If you are looking for a next stage seat that will last from toddler up until they no longer need a car seat, then take a look at the Britax Rӧmer ADVANSAFIX IV R.
Quick Summary: The Britax Rӧmer ADVANSAFIX IV R is a great looking car seat that offers a deep seat and softly padded side wings with plenty of cushioning to keep your child comfortable, right up to 12 years old. Having additional safety features such as the built-in SICT safety concept and clever SecureGuard gives you peace of mind that your child is very safe in a car seat by a much trusted brand like Britax Rӧmer. Our only gripe is that it is suitable from 9 months old, but only forward facing, so we wouldn't recommend using until your toddler is at least 15 months. It offers great longevity though if used over 10 years!
Whats good?
- Harness has soft neoprene pads and tucks into the seat when finished
- SecureGuard used in high back booster mode
- Adjustable SICT
- Three recline positions
- Great longevity and easy to fit with ISOFIX and top tether
Whats not so good?
- Tested on the older R44 regulation
- No rear-facing option
Things we love…
The Britax Rӧmer ADVANSAFIX IV R is a Group 1/2/3 car seat, so can be used from 9-36kg, or around 9 months until 12 years approx. For installation when harnessed, the seat uses ISOFIX and Top Tether, for older children using a high back booster it is ISOFIX and the vehicle seat belt to secure the child – just the vehicle seat belt if you don’t have ISOFIX in your car.
Safety features are always plentiful on Britax Rӧmer car seats, so you won’t be surprised to see the latest technology used for the side impact protection on this seat. The SICT safety concept is designed by unscrewing the circle closest to the car door. On impact, this moves the energy force around the back of the seat, rather right into the side of the seat and child. It’s great that this is an integral part of the seat so can’t be removed and lost.
To keep the child secure from 9-18kg there is a soft and padded five point harness. Britax Rӧmer have covered the harness pads in neoprene, which not only keeps them comfortable, but also reduces their movement in a collision. The headrest adjustment moves the harness up too and is done easily with the button at the back.
Used with our two year old tester, we found the seat to be lovely and deep, keeping their smaller legs perfectly supported and comfortable. The fabrics are of great quality and there are some lovely designs available. There are three recline positions which offer a great napping position, whether you are using it with a harness or as a high back booster!
The vehicle’s own seat belt can be used with a child over 15kg. This cross over in weight is just to allow for the size and age differences of children, and it’s recommended to keep them harnessed for the maximum weight and until they can sit properly in the seat with the vehicle seat belt – around four years old. The harness tucks away in to the seat, under the covers so that you don’t lose anything for future use. You then need to flip the grey button at the back, which will allow the head rest to move up further for an older child. The red belt guides and clip at the shoulder help to make sure that the seat belt is fitted in the correct way over the child.
Older children were kept just as comfortable and it’s great to have a recline feature for them too on occasional long trips. A clever feature of the ADVANSAFIX IV R is the SecureGuard. When used with the vehicle’s own seat belt, the SecureGuard offers an additional point for the lap belt to pass through which helps to keep it in an optimal position over the child’s pelvic bones, rather than riding up over their abdominal area. It’s easy to switch from the harness buckle to the SecureGuard too thanks to the FLIP&GROW function – under the fabrics, the buckle simply flips over and slides back in to use the seat as a high back booster. We did wonder if our older testers may be frustrated with another guide on their seat belt, but they were keen to thread the lap belt through themselves!
Thanks to the slim fit of the seat, it is possible to get three of the ADVANSAFIX IV R seats across the back seat of certain cars. Brilliant if you have three children close in age that all need to be in car seats!
Car seats are designed to keep your child safe in the car, so it’s great to know that the ADVANSAFIX IV R has been tested by ADAC in June 2019 with a rating of “GOOD” and a grade of 2.3.
Things to look out for…
This is a car seat that can be used from 9-36kg, so from around 9 months, but only forward facing. We would recommend that you waited to use it until at least 15 months / 2 years, as rear-facing is five times safer for a young child.
As child car seat regulations advance in this country, the newer regulation of R129 has been introduced for the higher testing of the seats. The ADVANSAFIX IV R is tested on the older, but still legal R44 regulation.
Because you could potentially use this seat for just over 11 years, it will need looking after and you are going to need to remove and clean those fabrics! Saying that, it’s not a hard job to do.
Our verdict
The Britax Rӧmer ADVANSAFIX IV R is a great looking car seat that offers a deep seat and softly padded side wings with plenty of cushioning to keep your child comfortable, right up to 12 years old.
Having additional safety features such as the built-in SICT safety concept and clever SecureGuard gives you peace of mind that your child is very safe in a car seat by a much trusted brand like Britax Rӧmer.
Our only gripe is that it is suitable from 9 months old, but only forward facing, so we wouldn’t recommend using until your toddler is at least 15 months. It offers great longevity though if used over 10 years!
