Boulevard ClickTight Marathon ClickTight
The Britax ClickTight Convertible Car Seats – The Models
In this Britax Boulevard ClickTight v Marathon ClickTight Review, I aim to help you make the right choice for your child and for your budget by highlighting the important similarities and differences between these 2 popular convertible car seats.
The ClickTight series of convertible car seats has been on the market for a few years now and have proved very popular with parents and car seat technicians.
Towards the end of 2015, Britax released the new re-styled versions of the ClickTight seats. There are no significant new features but they have improved the styling of the seats and fixed a previous harness strap problem.
Why ClickTight?
The “ClickTight” label on this series of seats is due to the fact that Britax took their unique “ClickTight” system and added it to their Advocate, Boulevard and Marathon convertible car seats.
ClickTight installation on its own does not automatically make the car seat safer, but there is an indirect safety benefit for some parents.
Achieving a proper and safe installation is vital to child car seat safety.
The ClickTight belt installation system makes it much easier for you to install the seat safely using the vehicle’s seat belt. Sure, you will probably start out using the LATCH connectors anyway, but there will come a time later on when you have to switch to belt-installation because your child is too heavy to continue using LATCH (see User Manual for full details).
You can scroll down the page to find some useful images and videos showing just how easy it is to install the Britax seats using ClickTight.
Before we look at these seats in more detail, here is what the NHTSA says about the ClickTight seats and their ease of use.
THE NHTSA “EASE OF USE” RATINGS = 5-STARS
Although the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) does NOT carry out the sort of tests that allow you to rank all convertible car seats in order of safety, it does carry out pretty extensive “Ease of Use” evaluations on the seats and publishes the data to help parents.
Many people often incorrectly consider the NHTSA “Ease of Use” tests to be comprehensive “safety” tests, but they are NOT full safety tests. The NHTSA makes it clear on its own website that these “Ease of Use” tests should not be mis-used in this way.
They are, however, a useful starting point when considering which convertible car seat to buy.
SO, WHAT ARE THE NHTSA “EASE OF USE” RATINGS?
According to the NHTSA, the safest car seat is the one that:
- is appropriate for your child’s age, height and weight
- fits in your vehicle correctly
- is easy to use
So, a seat’s “Ease of Use” rating is awarded based upon an examination of the following factors:
- The Content & Clarity of the Seat’s Instruction Booklet
- How Easy it is to Install the Seat
- The Content & Clarity of the Seat’s Labels
- How Easy it is to Restrain the child in the Seat
Research suggests that about 75% of all car seats are incorrectly installed – this is one of the biggest car seat safety risks to a child and there is little point in paying $300 for a top-of-the-range seat if you can’t work out how to fit is properly.
Since correct car seat installation is such an important factor in ensuring that it is safe, it is perfectly reasonable to look at these ratings because they are specifically measuring the ease with which the seat can be used safely.
This is why the NHTSA “Ease of Use” ratings are such a useful starting point on your quest for the safest convertible car seat for your child.
You can find the latest NHTSA “Ease of Use” ratings for convertible car seats here.
Each of the 4 “ease of use” factors listed above are given a “star rating” out of 5 and then an overall star rating at the end that takes account these individual factors.
The only series of convertible car seats that can currently boast a 5-Star Overall Ease of Use Rating in the forwards-facing position are the Britax ClickTight Convertible Car Seats.
One of the best things about the Britax ClickTight seats is that their ClickTight Installation System makes belt-fitting the seats pretty much fool-proof … and foolproof installation means there is a much higher chance of the car seat being safe.
Edit: You can now buy all 3 models of the Britax ClickTight seat with anti-rebound bars.
Boulevard ClickTight vs Marathon ClickTight – The Similarities
Before I look at the small number of differences between these seats, here is a list of the most important features that are found on both.
Both seats come with:
- ClickTight Installation System
- SafeCell Impact Protection System
- SafeCell Complete Side Impact Protection (Plus on Boulevard, Standard on Marathon) – see below
- SafeCell Impact Absorbing Base compresses to absorb crash energy and counteract forward movement
- SafeCell Impact Stabilizing Steel Frame provides added strength through the spine of the car seat and reduces forward flex
- SafeCell Impact Absorbing Tether minimizes potential seat rotation with our unique two-strap design and slows forward movement
- SafeCell Impact Absorbing Harness keeps your child’s chest clip correctly positioned and absorbs energy in the event of a collision
- Quick-Adjust, Harness and 2-Position Buckle allows you to easily move the harness upward and buckle outward for a comfortable, secure fit as your child grows (see below for differences)
- 7-Position Recline with Automatic Level Indicator adjusts for your child’s comfort while ensuring the best installation angle for your vehicle.
- Plush Foam Padding in the cover, buckle pad, shoulder pads and removable pillow surrounds your child in comfort at every touch point.
- EZ-Buckle System keeps buckles and straps out of your way when placing your child in the car seat.
- Easy-Remove Cover for cleaning convenience.
- Certified for Aircraft Travel
- Made in the USA with global components
So, you can see that both seats come with an impressive list of premium safety and convenience features, but what about their child weight / height limits?
The Boulevard ClickTight and Marathon ClickTight have THE SAME WEIGHT LIMITS:
- Rear-facing between 5 to 40 lbs
- Forwards-facing between 20 to 65 lbs (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.
The Boulevard ClickTight and Marathon ClickTight have VERY DIFFERENT HEIGHT LIMITS:
Whilst both seats have a maximum standing height of 49 inches, the maximum seated shoulder height on the Boulevard ClickTight is 1.7 inches more than the Marathon ClickTight.
