Question Britax Frontier or Graco Nautilus

[NikoTroi]

I'm a new poster here and so glad I found you all

My Nikolas is 4 pounds shy of growing out of his Evenflo seat. I've narrowed my search down to the Frontier and the Nautilus but not sure which one to get

I have read so many conflicting reviews on both so I'm very confused. I drive a Saab 95 and there is no latch or tether so I'd be using the seatbelt. I have another child, Troi, and he's still in my other Evenflo so Nikolas will be either behind me or the passenger seat. The back seats of the Saab have a little bit of a side lumbar to them so they hug you a little. So I need one that would fit properly.

I read that the material on the Nautilus doesn't stand up too well to stains and wear and tear. Safety is the first thing, but I don't want to have to keep replacing the cover every year or so.

I like the Frontier, however my husband doesn't like the price. Especially since Troi will be needing a new seat probably within the year.

So please tell me, which one do you like and why? I need to get a seat that is going to stand the test of time, I have a boy Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[wendytthomas]

Both are great seats. Some things to keep in mind:

The Nautilus is a harnessed seat, high back booster, then no back booster. The Frontier does not turn into a no back booster.

The Nautilus's harness and high back are good for six years, the no back good for nine. The entire Frontier is good for nine.

The Nautilus's top booster position is 21". The Frontier's is 24". The Frontier will last longer as a high back booster, but it can't be a no back booster at all.

The Nautilus's top slots are 18.5". The Frontier is 18.25". So the Nautilus will last most kids longer in the harness than the Frontier.

The Nautilus's top harness weight is 65 pounds, the Frontier's is 80. The top weight for booster for the Nautilus is 100 pounds, the Frontier doesn't have an upper weight limit.

The Frontier offers more leg support, and it's wider through the shoulders. However, for smaller kids the Nautilus will probably fit better.

The Nautilus has great storage in the armrests and a fantastic cupholder. The Frontier has a nice cupholder.

The Nautilus is very easy to install in nearly every car. The Frontier takes a little more work in some vehicles. It requires a tether after 65 pounds (someone check that number for me, but I'm pretty sure that's it).

For me, I wanted the no back option, I liked the pricetag, and I liked the higher top slots, so we went with the Nautilus. Plus the Frontier was incompatible with my car, though they've since come out with different installation instructions that may have made it compatible. I don't have my hands on one to try. We haven't had problems with our cover, but it's only a couple of months old.

Wendy

 

[NikoTroi]

Thank you Wendy for your input. Based on the fact that the Frontier needs to be tethered after 65+/- pounds, it will probably be the Nautilus. We plan on running my car into the ground, literally before we get a new one. I believe Nikolas will be in college before that happens

But then again, if we got the Frontier, and it had to be tethered after the 65+/- pounds, I could convince my hubby it would be better to get me a new car than a carseat LOL

 

[wendytthomas]

I don't have my LATCH manual handy at the moment, but what year is your Saab? You can probably get tethers retrofitted. I'd recommend tethers anyway, for either seat, but they're not required for the Nautilus at any weight.

Wendy

 

[NikoTroi]

I have a 99 Saab. Guessing on how much things cost to repair on the Saab, it's probably going to be cheaper to get the Nautilus and have to replace the cover every year at $60. Tires for that car are $80 each It is not a cheap car at all

 

[Evolily]

I think Saab will install top tethers at no cost. At least that's what my google search leads me to believe.

 

[mytwobugs]

We have had 2 nautili with matrix covers (one in each car) since May for my 3 yr old (4 in Dec) and the covers are still in great shape.

p.s. The nautilus also seems to have some magical power that makes kids fall in love with it as soon as they sit in it. lol

 

[Jeanum]

I think Saab will install top tethers at no cost. At least that's what my google search leads me to believe.

:yeahthat: The LATCH manual concurs:

Saab will provide and install tether anchor hardware free of charge for model year 1988 and newer pre-LATCH vehicles. Call for free hardware; anchors are easy to install without dealer assistance, however installation is free if needed.

 

[MustangMama]

We have had 2 nautili with matrix covers (one in each car) since May for my 3 yr old (4 in Dec) and the covers are still in great shape.

p.s. The nautilus also seems to have some magical power that makes kids fall in love with it as soon as they sit in it. lol

HAHAHAHAHA!! I totally agree! My daughter used to complain about her other carseat and she hasn't said a WORD about her new Nautilus! We love it and it was a super easy seat belt install, very tight.

