Britax Frontier 85 – The Number 1 Most Loved Britax Car Seat
Britax Frontier 85 reflects Britax‘s cutting-edge design and style, and industry-leading engineering in the making of child car seat.
Britax is one of the largest brands in Europe that provides custom made car seats for small children. Britax Car Seats are popular among parents of toddlers and babies because of the immense safety that they provide in ensuring that their children remain comfortably seated during a car journey.
By providing exclusive energy-absorbing Versa-Tether and Real Side Impact Safety, Britax Frontier 85 Combination Booster Seat helps to keep your kid secure and safe while travelling in your car. Britax Frontier 85 is designed to grow as your child grows from infancy to childhood.
Safety Features of Britax Frontier 85:
- Britax Frontier 85 is equipped with a sophisticated, industry-leading style and design for collision force compression and management.
- Britax’s trademarked Versa-Tether technique offers a staged-release tether webbing which firmly anchor bolts the top portion of the car seat to your car at 2 distinct points to drastically reduce frontward movement in case of an abrupt stop.
- The energy-absorbing system acts like a strong buffer and is built to take in forces, whilst the memory foam lining delivers extra support.
- Additionally, the Harness Ultra Guard System (HUGS) lowers frontward head movement while offering higher security for your kid.
- True Side Impact Protection distributes crash forces, shields from vehicle intrusion, contains the head and body, and keeps the head, neck and spine “in true” or aligned, to limit injury
- Compatible with SecureGuard which works with the vehicle safety belt in booster mode to prevent the child from sliding under the lap-belt portion of the safety belt during impact, thus minimizing the risk of abdominal injury (accessory sold separately)
- Certified for Aircraft Travel in Harness Mode
Britax Frontier 85 Product Features
- 4 adjustment heights for booster mode
- Quick-Adjust Head Restraint & No-Rethread Harness (by a release lever in the back) easily adjust the harness shoulder height and head restraint without disassembling the harness
- Long and short belt path installations available for lap/shoulder belts – this can help eliminate any vehicle incompatibility.
- Tangle Free, 5-Point Harness with 10 harness height positions (up to 20″) and three buckle positions for a snug and secure fit allows your child to remain harnessed up to 85 lbs or in booster mode to 120 lbs
- Plush, Premium Cover Set with thick, underlying comfort foam provides extra comfort, encouraging your child to stay in the proper position
- Integrated Armrests help provide a secure fit and a natural place to rest arms
- Integrated Cup Holders are designed to fit common beverages such as 20 oz reusable water bottles
- Color-Coded Vehicle Belt Guides indicate the path and positioning of the vehicle seat belt
- Durable and Washable Cover in mature fashions for the growing child
- Premium, Push-Button Lower LATCH Connectors for a quick, simple, and tight installation
- Harness-2-Booster converts to a belt-positioning booster seat
Britax Frontier 85 Technical Details
- Minimum weight recommendation: 25 Pounds
- Maximum weight recommendation: 120 Pounds
- Additional product features: Additional Reclining Options / Washable Fabric Cup Holder
- Style: 5-point Harness Booster
- Seat base/foot width: 27.5 inches
- Harness type: 5 pt
- Shoulder harness minimum height: 12.25 inches
- Shoulder harness maximum height: 20 inches
- Interior seat back height: 24 inches
- Seat height: 36 inches
- Interior seat width: 11.5 inches
- Product Dimensions: 27 x 19.5 x 23 inches
- Dimensions at base: 19 inches deep and 19 inches across.
- Product Weight: 19.6 pounds
- Shipping Weight: 23.6 pounds
- 9 year lifespan from date of manufacture
What the Owners Think About This Britax Frontier 85?
Almost all owners like the Britax Frontier 85‘s many safety features as listed in the Safety Feature of Britax Frontier 85 section above. And the convenience of fitting most of the bigger size toddlers without compromising their comfort.
With the adjustable height and the 9-year expiration, Britax Frontier certainly grows as your children grow, and making it the one and only car seat one will ever need.
