In this comparison report, you are going to find out what the real difference is between the Graco 4Ever and Graco 4Ever DLX Convertible Car Seat beside the additional DLX letters at the end of the title and a more expensive price tag.
Although they look quite similar on paper, there are a few key differences that justify the higher price tag of the 4Ever DLX when compared to the original Graco 4Ever baby car seat.
In the table below, you may be able to identify the main differences for a quick decision process, but if you want a more detailed understanding as to why the differences matter, continue reading below the table to find out if Graco 4Ever DLX is actually better than Graco 4Ever 4-in-1- baby car seat.
Quick Summary
With Extra Plush Cushioning, Quick Removable Washable Covers, Fuss Free Harness Storage, Graco ProtectPlus Engineering and Integrated Belt-Lock off system, the Graco 4Ever DLX is 5 features better and more advanced than the Original Graco 4Ever Baby Car Seat.
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| Graco 4Ever 4 in 1 Baby Car Seat | Graco 4Ever DLX 4 in 1 Baby Car Seat | |
 |  | |
| Optional Upgrades | Safety Surround Side Impact Protection, True Shield Technology, Extend2Fit, | Snuglock, Extend2Fit Snuglock with Anti Rebound Bar, Snuglock Grow |
| Dimensions | 19 x 21 x 24.5 | 20 x 21.5 x 24 inches |
| 5 Point Harness | Yes | Yes |
| Adjustable Headrest | No-rethread safe adjust – 10 Positions | No-rethread simple adjust – 10 Positions |
| Cup Holder | 2 x Integrated | 2 x Integrated |
| Fabric Breathability | Yes | Yes + Extra Plush |
| Front Facing Installation System | In-right Latch | Integrated Belt Lock Off |
| Front Facing Weight Limit | 22-65 lbs | 22-65 lbs |
| Rear Facing Installation System | InRight™ LATCH | Push-button InRight™ LATCH |
| Rear Facing Weight Limit | 4-40 lbs | 4-40 lbs |
| High Back Booster Weight Limit | 40-100 lbs | 40-100 lbs |
| Backless Booster Weight Limit | 40-120lbs | 40-120lbs |
| Recline Positions | 6 | 6 |
| Safety | Safe Seat Engineered | Graco® ProtectPlus Engineered™ |
| Side impact protection | Yes | Yes |
| Stroller Compatibility | No | No |
| Build Material | Steel-reinforced frame with EPS Energy Absorbing Foam | Steel-reinforced frame with EPS Energy Absorbing Foam |
| Installation Latch | InRight™ LATCH | Push-button InRight™ LATCH |
| Removable Cover | Yes | Yes – Quick Remove |
| Washable Cover | Machine Washable | Machine Washable |
| Harness Storage Compartment | Yes | Yes + Rubberized fuss-free harness holder |
| Removable Plush Head & Body Inserts | Yes | Yes |
| Level Indicators | Yes | Yes |
| Average Customer Rating | 4.9 | |
| Where to Buy | Click here for price | Click here for price |
The Similarities
Recline Options and Level Indicators
Recline options are very important when placing your child in rear or front-facing mode. In both Graco 4Ever and 4Ever DLX, you get 6 recline options, 3 positions in rear-facing, 2 in front-facing, and 1 in high back booster mode.
These recline options allow for a more comfortable posture for your child to sit on for long-distance traveling.
The built-in level indicator helps you adjust the car seat angle to the perfect level before latching or locking the car seat to the backseat of your vehicle to make sure there is no room for mistakes in terms of safety.
Weight Limits
Both Graco 4Ever DLX and Graco 4Ever come with 4-in-1 convertible modes.
- You can use them as a rear-facing infant car seat with a weight limit of 4-40 lbs.
- Once the child reaches the limit, you can then change them over to front-facing mode with a weight limit of 22 – 65 lbs.
- Then you upgrade the child to enjoy the journey safely in high back booster mode with a weight limit of 40 to 100 lbs.
- The final mode is a backless booster with a weight limit of 40 to 120 lbs and a height limit of 4 feet 9 inches.
Did you know that your child is supposed to be secured on a backless booster until they overgrow the height of 4ft 9 inches? It’s because the seat belt of your vehicle cannot secure your child properly below this minimum height limit.
