Disclosure: Britax send us a Frontier 85, free of charge to try out!
If you are looking for a car seat to keep your forward facing child safe for a very long time than the Britax Frontier 85 could be the perfect seat for you. Once your child has outgrown their rear facing seat the Frontier allows you to keep them in a five-point harness for as long as possible, it can very well be the last seat you need to buy for your child because of its extra long, nine year expiration date!
The Frontier 85 can harness children that at least two years of age and between 25 and 85 lbs, whose height is between 30 and 57 in. After they out grow the harness the booster mode can be used for children who up to 120 lbs and 65 in tall!
My first impression of the Frontier 85 was how heavy it was, 19.6lbs. However, it is so heavy because it is jam packed with more safety features than you can imagine! True Side Impact Protection offers a head restraint that creates an extra layer of energy-absorbing foam, keeping the head, neck and spine aligned. The deep side walls lined with energy-absorbing foam distribute crash forces, shield from vehicle intrusion, and contain the head, neck and body plus the energy-absorbing base deforms in the event of a crash to absorb impact forces. All of that is tucked under the high density comfort foam that provides an extra layer of padding to gently cushion and wrapped in a Plush, Premium Cover.
Two is not a magic number. You should not forward face your two year old in their car seats, just because they are two! To use the Frontier 85 the child must meet all the requirements mentioned above, plus the top of the child’s ears must be below the top of the head restraint when seated and the harness straps must be located at or above the child’s shoulders when seated. If your child meets all those requirements, they are big enough to be harnessed! If your child does not meet all harness mode requirements because they are too large, you may need to use the Frontier 85 in booster mode! We have only used this seat in harness mode, never booster because all of my kiddos still fit in the harness.
The Premium Lower LATCH Connectors (that Britax is well known for) make installation quick and simple and the Color-Coded Vehicle Belt Guides indicate the path and positioning of the vehicle lap and shoulder seat belt when your child is ready for a booster. The owner’s manual includes tips and easy to understand drawings. Each section has a checklist that corresponds to an illustration. There is a handy pocked on the back of the seat to hold the manual for future use.
I was able to securely fit my three, five and seven year old children in this seat, with minimal and easy changed to the harness and crotch strap. They all thought the seat was comfy and fought over who got to sit in it in the car.
In harness mode, getting a proper fit is easy as pie. For forward facing the harness straps must always be placed at or above your child’s shoulders. The harness height adjuster is very simple to use and has ten height settings to fit children of varying sizes. All you have to do is loosen the harness, press the release lever and lift and slide the harness height adjuster into the desired position. What used to take at least 5 minutes can be done in about 10 seconds. When you need transition your child from harness to booster, the straps easily come out and a locking screw can be removed from the head restraint to allow it to move up even further.
The crotch strap has three adjustments. You must take the seat out of the car to adjust. A metal clip is threaded through the base and reinserted into another slot. My 7 year old uses the outermost slot, my 5 year old the middle slot and my 3 year old the innermost slot. The slot you use should be closest to, but not under the child.
I really have come to like this seat. It may not be the seat for you if you have a small car or a small budget. But if your child is ready to forward face or has grown out of their current forward facing seat and you are looking for a seat that is going to last till they are out of their seat then then the Britax Frontier 85 is a superb choice!
Buy It: You can purchase the Britax Frontier 85 for 211.98!
This seems like a safe, reliable car seat. My friend is going to be purchasing a car seat, so I’ll be sure to share your review. Thanks.
I can’t believe how much car seats have improved. This truly seems to be a reliable, longlasting seat.
Fantastic review! 🙂
Between the nine year expiration, different color patterns and an 85lb weight limit, I can’t see ever purchasing a different seat!
The best part of your review is the side by side pics with your 3 kids in the seat. Shows how long it will be useable for a growing kid.
Awesome review! That is fantastic that they are making them to finally fit the older children much longer. Saves money and less in to the landfill. Thanks for sharing.
I have always wanted to own a Britax, I have heard such great things about them
Wow! Car seats have changed so much since my kids were little. I love the Multiple Harness Height Settings. This is so nice so you don’t have to keep buying car seats as your child grows. Thanks for the great review.
