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Full-Featured Strollers Reviews
Updated August 2007
Full-featured strollers are just what you'd think. They have the most bells and whistles: cup holders, extra storage, lots of padding and, importantly, a fully reclining seat for newborns that cannot yet support their heads. Lightweight strollers, usually umbrella-style strollers, weigh less than 15 pounds and are covered in our companion report on umbrella strollers . Umbrella strollers don't have as many features, and only some have fully reclining seats. Consumer Reports reviews some full-featured, lightweight and double strollers for handling and durability. Unfortunately, only five strollers in its most recent test can be considered full featured; the rest are jogging strollers, double strollers or umbrella strollers. Although Consumer Reports does a thorough job rating strollers, we preferred the reviews in the excellent baby-gear book, Baby Bargains, by Denise and Alan Fields. The writeups in Baby Bargains are more comprehensive and review a wider selection of models than Consumer Reports, including trendy imports from Quinny, Mountain Buggy and Inglesina. Baby Bargains considers parent, manufacturer and retailer interviews, as well as hands-on tests, before assigning product ratings, and Baby Bargains gets the top spot in our All Reviews chart. In addition, their website offers parents and stroller users an opportunity to contribute comments. Full-featured strollers are among the largest available on the market, and they generally have the most features. This has an upside and a downside. These strollers have the sturdiest frames and wheels, which afford a smoother (and sometimes more shock-resistant) ride. They're also wider and roomier, with comfortable padded seats that fully recline, so they're appropriate for newborns (who need to lie completely flat). There is normally a large canopy, lots of storage space and sometimes front play trays and adjustable-height handles. The drawbacks are that full-featured strollers tend to be heavy (up to 30 pounds), bulky (which can be an issue if you have a small car trunk or are in a grocery aisle) and awkward to fold. Parents are generally rebelling against the huge strollers that were popular
a few years ago. Now the trend is toward more streamlined designs, embracing
the idea that full-featured strollers don't have to look bulky or weigh 30
pounds to be functional. Most of the progress has been made in the upper end
of the price scale, where companies like Bugaboo, Zooper and Inglesina have
introduced stylish strollers with convenient features like one-hand-fold mechanisms,
car-seat adapters for snapping on an infant seat and lighter-weight aluminum
frames. There's a lot of buzz about fancy high-end strollers from Bugaboo, Quinny
and Stokke. The Stokke Xplory, for example, costs $800, and that's just for
the basic model that sells without a bassinet accessory. Yet in reviews, testing
doesn't reveal that handling and durability are that much superior to other
less expensive strollers. In fact, testing actually reveals some compromises.
The Xplory, for example, has no storage basket at all. Rather, there's just
a small zippered pouch. While that helps the stroller look streamlined, it
also means that you've got no place to stash a diaper bag, blanket, toys or
other essentials.
... Continued
Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
Experts are split on the subject of full-featured strollers. The Bugaboo Cameleon receives the most positive reviews, but it’s left out of the top picks due to the extremely high price tag. The Graco Quattro Tour is most often recommended as a good budget choice, as is the Kolcraft Jeep Cherokee. The Peg-Perego Pliko P3 Classico, Inglesina Zippy and Maclaren Techno XT are recommended for parents who are looking for sturdier, more stylish models. Advertisement
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Full-Featured Strollers Reviews |
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© 2008. ConsumerSearch, Inc. A service from 
, a part of The New York Times Company. All Rights Reserved.
ConsumerSearch and ConsumerSearch.com are registered trademarks of ConsumerSearch, Inc. Other trademarks or service marks on this site are the property of their respective owners. ConsumerSearch is not sponsored by any source reviewed, and we accept no consideration or payment for including, excluding, or ranking any reviews, products or services in our reports.
* Pricing information is approximate as of the time this report was written and is based on observed market selling prices and/or list prices. Actual selling prices may differ.
