Britax Advocate ClickTight vs Advocate G4: Comparison Review

Britax Advocate ClickTight Britax Advocate G4

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The New Britax Advocate ClickTight Has Arrived!

Britax convertible car seats have been a very popular choice amongst parents and car seat safety technicians for many years now. Britax have consistently manufactured seats with impressive safety and convenience features and always seem to be on the look-out for new and innovative ways to improve their products to the benefit of parents and their children.

The Advocate G4 seat was the top-of-the-range model in the Britax series of convertible car seats until the release of the new “ClickTight” products in Autumn 2014.

The latest series of Britax convertible car seats has been branded “ClickTight” as opposed to the previous “G4″ series branding due to the fact that they have taken their revolutionary “ClickTight” system and added it to ALL of their newly released convertible seats.

However, although the ClickTight mechanism is a very important development, it is not the only difference between the Advocate ClickTight and Advocate G4 seats. There are a number of other new features on the Advocate ClickTight that you won’t find on the G4 version and it can be confusing for parents who simply want to know what the differences are, and whether or not they should pay the extra money for the newer model or take advantage of the its recent release and buy the G4 version at a heavy discount to the usual price?

The Advocate ClickTight costs $419.99 and the Advocate G4 has now been discontinued.

The purpose of this post is to shed some light on this issue and hopefully help you to make a better informed decision when you come to choose a convertible car seat for your child.

It is easy to see from the images above that Britax have vastly improved the look of the seat and brought it more into line with some of its more modern-looking competitors, but you obviously should never buy a child car seat because of how it looks and there are some much more important functional differences between these seats to consider.

You should also note that the standing height limits and overall weight limits for the ClickTight and G4 models remain unchanged:

Rear-facing between 5 to 40 lbs or 49 inches (standing height)
Forwards-facing between 20 to 65 lbs or 49 inches (standing height) – must be at least 1 year old

Note: Although these seats are rated as suitable for forwards-facing use from 20 lbs (if child at least 1 year old), the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends that children should remain rear-facing for at least 2 years and preferably longer. So, do NOT rush to switch your child to forwards-facing mode once they reach 20 lbs. Instead, try to keep them rear-facing for as long as they remain within the height / weight limits for that mode of use.

Britax Advocate ClickTight vs Advocate G4 – The 6 Main Similarities

So, before looking at the important differences between the ClickTight and G4 versions of the Britax Advocate, I want to briefly run through 6 of the most important features that have remained the same.

#1 Integrated Steel Bars

Both seats comes with durable integrated steel bars to strengthen the seat’s connection to the vehicle and reduce forward flexing in the event of a collision.

Here is a short video that explains how the Britax Steel Frame can help to protect your child in a collision:

#2 SafeCell Impact Absorbing Tether

The Impact Absorbing Tether is basically a strap that is attached to 2 upper parts of the seat and which is used to secure it to your vehicle’s the lower anchors. This is a very important safety feature and you should make sure that you read the user manual very carefully to ensure that it is used correctly.

It is claimed that the safety benefits of using the Impact Absorbing Tether are that it:

Diverts crash forces away from your child by distributing them across a larger surface area of the seat shell;
Minimises movement of the seat in a crash (in all directions);
Helps to slow your child’s body down in a crash.

This short video explains how the Absorbing Tether can help to protect your child in a crash:

#3 Base with SafeCell Technology

The SafeCell Base is designed to compress in a crash, lower your child’s center of gravity, and counteract the forwards rotation of their seat. In so doing, this is said to reduce the risk of your child’s head hitting the back of the seat in front of them – the benefits of this are obvious.

Here is a short video that demonstrates the potential safety benefits of Britax SafeCell Bases:

#4 Side Impact Protection (SICT)

Both seats come with the top-of-the-range Side Impact Cushion Technology (SICT).

They also have:

Rigid seat shell with deep side walls and energy-absorbing foam
Headrest with energy-absorbing foam

You can see from the images above that the SICT cushions on the “ClickTight” version have been remodelled, but Britax don’t appear to be making any claims that this has improved their safety performance.

What is SICT?

Britax Side Impact Cushion Technology (SICT) comprises energy-management cushions that are positioned on either side of the seat. Britax claim that these cushions reduce side impact collision energy transfer by 45%. They are said to absorb side impact forces before they even reach your child and, thereby, reduce the risk of serious head injuries. Although I haven’t seen any independent test results to support Britax’s claims about these cushions, that does not mean that they are necessarily false. The cushions certainly do look reassuring and Britax claim that they make a significant difference in side impact collisions.

The SICT features means that the Advocate models are pretty wide at 21.5 inches, and this will probably cause problems if you need to fit 3 in a row on the rear seat of a standard-sized family vehicle.

#5 Click & Safe Harness Indicator

Both seats come with the Britax Click & Safe Harness Indicator mechanism.

Click & Safe is an audible indicator to help determine when your child’s seat harness is within the appropriate range of “snugness”. It is designed to be used as an additional safety feature as opposed to replacing your own judgment completely in this matter. Obviously, if the indicator suggests that your child is snug enough but s/he still looks a little insecure – tighten a little more! It is best used as a warning that you are not snug enough (if not within the range) rather than an absolute guarantee that your child is snug enough.

So, if it says your child is not snug enough then tighten more. If it says that your child is snug enough, still check with your own eyes and hands that this is correct.

Watch the video below to see how the Click & Safe feature works (it shows the G3 model but is still valid for G4 and ClickTight seats):

#6 Quick-Adjust No Re-thread Harness

As your child grows, you will need to adjust the height of the harness straps and headrest. Many seats require you to re-thread the harness each and every time you need to make adjustments and this can be a real pain. The Britax system makes it quick and easy for you to adjust the harness and headrest heights without having to re-thread anything.

