Question If you dislike the frontier, what is your seat history?

LOL..what an awkward question. We just spent the evening at BRU trying out seats...I'm going to post a separate thread about my overall findings, but I was wondering..i have heard a lot on this board that the Frontier feels "flimsy" or "cheap" or is disliked for a variety of reasons.........now, i'm not taking into account installation issues, because that obviously will vary with vehicle, nor am I talking about "didn't like the fit on my kid" issues..but i'm talking abotu issues specific to the seat itself...buckle tongue issues, adjuster issues, "flimsiness" issues, armrest issues, headwing issues, fabric issues, etc. the "flimisiness" issues in particular...i mean..the seat is big and HEAVY. in comparison to the Apex, the frontier was a rock.....

anyway, I did not get "flimsy" or "cheap" from the frontier at all..but I'm wondering if my own personal seat history (the absolute cheapest seats ever - crappysport, titan, old AOE, vision) is making my perception different, or if my standards are just too low, or what?


so..my question is...if you found you disliked the Frontier as a seat, for reasons pertainign to the actual seat itself, what is your seat history/what are you comparing it to?

Despoite reading all these negative things about it lately, I really, really, the Frontier.

Things I didn't like:
Twisty straps
Buckle tongues twisting too easily
Hated that the armrests moved so easily
Cover seemed cheap

I LOVEDDDD:
the ease of tightening the harness
how the harness moved up and down (wish they could put it on all seats)

Prior to about 1.5 years ago I only had "crappy" seats. A Portabout, followed by an old triumph for DD1. After I came here, I went to all Britax until a few months ago. So when I got my Frontier, I had all Marathon's or RA's for the prior year, year and a half.

I think I was spoiled with the straps on the other seats But since I'm no longer really using any Britax seats, I really don't miss them and the issues don't bother me as much anymore on my other non britax seats. So maybe if i tried it again, I'd like it

when i tested the frontier i liked it too. so i'm not in the frontier dislike club at all. & i know what you mean. i've had lots of lets say cheap seats. so i've dealt with cosco & graco. i do have a FPSVD (solid sucker) & a regent too. imo the frontier is a well made seat.
i hear most that a "britax spoiled" person doesn't think the frontier lives up to the britax quality. i just happen to disagree with that.....& i own britax seats. so i don't understand it.
i'll be interested in this thread....

I both of our Frontiers. I don't find it cheap; in fact, I find it MUCH studier than the Nauti. I think it's just a matter of opinion on what makes something "sturdy" & what makes something "cheap" though. Everyone's gonna have a different idea on that, KWIM?

But, to answer your question, we had Triumphs for our convertibles. Our infant seat was an Evenflo one too (& while I wouldn't buy it again now that i know better due to safety issues, I loved that seat too).

I do wish the Frontier had better fabric for the cover though. Less twisty straps would be nice, but we have learned how to deal with them & haven't had a problem since last May with them twisting. Fix the issue with the back of the seat (part of which was fixed with the recall) & I wouldn't have anything to complain about. Seriously....I do love the seat & feel it was the best choice for us, even if there are a few minor "flaws" (the cover!).

Well, as I've posted before I have had 34 seats so my history is long! lol

More important though my car seat history includes so many fantastic seats and the frontier just doesn't compare. The roundabout, marathon, fisher price safe embrace, and the radian come to mind.

Oh and suppose I should add that I do not like the frontier.

I had a frontier, but got rid of it. I hated it with a passion

I personally the nautilus over the frontier.

Cheapy feeling straps
Cup holder
Cheapy material(red rock)
Hard to install with seatbelt

My seat history(I never owned nice seats until 2007) ;-)

*Evenflo Chase
*Cosco Scenera
*Graco Cargo
*Snugride
*Safeseat
*Eddie bauer Infant seat
*Alpha Omega AOE
*OHS seat
*Graco Comfort Sport
*Britax Marathon
*Britax Regent
*Fisher Price safe voyage
*Fisher price HBB
*Graco HBB
*Britax Parkway
*Graco Nautilus

I thought the straps and cover were pretty cheap feeling, although I was fine with the seat structurally. I have an older husky though so I'm basing alot of my thoughts off of that since they are similar seats. My straps are so much thicker and I couldn't even tell you how many times I've washed the cover and it looks brand spanking new.

I'm not a fan of the Frontier. I bought one, finally got it to install with much help from a Britax engineer, sold it.

For a HWH seat I expected it to have at LEAST the same harness height as the Regent.
And the splitter plate fiasco really turned me off about it. The belt path is insane! Whoever designed it should be fired! It's like they didn't know jack about belt stalk lengths or positions.

My seat history has spanned almost 20 years.
My oldest 2 kids had some of the very first Fisher Price seats.
DD2 had a Graco infant seat and then a FPSE.
DS2 started off in a Graco infant seat, then FPSE (one of the last ones made- I wish I kept it) Britax Marathon, Regent, Parkway, Clek Olli, SKJP Monterey.

