In this comparison report, you are going to find out what the main differences are between the Graco TriRide 3-in-1 and Graco Slimfit 3-in-1 baby car seats. They both belong to a similar price range and have almost identical features. Identifying what’s different and which is better of the two was a real challenge.
Nevertheless, the differences have been identified. Looking at the table below, you will notice the highlighted differences between Graco TriRide and Graco Slimfit baby car seats. You can proceed below the table for a more comprehensive explanation of the table.
Quick Summary
Graco Slimfit is a much better car seat when compared to the Graco TriRide 3-in-1. They both have similar features and look identical in every way possible, but the Graco Slimfit 3-in-1 has a more advanced latch installation system, rotatable cup holders, and better build quality according to customer feedback.
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| Graco Triride 3-in-1 Baby Car Seat | Graco Slimfit 3-in-1 Baby Car Seat | |
 |  | |
| Front Facing Installation | J-Hook LATCH system with Open-loop belt guides | Push-button InRight™ LATCH |
| Recline Positions | 6 (1 high back booster, 2 front facing, 3 rear facing) | 4 (2 front facing, 2 rear facing) |
| Installation Latch | J-Hook LATCH system | Push-button InRight™ LATCH |
| Average Customer Rating | 4.8 out of 5 | 4.9 out of 5 |
The Similarities
Ease of use
Graco TriRide and Graco Slimfit car seats are both well-featured with easy-to-use systems that make parents’ lives much easier.
Both car seats include a No-Rethread harness with 10 Position headrest adjustment feature which is very convenient when placing and removing the child from the car seat. Previous models required you to remove the car seat and release a lock from the back of the car seat to adjust the headrest and tighten the harness.
With the TriRide and Slimfit models, you do not have to remove them or unlatch them from the vehicle. It can be adjusted easily with the press of a button. As you adjust the headrest, the harness gets adjusted automatically as well.
The Level Indicators remove all the guesswork when placing the car seat on the vehicle. Certain models come with a sticker and a line that shows which is the ideal level the car seat should be before it’s latched on. Difference recline positions have different levels when securing to the vehicle seat.
The Graco TriRide and Slimfit convertible car seats both come with level indicators (TriRide with a ball, and Slimfit with a bubble) which shows you precisely which angle is perfect before you latch the car seat into for the tightest and most secure installation.
Comfort & Hygiene
Comfort and hygiene are of utmost importance when it comes to baby car seats.
An uncomfortable car seat with bad hygiene = an unhappy and unhealthy baby. Unhappy baby = unhappy parents and a cranky drive all the way to your destination and back.
Both Graco TriRide and Slimfit car seat models come with removable machine washable covers that are made with breathable soft polyester fabric. This fabric allows your child to enjoy long journeys without heating up or feeling uncomfortable.
The polyester material makes sure you can easily remove stains and dirt without soaking up any sweat or other sources of wetness at the same time.
Safety
Graco Slimfit and TriRide 3-in-1 car seats come with Removable New Born inserts that are made sure to keep your newborn secured, in place, and comfortable during your travels. You can remove these inserts when not needed but until so, these inserts are very useful, important and are not to be removed.
Both car seats are developed with Graco ProtectPlus Engineering standards which means these car seats meet and exceed all levels of safety standards you can name. Some of these include extensive rollover, side-impact, front-impact, and other kinds of crash tests that you wouldn’t want to experience – EVER.
These car seats are built with Steel Re-Inforced Frame and EPS Foam lining. If you purchase or own a Graco Slimfit or Graco TriRide car seat, you would notice the plastic body, but the weight of them both justify the existence of a Steel Re-inforced Frame that is linked to the 5-point harness.
The Differences
Cupholders
The cupholders may not matter much, but it always comes in handy when it’s available. The Graco TriRide comes with 2 removable cup holders. You can remove them when not used or for cleaning purposes and fix them back when needed.
The Graco Slimfit comes with 2 rotatable cup holders which can be rotated away when not used and rotated out when needed to be used. It’s a matter of a simple twist. You do not worry about forgetting the cup holders every time you get into the car.
The rotatable cup holders provide Graco Slimfit a neat edge in maintaining a more slim presence in the back seat of your vehicle – not disturbing other passengers tagging along.
- Graco Slimfit 3-in-1 Car Seat: 1
- Graco TriRide 3-in-1 Car Seat: 0
J Latch vs InRight Latch
Although both car seat models come with a tether to hook to the back of the vehicle car seat, the latch is where you find the difference in both.
The latch is a critical feature of the baby car seat. It helps you secure the baby’s car seat to the vehicle seat. The Graco TriRide 3-in-1 comes with an older and small J-latch system that is good and safe on its own, but when compared to the Slimfit, the latter has a better system.
The Slimfit 3-in-1 car seat comes with a Push Button InRight latch which is more efficient, bigger, and faster to install.
- Graco Slimfit 3-in-1 Car Seat: 1
- Graco TriRide 3-in-1 Car Seat: 0
Recline Options
This is the only place where Graco TriRide has the advantage against the Graco Slimfit convertible car seat. You can find 6 recline options in the Graco TriRide car seat – 1 high-back booster position, 2 front-facing, and 3 rear-facing positions.
Having multiple recline positions is great for providing a more comfortable resting angle for your child and also allows you to secure the seat better in place depending on the height of your child.
The Graco Slimfit 3-in-1 on the other hand comes with only 4 recline positions, 2 front-facing, and 2 rear-facing. Front the 2 front facing positions, 1 can be used in the high back booster mode as well. This limitation, in our understanding, is mainly due to the slim design of the car seat.
- Graco Slimfit 3-in-1 Car Seat: 0
- Graco TriRide 3-in-1 Car Seat: 1
Customer reviews
Since both car seats have almost identical features, we had to dig deeper to find out which would score better among customers. As you may notice from the average rating as well, the Graco TriRide scores less than the Graco Slimfit due to poor build quality.
“It feels cheap” and does belong to the Graco build quality when compared against other models such as Extend2Fit, Slimfit, 4Ever, etc…
The Graco Slimfit on the other hand has praises and raving reviews from customers on build quality and the slimness of how it fits into their compact vehicles as well. In case you are wondering, there is an upgraded Slimfit3 LX model as well in case you wanted something slimmer for your vehicle.
Here’s the link to our comparison of Graco Slimfit against Graco Slimfit3 LX in case you want to know which is better.
- Graco Slimfit 3-in-1 Car Seat: 1
- Graco TriRide 3-in-1 Car Seat: 0
Final Verdict
- Graco Slimfit 3-in-1 Car Seat: 2
- Graco TriRide 3-in-1 Car Seat: 1
Although the Graco TriRide has more recline positions, the Graco Slimfit 3-in-1 baby car seat has newer latch technology and better build quality. This makes the Graco Slimfit 3-in-1 a better option when compared to Graco TriRide since they both belong to a similar price range.
