Pushchair help for first timer - Bugaboo Bee/M&P Sola/Quinny Buzz/Mutsy Evo - views?

[anicecuppatea]

Requirements are: use from birth; takes a maxi-cosi car seat, forward & rearward facing; suitable for round town, occasional train/bus/tube use, park/country walks (but probably not serious off-roading); fits folded into boot of Renault Clio ('10 model); adjustable handles (DH is 6', i'm about a foot shorter ;-). Optional are: carrycot (the expense more than the storage is our issue here).

To be honest I was all up for buying a massive all-singing all-dancing travel system but I can see how many parents end up with a lightweight stroller a few months in. Is there a compromise to be had, i.e. something that has the versatility of a travel system but isn't too big or bulky frame-wise? Have recently been drawn to the Bugaboo Bee for those reasons but i'm concerned it's a bit too 'city dweller', whereas we're kind of somewhere in between urban and country in terms of the use it will get. Also looked at and played with the M&P Sola, the Quinny Buzz and looked at the Mutsy Evo online.

Anyone have similar requirements and have any experience with the things i've listed? Or any different suggestions? Perhaps my expectations of what it should do are just too high and as long as it has a seat, 3 or four wheels and a handle it'll do the job well enough?!

Bee is nice ... Well the 2010 model is.

Sola has NO suspension

My4 is nice

Thanks MNP - definitely good to know about the Sola's lack of suspension. Will have a nosey at the My4 too.

Buzz was awful in my experience. Baby just woken up, can't go into it now, but I have written about it at length on here before, and I am.not alone. It has some fans though!

I love my bee

Had a three wheeler offroad travel system with DC1 and hated it. It was heavy, cumbersome and generally unpleasant to push. Also heavy to lift in and out of car and a faff to fold. Lots of people love them, but I didn't like my iCandy apple.

The bee, however, I love. It's light, easy to push (even one handed, which is more important than you think), easy to fold and stylish IMO. That said, it's not perfect and doesn't handle rough terrain well. No buggy with little wheels will handle rough terrain well though.

I had a Buzz when DD was newborn, and I loved it for the first 12 months. It was super comfy, felt really sturdy and was really easy to put up and down. But I think I'm the only Buzz-liker on here! However I did find it heavy as DD grew and got heavier, I couldn't imagine pushing a 2 year old in it.

I then got a Bee Plus which I still have. It's great in so many ways and is so light compared to the Buzz. I'm going to be using it for DC 2 due in December. But it's rubbish on anything other than super-flat surfaces, I wouldn't attempt to take it on a country walk. Probably best to use a sling for that anyway. I am a city-dweller so it suits me. And I've had the wheel-shimmying issue which has annoyed me as I paid so bloody much!

Not tried the others on your list sorry so can't comment. In my experience, no one pushchair does it all, and you may well get bored/ fed-up with the one you have so rather than buy new and try to get "the one", I would buy a travel-system second-hand, keep it until it gets too heavy, cumbersome, sell it on and then get a stage 2 pushchair, you may then want to sell that on and get something else. But if you buy second-hand then you won't feel like you've invested loads of money in something and have to keep it forever even if you don't like it.

Good luck! It's a minefield buying a pushchair, and opinions are so subjective!

Have you considered the new baby jogger Versa? It is forward/rear facing. Easy one handed quick fold. Easy to push one handed and can tackle town and country/park walks. Can take a car seat (with adaptors).
With my first I chose an iCandy apple and quickly got tired of the 2 step fold. A few umbrella buggies later and I eventually discovered baby jogger and have never looked back.
Another one to through into your list for consideration, sorry :)
good luck with your search :)

Anything other than the Buzz and the Sola - in fact I would rather have a Buzz than a Sola (yes I do have a Buzz lurking somewhere whereas the Sola I couldn't wait to get rid off - horrible long poorly made thing!)

The Mutsy Evo is lovely and is great value for money. If you can stretch then the Baby Jogger Versa, as liswee says, is everything in one package. The Easywalker June is another one that would be worth the stretch for IMHO. I would also maybe consider a second hand Cameleon or iCandy Peach or a new iCandy Cherry. I would rather have a second hand one of these than a Sola or Buzz any day!! Or look at the Uppababy Vista or Cruz. I would think any of this lot would serve you well.