If you invest in either of these car seats, be it 4Ever or the newer 4Ever DLX, you can be assured that your child will be secured in this car seat for 10 years of their life.
Adjustable headrest
The adjustable headrest comes with two benefits. Firstly it gives head support and comfort to the child in the car seat.
Secondly, the headrest has to be adjusted perfectly until the head and shoulders are perfectly rested on it for safety purposes. Without doing this right, the protection features of both Graco 4Ever and 4Ever DLX become obsolete and void.
Having a 10-position adjustable headrest helps you get the sweet spot for optimal safety of your child every time and both 4Ever and Graco 4Ever DLX come with 10-position adjustable headrests without re-rethread.
Unlike many other car seats in the market where you have to remove the seat from the latch to adjust the headrest, the Graco 4Ever series of car seats come with simple pull adjustments. You can do the adjustments with the press of a button. It’s that easy.
Rear Facing LATCH installation
Although there is a difference in the front-facing installation system between Graco 4Ever and Graco 4Ever DLX car seats, the rear-facing installation system is the same in both. You can do so with the push button Inright Latch system which is quick and simple to do so. It’s not only safe but leaves little to no room for any wiggle.
The Differences
Extra Thick Cushioning
Although there is absolutely nothing lacking in the cushioning of the Graco 4Ever seat, the DLX goes an additional step further with extra thick cushioning adding more plush and comfort for your baby.
- Graco 4Ever DLX: 1
- Graco 4Ever: 0
Front Facing Installation Latch
When installing the baby car seat in the front-facing position, there is a big difference in the process involved between Graco 4Ever and the 4Ever DLX models.
The Graco 4Ever DLX is installed with the Belt-Lock off system which is an extra tight and secure system that allows you to pass the vehicle seat belt through the car seat steel reinforced frame. Once done, all you do is close the seat cover with a simple click, and you are done. You can check for any wiggles but it is very unlikely since the Belt Lock Off is an extremely tight and secure installation system in the front-facing mode.
The Graco 4Ever on the other hand comes with the InRight installation latch. You pass the latch belt through the car seat and latch it to both connectors under the vehicle car seat. This can be tightened and adjusted by pulling the belt from the front until there is no room for movement.
The Belt Lock Off is a much more secure approach than the InRight installation latch – not to mention it’s also easier.
- Graco 4Ever DLX: 1
- Graco 4Ever: 0
Please watch the video below to better understand the difference between the In-Right latch and the Belt Lock-off system.
Quick Remove Cover
There is confusion in the description on the Graco website. On the description for 4Ever DLX and Graco 4Ever car seats, you will notice both mention quick-remove washable covers. On the Graco 4Ever DLX, it mentions it takes only 60 seconds or less to remove the cover, which is not mentioned on the Graco 4Ever page.
With the Graco 4Ever DLX car seat, there is no need for its removal from the vehicle when removing the cover. With the Graco 4Ever car seat, on the other hand, the car seat has to be unlatched from the vehicle seat in order to unclip covers from the back of the seat. This takes more time and thereby giving the DLX version an edge in the timing involved.
- Graco 4Ever DLX: 1
- Graco 4Ever: 0
Harness Storage
Both Graco 4Ever DLX and 4Ever come with harness storage compartments. You can store the latches and harness in the back storage compartment when not used. It’s great for keeping the backseat of your vehicle more minimalistic and organized.
The Graco 4Ever DLX goes a step further with fuss-free harness storage pockets on the sides of the car seat that hold the latches when unbuckled. This makes life a whole lot easier when lifting your baby in and out of the seat.
Why? Because it does not get in the way. All that is not something you need to fight off when trying to keep your baby calm and comfortable – not to mention it can be a safety or choking hazard.
- Graco 4Ever DLX: 1
- Graco 4Ever: 0
Safety Standards
The Graco 4Ever car seat is designed with SafeSeat engineering standards while the Graco 4Ever DLX is designed with Graco ProtectPlus Engineering Standards.
If you notice the image below, you will notice there is a difference in the number of safety standards met by Graco Protect Plus Engineering when compared to SafeSeat Engineering.
As you can see in the image above, the SafeSeat Engineered checks for Extreme Car Interior Temperatures, Side Impact Test, and 2X Car Seat Standard.
