Car Seat Showdown: Graco Extend2Fit Vs Britax Marathon Comparison

Full frontal collision… and the car did a 180…

I’m part of a parent network. And some friends of ours have shared an accident that they were involved with their little one.

Accidents can and will happen. The only thing to do is to be prepared. Get the best car seat possible and install it correctly. If the worst comes, it will do its job, and it will keep your child safe.

This is why I’ve created the Graco Extend2fit vs Britax Marathon comparison article. By reading this, you will know which one of them is the best fit for you.

Stick with me, and in a bit, I will tell you all about this accident.

Look:

Here’s the bird’s eye view of the Graco Extend2fit Convertible Car Seat. Perfect for infants and up to 6 years old kiddos. It will serve your family for the years to come

Here’s the bird’s eye view of the Britax Marathon Convertible Car Seat. Easy peasy install. It will protect your little ones in case of a crash. It will serve you well in the years to come.

Direct Comparison Graco Extend2fit vs Britax Marathon Convertible Car Seat

Breaking it down

What you’ve seen above is my priority list when it comes to looking at a car seat. #1 is safety. This is by far the most important part of any car seat. Now all car seats on the market are safe, and I will share some dirty secrets later on.

Next is the size limits. I have some secrets to share here as well. I have found a great way to save some money when you’re buying even the most expensive car seat. Installation is next on the list. Some brands are easy, and some are hard.

The last important one is fabric. Now kids tend to make a mess, so it’s important to know the cleaning features. Last but not least, I look at the smaller details. Sometimes these comparisons are a tie, and the final saying happened to come from this last section.

Let’s get this Graco Extend2fit  Vs Marathon 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

Did you know that 75% of car seat is installed badly in the US? This came out from a recent survey. Even if you by the most expensive one, it might not give you the maximum protection if it’s not installed correctly.

Now I promised you a dirty secret. Well, here it is. Some car seat manufacturers barely pass the safety test. Which one would you trust your little one’s life to? The one that barely passed or the one that went above and beyond?

Graco Extend2fit

This incident has happened to some friends of mine.

My friends, a family of three, was traveling down the road. Their little girl is sitting in the back singing. Then out of sudden, a drunk driver smashed into them from the front.

He was traveling at highway speeds. The deafening sound pierced the silence. Glass shattered, and airbags exploded. And it got worse.

Then my friend’s car did a 180 and landed in the ditch. The parents got a sever whiplash. After everything calmed down by reflex, they looked in the back. There was their daughter.

She was safe and sound. Crying because she was frightened; otherwise, she was fine.

Thanks to the steel frame, the little one wasn’t hurt. The seat also has impact absorbing properties. This means that the impact energy is taken by the seat and not by the little one’s body. The Graco Extend2fit comes with True Shield, which protects your child from everywhere.

Last but not least, the 5-point harness, which is the safest one on the market, has kept the little girl in the place. Also, it has all the protection what the child will need.

The 5-point harness kept the boy in the seat and out of harm’s way.

Winner

Size Limits

These car seats aren’t cheap. So I’ve got a bit creative and found a secret on how to save money even if you’re buying the most expensive car seat on the market.

You see, each car seat has an expiration date plus how long your child can use it. If you want to save some money, buy a car seat that lasts a long time. If you can skip an upgrade all the better.

Britax Marathon Clicktight Convertible Car Weat

The Britax Marathon has two modes of use. It can be used in rear-facing and front-facing mode. This car seat caters to infants and all the way up to 6-year-old kids. So if you want to take your newborn home from the hospital, this car seat is ideal for that.

It’s highly recommended that you keep your child in the rear-facing mode as long as possible. This mode offers the most protection. The Britax Marathon allows you to do this until your little one reaches 40 pounds.

In front-facing mode, the upper limit is 65 pounds or 49”.

Since it’s a convertible, you can expect it to be heavy. It weighs 27 pounds.

Graco Extend2fit

The Graco Extend2fit is a lot similar to the Marathon. This is a convertible car seat as well, and it has a rear and front-facing mode. This also caters to newborns. The only difference that the lower limit is set to 4 pounds. So even the smallest newborn can be taken home from the hospital.

