The Graco Slimfit and Britax Boulevard Clicktight

• Rear-Facing

As for the minimum rear-facing weight limit of Graco Slimfit, many parents and reviewers have noted that its lowest harness setting does not hold even the tiny body of a 7-pound baby. Britax Boulevard Clicktight, however, as one of the Clicktight convertibles from Britax is said to be a good bet for newborns.

• Forward-Facing

Although the forward-facing minimum capacity of Boulevard Clicktight is lower than that of Slimfit, parents will max out the rear-facing capacity of either child restraint before they use it in the forward-facing mode.

• Booster

It is only Graco Slimfit that can offer this mode of use so, in terms of ideal usage, it is superior to the Britax Boulevard Clicktight.

Fit In Vehicles:

• They promote the Graco Slimfit as a car seat that can help save space and allow 3-across setup in vehicles. Looking at the dimensions of these 2 car seats from the table above, Britax Boulevard Clicktight is slimmer in terms of width. It is not a slim car seat like Diono Radian 3RXT or Clek Fllo that can fit 3 of its kind in a single row, but there are ways by which this car seat and/or other brands of car seats could be placed side by side in a single row.

Further reading would teach you about how some parents do this. It may depend on how many and what kinds of car seats you need to use. One combination is to have the Slimfit forward-facing on the left and right sides and 1 rear-facing Slimfit or an infant car seat in the middle.

In one detailed write-up about the Graco Slimfit, the evaluator explained that the Slimfit will fit with other car seats, but it may not solve all the space issues of parents. In fact, if you plan to use this in a 3-across setup in tight spaces, it will be best to place it alongside 2 narrow car seats. The provided 3-across setup scenarios include:

1. A forward-facing Slimfit at the right, a forward-facing Diono Radian at the left, and rear-facing Combi Coccoro* at the center;
2. 2 forward-facing Slimfits at the sides and a Chicco Keyfit carrier at the center.

Also, remember that the slim feature of the Slimfit only applies when you rotate the cup holder inwards.

One Amazon user commented that the Graco Slimfit can fit a 3-across in Ford Edge while another said the same with their Ford Escape. A mother who compared Slimfit to Graco 4Ever stated that she tested both in the center of her 2014 Mazda CX-5 and she felt that the Slimfit left more room for other passengers in the car. 

Other parents claimed they installed the car seat pretty well inside the 2014 Chevy Cruze, 2014 Dodge Durango R/T, and Mercedes ML350 SUV.

• Britax Boulevard Clicktight may be “slimmer” than the Graco Slimfit, but its actual width could also make it unsuitable for 3-across installations.

It does not come with accessories like cup holders and an ARB or the anti-rebound bar (although there is a version with an ARB by default). Thus, if you ever decide to later purchase these accessories from Britax, be mindful that the addition of these accessories would increase the amount of space the car seat occupies. 

In fact, when the seat is reclined, one parent noted that it took up more room from the front to the back in their 2015 Kia Sorento. Another parent said that the Boulevard Clicktight fits better in their Volkswagen car than in their Subaru Outback or Crosstrek. Other cars where the Clicktight child restraint gave no worries regarding installation and vehicle fit include Ford Edge and 2008 Toyota Rav4. 

• Pool Noodle/Rolled Towel

Both allow the use of a rolled towel underneath to achieve the necessary recline. However, be reminded that the manual of Graco Slimfit mentions only rolled towels and not pool noodles. Yet, Graco Consumer Services replied to a query from an Amazon customer that a cut-to-size pool noodle could be used.  One parent said that they did so when they installed the Slimfit in a 2016 Volkswagen GTI because of the slope in the vehicle seat and the recessed portion of the seating area. 

As for Boulevard Clicktight, one parent noted they had to place a rolled towel underneath to get the right angle when installed forward-facing in a Toyota Sienna.

• Ease of Installation - LATCH

Graco Slimfit is easy to install in all modes, but the competition favors Slimfit in terms of LATCH because of its push-button InRight LATCH connector (vs the J-hook connector of the Boulevard Clicktight) and its higher lower anchor weight limit.

• Ease of Installation - Vehicle Seatbelt

LATCH installation gives parents an option for easier installation, yet when the child reaches a certain weight, the car seat should then be installed using the vehicle seatbelt. Several parents invest time and effort to just install the car seat with the vehicle seat belt rather than be bothered by the lower anchor weight limit. For this reason, the Britax Boulevard Clicktight gained the approval of many parents and caregivers. 

Its ingenious “Clicktight installation” that also serves as a built-in lock-off feature makes vehicle seat belt installation so much easier. Although, it is not fool-proof since there are a few things that parents still need to check and ensure to achieve proper installation. 

Since the Clicktight system is unique, it is best to read the manual before trying any installation attempt that could lead to some otherwise avoidable problems like jamming the Clicktight panel or excess slack in the belt. Clicktight will make you believe that the Clicktight models like Boulevard are optimized for a vehicle seat belt installation so you would not mind even if the LATCH department is lacking.

• Recline

Britax Boulevard Clicktight is more preferable to having more recline positions than Graco Slimfit.

The recline handle of Slimfit is at the front of the seat. It has a ball recline indicator just like its other Graco cousins Contender, Milestone, and MySize. Recline positions 1 and 2 are for rear-facing with a recline angle range of 30 to 45 degrees.

The recline adjuster handle of Boulevard Clicktight is also at the front. To set the appropriate recline for a child, the bubble recline indicator will be of great help. You need to pay attention to the color or shade on the indicator. For rear-facing, younger babies would need the recline angle offered within the light blue zone while older babies would require the recline positions within the dark blue zone. The green zone is for forward-facing.

• Weight

Britax Boulevard Clicktight is a heavy car seat and its weight is what most likely affects how parents could maneuver this product inside their vehicles. 

Graco Slimfit is lighter than the Boulevard Clicktight so moving it around the vehicle during installation will be easier. Yet, this does not mean that it is lightweight enough like the Cosco Scenera Next to make it an ideal car seat to carry when traveling.

• Washing Cover

The cover of Slimfit is much easier to wash since it is machine-washable.

• Accessories

Given the price of the two car seats, you might expect that the more expensive product would include all the necessities and accessories. However, the package of Slimfit already contains cup holders while these items are separately sold and not included in the Boulevard's box.

There’s an approximately USD 100 price difference between the Graco Slimfit and the Britax Boulevard Clicktight.

The Graco Slimfit offers:

• longer usage until booster mode (it even has IIHS Best Bet Booster Rating – good belt fit for 4 to 8 years old kids in most vehicles)
• easy and do-able installation in all modes
• a higher lower anchor weight limit
• a lighter weight
• a machine-washable cover
• 2 cup holders
• more crotch strap positions

Parents will have different needs to consider when choosing a child restraint system and the Britax Boulevard Clicktight is a car seat that parents will choose over the competition in this comparison if they are looking for:

• a car seat that can be installed with ease using vehicle seatbelt (when they want to forget about weight limits for LATCH or when their vehicle could not allow the seat to be installed with LATCH)
• a car seat that can be used with an anti-rebound bar for extra safety
• more recline positions
• a US-made car seat

Do You Need More Help To Decide Between

The Graco Slimfit and Britax Boulevard Clicktight?

Read My Graco Slimfit Review

See My Britax Boulevard Clicktight Review

What do you think? 

I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Cheers!

Pitin