You simply press the red button and pull the top handle until you get the desired position. More information about how to use this feature and choose the correct settings are found within the user manual.

Note: Although both seats come with quick adjust no re-thread harnesses, the G4 seat only has 10 positions as opposed the 14 positions on the new ClickTight seat. This difference is due to the new much increased seated shoulder height limit on the Advocate and Boulevard ClickTight models and you can read more about this change below.

You can find close-up pictures of the safety features here.

Britax Advocate ClickTight vs Advocate G4 – The 3 Big Differences

There are 3 big differences between the Advocate ClickTight and Advocate G4 seats.

#1 The ClickTight Installation System

Given the branding of the new seats, this is considered by Britax to be the main difference between the ClickTight models and G4 models.

So, what is ClickTight and why is it so good?

There are 2 very important reasons why the introduction of the ClickTight installation system on all Britax convertible cars seats is such a great improvement:

The 2014 LATCH Law changes mean that convertible car seats need to be re-installed using the seatbelt once your child reaches a certain weight (40 lbs for the Britax ClickTight seats);
Standard belt-fitting systems can be confusing for parents and research suggests that about 75% of seats are incorrectly installed.

So, although the ClickTight installation method does not bring any “direct” safety benefits, there are likely to be some major “indirect” safety benefits for those parents that otherwise might find it difficult to install their child’s seat safely using more traditional belt-fitting mechanisms. Getting a proper installation is a huge part of child car seat safety and any technological development that makes this process easier is a very good thing.

As you can see from the images and videos below, installing a convertible seat using the Britax ClickTight system is very simple and quick process. Furthermore, there is even a handy indicator to confirm that you have done it correctly!

So, in short, ClickTight takes away most (if not all) of the stresses of trying to install convertible car seats using the seat belt, and since it is almost fool-proof, it vastly improves your chances of getting it right the first time and keeping your child safe.

ClickTight has 3 very simple steps:

Open the Compartment
Feed the Belt into the Slots
Close the Compartment

Although you use the 3 same steps, there are different belt-retaining slots for forwards-facing and rear-facing:

This short video from Britax introduces the ClickTight system:

The promotional video above doesn’t show you in detail how to install seats using the Britax ClickTight system, but fortunately this great video from “The Car Seat Blog” does:

#2 Shell Length & Height Limits

As I have already mentioned above, the new Advocate ClickTight has extra harness adjustment slots due to the fact that Britax have significantly increased the length of the seat shell. As a result, the seated shoulder height limit of the Advocate ClickTight seat is 1.9 inches greater than the G4 version. The top harness slots on the Advocate ClickTight (19.4 inches) are 1.9 inches higher than the G4 model (17.5 inches).

The published seated shoulder height limits for these 2 seats are:

Advocate ClickTight

RF Seated Shoulder Height – 7.6 to 18.65 inches
FF Seated Shoulder Height – 18.65 inches or less

Advocate G4

RF Seated Shoulder Height – 9 to 16.75 inches
FF Seated Shoulder Height – 12 to 16.75

Note: Britax have changed the reference point for assessing whether your child has outgrown the seat’s height limit. Instead of using the top of the outer shell as a guide for the ClickTight models, you should now use the top of the inner shell and ensure that your child’s head is not positioned higher than a a point 1 inch below the read “headrest” adjustment lever. You should read the user manual carefully to check that you fully understand this height-checking procedure prior to using the seat.

As a result of these enhancements, the useable rear-facing height limit on the Advocate ClickTight is approximately 28 inches to the top of your child’s head with the headrest at the highest setting.

This increased seated height limit is going to be very useful for the parents of taller children since they almost always outgrow the height limits on convertible car seats long before they outgrow the weight limits.

#3 7-Position Recline with Automatic Level Indicator

The new Advocate ClickTight seat comes with a 7-position recline and automatic level indicator, which serves at least 2 useful purposes. Firstly, it helps you to find a comfortable position for your child when using the seat. Secondly, it ensures that you can quickly and easily install the seat at a recline angle that is safe for your child. Vehicle seats are all manufactured differently and it can sometimes be difficult to know whether or not you have installed the seat correctly.

The Britax automatic level indicator means that you can get peace of mind that the recline position is correct rather than having to take an educated guess.

Can I Still Buy the Britax Advocate G4 Convertible Car Seat?

No, they have been discontinued.

Where Can You Buy the Britax ClickTight Convertible Car Seats?

The MRSP for the Britax Advocate ClickTight seat is $419.99, but you can often find them on sale at discounted prices.

Check Price of Britax Advocate ClickTight.

Read User Reviews

Canadian ClickTight Seats

Find Britax ClickTight Seats in Canada.

Britax ClickTight Comparison Reviews

You can read my comparison reviews of the new Britax ClickTight Seats here:

Different Fabric Color Options

The Advocate ClickTight and Advocate G4 seats come in very different fabric color options.

Check out the Advocate ClickTight Color Options here.

Check out the Advocate G4 Color Options here.

Safety Information

After purchasing any child car seat, you should always read the User Manual thoroughly before using it. It is also advisable to visit your local Fire Department or NHTSA Child Car Seat Inspection Centre to ensure that the seat is definitely suitable for your child’s specific requirements and that you have installed it correctly. These services are usually provided free of charge.

You can find your nearest NHTSA Centre here.

Get in Touch

If you have any comments to share or questions to ask about my Britax Advocate ClickTight vs Britax Advocate G4 post, please leave a comment in the box below or send me an email.