Britax Frontier 85 Reviews
Let’s find out what the existing Frontier 85 owners have to say about the Britax Frontier 85 Combination Booster Car Seat
Good (Pros) of Britax Frontier 85
- Easy assembling – The Britax Frontier 85 enables easy, quick assembly by using lower latch fittings, appropriate for most present-day automobiles. The advanced, push-button technique offers a tight, safe fit and allows you to set up or take off the seat easily. Your kid will enjoy the armrests that offer an adequate place to rest his / her hands combined with the twin cup cases made to carry recyclable bottles or foodstuff containers.
- Side Impact Protection- Most child car seats are quite effective in frontal crashes when used properly but statistic has shown that side impacts can be very dangerous. With the relatively deep wings for the torso and head, Britax Frontier 85 provides added protection from intrusion. In addition, the wings around the head are padded with energy absorbing foam.
- 5-point Harness for up to 85 pounds- While most kids above 40 pounds can use a booster, some may not be mature enough to remain seated properly in a lap and shoulder belt. Britax Frontier 85‘s 5-point harness offers more protection in side impacts and rollovers than a 3-point lap and shoulder belt.
- Support for Kids’ Growth – A child will outgrow this seat by height one day. The hassle-free, 5-point harness makes for 10 different harness-height positions- to a maximum of 20 inches in shoulder harness length and 3 different buckle positions for a comfortable and safe fit, even while your kids grows. Additionally you can modify the head constraint with your hand utilizing the automatic lever and simply customizing the harness shoulder length without taking apart the whole harness. Furthermore, the front harness adjuster lets you tighten or loosen the harness system effortlessly.
- LATCH- The Frontier 85 includes a single flexible strap with connectors on each end to attach to the lower anchors. Unlike some other combination models, Britax Frontier allows you to use the lower anchors and the top tether when this Britax Car Seat is used as a belt positioning booster. This can help keep the booster in place while loading, unloading, during turns or when the booster is not occupied.
- Padding and Comfort- The Frontier 85 is very well padded all around and seems very comfortable. The harness system is black with grey “HUGS” and black comfort pads to keep the harness straps from irritating the child’s neck. A large comfort pad is attached to the crotch strap to keep the buckle and strap off the child. This is handy if the buckle is hot from being in the sun.
- High Quality Material – The luxurious, high quality cover set with extremely comfortable memory foam results in a cozy ride, even while in long car outings. Constructed from soft, long-lasting materials, the booster-style seat’s cover is simple to take out from the shell to clean and comes in a wide variety of different patterns, such as Canyon, Red Rock, Canyon, Pink Sky and Rushmore
- Construction- The Frontier 85 feels solidly made in the USA (Charlotte, NC) and not in the Far East, though some components, like the cover (made in Thailand), may be imported.
- Airplane Certification- The Frontier can be used on aircraft, but only with the harness. It may not be used on aircraft as a booster.
- 9 Year Expiration- Other models that may claim to be the only seat your child will ever need may actually have 6 year expiration dates! With 9 year expiration offered by Britax Frontier 85, you won’t need to buy additional seats for your kids down the road!
Bad (Cons) of Britax Frontier 85
- Weight and Bulk- The Britax Frontier 85 is big and heavy. It weighs under 20 pounds. The base measures about 19″ deep and 19″ wide at the cup holders. The width may be an issue for fitting three child seats across one row of seating. Like most harnessed seats for bigger kids, Britax Frontier 85 is not an easy model to be lugging through an airport. The Frontier 85 cannot be carried by the harness system. You have to hold it by the shell and/or the tether strap for carrying.
- Installation in some vehicles- If your vehicle’s seatbelts are too short for the “Long Belt Path”, you will be limited to the “Short Belt Path” installation. On the plus side, the revised short belt path may work better for some installs in various vehicles. Like any child restraint, there is always a possibility that it will be incompatible with a few vehicles. As with all child seats, various types of vehicle seats and seatbelts systems may not be used at all. These are clearly indicated in the manual.