The Graco Extend2fit comes with leg rest, which can be extracted depending on how big your child is. With this car seat, you can do frontal facing a bit faster, but I highly recommend doing rear-facing as long as possible.

The upper limit for this seat is the same as Marathon, which is 65 pounds or 49”.

This car seat weight 23.2 pounds.

Winner

Installation

Installation can be such a drag. I mean, sometimes it’s a good idea to use feedback from the parents. There are some notorious car seats for which you need a warm-up for you to get it installed. I also heard about stories where a supposedly simple seat needed two people to get it mounted.

Britax Marathon Clicktight

Britax Marathon Clicktight brought his A-game. Ever since the Clicktight Tech, it’s so easy to install. All you have to do is press the ClickTight button and twist it. By doing so, the seat pops open. Now you can use the seatbelt to install it, or you can use the latch system.

The seat belt seems to be the easiest option. You just run it thought the right belt guide and tighten it. It’s done no rocket science knowledge necessary. The latch system is a bit weird. It’s easy to do, but it’s not that intuitive.

Graco Extend2fit

On the other hand, the Graco is a bit counterintuitive. For example, if you use the latch system.  You have to partially remove the cover from the cup holders. Then you squeeze your hand through the opening (hopefully, you have small hands) and pull the strap.

If you pull it from the other side, it won’t be tight enough.

For some reason, the install is not that easy as I thought it would be.

Winner

Fabric/Material

Kids will always be kids so you can count that they will have accidents, and they will make a mess. This is why you need to know how easy it is to clean the material.

Now I usually break this down, but this time, I will skip that part. For both car seat, the material behaves the same way.

For the Britax Marathon and Graco Extend2fit, the material is easy to remove and wash. For both it’s washing machine friendly. The only recommendation is to use cold water and a mild program.

Winner

Bonuses and Features

So far, it’s a tie. Let’s see how the small features will weigh in on the final decision.

Since these car seats cater to older kids, the cup holder is a must. The Britax Marathon sadly doesn’t have one, and you have to buy a clip-on if you need it. On the other hand, the Graco Extend2fit has two built in cup holders.

These are ideal for kids because they can keep their drinks in one and toys in the other one.

These car seats have to be comfortable, and this can be achieved with the recline option. Now the Britax Marathon Clicktight  has seven options to choose one while the Graco only offers 6.

The same thing goes with the headrest. The Britax Marathon Clicktight  has 14 to choose from, and the Graco only offers 10. The scale is slowly tipping towards the Britax.

One good news is that you will never have to rethread the harness ever again. I don’t like it because I could never get it done right. With the new system, the harness is adjusted as you move the headrest.

Winner

Britax Marathon ClickTight Convertible Car Seat

Graco Extend2Fit Convertible Car Seat

Final Recount

The other categories were a draw.

Graco Extend2fit vs Britax Marathon Verdict

The Britax Marathon turned out to be the winner. Let’s see what has happened.

First of all, in the safety category, it was a tie. Both car seats performed well in a real life scenario. Each seat has saved a life. It not only saved a life but protected the little ones from any harm what so ever.

The in the size limits section the Graco Extend2fit took the lead because it was lighter and caters to a smaller infant than the Britax Marathon.

In the installation section, the Britax Marathon Clicktight  has gained a point because it’s easier to install than the Graco Extend2fit.

In the final section, the Britax Marathon took the lead by having more options, thus offering more comfort.

We have reached the end of the Graco Extend2fit vs Britax Marathon Clicktight article. I hope by now it’s clear for you, which is the best option. Now it’s your turn to get the one that fits you best. Get it soon because the stocks are running low.

If you have ideas or tips, do post them in the comments section below.

Catch you next time!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

Is Britax better than Graco?

Britax and Graco are both good car seats. Graco car seats are more affordable while Britax over delivers on safety.

What is the difference between the Britax Boulevard and Marathon?

There’s only one difference between the Britax Boulevard and Marathon. The Britax Boulevard has two layers of side impact protection while the Marathon only has one.

