Car Seat Showdown: Britax Grow With You Vs Frontier Comparison

The two kids were quiet I the back… the impact came from the rear… it got worse after that…

Accidents do happen, and there’s nothing against them. Maybe in the era of self-driving cars, this will change. Until then, our only weapon is to be prepared.

Look:

Kids are our pride and joy. Yes, there are those difficult days when they do everything in their power to lose your temper. They are kids, and that’s what they do. As parents, it is our responsibility to keep them safe.

Our only defense against accidents is well prepared. This means you have to get the safest car seat that you can afford, plus you have to get it installed correctly.

With the first part, I can help you with it. This is the reason why I’ve created the Britax Grow with You vs Frontier comparison. By reading this article to the end, you will know which one of these car seats is the best fit for you.

Stick with me in a bit, and I will share with you the car accident that happened to a friend of mine. You will know which car seat was tested in real life. Plus, you will find out how it performed.

Here’s the bird’s eye view of the Britax Grow with You Clicktight Car Seat. It is one of the safest car seats you can get. It’s made right here in the USA. It’s great for parents who want to keep their kids rear-facing as long as possible

Here’s the bird’s eye view of the Britax Frontier Clicktight. It’s the ideal car seat for the years to come. This will be the last car seat you will ever buy after your child reached the age of two. It’s comfortable and stylish at the same time.

Direct Comparison Britax Grow with You vs Frontier Clicktight

Breaking it down

What you’ve seen above is my cheat sheet. I’m reviewing a ton of car seats. So to be consistent, I had to set up a system, so I deliver the same results.

The first thing that I start with is safety. There’s no arguing that’s the most important aspect of any car seat.

Next on the list is the size limits. You have to know in advance how much mileage can you get out of these seats. As we all know, these car seats don’t come cheap. In our case, with the Britax Grow with you and the Britax Frontier Clicktight, most likely, these will be the last car seats you will ever buy.

Installation is the biggest nuisance when it comes to these car seats. Some brands are notorious for being hard to install. And others make it super easy. We will find out how these two Britax seats compare.

The last important item on my list is the material quality. Since both car seats cater to younger kids, you can expect spills and accidents, so you have to know how easy they are to remove and clean the fabric.

Finally, I look at the secondary features. Sometimes I manage to find some real gold nuggets there.

Let’s get this Britax Grow with You vs Frontier Clicktight comparison started. Just one more thing…

I have something special for you in the end. I have compiled a quick pros/cons list. The things I’ve found are quite interesting, to say the least.

Safety

It’s common knowledge that Britax seats are safe. They have won multiple high rankings on Consumer Reports. What I like about Britax is that they always try to push the envelope. The more protection you can get, the better for your child.

Britax Frontier Clicktight Booster Seat

This has happened with a friend of mine.

It started like any normal day. She was taking home her two daughters, ages five and seven, from ballet practice.

The light turned red, and she stopped. In a matter of seconds, there was a loud bang, and the car started moving again.

Their SUV just got rear-ended by another SUV. Later on, she found out the driver in the back has hit her car while going 50 mph. The trunk was squished, and the rear window exploded into a million shards.

The worst was yet to come.

The two stuck together SUV’s were heading towards another parked SUV. There was nothing to do. She could only brace for impact. Metal screeched and bent because of impact force. The airbags exploded.

The convoy finally stopped. The results were two SUV’s totaled and the third heavily damaged.

When my friend came about, she immediately checked on the kids. They were lucky. The Britax  Frontier Clicktight car seats did their job. The kids were safe and sound without a scratch or an injury. They walked away from the accident, shaken up.

This is what it means to have the best protection possible. The Britax Frontier has a steel frame that protected the kids. Plus, it has impact absorption properties, so the energy doesn’t travel up into the kiddos bodies.

The Britax  Frontier Clicktight comes with two layers of side protection, and your little one is safe, thanks to the 5-point harness.

Britax Grow with You Clicktight Car Seat

The Britax Grow with You is a new one on the market. I haven’t found any real crash test reports. So I can only judge it by its merits.

There’s only a tiny difference between the two car seats. The Britax Grow with You has a steel frame, so your child is safe no matter what. Plus, it has three layers of side protection. The more protection, the better it is.

The Britax  Grow with You has impact absorption thanks to the safety cell tech. This honeycomb design absorbs the impact energy, thus protecting your child from harm.

The 5-point harness is the safest one on the market. Slowly it’s becoming the industry standard.