Thanks for all the fab advice ladies. As it happens, on my google travels this afternoon I came across the BJ Versa and the EW June and they sounded just the ticket. My only other thought, along the lines of what EmmaNicole suggested, was that I buy a cheap travel system for the early months to cover all bases (as to be honest I like the idea of a carry cot/completely lie flat option for a newborn) and then when DC is old enough to need a stroller only, I get shot of the travel system and invest in a good quality, convenient stroller (Baby Jogger perhaps?) I was briefly considering the John Lewis travel system they were flogging off half price for £250 (inc carrycot and car seat) but now sold out. This, so I'm told, was the My Child Pinto but with JL branding on it. Had never heard of My Child before. Have also seen a Bebecare reverse XT travel system with one of those seat that converts to a bassinet for a ridiculously low price online (but maybe because it's no good?) of £120. Or is it silly to consider doing this when I can spend my money on just one set-up that will meet all of my needs over time? God this is confusing...!

I would be inclined to tell you not to waste your money and go straight to one that will last you right through - unless you see yourself as a pramaholic and want to try a few different ones?! :)
The Versa has a carrycot option which is available to buy separately (so £ may be an issue? Cannot remember if you had a budget) and I'm not as clued up on the easywalker June but it may also have a similar option?

I have had the old-style bee, and just got the Evo now.
The Bee:
Fab on public transport, small fold, good handle adjustability, ok basket, fab hood so baby is easily shaded and quite enclosed when you use it flat for a newborn. Downsides: REALLY ANNOYING WHEELS. I mean really. Even on smooth grass in the park. Maybe the new bee is a bit better, but the wheels are still tiny, so up and down kerbs becomes an issue once you have a older /heavier child in the seat. The fold on our bee broke after about 18 months hard use, but we bought it ex-display so did not have a warrenty, and maybe it broke because it had been used to demonstrate folding in the shop too often!

The Evo - is brand new, but so far, I'd say - not as good on public transport (wide back wheels) but much MUCH better on rough ground, again very adjustable handle (even more than the bee I think!) and feels a bit sturdier than the bee. Fold is a bit bigger but I think it will go in your boot. You do not need to buy the carrycot - the seat is flat enough for a newborn. Most places are only selling it as a chassis/seat/carrycot bundle, but a couple of places are selling the bits individually, so I got just seat and chassis which cost £270 delivered. I think it's a brilliant pram for that price, especially compared to the price of the bee...

The Uppababy vista alos looked lovely in the shop by the way, but is £500+ and so it was out of my budget this time round. But worth a look if you can afford it!

I've got the Sola and it's... ok. Ish. I got the carry cot second hand for £40 so felt happy using it from newborn as the pushchair doesn't go completely flat. I wouldn't buy it again and now that my LO is 6.5m old, I'm looking for something else but it's not all bad and if you're on a budget, there are worse choices
Positives
Fairly easy to collapse (but you need 2 hands)
Quite manouverable (but you need two hands over even a little bit of a bumpy pavement)
The handle folds down which makes it convenient on the bus or if you need to feed in the chair.
Forward facing is great and it's very easy to switch around if you want to
Negatives
Absolute bobbins at going down kerbs - it's almost tipped more times than I can remember and I hate it for that
It feels flimsy
When you first go into the pushchair your LO looks very exposed
Very sweaty for the LO on a hot day (they might all be like that though)
The brake could be better
There is nothing to hang toys from
The footmuff is shite. You have to hook it over the bar to keep it up and it doesn't really come up to my LOs belly button. £50 wasted.
The hood doesn't come over nearly enough and I hate parasols so you end up doing the clothes peg and muslin thing or investing in a snooze shade. (which are great BTW)
There is a really annoying clear strip of plastic on the hood which doens't have a flap to cover it. This lets in loads of light so disturbs snoozes and also means your LOs head can get hot.

In fact. Don't buy it. Just writing that has made me all angry.

not buzz it's wonky too push and heavy
bugaboo bee is ok but not a bumpy path pram
eve no idea

Thanks ladies! I've completely gone off the sola now and also rapidly going off the buzz... The two that feel right at the moment are the uppababy vista or the mutsy evo. I'll also wait and see how the versa and the June pan out as realistically I don't need to buy until September and hopefully they'll be out by then. Phew! feels like a massive weight off my mind. Knew I'd get some good advice here!

I love my iCandy cherry, but it doesn't have an adjustable handle. It's really light, so easy to manoeuvre and slots into the boot of my mini.

vista comes in nicer colours imo.