Which is better Diono or Britax?

Diono and Britax are both good car seat makers. Diono only has a few car seat lineup but they have the biggest color selection from them all. Britax on the other hand it’s easy to install and they overdone safety.

What are alternative convertible car seats for the Britax Marathon?

Well there would be the britax advocate clicktight and the britax boulevard clicktight car seat. They all work with the clicktight installation system.

What would be a good infant car seat alternative for the Graco extend2fit?

The chicco nextfit would be a good option.

Britax Marathon VS Graco Extend2fit what are the height and weight limits?

The weight limits are as follows. The rear-facing weight limit for the Extend2fit is 50 lbs while for the Marathon the weight limit is 40 lbs. As for the forward facing weight limit it’s 65 lbs. The harness height limits are as follows for the Graco the height limit is 49 inches and the same height limit exists for the Britax.

Which one has the best safety features Marathon VS Graco Extend2fit?

Both car seats have high safety standards. They both have excellent side impact protection and easy installation system. More than enough leg room in extended rear facing mode. One of them could be the best convertible car seat. Britax marathon comes with the safecell impact protection headrest and harness. While the Graco Extend2fit infant car seat has the simply safe adjustable headrest and latch connectors. Both seats have been tested in crash test. The simply safe installation system makes life easy. Both the graco extend2fit britax marathon clicktight is  recommended by the american academy of pediatrics.

Which one has the easiest installation Britax Marathon VS Extend2fit?

Make sure you read the manual first. Then it’s a good idea to keep your child in rear-facing position for two years of age. As your child grows you can upgrade to forward-facing car seat mode. As for the installation there’s the latch installation or the seat belt one. Make sure you check the level indicator  and for first time use I recommend the latch system. It can’t be used as a booster seat.

What features do these Britax Marathon and Extend2fit have?

Well there’s the every time easy to adjust harness system. Second generation latch connectors. These latch connectors makes the install go faster. Multiple recline positions. These recline positions give a lot of comfort. There’s also the rear-facing position harness system. There are dual cup holders one cup holder can be used for drinks and other one for toys. These might be the best convertible car seats.

Graco Extend2fit vs Britax Marathon convertible what other seats would be a good replacement?

For the graco extend2fit britax marathon these would be the best replacements: britax boulevard clicktight, britax advocate clicktight.

Britax Marathon VS Graco Extend2fit seats which one has the longest rear-facing weight limit?

Graco extend2fit britax marathon clicktight car seats are quite similar. The rear-facing weight limit for britax is 40 lbs. This 40 lbs is quite generous. On the other hand Graco convertible car seats have the rear-facing weight limit set to 50 pounds. Other than this difference the height and weight limits are the same. Both of them can be used as infant seats since crash testing was successful. The main difference between graco extend2fit britax marathon clicktight is the extension panel. The Graco comes with an extension panel for the feet. This extension panel makes it comfy and it can be considered as a safety feature.  Both convertible car seats have a high safety standard. They all have great side impact protection. By far the britax advocate clicktighs has the most layers of side impact protection which are three from all convertible car seats. What’s unique about britax is that it has safecell impact protection and safe adjust harness system. The safecell impact protection absorbs impact energy so on wonder it’s one of the most important safety standard. The safe adjust harness system allows multiple headrest positions and buckle positionsfor the safety seat. Going with the birtax or graco safety seat your little one will be comfy thanks to the multiple recline positions. Plus you can utilize the recline positions both in forward and rear facing mode. The harness position is adjusted by the headrest and harness adjustment. And the harness straps are padded.

Marathon vs Extend2fit car seats what’s so special about the clicktight installation system?

The clicktight installation system is one of kind and it’s made by britax. When it comes to easy installation britax is the one to go with. Both car seats can do forward-facing car mode. All you have to do is pop open the seat and the installation system is self evident. You can use the latch installation system or the seat belt. You feed through the latch straps and connect to the latch attachment and you’re done with the easy installation system.

Graco tranzitions or nautilus which car seat one is the better choice?

Both Graco car seats are great choices.

Last Updated on October 27, 2023 by Brian Beasley