The Boulevard ClickTight has a maximum seated shoulder height of 18.65 inches.
The Marathon ClickTight has a maximum seated shoulder height of 16.95 inches.
The increased height limit on the Boulevard ClickTight means that there are 2 more harness slot height options at the top of the range on that seat (14 vs 12).
This extra height is obviously a very big bonus for those with children that are above-average in torso-height (or likely to develop that way in the future). Children very often outgrow the height limits on convertible seats before outgrowing the weight limits and the extra seated shoulder height on the Boulevard will help to prolong the useable lifespan of a convertible car seat.
The Similarities Explained in More Detail
The most important safety features found on both car seats include:
#1 The ClickTight Installation System
ClickTight installation is a simple 3-step process:
- Open the Compartment
- Feed the Belt into the Slots
- Close the Compartment
Note: Although you use the same 3 steps, there are different belt-retaining slots for forwards-facing and rear-facing:
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 SafeCell Base
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 reduces the risk of your child’s head hitting the back of the seat in front of them.
Here is a short video that demonstrates the potential safety benefits of Britax SafeCell Bases:
#3 SafeCell Impact Stabilising Steel Frame
The SafeCell Impact Stabilising Steel frame is designed to strengthen the seat’s connection to the vehicle and reduce forward flexing in the event of a collision. This is said to reduce the risk of your child’s head coming into contact with the back of the seat in front of them.
Here is a short video that explains how the Britax Steel Frame can help to protect your child in a collision:
#4 SafeCell Impact Absorbing Tether
The Impact Absorbing Tether is essentially a strap that is attached to 2 upper parts of the seat and which is used to secure it to the lower LATCH anchors in your vehicle. The upper tether system is a very important safety feature and you should read the user manual very carefully to ensure that it is used correctly.
One great thing about the Britax ClickTight seats is that the Tether can be used in rear-facing and forwards-facing mode.
The safety benefits of using the Impact Absorbing Tether is 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.
You can see how the Impact Absorbing Tether helps to protect your child in a crash by watching this video:
#5 7-Position Recline with Automatic Level Indicator
The 7-position recline and automatic level indicator 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 feel confident that the recline position is correct rather than simply having to guess.
#6 Quick-Adjust 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.
Boulevard ClickTight vs Marathon ClickTight – The 3 Major Differences
There are 3 big differences between the Boulevard ClickTight and the Marathon ClickTight:
- Side Impact Protection Systems
- Click & Safe Snug Harness Indicator
- Seated Shoulder Height Limits
#1 Side Impact Protection Systems
The Boulevard ClickTight comes with the mid-range “Side Impact Protection Plus”.
Instead, the Marathon ClickTight comes with Standard Side Impact Protection.
So, what is the difference?
In short, although both seats have the same side impact protection foam around the upper part of the shell, the Boulevard ClickTight also comes with extra padding on the adjustable headrest (see images below). Unlike the Advocate ClickTight (which is 20.5 inches wide due to the SICT wings), both the Boulevard ClickTight and the Marathon ClickTight seats are 18.5 inches wide.
So, if you need to fit 3 seats across a single row in a standard-sized family vehicle, you can immediately rule out the Advocate as being too wide and you would be much better off choosing the Marathon or Boulevard instead.
As for the extra padding on the headrest that the Marathon does not have, I can’t point to any independent tests to prove that there is any significant safety benefit, but it certainly does look reassuring and obviously can hurt.
#2 Click & Safe Snug Harness Indicator
The Boulevard ClickTight comes fitted with the Click & Safe Snug Harness Indicator and the Marathon ClickTight does not.
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):
Whilst the Click & Snug Indicator is a nice feature to have, it is not an essential safety feature if you take the time to learn how to tighten your child’s harness properly and make sure you follow the guidance every time you use the seat. However, if you are concerned about your ability to ensure a safe and snug fit on each journey, then you should consider paying for this extra feature.
Note: The Advocate ClickTight seat also comes fitted with the Safe & Snug Harness Indicator.
#3 Seated Shoulder Height Limits
I have already mentioned the fact that the seated shoulder height limit on the Boulevard ClickTight seat is higher than that on the Marathon ClickTight (see above).
Different Fabric Color Options
Whilst there are only 3 functional differences between the Britax Boulevard ClickTight and Marathon ClickTight seats, they also come in very different fabric color options.
Discover the Boulevard ClickTight color options here
Discover the Marathon ClickTight color options here.
Where to Buy the Britax ClickTight Seats
The Britax Boulevard ClickTight is about $40 more expensive that the equivalent Marathon model.
Check Prices of the Britax Boulevard ClickTight
Check Prices of the Britax Marathon ClickTight
If you remain undecided, you can read more user reviews of these seats here:
Canadian ClickTight Seats
Find Britax ClickTight Seats in Canada.
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 Boulevard ClickTight v Marathon ClickTight Review]]], please leave a comment in the box below or send me an email.
First, I LOVE the detail you gave in your review. Thank you.
You said
“#2 Click & Safe Snug Harness Indicator.
The Marathon ClickTight comes fitted with the Click & Safe Snug Harness Indicator and the Marathon ClickTight does not.”
You named the same model. Which was has the indicator?
Thank you.
Thank you for identifying this typo in the post.
The Boulevard ClickTight comes with the Click & Safe Harness, but the Marathon clickTight does NOT.
I hope that this helps.