I really like it.
But I'll tell you my seat history anyways, because it supports your theory.

Misc. and various garage sale seats including century and evenflo
Evenflo Bolero
Evenflo Chase
Graco Turbobooster
Graco Nautilus x2
Britax Frontier.

And yes, I'm very satisfied with it. It's a substantial seat, I don't feel it's any flimsier than my Boulevard (the head wings on both have some give to them, which is fine with me as long as they don't break). The only thing I really don't like so much about it is the belt path and install issues... because I'm used to installing Chases and Nautilii and all those super easy installs.

I've had many high end seats and I don't find the Frontier cheap or flimsy at all. I really, really like it, but would LOVE it with thicker harness straps and different covers.

I've had:
2 snugrides
1 AOE
2 Marathons
1 Decathlon
1 Scenera
1 Husky
1 Regent
1 Safeguard Child Seat
1 SafeGuard GO
1 Radian XT
1 Monterey
1 Turbobooster
1 Evenflo Big Kid
1 Nautilus
1 Parkway
1 Clek
1 RSTV


I may be missing one or two, but I think I've covered it.

sooo...I'm getting all kinds of responses......hmph..seems to be more personal preference I guess.....

Gypsy said:

I've had many high end seats and I don't find the Frontier cheap or flimsy at all. I really, really like it, but would LOVE it with thicker harness straps and different covers.

Click to expand...

:yeahthat: And I might be an oddball, but I LOVE the way it installs. I wish all seats had a long belt path option. I also had a Husky and preferred the LBP on it. Of course, it helps that my seat belts are *just* long enough to do the LBP.

I have had
Cosco HBB
Eddie Bauer/Designer 22 Infant seat
Husky
FPSVD
Marathon (3)
Radian
TrueFit
Parkway
and a few others that I didn't have long enough to count .

I think I have finally found car seat nirvana with the Marathon and the Frontier. I don't plan on getting any more seats until E is FF (and I will probably get him a Frontier ).

I'm a Nautilus owner and I just purchased a Frontier after DD and I played with one at BRU last weekend. The reasons I purchased it are the ones you say you don't want to hear (better fit, DD liked it better, etc...) so I won't mention them

I haven't gotten it yet, but I'm a little nervous about installing it. I will definitely have it checked before using it because I'll probably be installing it with the seatbelt! But installation issues won't make or break my decision for me - as long as it can be installed, no matter how long it takes. I'm not planning on installing it more than once. Once it's in, it's not going anywhere! We have enough extra seats to move around to other vehicles if we need to. (But I guess you said you didn't care about the installation issues, either, so I'll move on...)

I know everyone says the straps are "flimsy" and get twisted. I guess I didn't notice that enough to bother me when we were trying it out. She got in and out of it probably half a dozen times, buckling and unbuckling, going back and forth between the Frontier and the Nautilus. I kind of like the lighter-weight straps, actually. I mean, they're tested and approved to be used on an 80 lb kid, right?? So I see no reason to think they wouldn't work... And they're probably more comfortable than the heavier straps anyway. As far as the twisting goes, my SS1 straps twist like crazy, so I'm used to dealing with that. I haven't yet been spoiled with the Britax velcro feature And I always make sure DD's straps aren't twisted before I let her buckle herself in anyway - just to be sure.

Ok, so the carseats I've owned...

with DD, I honestly don't know for sure. My first one was a borrowed infant seat from a friend. I have no idea what it was or even if it was less than 6 years old

Then I know I got an AO and used that as our primary seat until I moved her to a backless booster at 3

From there, after educating myself, we went to a Recaro Vivo and then to the Nautilus. Now we've been using both of those seats.

We had a couple other cheap-y seats for extra cars along the way. I'm pretty sure I had a Scenera, or one very similar.

With DS, so far I've had the Britax Companion and now the SS1. And our CowMoo BLVD is on the way!! So I'm looking forward to being at least a little bit spoiled!

bobandjess99 said:

sooo...I'm getting all kinds of responses......hmph..seems to be more personal preference I guess.....

Click to expand...

It's exactly that, personal preference! The same reasons one person dislikes the seat is another reason some does like the seat.
Honestly, I might be the only one ok with the material. We just switched from a Graco TB (in black and red) to the BF in Red Rock, I had video of crash tests ready, I had pictures of his favorite NASCAR racers ready, a few points to make, a speech about safety... He saw the seats as I was carrying one in and the words out of his mouth, I kid you not, were "My own race car seat!!" Oh man was he tickled pink when I brought the second one it. The fabric is breathable and looks nothing like his brother's new BLVD, "the baby seat".
Play with both seats (or all the ones you're considering)... in my very own opinion, I thought the GN was lacking.

Good luck!!

It'll be interesting to see which one you pick and your reasoning...

