Booster type: Combo
Weight: 25-70 lbs. with harness, 40 to 110 lbs. as a belt-positioning booster. For kids 2 years old and 25 pounds and up. Height limit: 30-58″ for harness mode; 45-62″ in booster mode.
Price: $184
IIHS rating: Best Bet.
NHTSA ease of use rating: Four stars out of five forward facing; Five stars out of five as a booster.
Comments: This is a less expensive version of the Frontier and Pinnacle. At under $200 retail, the Britax Pioneer is about $80 less than a Frontier.
What are the trade-offs? The Pioneer only works to 70 lbs. as a forward facing seat. The top seated shoulder height is 20.5″, about 2″ in less than the Frontier. The Pioneer has less fancy fabric and padding—noticeably lower quality than Britax’s other seats. The seat can then be used up to 110 lbs. and 62″ as a belt positioning booster
The Pioneer does have SafeCell technology in its base for energy absorption in a crash, as well as True Side Impact Protection. But you miss the ClickTight belt system found on the Pinnacle and Frontier (the Pioneer does have a no-rethread harness, however).
Our take: unless you have a small child who won’t be hitting the Frontier/Pinnacle’s higher weight/height limits, we don’t see the point of the Pioneer. We’d spend the extra $80 and get the Frontier. The ClickTight belt system is worth the upgrade. And we’ve often seen the Frontier (which has wider distribution) discounted online to just about the same price as the Pioneer.
Parent feedback on the Pioneer has been mostly positive, but more than a few dissenters knock the single LATCH strap on the Pioneer (versus dual straps on the Frontier and Pinnacle). That made LATCH harder to install for some parents. The downgraded fabric and pad (again, compared to other Britax seats) was too much of a compromise for some folks.
Bottom line: given the trade-offs of this seat and overall lower quality, we’d suggest passing on the Pioneer and getting a Frontier instead if you want a Britax booster. We understand that spending over $200 for a harness booster may be too much for some budgets. In that case, check out our review of Graco’s Nautilus for a better-priced alternative. Rating: B
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