Update: My review of the Britax Advocate ClickTight is here!

I’m always interested in news about new car seats, and Britax has confirmed what Amazon.com recently revealed: Britax is extending their ClickTight system of car seat installation (previously seen on the Frontier 90 and Pinnacle 90) to a new convertible car seat line! These seats are going to be game-changers per Britax, and I think they’re right, especially when it comes to the ease of installation. Why?

Well, the seats, for starters, are going to be brand new, and will bring a range of new features to the table. You can still buy the G4 convertibles, such as the Britax Advocate G4, Boulevard G4, and Marathon G4, but you’ll also be able to choose the Britax Advocate ClickTight, Boulevard ClickTight, and Marathon ClickTight. You can read my review of the Britax Advocate G4 here and I’m already working on getting my hands on a copy of one of the newest ClickTight seats!

Why should I choose a ClickTight seat?

Essentially, the ClickTight seats make it super-easy to install a Britax car seat with a seat belt. I’d say it’s easier than a LATCH install, and that’s saying something. At the same time, it doesn’t take up any more space than a typical seat belt install, while being substantially easier to do correctly. No more struggling to get a seat weighted down and twisting buckle stalks about…it just works. For me, that reason alone would be enough to consider one of these. However, there are some additional goodies and reasons to do so…see below.

When will they be available?

Right now, Britax says the seats will be available in late September, although if you pre-order the seats, you will likely be able to get them a bit earlier. They are expected to start shipping the seats to stores in three weeks!



What are the differences?

The Britax Marathon ClickTight is not going to be that different from the Britax Marathon G4. Per Britax, the top harness height will remain virtually identical at 17.7″, while the top seated shoulder height will only marginally increase to 16.95.” The general height limit for the seat will also barely change, increasing by an inch to 50.” The height limit for rear-facing will increase a nudge as a result to around 25″ tall as long as the 1″ shell height rule is involved. The weight limit for rear-facing will remain from 5-40 pounds, while the forward-facing range will also remain unchanged at 20-65 pounds.

In other words, the big change is the ClickTight system for an easier installation. You can see what the new Marathon ClickTight will look like thanks to the image on the left. I like the purple tones already. However, things get better…

The Britax Advocate ClickTight and Britax Boulevard ClickTight will see a big boost to their height ranges, from 17.5″ all the way up to 19.5!” This will place the new seats in very rarefied air when it comes to convertibles currently available on the market. Similarly, the seated shoulder height rises to 18.65″ while the overall height limit will now stretch up to 54.” This is great news for anyone interested in Extended Harnessing, or EH, which refers to maximizing the amount of time a forward-facing child can spend harnessed before moving to a booster seat. It is important to note, however, that the rear-facing weight limits will remain the same at 5-40 pounds, while the forward-facing weight limits will also remain unchanged at 20 to 65 pounds. However, thanks to the height increases, it is now much more likely that children will actually have the time to reach these weight limits.

Besides that, what makes me super happy about the updates to the seats is the fact that the seats will no longer be dependent upon the outer shell in order to set the limits for height when rear-facing. Instead, the inner shell will now be the benchmark for the 1″ rule. As a reference, that’s about 1″ underneath the harness height adjustment lever. As a result, the maximum seated height limit might actually be up to 27″ tall, which again makes it even more possible to engage in extended-rear facing to the weight limits of the seat.

Why No Higher Weight Limits?

It is disappointing that higher weight limits do not accompany the higher height limits in the new Britax convertibles. However, hopefully Britax will make this a priority in their future car seats. Until then, it’s definitely an improvement to have seats that make it more likely for children who use them to reach the maximum weight limits. If you’re looking for the highest car seat weight limits, however, you’ll want to look at Clek and Diono right now.

Easiest Rear-Facing Seats Yet?

I’m excited at the possibility of the three Britax convertibles (the Britax Advocate ClickTight, Britax Boulevard ClickTight, and Britax Marathon ClickTight) becoming the easiest extended rear-facing convertibles to install on the market, even surpassing the Chicco NextFit! That would definitely be a game changer, since approximately 80% of car seats are installed incorrectly throughout the United States. Whatever makes it easier for parents to install car seats is something we should celebrate, and Britax is clearly taking steps to make this a reality.

We’ll have to wait and see if they’re as easy to install as Britax claims they will be for the average parent. I’ve already pre-ordered one of each and am anxiously awaiting their arrivals.

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