- Limited Recline Setting- The recline block on the base of this Britax car seat can be moved forward or back for two recline positions. In harness mode, the recline block MUST be in the forward position (i.e. more reclined). In booster mode, the recline block MUST be rotated to the back (more upright).While it does snap into place, you need to make sure it doesn’t accidentally rotate to the incorrect position. This setup should be flexible enough for most kids, but for those who want every possible type of adjustment, the Britax Frontier does not have multiple recline settings.
Tips on Using Britax Frontier 85
In some vehicles the installation of Britax Frontier 85 can be made easier by reclining the vehicle seat back first, then install the Britax child seat as tight as possible. When you have finished, bring the vehicle seat back upright to secure the Britax Frontier a bit better.- If the seatbelt stalk is so long that it protrudes through the slot in the Britax Frontier 85, it may be possible in some cars to “twist” the buckle stalk to effectively make it shorter. One or two complete twists may do the trick, but no more than three full twists if absolutely necessary. Please keep in mind that an acceptable fit does not have to be rock solid! The seat is installed correctly when it cannot be moved back-to-front or side-to-side more than one inch, when given a modest tug at the seatbelt path.
- Britax advises that the LATCH system may only be used until 40 pounds, unless the vehicle manufacturer gives a higher limit. This is an issue with almost all child restraints that have a harness rated above 40-50 pounds. At some point, it will be necessary to use the seatbelt for installation. Seatbelt installations are just as safe as LATCH, providing that you can get a good install.
- When LATCH is used in booster mode, please make sure the seatbelt system is correctly aligned with the LATCH anchors. In a few vehicles, the shoulder belt may not be positioned in a location to allow it to fit correctly on children using LATCH boosters.
Britax Frontier 85 Is For People Who:
The Britax Frontier 85 Combination Booster Car Seat is perfect for parents who like traveling around with their babies, and wanting the car seat to provide proper protection and also posture-support for their little ones during car trips.- The Britax Frontier holds kids starting from 18 months old and 22 lbs up to 85 lbs when utilized as a forward-facing functional seat, and 38 to 122 lbs when used like a booster-style seat. If your children fall into these categories, the Frontier 85 is the right choice that provides comfort and safety for your children and toddlers.
- If your child is taller than the average kids, Britax Frontier 85 may be the only one that can accommodate tall children
What Are People Raving About Britax Frontier 85?
“This is the 3rd Frontier booster seat I have ordered. I was pleased with the other 2, and like the idea of keeping my sons in a harness as long as possible, as I believe that is safer for them. Britax has improved the design on the most recent one I bought. The cup holders are now permanently molded into the seat, instead of pop-open which didn’t work well in the previous models. My son likes to keep his cup and even little toys stored in there.
It seems to take up a little less space than the previous model as well. If you have LATCH, the seat is very easy to install. If you don’t have LATCH, it is a little more complicated with a vehicle seat belt, but not bad. They have put clear instructions on the side of the seat now with a diagram that helps alot. The harness and belt connecter between the child’s legs are easy to adjust. My sons love this seat, it is very comfortable for them. The side impact safety feature is important to us, and it also doubles as a comfy headrest for my kids if they doze off in the car as well. Overall an amazing seat, I would not use anything else for my kids. Amazon has great deals on this seat very often and I love free super saver shipping.” … Chris
“I have had a Britax Roundabout, Boulevard, and now the Frontier 85, and I have to say, they are all excellent seats. I am a stickler for safety and I really appreciate that I was able to keep my daughter rear-facing up to three years old and now harnessed up to 85 pounds. I have been fortunate enough not to have any car accidents, but in these seats she is comfortable and happy. I was worried if she’d be as comfortable in the Frontier as in her Boulevard, but she is very comfortable, loves the seat, and is still well-supported when she drifts off to sleep. You pay more for a Britax seat, but you really do get what you pay for! ” … Amanda Reynolds