WhatAboutPuppy said:

It'll be interesting to see which one you pick and your reasoning...

Click to expand...

LOL...I have a nauti already..but need a second seat for dh's car, since if I go back to work, he'll need to drop dd off at school or pick her up sometimes, etc. She had a combo seat in his car, but since she is right at 40 lbs mostly, and it was a 40 lb seat, I need a new seat for his car (okay, and I'm a sucker and give it away to his coworker who had her boy in nothing..lol)

Certainly I could get another nauti..she likes it....and it's cheaper, and almost certainly easier to install..(it'll have to be installed/uninstalled pretty much for every use..*sigh*) but I'm thinking more long term..at 4.5 , her thighs are already as long as the depth of the nauti..so 2, 3, 4+ years form now, I thonk it will get uncomfy for her, and teh frontier seat depth is greater/more supportive....the frontier also goes higher as a booster, has more shoulder and crotch room, etc. Plus it's new and different for me to play with, lol. And the 9 yr expiration means it will get dd to an adult seat belt for sure, and then ds to nearly 10yo....so well worth it, lol.

Few more days to decide to take advantage of the sale or not.......

AO
Peg Perego PV
Baby Tend Latch-Loc
SS1
GN
TB
BV
RA
MA
Regent
ComfortSport
breverra
Summit
Triumph (new)
Titan (old and new)
Apex
Radian80
TrueFit
and probably more...

In opposition to your thought that the install problems don't make it feel cheap, I have to disagree x400. Britax has always prided themselves in solid, easy installs. That's one of the biggest reasons that Britax has been so readily recommended so often, because of the ease of install. And I feel that a really good installation is a sign of a quality, well-made seat. Anyone can put a crappy after-thought belt path on there and call it buyer beware. An open, easy to use belt path speaks to the quality of the seat. It's difficult to make a belt path super open (like the MA is) because that's that much less material you can put in the seat. A tiny, narrow, low belt path is a giveway to "we needed to cram as much plastic possible into this puppy to keep it from imploding." Otherwise, all seats would have big, beautiful, high, wide belt paths (with lock-offs, folks, don't forget the lock-offs!) and installation would always be a breeze.
A good installation is not pure luck, it's testmanent to the thought and planning and testing and engineering that went into a seat. Touching a Frontier and trying to install it in almost anything tells you that there was not much in the way of test and foretought in that belt path.

Ease of use is a sign of quality, period. Ease of use is more expensive (thicker straps, studier seats with open belt paths, nice alligator clips, lock-offs) and that, IMO, is what makes a seat sturdy and well built.

I can't deny that the FN is a hulk. It doesn't bend or twist like an Apex will. But where it matters, it's just a cheap POS with a fancy name. People are letting Britrax rest on its laurels (as am I, to this extent, for other reasons) and trusting that this seat is better because it's Britax. If it said "Alpha Omega Supreme" on it, a lot more people would pass it by and complain about how much it sucks.

If LATCH limits were 80 pounds and all cars allowed LATCH usage in the middle, I bet we'd love it a lot more...the belt path isn't a problem when you only use LATCH. (That's what this belt path screams to me: We don't actually think anyone will ever use a seatbelt to install again.).

I stuck a little round felt chair pad on the harness where the velcro should be and our harness issues ended right there (NO twisting, NO lost buckle tongues). Britax should maybe send out a recall kit so we don't have to rig our own fix to that lame harness

Splash said:

A good installation is not pure luck, it's testmanent to the thought and planning and testing and engineering that went into a seat. Touching a Frontier and trying to install it in almost anything tells you that there was not much in the way of test and foretought in that belt path.

Click to expand...

:yeahthat:
Hence, the reason why Britax engineers were in such a scramble to allow the LBP install when there were so many complaints about install issues when the seat first came out.

I actually like the Frontier. In fact, I have one coming this week . We have had....
Graco Snugride
Graco ComfortSport
Britax Marathon
Britax Boulevard
Britax Regent

I do hope they'll come out with some better covers eventually for the Frontier and of course I would love to see it's top harness slot go as high as the Regent but overall I think it's a fantastic seat. I do believe it lives up to the Britax name.

I've only owned 3 seats so far (well...six since everything is x2 )

Baby Trend LatchLoc
Roundabout
Regent

I haven't owned a Frontier, but did try it at BRU recently. I wasn't overly impressed with it. I guess I didn't like it enough to relace my Regents. Maybe that's not a fair assessment of the seat itself. I mostly didn't like the flimsy armrests. I'm not really sure what those are for, since they don't stay in a position for the kids to rest their arms . I also am not crazy about anything hard & plastic that can come in contact with the child during a collision. In the SI crash tests that I've seen on Youtube, the whole body swings sideways violently, especially the parts not held in place by the harness (legs & head). So I don't like the idea of the legs smashing into plastic. I'd rather they be cushioned.