The Graco ProtectPlus Engineered Car Seats are tested for Extreme Car Interior Temperatures, Side Impact, 2X Car Seat Standard, Roll Safe Testing Standard, Rear Impact, and Front Impact.
SafeSeat Engineered meets 3 tests that exceed industry standards while the Graco ProtectPlus engineering meets 6 tests that exceed industry standards. If safety is very important to you, Graco 4Ever DLX goes far and beyond industry safety standards.
- Graco 4Ever DLX: 1
- Graco 4Ever: 0
Optional Upgrades
When you choose to purchase the Graco 4Ever DLX or the Graco 4Ever Baby car seat, you get to choose additional upgraded models in the same range as well. These are more permanent designs – once purchased, cannot be modified.
The Graco 4Ever has 3 upgraded feature models that you can choose from:
The Extend2Fit is an excellent feature that comes in a few selected Graco car seat models. In the 4Ever Extend2Fit model, you get a 5 inches of extra leg room for kids if you want them to stay safely in the rear-facing mode for a few months longer.
In the 4Ever Extend2Fit model, the rear-facing weight limit extends from 4lbs to 50 lbs – extra 10 lbs added to the maximum weight limit that the car seat can safely hold in rear-facing mode. See the image below to get a better understanding of what the foot extension panel looks like on the Graco 4Ever Extend2Fit car seat.
Click here to get the price on Graco 4Ever Extend2Fit 4-in-1 Baby Car Seat >
Graco 4Ever with Safety Surround Side Impact Protection
As you can notice from the image below, this car seat comes with an additional side impact protection layer on the headrest for additional protection from side impact ballistics such as shattered glass, shards, and other harmful objects that could be in the air on impact.
Graco 4Ever with True Shield Technology
True Shield technology by Graco meets and exceeds European side impact safety standards. This technology provides an additional protection layer protecting children from side impacts all the way from head to hips.
Click here to get the price on Graco 4Ever 4-in-1 Baby Car Seat with TrueShield Technology >
On the other hand, if you take a look at Graco 4Ever DLX baby car seat, you get the below-upgraded models to choose from:
Graco 4Ever DLX Snuglock
Snuglock is a very safe and convenient installation feature by Graco that allows you to use the seatbelt of your vehicle to secure the car seat tightly to the vehicle in just a few seconds. Watch the video below to see how SnugLock works.
The Graco 4Ever DLX comes with a belt lock-off system that helps you take advantage of the vehicle seat belt to tightly secure the car seat in the front-facing mode in less than a minute. The Snuglock is a much simpler process and this locking system works in all 4 car seat positions making it much more advanced and convenient.
It’s similar to the Britax Clicktight technology. We have also done a comparison between Britax One4Life Clicktight and Graco 4Ever DLX Car seat if you are interested since they are both 4-in-1 models.
Watch this video to see how Snuglock works.
The Grow is another great feature by Graco where they show how a baby car seat can keep getting more comfortable for the child as they grow.
The name Grow as it suggests does the same. The car seat grows with the child. In more understanding terms, the backrest gets wider as the headrest gets pulled higher. The headrest only gets pulled higher if the child gets bigger or taller.
Along with the Snuglock installation system, the Graco 4Ever DLX Snuglock Grow is the most comfortable, safe, and easy-to-use convertible 4-in-1 car seat that money can buy when compared to other Graco 4Ever and Graco 4Ever DLX options.
Click here to get the price on Graco 4Ever DLX Snuglock Grow 4-in-1 Baby Car Seat >
Conclusion
If you look at the total sum of feature differences, the Graco 4Ever DLX comes on top with 5 additional features that you find short in the older Graco 4Ever Baby Car Seat.
Features that can be found in Graco 4Ever DLX but not in Graco 4Ever include extra plus cushioning, integrated belt lock-off safety in front-facing mode, quick remove washable covers, fuss-free harness storage on the sides, and Graco Protect Plus Engineering.
Considering these missing features in the Graco 4Ever Baby car seat, the Graco 4Ever DLX is a much better investment for the next 10 years of your child’s safe and secure life. If you have extra to spare, the Graco 4Ever DLX Snuglock Grow car seat has the maximum comfort for the child and maximum hassle-free convenience for parents.