Size Limits

As you probably experienced it, these car seats are expensive. This is my favorite way to save money without compromising on safety. Here’s the secret. All you have to do is the plan. For instance, if you buy either of these seats, you won’t have to buy a new one. It’s going to be the last car seat for them.

They are both made by Britax, so the characteristics are the same. I won’t bore you by repeating myself.

The Britax Grow with You is the latest version from Britax. There’s one big difference in this section. I will share it with you in a bit.

Both car seats have two modes the harness and booster options. The Frontier allows the harness mode up to 90 pounds, and the Britax Grow with You’s upper limit is set to 65 pounds.

This is the only difference. The upper limit for both is set to 120 pounds.

As for weight, it seems that the Britax Frontier Clicktight is heavier by one pound. It weighs 25 pounds while the Britax Grow with You only weighs 24 pounds.

Installation

This was the most hated part of car seats. Now it has become easy. All this came about when Britax released the ClickTight option.

For both car seats, it’s the same procedure. You remove the back fabric and pop the compartment open. You put the seat belt through the guide, and then you close the door. When you hear the click sound, you’re set.

This is so easy. Anybody can get it done on the first try.

If you have it installed correctly, then it will do its job in case of an accident.

Related: Do Car Seats Need to Be Replaced After an Accident?

Fabric/Material

The lower age limit for both car seats is two years old. As we know, toddlers tend to be messy. Not only that, but they will also surely spill something or have an accident. This is why it’s important to know in advance how easy it is to remove the fabric and how you can wash it.

Again for both seats, it’s the same procedure. With the installation, you will get used to the fabric removal. It’s easy.

Here’s a heads up. With the Britax Grow with You, only the Plus version is machine washable. With the Frontier, there’s only one version, and that’s machine washable.

The real difference

There’s not much difference between the two car seats. Let me share with you what matters the most.

When you look at those seats, you can tell that the Britax Grow with You Clicktight Car Seat is beefier than the Britax Frontier Clicktight. This comes from the extra level of side protection.

Now the other difference was that the Britax Frontier Clicktight has a higher upper limit for harness mode. While the Britax Grow with You only allows 65 pounds, the Britax Frontier Clicktight is set to 90 pounds.

Is this a good or a bad thing?

There’s an unconfirmed rumor that, according to some Consumer Report’s test, the Britax Frontier Clicktight Booster Seat didn’t do so well when the crash test dummy was higher than 65 pounds. This is the reason why they have dropped the upper limit.

It seems that Britax is slowly phasing out the Pinnacle, Pioneer, and Britax Frontier Clicktight Booster Seat.

Related: The best britax car seat for a 3 year old

Britax Frontier ClickTight Harness 2 Booster Car Seat

Britax Grow with You Clicktight Harness-2-Booster Car Seat

Britax Grow with You vs Frontier Clicktight  Booster Seat Verdict

The differences are minor between the two car seats. Let me recap if you have missed it. The Britax Grow with You has three layers of side protection next to the Frontier, which has only two.

The Britax Frontier Clicktight has a higher harness weight limit than the Britax Grow with You Clicktight.

In other news, all the earlier models like the Pinnacle, Pioneer, and Britax Frontier are getting phased out. Now it’s not easy to make the right call because Britax didn’t confirm the rumor.

Newer products are always safer.

We have reached the end of the Britax Grow with You vs Frontier Clicktight comparison. Both car seats are from the same manufacturer, so the difference is small. I hope by reading this article, you have learned what’s most important. Also by now, it should be clear which the best one for you is.

It’s your time now. Get the one that’s the right fit soon because last time I’ve checked, the stocks were running low.

I would love to hear from you. You can share your experience in the comments section below.

Catch you next time!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

What’s the difference between Britax Frontier and pioneer?

The only difference between the Britax Frontier and pioneer is in the upper weight limit. The Britax frontier has the upper limit of 90 pounds while the pioneer taps out at 70 pounds in harness mode. In booster mode, the upper weight limit is 120 pounds for the frontier while the pioneer is limited to 110 pounds.

What is the difference between Britax Pinnacle and frontier?

There’s only one difference between the Britax Pinnacle and Britax frontier. The pinnacle has 3 layers of side impact protection while the Britax frontier has only 2 layers of side impact protection.

Is Britax Frontier being discontinued?

Yes the Britax Frontier is being discontinued and it’s being replaced by Britax Grow with You clicktight.

What is the weight limit for the Britax car seat?

The weight limit for the Britax car seat is `65 lbs for forward facing harness strap mode. And 120 pounds for booster mode.