“We have been a Britax family since my first son was born in 2005. We have only purchased Britax and have been very happy with all of the Britax seats we have owned. Two years ago, when my younger son was born, we moved my older son from a Britax Marathon to the Frontier. We have been happy with that seat, but this model is an improvement over that one. On this seat there are stationary cup holders, where on the first seat we purchased the cup holders fold into the side of the seat. I love that this seat is easily adjustable for height without having to undo all of the straps and re-thread them to the appropriate location for the child. I would definitely purchase this seat again!!!” … K Duffy
“Safety is the main concern and I think this 5-point harness booster does the trick. Plus, it is more comfortable than seats for smaller children. My daughter is 5 years old and weighs around 40 lbs. Sizing is just right. There is some setup involved prior to installing. For example you may need to adjust the position of the buckle, adjust the bottom height based on whether a seatbelt or harness is used, etc. But, once installed, everything seems very snug. ” … David G. Dolotta
“We wanted a second car seat for the second car and already had a Britax. We were more concerned with safety, prior reviews and comments than worrying about price but once we found the seat we wanted we found Amazon had almost the best price and with their return policy it just seemed easier to pay a little extra for the return policy. I know folks have said its difficult to fit and the instructions are quite thick but it really was not that difficult. It sits very nicely in out PT Cruiser and means we don’t have to swap car seats every 5 mins. The good thing is our child can grow into this over the next 4/5 years and I am guessing we will need to upgrade the car seat eventually when he outgrows it in our Volvo XC90 so this will be on the list again. So far so good and the two cup holders and a blindingly obvious idea that not many other mfrs have cottoned onto. The safety and solid construction are clearly evident. Not cheap but in this case you do get what you pay for.” …. Mr Andrew-John Dittrich
“We recently bought the Britax Frontier for our 2 year old son, because he out grew his Britax Roundabout seat and wasn’t mature enough to sit in a regular booster. My son appears to love his new Frontier seat. It is roomy and very comfortable for him. At this point he even has room to pull his legs up onto the seat and sit comfortably. My husband and I like the styling and extra cushioning. Our only complaint is that it is somewhat difficult to loosen the harness straps. The button is difficult to find and push. It was much easier on the Roundabout. Our son is big for his age, but this should be the last seat we have to purchase for him and because of the extra long life (9 years until expiration) we should be able to use it for our next baby too after he/she outgrows the Roundabout. Definitely worth the price!” … Jeff A. Huntington
Let’s hear what one happy customer, Barry has to say about the Britax Frontier 85 Car Seat.
Verdict: Britax Frontier 85
Verdict: Unless your consider Britax Frontier 85 too big or too heavy for your convenience, this Britax Car Seat is a good investment for your children’s safety in car travel. Now you don’t need to worry about your children’s safety anymore because the seat will protect them perfectly.
Britax Frontier 85 is indeed somewhat more expensive than other car seats in the market, but it is very reasonable when you consider the benefits and lifetime, plus it’s made in North America. Like any type of product, you pay more for premium features and the Frontier 85 is a class leader in many regards. With a 9-year expiration, this Britax Frontier really is the last seat your child will ever need.
Overall Score:
98%
Where To Buy Britax Frontier 85?
That’s a really important question. We want to be sure that you are getting a really good deal. So we did some extensive research on Britax Frontier 85 and found it to be Amazon.com
If you order today you can have a saving of more than $70 on the normal purchase price of the Britax Frontier 85.
We have checked out most of the popular local stores, their car seat prices for Britax Frontier 85 ranges from $300 to $360 where Amazon is selling below $230, with FREE Super Saver Shipping, that is really a very good deal. Truly, Britax Frontier 85 is the Best Car Seat under $250.
Amazon is reputable company that stands out in consumer services. You will have a piece of mind because not only they will make sure you get the Britax Frontier on time but they are very actively in updating you the status of your delivery. Many Frontier 85 Car Seat customers reported that the Amazon Customer Service is excellent.
We are not sure how long will these special deals last, so if you have enjoyed reading the many benefits and features of the Britax Frontier 85 then this may be the Best Car Seat for you.