The Britax Frontier car seats are really well made and trustworthy for children. It is so important to make sure to spend a good amount of money on a car seat! These come in adjustable sizes which is so great!
wow ok i need two of these
Thanks for the review on the BRitax booster! I’m going to do some more research to see if these are something I’d like to use for my kids!
Side impact protection, 5 pt harness, comfy padding are all main points I would look for. I do love the blue color. And I heard on the news tonight that American Airlines is cutting their airline seats down to 17 inches wide? (think I heard that right) to make room for more seats on the plane. SO, if that is TRUE, then this baby, made for children up to about 80-120 lbs would have a roomier ride than most adults. funny. or not.
Thanks for such an in depth look at these awesome Britax seats!
I’ve seen many great reviews of the Britax brands or car seats and strollers. They looks safe, reliable, and stylish.
this has great features!
Great features, safety and very stylish. And with use up to 85 pounds what else would you ever need other than a second one for another car 🙂
Great review! I can’t believe the harness holds up to 85 pounds! My son is 3 and i’d love for him to stay in a harness as long as possible since it’s much safer but he is far from 85 pounds!
This was helpful. I’ll need one of these for my oldest soon
What a great product
This review helps a lot, sometimes we don’t know what the best seats are. Thank you
Its like super safe booster made like a car seat. I love the easy install and how they can grow into this one.
This is so awesome! It has all the great features and grows with the kid. Amazing!
Wow a nine year expiration! When you first see the price it’s a little alarming but when you realize it’s the only car seat you’re going to be purchasing after the age of two its worth it! Love the color choices too
It even looks comfortable so I believe you when you say it’s the most comfortable you have had. Very nice seat!
I really appreciate the safety specs and the 9 year expiration. For the price, I expect it to last .
I like that it has so many height settings! Mine has only 2! I would love a Britax.
This definitely seems like a great seat! I always cringe when I hear of people buying or using 2nd hand car seats, so I’m thrilled that this one has a crash indicator!
I REALLY LOVE THIS SEAT.I HAVE A 6 YEAR OLD SON THAT WOULD FIT PERFECT IN THIS SEAT AND IT WOULD BE MUCH SAFER THAN HIM RIDING IN A BUMPER CAR SEAT.
I would like one in the cow print!
I love all the advancements that they have made in carseats, even from just 12 years ago when I had my first. Who would have ever thought we would have side impact protection on carseats?
I hope I can get this for a friend for her baby shower.. Nice and safe carseat.. 🙂
looks like a great seat… thank you for the great review!
i have one of these and love it!
I love this seat, the weight limit is awesome and so is the 6 yr exp. date. You will spend a lot less on carseats in the long run!
Looks like a great car seat. We love our Britax but it only goes to 50.
This looks like a deluxe model when comparing car seats. Side Impact protection is pretty important now a days. My daughter’s Baby Shower is coming up and I’ll definitely be considering this Britax and all the positives it has. Thanks for your review
Carol L.
love this carseat.. love the cow print design
I love the spotted cow design.
WOW! This is incredible! I wish I could afford 2 of these for my great-nieces! They seem so safe! I love all the features & the fact that they don’t expire for 9 years & they can stay in them for so long!
I love the fact that the kids can stay in them for so long. I love all the features this seat has to offer. I would love to have this for my son!
I love how long you can use this thing – I mean when you are going to spend the money to buy a nice seat – hopefully it would last awhile!
I see you have a giveaway for one of these now, very cool…I’ll be sure to enter 😉
The Britax car seat are really nice.
I love the colors!
Love the multiple colors.
These really are awesome car seats! My daughter bought one last month for her son and she loves it!
It is expensive when parents have to end up buying 2 or 3 car seats till their child gets old enough to ride without a car seat. Britax Frontier 85 has so many good things going for it.
The 5 point harness and seats up to 85 lbs. , and side impact protection are things you dont find it other car seats. You can adjust the height which is great because with booster seats they dont have anything but the seats base and arm rests. Sounds like the seat of all times for our children.
Oooh, I want a pink one! We need another seat; we’re adopting this summer!
Excellent website you have here but I was curious if
you knew of any message boards that cover the same topics discussed in this article?
I’d really love to be a part of group where I can get feed-back from other knowledgeable individuals that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Thanks!