Britax Car Seats and Subaru Forester

I have a VW Jetta and my britax decathlon (same size, I believe, as the marathon) fits OK in the center seat. I would imagine the forester would have a little bigger back seat... but I could be wrong. I say try it out! You might have a problem if you needed more than one carseat or trying to pack in a couple of adults back there.

Maybe a bigger car, such as a minivan and also a booster seat or one that holds a child to 100 lbs.

Dear M.,

From what I hear the Britax car seats are very comfortable for the babies and I would try to fit one in at the store, surely someone can help you measure and get a good idea. It would be worth the comfort to the babe and you will feel good about it too, if you can get it in.

C. N.

I have a Toyota Prius and the Marathon fits fine. When the seat was installed (by certified people at Goore's) they even put the front seat snugly against the back of the carseat for added stability and safety. If you buy at a baby store such as Goore's they will help you pick out the seat that best fits you and your car. Plus they'll install it for free!

We have the Marathon in our Forester and it fits just great! Good Luck.

I have a Forester and we have the Britax Decathlon. Yes it is a big tight and a little tougher for taller people to sit up front since we had to push up the front seats a little for the carseat to fit better. Right now the carseat is rear-facing but I do notice that my son's feet (he's 14 months) are hitting the back seat so I don't know how much longer I can keep him rear-facing if it becomes more uncomfortable for him and his legs. Britax carseats are definitely worth it though!

We have a VW golf which is small and we use the Britix roundabout.

Hi there! I have a Volvo V40 and I think it's size is very comparable to the Subaru Forester. I have a Britax Boulevard and yes, it is tight! Currently my 11 mo. old daughter is rear facing- so that means the only way it will fit is in the middle seat. (great because that's the safest anyway) But, I do find that the driver and passenger seats must be pulled a bit further forward to provide the 1 in. clearance from the back of the seat. I don't have a problem compromising my space for a little longer (until forward facing), I know that the Britax have fantastic ratings and frankly just appear to be well made versus the other brands. And, when she turns forward facing, i will have so much more room- the Britax base is actually pretty narrow compared to some others I have seen. Check out babiesrus. If you ask, a sales associate will be happy to take the seat out to your car and see how it fits. I did this when buying mine because I had the Britax Companion infant carrier given to me as a gift while pregnant. I was devastated a week before my due date to find that it did not fit in my car!

ps- I see you are a Physician! I am a Paramedic- I'm sure you've heard that a shocking number of seats are installed improperly- somewhere over 80%- My local CHP in westminster inspected my installation. It was very helpful, and FREE!

I have an 04 subaru forester and I just got a britax boulevard for my 4 1/2 month old boy it fits fine for me... but it does make the front seat smaller if you have to accommodate a larger person, it could be tight. Britax is top of the line so I feel its worth this disadvantage. You also can get good deals on line if you seek the "close-out colors", just so you know. Bless.

Aloha,
Britex just came out with a less bulker and wider seat i just read somewhere for smaller cars for that sitauion but I forget what model it is. sorry. May be go on a site and search for their new models.
With Aloha,
A.

We have a Toyota Matrix and have the Britax Marathon. It's a pretty big seat but fit okay in our car. Only when it was still rear-facing was it a bit tight. Since she's now forward facing it's fine. There's still enough room for 2 people to seat on either side and for front seat passengers to have enough leg room. We love the seat and so does our daughter. Very stylish, very comfortable and most of all very, very safe. Hope that helps. Good Luck.

I don't know about foresters, but I drive a bug and there aren't many cars with a backseat smaller than a bug, and I've fit a whole variety of rear facing carseats in the back (I babysit for some of my daughter's "friends"). They always fit, the only problem being that the passenger seat has to be slid way forward, so my husband couldn't ever sit in the passenger seat (fine with me, I didn't ever want to drive). However, you can try it out to be sure, and return it right away if it's too big. However, I read somewhere (consumer reports, maybe?) that if you're looking for value a Britax Marathon is overpriced for what you get, and that the mid priced Britax (which is smaller, too) is a better value, and just as safe. They also said a cheaper carseat (Evenflo, maybe?) was also just as good.