Which is better the Graco Nautilus or the Britax Frontier car seat?

Question

I'm trying to find out which car seat would be better for my 4 yr old daughter. They both appear the same, the Graco can support up to 65 lbs. with the harness and Britax up to 80 lbs, both go up to 100 lbs as booster seats. The Britax doesn't come out until may and is $100 dollars more.

Answer 1

Both are awesome seats, but at this time, I think I'd probably go with the Nautilus. For one - the Frontier isn't out yet, so if you're needing a seat right now, its not an option. Two - the Fronteir will be $279!! That's even more than the Regent, which my son has and I LOVE. The only major flaw so far, is that on the only site listing its harness heights, its top slot is is 1 and 3/4 inches shorter than the Regent, and 3/4 inches shorter than the Nautilus. However, this could be a miscalculation. The Regent's top slot has been mismeasured in many places as 19inches, but it is 20 inches. So it could be wrong, but no one will know until it comes out and we get to play with it!

That said, most kids will get plenty of harnessed time out of the Frontier - its top slot is rumored to be 18.25 inches. And you can't beat a Britax. And it comes in several awesome color combos. So, if you are able to wait, then you could wait and see.

But - if you need a seat now, the Nautilus will perfectly meet your needs and is significantly cheaper. The only downside I could say is that it is going to have less room for bigger/heavier kids. The Frontier is probably almost as roomy as the Britax Regent, whereas the Nautilus offers significantly less shoulder/hip/bottom room. Just remember the Regent doesn't become a booster!

Sounds like I wasn't much help, but the truth of the matter is that either seat would be a great choice, and what it comes down to is this:

the BEST seat is the one that fits your car, fits your child, and will be used correctly 100% of the time.

If you've got a BIG kid, and a little time, I'd try the Fronteir. You could even buy the Nautilus as an interim seat and use it as a spare if you like the Fronteir when it comes out. Some sites are already taking preorders. Check out http://www.hipmonkey.com , proceeds from car seats purchased there go to help the Kyle David Miller Foundation give car seats to families that can't afford them. My son got a Regent from them last year and I couldn't be more thankful!

Answer 2

Both look like great seats!  I haven't seen either one in person, but may get one for my daughter when she outgrows her Marathons.  Try doing a search on car-seat.org - there have been several great threads there on both seats.

Answer 3

Try these sites................

http://www.carseatdata.org/

http://www.consumersearch.com/www/family...

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babie...