Travel Systems

Chicco Cortina holds the edge over Graco's travel-system fleet

Some parents like the look of a coordinated travel system, and experts say if you have your heart set on one, you should get one with a top-rated car seat. (See our report on infant car seats for more information.) Graco is the 800-pound gorilla in this category -- you can choose from a dozen Graco travel systems, all of which come with the nation's best-selling infant car seat, the Graco SnugRide. Unfortunately, some of the Graco models get pretty bulky -- we've seen them called the Hummers of baby gear.

Graco does offer some lightweight travel systems that get good reviews, but the Chicco Cortina Travel System (*Est. $275) is the one experts and parents recommend most often. The Cortina system comes with the Chicco KeyFit car seat, which outperforms the Graco SnugRide in the latest top car seat tests, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's ease-of-use test. The KeyFit also proves easier to use and better at protecting infants in a crash than the SnugRide in a major expert test (although the SnugRide does get a good rating in that test), and the KeyFit is approved for babies as small as 4 pounds (the SnugRide and most others start at 5 pounds). You can buy the Cortina travel system with either the KeyFit 22 car seat (fits babies up to 22 pounds and 30 inches) or the slightly more expensive Chicco Cortina KeyFit 30 Travel System (*Est. $305), which includes the KeyFit 30 car seat (fits babies up to 30 pounds and 30 inches).

Unlike many travel-system strollers, which experts bluntly say are often junk, the Chicco Cortina is judged a great stroller in its own right. Parents and experts say it's lightweight (22 pounds) for such a full-featured stroller. The seat fully reclines, so you can use it with your newborn even without the car seat. A five-point harness keeps infants secure -- and it keeps toddler Houdinis from wiggling out of the stroller, unlike a lap-only harness. All-wheel suspension and lockable swivel wheels make for a smooth ride. The Cortina also has a canopy (with viewing window), adjustable leg rest and removable child tray with cupholders to keep its little occupant comfortable -- and parents appreciate the removable/washable seat pad, parent cupholder, bottom storage basket, adjustable-height handle and one-handed, self-standing fold. You can use the Cortina stroller until your child weighs 50 pounds.

In short, parents and top experts overwhelmingly recommend either version of the Chicco Cortina travel system. One recurring complaint from a couple of years ago -- that the KeyFit's fabric makes babies sweat -- doesn't show up in recent parent reviews; Chicco has all new fabrics now and the particular ones parents complained about have been discontinued. A few parents complain that the KeyFit doesn't have "notches" on the bottom to perch on top of a shopping cart, but ConsumerReports.org says that's a dangerous practice anyway, and the American Academy of Pediatrics agrees.

Graco sells a bunch of its strollers as travel systems complete with a car seat. Some Graco Passage (*Est. $200), Alano (*Est. $175) and Spree (*Est. $170) travel systems sold before February 2008 have been recalled after seven children reportedly had their fingertips amputated or cut by the canopy hinges; see more at the Consumer Product Safety Commission's website. The best reviews found for Graco's travel systems feature the company's most lightweight version, the Graco MetroLite travel system (*Est. $250).

The Graco MetroLite stroller weighs just over 17 pounds without the SnugRide car seat, and it is a top-rated, full-featured stroller in its own right (you can also buy it separately). The MetroLite stroller performs identically to the Chicco Cortina stroller in tests for safety, ease of use and maneuverability, and it offers almost identical features -- a height-adjustable handle, removable/washable seat cushion, child tray with cupholder, parent cupholders, windowed canopy, five-point harness (it can convert to a three-point), reclining seat, bottom storage basket, wheel suspension, lockable swivel wheels, one-hand standing fold and 50-pound stroller weight limit. Testers say the MetroLite is light enough for one person to transfer in and out of the car without too much trouble. Although we found some durability complaints for previous MetroLite models, we found none for the most recent model -- in fact, some parents report that their MetroLites have served them faithfully through several children.

The Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe (*Est. $250) gets the best reviews of Graco's full-size travel systems, but experts really don't recommend such full-size systems overall. The Quattro Tour is a full-featured stroller, and as such is very heavy. The stroller alone weighs 26 pounds empty, and the included SnugRide car seat adds almost 10 pounds. This system has what one reviewer refers to as "feature bloat," with a fully enclosed hood, all-weather boot (on some models) and plush padding. Other highly rated Graco travel systems include the Graco Stylus (*Est. $220 to $250), which is very similar to the Quattro Tour Deluxe in both weight and features, and Graco Vie4 (*Est. $195), which is a slightly scaled-down version (the Vie4 stroller weighs about 23 pounds). However, since reviewers say that most parents end up buying a lighter weight stroller once their baby outgrows the infant seat, you might want to opt for a lightweight travel system such as the Cortina or MetroLite from the start.

Instead of buying a complete travel system, one option is to select a car seat-compatible stroller that you like and pair it with a separately purchased infant car seat. Many highly rated strollers such as the Joovy Caboose Ultralight (*Est. $250) -- which has a rear jump seat for a toddler -- and the BOB Ironman jogging stroller (*Est. $350) let you attach a separately purchased car seat. Buying these components separately is one way to ensure you end up with a stroller you really like rather than a compromise.

In summary, we consistently found reviewers who advise against buying a bulky travel system, since many parents end up scrapping them for a lighter, better-quality stroller after their child outgrows the infant seat. Two travel systems -- the Chicco Cortina and Graco MetroLite -- do get good reviews for their lightweight, good-quality strollers. But if you think you'll later want a different stroller, check to see if the one you like accommodates infant car seats -- or buy an inexpensive stroller frame like the Baby Trend Snap-N-Go (*Est. $60) or Graco SnugRider (*Est. $65) to use with the car seat until your baby is old enough to use the stroller you prefer.