What’s the Silver Cross Jet like to use day-to-day?
The Silver Cross Jet has had an overhaul for 2020 and, for an incredibly small buggy, offers a beautifully smooth ride thanks to its dynamic suspension.
Despite its small wheels, it also takes on bumps in the road and uneven ground surprisingly well. Our parent tester, Adele, took it off-roading, across grass and up hills, in addition to along the pavement and – apart from on the very bumpiest of surfaces – found it generally effortless to push.
The Jet is a particularly narrow model so gets through small spaces with ease and manages most doorways well, making it a brilliant option for city living.
We see this micro solution fitting unobtrusively in apartments, making it upstairs with ease and keeping well to itself on public transport. It steers responsively, taking on corners and sharp turns without any cause for concern and, for the person pushing, it crucially requires no postural adjustment.
Bear in mind that the five-point harness can be a little fiddly to clip into place – you have to press the release button on the buckle and push the points in at the same time – but this won’t be a problem once you’ve sussed it. Rather, it’s something to be aware of if you’ll be sharing this buggy with a grandparent or a babysitter.
The Jet’s brake is an interesting feature of the model and one that Adele particularly enjoyed. It can be activated by stepping your foot onto the right side and released by stepping onto the left – usefully marked using a red and green colour scheme and ideal when wearing open-toed shoes.
It also means that there’s no confusion about whether the brake is on or off. The mechanism feels secure, solidly staying put on hills with no unprompted releases.
How easy is it to assemble?
Out of the box, the Jet requires minimal assembly and no tools for set-up. It took our tester just five minutes to get the buggy ready to go as all she needed to do was to slot the wheels into place.
The visual instructions are clear with reminders to keep listening and feeling for the clicks as you open the model up. They’re also downloadable from the website.
It’s worth noting that the Jet’s bumper bar is unusually easy to attach and remove. A child wouldn’t be able to operate it, but this will likely be a welcomed feature for most parents.
The buggy also comes with a lengthy three-year warranty.
How comfortable is it?
The Jet is well cushioned and supportive, ideal for longer rides. It’s reasonably cocooned for a newborn, but bear in mind that it doesn’t have the option to go parent-facing.
You can, however, attach a car seat to turn it into a travel system, but most parents will prefer to hold off on making the Jet their main buggy until the toddler stage. It’s an ideal travel companion, though, so don’t be afraid to have a look sooner if you’re wanting to jet off somewhere warm in the future.
With that said, our tester felt this buggy didn’t leave much room for her three-year-old to grow. However, it's generally a comfortable size for the age range considering her passenger is at the top end of it. Parents looking for a buggy with a longer age range for reluctant walkers might prefer the Babyzen YOYO² or the Baby Jogger City Tour 2, both of which also performed well during testing.
The Jet's handlebar isn’t extendable, but proved a good height for both parents in our tester family (5’6” and 6’1” respectively) and was one of the highest handlebars we tested this year. It’s covered in leatherette, which is comfortable to grasp, and it’s also water-resistant so there’s no chance of a soggy push during a downpour.
The leg rest is extremely simple to adjust with a gentle squeeze then push or lift. Our tester’s three-year-old still used it when out and about in the buggy, but Adele felt it might be better suited to a slightly younger child.
She loved the sunshade though and found it both generous and effective. While it doesn’t extend, meaning a toddler’s legs are left exposed, Adele felt it still offered enough protection and would cover a smaller child fully.