Booster seats are known to be baby car seats that are ideal for toddlers and older kids. They are designed to accompany children from around 2 to 5 years old or in their toddler stage. Such car seats are different from regular baby car seats because they have more features that allow big kids to move comfortably while still staying secure.
The Comparison: Graco Nautilus 65 vs. 65 LX vs. 80 Elite Car Seats
In this article, we take a look at the different features of the Graco Nautilus 65, Graco Nautilus 65 LX and Graco Nautilus 80 Elite car seats, as to which would have the best features overall.
Weight Rating
When it comes down to weight rating, you get a 22 to 65 lb rating for Graco Nautilus 65 and Graco Nautilus 65 LX. On the other hand, you get a 22 to 80 lb rating for the Graco Nautilus 80 Elite. This signifies that the Nautilus 80 seems to have the best rating for a booster car seat, which is ideal for older and heavier kids or toddlers.
The weight rating of a baby car seat is important to know about because it measures how much weight capacity is recommended before it breaks. Without it, you might not get the ideal seat for your child because you might find it too weak to support his or her weight.
The winner in this round: Graco Nautilus 80 Elite
Price
In terms of pricing, the Graco Nautilus 65 is the cheapest of all three of them, while the 65 LX is a little pricier, while the highest price is the Nautilus 80 Elite.
The price may be a good factor to consider in choosing the best baby car seat with a booster mode for your toddler, but it should not sacrifice the quality and safety features overall. However, the price can be a deciding factor sometimes if you are on a tight budget and just want a working booster seat for your child.
The winner in this round: Graco Nautilus 65
Color Choices
As for the color choice, the Graco Nautilus 65 has three color choices: Sully, Fern, and Sylvia. The Graco Nautilus 65 LX has three color choices as well: Matrix, Ayla, and Pierce. However, the Graco Nautilus 80 Elite has only one design or color to choose from.
The color choice can be a factor sometimes if you want to match the color scheme of the booster car seat with the car interior that you currently have. On top of that, the color or design, if any, must not easily fade through frequent usage under the sun or after washing and cleaning. It might also be an attractive design that your kid(s) will love, such as a favorite cartoon character, color or object.
The winners in this round: Graco Nautilus 65 and 65 LX
Comfort Levels
As for the comfort levels, all three of the Graco Nautilus booster car seats are comfortable, indeed. However, more people agree that the comfort levels of the Graco Nautilus 65 are more clearly seen due to the cushioning that does not get in the way with hot weather situations, to keep your kid comfortable and cool.
The level of comfort for a booster car seat is important because if it is not comfortable then your child might feel bored or stressed with the car seat. It also pays to have a lot of comfort during the summer season to keep your child cool and safe at the same times. Oftentimes, a booster car seat will still have good impact protection with its EPS foam and can still remain comfortable.
The winner in this round: Graco Nautilus 65
Safety Harness
All three of the booster car seats, the Graco Nautilus 65, Graco Nautilus 65 LX and the Graco Nautilus 80 Elite have a 5-point harness for the seatbelt. This plays a good role for your child to keep them safe and sound throughout the trip.
The safety harness of the booster car seat is a crucial thing to know about. Most of them will have many points in the harness so that your child will be kept safe in the event of a car crash, accident or bumpy ride. The booster car seat harness should be easy to connect and disconnect as well to avoid the hassle of getting your child in and out of the car seat altogether.
The winner in this round: all three of them
Headrest adjustment
As for the headrest adjustment, all three of the booster car seats, the Graco Nautilus 65, Graco Nautilus 65 LX and the Graco Nautilus 80 Elite have a 5-position headrest. This can be helpful if they want to get in the right height to feel comfortable throughout the trip, especially for taller children. The one-handed adjustment for all three of these booster car seats makes the job easier for parents.
The winner in this round: all three of them
Ease of cleaning
While it is true that all three of the booster car seats, the Graco Nautilus 65, Graco Nautilus 65 LX and the Graco Nautilus 80 Elite, are easy to clean, more people say that the Graco Nautilus 65 is the easiest to clean out of all of them. Some people had trouble with disassembling the Graco Nautilus 65 LX for cleanup. Also, kids’ messes may be a little bit of a problem with the Graco Nautilus 80 (e.g. urine stains).
The winner in this round: Graco Nautilus 65
Cup Holder
All three of the booster car seats, the Graco Nautilus 65, Nautilus 65 LX and the Nautilus 80 Elite, are convenient when it comes down to keeping the drinks in their rightful place. This is highly important if you have kids who often spill drinks or baby formulas all over the place, especially in the event of a bumpy ride. Having a cup holder is important for children so that they can do other things aside from carrying their cup all the time.
The winner in this round: all three of them
Ease of Assembly
When it comes down to assembly and disassembly, the Graco Nautilus 65 is probably the best and the easiest to set up and take down. The Nautilus 65 LX, on the other hand, is a little difficult to assemble with its instructions, and can also be tricky to disassemble or take apart. Last but not the least, the Nautilus 80 Elite is also a bit easy to install, but most likely not as easy as installing or taking apart the Graco Nautilus 65.
Having an easy to assemble booster car seat is important because it can contribute to the ease of cleaning as well. If you have something that is simple to put together and take apart for cleaning, then you can reduce the amount of time needed for you to clean and/or maintain the baby car seat or booster for toddlers.
The winner in this round: Graco Nautilus 65
Safety Features
Of course, as these are toddler booster car seats, we can’t neglect safety. All three of them, the Graco Nautilus 65, Nautilus 65 LX and the Nautilus 80 Elite, are pretty much safe because of the EPS or energy absorbing foam as well as the side impact testing. This is highly important for your toddler booster seat to be reliable when it comes down to car crashes and unwanted accidents on the road.
The winner in this round: all three of them
Height Range
The height range refers to how much you can extend the car seat for your toddler or child. All three of them, the Graco Nautilus 65, Nautilus 65 LX and the Nautilus 80 Elite, can be adjusted to heights from 27 inches to 57 inches overall. This is important so that your car seat can grow with your child to avoid having to purchase a bigger one and sacrifice your budget again.
The winner in this round: all three of them
As a Whole
Here’s our roundup of everything that we have gathered so far for the three car seats:
| Criteria | Graco Nautilus 65 | Graco Nautilus 65 LX | Graco Nautilus 80 |
| Weight rating | 22 to 65 lbs | 22 to 65 lbs | 22 to 80 lbs |
| Price | $127.99 | $132.99 | $209.99 |
| Color Choices | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Comfort Levels | Best | Good | Good |
| Safety Harness | 5-point harness | 5-point harness | 5-point harness |
| Headrest adjustment | 5-position headrest | 5-position headrest | 5-position headrest |
| Ease of cleaning | Easiest | Difficult | Difficult |
| Cup Holder | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ease of Assembly | Easiest | Difficult | Okay |
| Safety Features | EPS foam; side impact testing | EPS foam; side impact testing | EPS foam; side impact testing |
| Height Range | 27 to 57 inches | 27 to 57 inches | 27 to 57 inches |
| Total Points | 10 | 6 | 6 |
Clearly, our winner would be the Graco Nautilus 65 car seat based on the above-mentioned aspects. The other two were okay but lacked affordability, ease of assembly and cleaning, and many other things. What do you think? Which of these three would be the best for you? Comment down below!
