Marathon 70 vs True Fit Premier

hi all, i havent been in for a long time!! but after reading a few threads i feel right back at home and am loving all your comments!
my DD will be 8 months old this week, and is currently 14lb 11oz and 26" long. she is currently RF (OBVIOUSLY!!) in a Combi Coccoro in my Nissan Versa. in daddy's car (old honda civic- possibly soon to be a 4 door truck instead), she is RF in a Peg Perego Primo Viaggio infant seat, which will expire this november.
read: Mommy gets to buy a new car seat!!!!
i know my LO is tiny, and it may not make the most sense to buy her a humungous marathon....
but the two car seats on my mind are the marathon or the true fit premiere.

i am thinking i will have a van in the next couple of years, and wouldnt a marathon fit easily in a van seat? do most van seats have LATCH? (my very nice but dumb brand new car doesnt have LATCH in the middle seat grrr!!) and even if i dont get a new vehicle, i would think the marathon and a coccoro would fit together in the backseat of almost any car! i'm also thinking the true fit would be smaller and possibly a better fit in any vehicle (esp given that the headrest comes off and we wouldnt need to use that for a good while!)

which one is easier to install with a seat belt in most cars?
any thoughts on which one is more user friendly?

any other suggestions give my DD's stats and our vehicles?

THANKS you guys rock!!
summer

The Marathon 70 isn't out yet, so no one has touched it yet. In general Marathons are very easy to install with the seatbelt. The True Fit is easy to install with the seatbelt.

I wouldn't call the True Fit small, unless you're talking front to back space. It's wider than a Marathon. And taller, though it doesn't sit up on a base, so it's about the same with the headrest on.

Wendy

thanks so much wendy
maybe i should repost this in regards to the old marathon, since you are right, no one knows for sure about the new marathon...???
do you know if there is any advantage to the marathon having a base, whereas the true fit doesnt?
has anyone heard about the TFP having any new cover choices in the upcoming months?
based on the marathon 65 and the TFP, which would you pick and why?

You don't have to lift a child as high to get them into the Marathon, and without a tether there's likely less head excursion forward facing in the TFP than in the Marathon.

The TFP will last longer rear and forward facing and with its lifespan.

I don't know of any new cover choices.

Well, you can see in my siggy which one I chose. But for me it was important to fit a newborn, as my daughter didn't use an infant seat. The Marathon does not fit newborns. Maybe the new ones will, but the current ones don't. The TFP does, brilliantly. If I was buying one today and someone handed me the Marathon and the TFP, it'd still be the TFP. More seat for less money.

Wendy

Wow- I have the same question!

I want either RF tether or ARB for use in an extended cab truck (part time) and a BMW330xi. We tried a Boulevard and it just barely fits in the car sitting between the two front seats (current marathon, not 70.) How wide is the TFP compared to the Marathon (the back part that would fit between the two front seats) - would it be less likely to fit between the two front seats? I like the idea of ARB, but can't find anywhere to try a TFP. I'm thinking of shiping to store via walmart to try one. I'm curious about the new marathon too. Since I probably have 2 months before my baby outgrows her keyfit.

I love my Radian, but it won't fit in DH's car.

Also, how tall is it without the headrest? My baby is 6 mo and a little over 27", but only 17 pounds - will she be able to stay in the headrest less TFP longer than she would the keyfit- or are the shells about the same height?

Anyone seen any thoughts from early testers on the front to back fit of a Marathon 70 (or boulevard) vs. a current one? Do the new ones have the knob for adjusting the straps?

The True Fit is wider than the Britaxes. But at her age she doesn't need a 45 degree angle, so they can sit far more upright. Any of them. The Boulevard fits just about anywhere. The True Fit does as well. The Radian is harder front to back, but it's narrower so it fits between front seats well.

No knobs on the new seats, I don't think. I think at least the Marathon has a slide adjuster on the back. Not sure if the Boulevard has the same slide adjuster, or knobs. I hope the slider.

Wendy