 

[arly1983]

I have heard some bad things about both covers on here and they both seem to have the same problem: mesh so I think that part would probably be a toss up for me.

 

[NikoTroi]

Thank you for getting back to me

I'm going to call my local Saab and see if they will do it for free, I've never heard of them doing anything for free. Or any dealership for that matter But if we can do it here, then we may just go ahead and order it anyway and see if they do charge us for the parts.

I have to say that Nikolas did like it as soon as he sat in it too. He liked it better than the Frontier actually. I actually think it may be that big cup holder right at his finger tips.

I went over to Target today and they carry the Nautilus and it's not mesh It is cloth and very soft, so I may be paying the extra $$ to get it from them. I have one more place to check, Baby Depot at Burlington and then I'll make my decision.

Will update as soon as I get in touch with Saab, this should be interesting.

 

[Karen]

Whew, this is a really hard choice. I like all that goes with the name of Britax (customer service and quality,) but the Nauti definitely has some better aspects. I'm glad DS still has lots of time in his convertibles. I think the price tag on the Nauti may reel me in though.

 

[NikoTroi]

I think the price tag on the Nauti may reel me in though.

I would have to say that is what's doing it for me too. I'm going to look at the one at Burlington today and see if it's material or mesh. Then I'll decide which one to get.


So I called Saab yesterday about the tethers and of course they didn't know what I was talking about. So they give me the main cst svc # and they did find the info to get them done for FREE THANK YOU for passing that info along to me, I'm going to schedule my appointment for next week.

But... while I was on the phone with cust svc the guy asks me if I know about a recall on the lug nuts on the tires. I tell him no, and he tells me that they need to be replaced, that they can loosen and come off while I'm driving And get this, this has been a recall item since 2003 and no one has ever said anything about it, and I've had that car into Saab A LOT So that needs to get done too.

 

[Jeanum]

Yikes about the recall on the lug nuts. Better late than never for finding out on that and not finding out the hard way by having a wheel come off, yikes, but it's definitely irksome you weren't notified by Saab long ago about the recall. Best wishes for smooth sailing at the dealership on remedying the lug nuts recall issue and the tether anchor retrofitting.

 

[NikoTroi]

but it's definitely irksome you weren't notified by Saab long ago about the recall.

Get this, they said cause I've moved so much they didn't have a mailing address to notify me. Um hello, I've had the car to Saab so many times, they can see on my VIN that it wasn't done. Even the cust svc rep couldn't explain why it wasn't done

 

[NikoTroi]

CelticLabyrinth & Jeanum Can you please show me where it says they will install the tethers for free? The Saab cust svc called me back today and said they don't do it. I need to have solid proof of where it says that so I have something to show them.

Thanks

 

[Jeanum]

I'll try to snap and post a picture of the Saab page in the LATCH manual that states Saab does so (no scanner access, sorry). Stay tuned while I fire up my camera....

 

[Jeanum]

Here's the picture, as promised, from the 2007 LATCH manual's Saab section. The blurb about free retrofitting is the bulleted item on the upper right hand side of this page:

Sorry it's a bit fuzzy, that's about the best I can do with this camera and my picture taking skills/lack thereof.

 

[NikoTroi]

Jeanum, where exactly did you get that page from? I can show them, but unless it's a Saab manual, they aren't going to do it. Thanks

 

[Jeanum]

It's from the LATCH manual, a master volume of lower LATCH anchor and tether anchor information, thoroughly researched by its authors with their contacts at the various automotive companies to provide child passenger safety professionals with authoritative information. A section of the LATCH manual is devoted to each auto manufacturer, and the page I posted is from the Saab section of the manual. It's not pulled out of thin air, I assure you, although it seems like Saab is now in denial about it. That's so aggravating and unfortunately not uncommon for dealerships to not be on the same page about the manufacturer's retrofit policy, or for corporate to give conflicting information. Maybe you can go higher up at Saab corporate to nudge/rebuke the dealership into honoring the retrofit policy? After all, Saab owes you a favor for not tracking you down sooner about the lug nuts recall, right? :twocents: