on the seat of the 90 is sturdier, and I think it's nice because it won't show dirt. My Livia one started to get dingy after a while and I had to wash it. I'm planning on getting another 90 for my son in the Zebra fabric.
It states that the 90 does not have built in lock offs but isn't that kind of how the click tight works to hold the seat belt in place? My car's seat belt doesn't pull out and get tight. The middle seat belt does but not the outer ones. I am so confused. I would love to get the Pinnacle 90 since I have an only child, room isn't a factor but I need something that will lock the seat belt in place.
I have a TFP right now and it has built in lock offs so it works with my seat belts well I hope that is the case. Click to expand Thanks for the feedback Any comments on the difference in the cupholders? The pics make it look smaller, but it's a different shape, so might work better for a variety of cups? I was hoping to not have to use a locking clip but it really wouldn't be a big deal since the car seat will not be switced to other cars.
Any car newer than actually does have locking belts, they just lock in various ways. Belt Guides — When converted to booster mode, a red shoulder belt guide positions the shoulder belt right under the head restraint.
This guide is open and should allow free movement of the shoulder belt in most vehicles. In vehicles with low shoulder belts that come from the vehicle seat, you may find in a few cases that the belt has to come up over the back of the Frontier shell, then down the front to the guide on a shorter child. This might add some friction and so you need to make sure any slack it always taken up by the retractor.
A red lap belt guide indicates the routing of the lap belt, under the armrests. The geometry of the lap and shoulder belt guides is quite similar to the original. So, I expect the Frontier 85 to perform similarly, as it did in my observations. Starting at 2 years, this could indeed be the last seat your kids will ever need. However, if the seat is involved in a moderate or severe crash, it may be unusable. Please contact Britax for guidance on crash replacement.
Cupholders — The Frontier 85 now has fixed cupholders on each side of the front of the base. One quibble with the original Frontier was that the cupholders could be difficult to open in some vehicle seats. This will no longer be an issue. They are also reasonably deep. The only possible drawback may be with the biggest kids who would not be able to spread their legs to the side with bottles in both cupholder. Crash Indicator — The top tether strap has a special stitching indicator that will break free if subjected to forces in a moderate or severe crash.
The manual shows how to inspect the seat to determine if the Frontier is no longer acceptable for use. That is only one example, there are other possible crashes that may not cause the stitching to rip, so caregivers should refer to the NHTSA guidelines on re-use of crashed child restraints or contact Britax for guidance on using the Frontier after a crash. Airplane Certification — The Frontier can be used on aircraft, but only with the harness.
It may not be used on aircraft as a booster. The top tether is not used on airplanes. Construction — The Frontier 85 feels solidly made. The main potential issues for durability on the original Frontier seemed to be the bottom of the mesh cover, the cup holders and the armrests, all of which have been revised and improved. Kudos to Britax for this! The Frontier 85 is a very nice combination seat for kids above 2 years old who are no longer rear-facing. Like the Britax Regent, there are no built-in lockoffs on this model.
Parents will find it beneficial to pull the loop that tightens the LATCH straps through the belt path slot and cover, into the front of the seat before pulling to tighten this is now more clearly reflected in the manual.
The adjuster on the LATCH attachment strap may actually come up to the belt path slot in the plastic shell of the Frontier when the installation is secured tightly. This is less of an issue with the Frontier 85 as the belt path slots are a little more open.
If you attempt to pull the straps from the side of the seat as is typical on narrower carseats, you may find that you cannot get a good angle to tighten the LATCH attachments adequately. In most cases, this should also more than compensate for the fact that there is now only an adjuster on one side.
For seatbelt installations, the manual now gives additional guidance on whether a short or long belt path might be tried first. This is based on the where the seatbelt system is positioned in relation to the width of the Frontier It takes a little more time to route the seatbelt in this manner, especially the first few times you try it this way.
It takes practice to keep the seatbelt from twisting as you route it behind the Frontier. Having a second person hold the shoulder belt while it is fully extended may help. Despite the extra learning curve, it is not too bad once you have some experience with it.
On the plus side, the result is usually a very solid fit in the second row of our Odyssey and in the outboard spot of our Prius.
The seatbelt now sits much better on the revised lap belt guide, as the gap between the guide and armrest has been redesigned. In some vehicle seating positions, the seatbelt may not be long enough for a reverse belt path installation.
In our Prius, it was barely long enough to work. Please note that when installing with the reverse belt path, the shoulder belt is NOT routed through the red shoulder belt guide under the head restraint wings that is used in booster mode. The label on this guide applies to booster mode only. When using the long belt path installation for harness mode, the shoulder belt should lay flat against the fabric of the main shell of the Frontier 85 as shown in the photo above. Using the short belt path routing, it was somewhat more difficult than average in the second row our Honda minivan, about the same as with the original Frontier.
This is due to the pillar mounted lap and shoulder belts that tend to allow for more side-to-side motion with the short belt path. I was still able to get an acceptable installation, but the long belt path is preferable in this spot. On the other hand, it installed quite well with the short belt path in our Prius and almost as well in the third row of our Odyssey that has a different seatbelt setup. The new, more open design helps reduce the issue of longer seatbelt stalks being a problem with the seatbelt routing path slots when using the short belt path.
Another tip in some vehicles is to recline the vehicle seat back first, then install the child seat as tight as possible. When you have finished, bring the vehicle seat back upright to secure the Frontier a bit better.
One or two complete twists may do the trick, but no more than three full twists if absolutely necessary. Please keep in mind that an acceptable fit does not have to be rock solid! The seat is installed correctly when it cannot be moved back-to-front or side-to-side more than one inch, when given a modest tug at the seatbelt path.
Conversion to a booster requires removing the harness system. This is outlined in the manual. A small screw is also removed from the back of the headrest, allowing a second adjustment of the head restraint for booster mode only.
It is important to note that this second height adjustment cannot be used in harness mode. There is a handy screw holder on the back of the Frontier 85 so you can save it if you convert back to a harness system later. Since there was no mention of it in the review and you can still buy the Frontier, I figured I should comment regarding its safety. Consumer Reports did testing in which 4 car seats failed, including the Frontier. The harness actually broke in a 35mph test.
This was a year ago. I called Britax to see if they had made any changes since the report, and they said they had not since the seats had passed standard testing. Here is a link to a news article about it. Thanks for that Jennilee—you are right, we should have added that to the review. Yes, it is still for sale, although it is on its way out the door. Your email address will not be published.
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