This will come as no surprise to most of our readers. Length isn’t everything; it’s the width that tends to be be an issue. Take, for example, these two towering titans:
The one on the left measures an astounding 20 inches at its widest point, while the one on the right is even wider at 21 inches! Every situation is different, of course, so depending where they are placed, being so wide may or may not be a problem. Also, parts of them are narrower, so they may mesh differently with adjacent models. The Graco My Ride 65 (left) and Britax Advocate CS (right) are competitive in many regards and also share a distinction of being among the widest convertible seats on the market.
Here’s what happens after installation. While you don’t get an idea of the width so much here, you can see how they vary in recline and legroom.
From the front, you can see that these could be uncomfortable for a small person next to them. The widest point is near the top of the My Ride, while the widest point is farther down on the Advocate, along the side impact cushions. This will make a lot of difference when they are going into a narrow position or as part of a puzzle with another seat.
There’s no doubt that bigger can be better. The trend for keeping kids rear-facing and forward-facing to higher weight and height limits is very popular and for good reasons. On the other hand, there’s also something to be said for smaller and narrower in many situations. If you have a side-by-side or a three-across installation, you’ll know what I mean!
It does make me a little nervous. But it’s nice to have another (cheaper) option available to recommend for kids with special needs who need more recline (like kids with CP or low tone) and who don’t have access to a SN seat (or who will only get one, so regular CRs need to be exhausted first.)
On the other hand, as you can see in the front view, it makes it very nice for napping and the side impact coverage seems quite good, too.
The FFing recline on the MyRide is making me nervous as well.
As with any carseat, keep in mind that the recline may vary depending on your vehicle.
I hate hate hate the MR so reclined forward facing!
I think they made it that way so kids will complain and parents will go out and buy a Nautilus.
Perfect system. Snugride 32 gets too hard to lug around, so they get the MR. MR then later gets turned forward-facing and kids complain and get a Nautilus. Cha-ching!
I can’t imagine my daughter liking the recline of the My Ride. It looks comfy to me, but she likes to sit up straight and be able to look out the windows.
I also thought the leg room comparison was pretty interesting.
Wow, I still can’t believe how reclined the My Ride is forward-facing. I just can’t think that older harnessed kids would like that.
I should put them in rear facing for comparison photos, but the difference wasn’t all that great. Unfortunately, I don’t have a Radian or True Fit handy at the moment. The Boulevard is going to be essentially the same as the Advocate, with the exception of the side impact cushions.
Good article! Thanks for the comparison. What really struck me were the photos from the side that show the leg room. I hadn’t even taken that part into consideration yet as my daughter is still RF and I hope she will be for a few more years. Wish I could see some more comparisons (namely Radian and True Fit pics).
Is the advocate basically the same as the Boulevard except for the side impact cushions? If so I would think I could assume my Boulevard will be very similar for leg room FF?
Thanks for this info!