What kind of safety features does the Frontier vs Grow with you Clicktight have?

The safety features are similar with or without click tight. You’re getting 2 layers of side impact protection. There are multiple recline positions, comfort pads and v-shaped tether. The car seat is made out of steel frame which adds stability and safety. The frame is designed to be energy-absorbing shell with crumple zone technology every time there’s crash energy. As the child grows the need for safety increases. This is why this car seat has 2 layers of side impact protection. Side impact protection is paramount nowadays. There’s good protection for the head neck and it will keep your child safe from harm. It protects from forward movement with the v-shaped tether it help keep a growing child. The crumple zone technology is very important for safety. Another important safety feature is the safecell impact technology for the child ride. To keep your child safe make sure that the chest pads (comfort pads) are at the right level every time.

How do you install the Frontier Clicktight  and the Grow with you car seat?

Since these are booster seats you can use the latch install up to 65 pounds and after that you’re left with the seat belt. These seats come with the clicktight installation. Which means you won’t need any force what so ever. The seat belt is the easiest one to use with one hand you route the seat belt the right belt guides no matter how many year old you be. Removing the harness is easy. A belt-positioning booster car seat can be easily installed with the use of belt guides and seat belt. First I will talk about using the seat belts with the clicktight installation system. Then I will talk about the latch system and the clicktight installation system. If your child is above 65 pounds you will have to use the seat belt for the install. You pull the seat belt out and route the seat belt through the belt guides. To route the seat belt is quite easy. And after that you remove the slack from the seat belt and the belt-positioning booster car seat is installed.  For the latch installation system you simply connect to the latch connectors in any seating position.

What are the main features of the Frontier Clicktight and Grow with you Clicktight car seat?

Here’s a quick list: 2 layers of side impact protection, multiple recline positions, clicktight installation and comfort pads. There are two cup holders one for each side.

What are the key features of these car seats?

Here’s a list of features: comfy chest pads, harness headrest and athleisure fabric. Easy steps to open the thread buckle. The athleisure fabric is easy to remove and easy to clean. After you get used to athleisure fabric you won’t go back to something else.

Removing the harness headrest from the car seat base with the new grow with you car seat is it possible?

Yes removing the harness headrest from the harness car seat is possible. It’s complicated to detail everything because you have to adjust the harness position and remove the harness straps while keeping in mind the harness limit. You’re better off watching a video. By far the harness strap is the easiest to remove. The car seat base can be used afterwards.

What would be a good alternative for the Britax grow with you clicktight belt-positioning booster mode and the Britax Frontier Clicktight high booster car seat?

The best alternative for the britax grow with you clicktight belt-positioning booster car seat would be the chicco myfit booster mode. With a belt-positioning booster car seat you’re getting best of two worlds. The forward movement is absorbed by the harness pads as the child grows. Make sure you check the harness limit. Typically the harness limit is at 64 pounds. The chicco myfit has 2 layers of side impact protection. No matter which one you go with make sure you check the instruction manual first.

What does the crumple zone technology mean to the new grow with you and frontier car seat?

The crumple zone technology absorbs crash energy. As you know the crash energy is very high in case of an accident not to mention the forward movement reduction is key. In a crash it’s key to have side impact protection energy absorption and this is why the best of the best have at least 2 layers of side impact protection.

How though is the industrial strength steel frame vehicle seat structure with the new Grow with You clicktight car seat?

The industrial-strength steel frame vehicle seat structure is top of the line. It’s the toughest one you can get to any year old child ride.

Why is the v-shaped tether important with the britax grow with you clictight car seat?

The britax grow with you has a v-shaped tether. The v-shaped tether helps with the safecell impact installation system. It reduces forward movement for any year old if the recline position is right. Every time do adjust the recline position. Make sure that the weight range, height limits and the crotch buckle positions are all right with the seat structure. The v-shaped tether will be a great thing to have in case of an accident if offers stability against forward movement every time.

How good are the cup holders with the Britax grow with you and frontier clicktight car seats?

With the britax grow with you the cup holders can be used as snack holders for any year old. Many kids use them as snack holders on long trips. The comfort pads and the thread buckle work like a charm if the height limit is respected. Also you have multiple color choices. The safecell impact is standard. One more thing about the thread buckle there’s no manual rethreading ever with it. Plus the safecell impact techology will keep your little one safe.

Which is the better car seat Britax or Maxi Cosi?

For most people, the Britax car seats are the better choice.

Last Updated on April 6, 2024 by Brian Beasley