Road Test: From-birth buggies

Hauck I'coo Plasma 7

	Sturdily built, cool design, reversible seat.
	Heavy, bulky, even when folded, fold-up system is a bit awkward.
Features:	One Hand Height Adjustment, adjustable backrest, aluminium frame, 5-point harness with shoulder pads, removable front bar with washable cover, adjustable footrest, lockable front wheels, soft fix brake, central suspensions system, reversible seat unit, large shopping basket at base.
Price:	RRP £250.00
Weight:	13.4kg
Handle:	98-110cm
Dimensions:	(open) 90x48cm (folded) 90x48cm
Accessories included:	Hood, shopping basket.
Available accessories:	C-Care Plus first stage car seat (converts to travel system), Cocoon Hard carry cot (converts to pram), Cosycocoon 2 in 1 soft carrycot, D-Pac matching changing bag, raincover.
Colours:	Moonlight Black, Lollipop Red, Heaven Blue, Ocean Turquoise, Sunset Yellow.
Contact:	Hauck UK website

This is a bruiser of a pushchair, the kind of baby buggy bought by first-time parents who want something that will last through the rest of the football team they're planning to spawn. It's built like a tank, and you certainly get the impression that it will serve several new occupants well. However, that sturdiness and security comes at a price. It's great for yomping across heathland or for cutting a swathe through the high street thong, but it's much less fun when you're trying to wrestle it onto the bus or into your car (and smaller cars needn't even apply - it folds up willingly enough but it doesn't seem to get much smaller). So long as you don't need to fold it up and carry it too often, the Plasma 7 is easy to manoeuvre, with or without the front wheel locks, and the spring suspension system guarantees a smooth ride. The seat is reversible so you can have baby facing you if you prefer - which is just as well, since the netting on the cover isn't easy to see through. On the plus side, the design includes a crossbar at the front which is easy to grab for lifting up and down steps (dads in particular probably appreciate this).

The ThinkBaby verdict

A buggy that's built to last and should see you through several new arrivals - so long as you don't have to fold it up too often.

Performance:	3/5
Value:	3/5

Maclaren Techno XT

	Lightweight, folds easily, manoeuvres well, reasonably priced.
	Not a great looker, wobbly brake system.
Features:	5-point harness, Removable/washable seat, Coordinating footmuff available, single-hand fold, lockable swivel wheels, ergonomic handles, carry handle, storage pocket on back of hood, reflective accents, UV treated viewing window on hood, UV treated sun visor, extendable leg rest, height adjustable shoulder harness straps, shoulder pads, four seat positions.
Price:	RRP £160
Weight:	6.5kg
Handle:	104-111cm
Dimensions:	(open) 76x49cm, (folded) 108x33cm
Accessories included:	Hood, shopping basket, rain cover.
Accessories available:	Techno XT footmuff, Carry Bag for buggy, Maclaren Macsac change bag.
Colours:	Storm Grey, Black, Sky Blue, Crimson, Powder Pink
Contact:	Maclaren website

Maclaren hasn't gone out of its way on the style front with this rather plain-looking buggy, but it has focussed on making it practical and easy to use, which is much more useful to parents in the end. The carry handle makes picking it up easy and it actually feels even lighter than it is. In use it's easy to manoeuvre, in part due to the light weight, but it also manages the trick of feeling sturdy and reliable too. It's slim as well, making it easy to navigate through narrow doors and high street crowds, and we liked the comfortable handles, though there isn't a great deal of extension for them. The braking system felt a little weak - it stops perfectly well, but it may struggle after intense use through several occupants. The shopping basket however is large and secure and there's a nice clear plastic viewing window for keeping an eye on baby. Surprisingly, even though it folds easily, comes with a carry handle and is lightweight, it's quite long when folded, so we found we had a bit of difficulty manoeuvring it into the boot of our compact but bijou Seat Ibiza.

The ThinkBaby verdict

An excellent all-rounder that works equally well when in use or when folded and carried.

Performance:	4/5
Value:	4/5

Mamas & Papas Ziko Frankie

	Lightweight, easy to fold, stylish design and luxurious fabric.
	No baby view window in hood, wobbly brake system.
Features:	Carry handle, 4 position back rest, 5 point safety harness, wipeable fabrics, lockable front swivel wheels.
Price:	RRP £200.00
Weight:	8.5kg
Handle:	106cm
Dimensions:	(open) 80x50cm, (folded) 104x34cm
Accessories included:	Footmuff, raincover.
Accessories available:	Big Bag, Shade Me Parasol.
Colours:	Suit Me & Button Box.
Contact:	Mamas & Papas website

Like the Maclaren, the Ziko is nice and light and proved to be the easiest in this test to fold and store, fitting into tight spots better than any of the others. It handles well on the road and its lockable wheels proved useful for handling. The fabric feels classy (the £160 Ziko Frankie version uses more standard material) and we had the 'Button Box' flavour - a sort of mauve colour with pictures of buttons. Surprisingly, there's no option for handle height adjustment, though the fact that the handles are fixed means that they feel particularly sturdy. There's no viewer in canopy to view baby while you're out walking, which seemed like a bit of an oversight, not quite made up for by a pocket in the hood for storing milk bottles etc. And as with the Maclaren, the brake system doesn't feel particularly sturdy, and you would expect it to suffer over time. The shopping basket however is of a reasonable size and feels secure.

The ThinkBaby verdict

A classy-looking buggy that's easy to fold and manoeuvre - but you pay for the style.

Performance:	4/5
Value:	3/5

Bébé Confort Loola

	Reversible seat, feels sturdy, but not too heavy.
	Weighted too much to the front, no crossbar for lifting.
Features:	Aluminium frame, ergonomically designed non-slip adjustable handles, seat unit memory (seat goes back to required position when pushchair unfolded), stands upright when folded, fixed or swivel wheels, forward or rearward facing seat unit, four seat positions, central braking, large capacity shopping basket.
Price:	RRP £230.00
Weight:	12kg
Handle:	102-104cm
Dimensions:	(open) 58x84cm, (folded) 30x26cm
Accessories included:	Hood, zipped raincover, car seat adapters.
Available accessories:	Nursery bag, sunshade parasol.
Colours:	Sporty Red, Sporty Navy, Blue Outdoors, BB Red, So Pearly Abyss & So Pearly Grey.
Contact:	Bébé Confort website

The Loola has the look of a high tech baby machine, but for the most part, it gets the basics right. Like the I'coo, one of its great advantages is that the seat is reversible so you can have your baby facing you (probably preferable in the first few months when baby's main point of interest will be you) or facing away (better when they're older). It's not the most lightweight model here by a long chalk, but it's reasonably easy to handle. Certainly easier to control on the street than it is to lift into the boot of the car - it feels like a dead weight and there's no obvious place to lift it from when folded, which led to our fingers getting trapped in the spars more than once. The lack of a bar at the front makes it a bit tricky for friends (or kindly strangers) to help with stairs by lifting it from the front - they're forced to hold one of the crossbars underneath, which isn't that easy. One problem that becomes apparent on the street is that it's a bit too weighted towards the front, which makes it a bit tricky to life the front to get up kerbs or steps, though we found that we did get used to this after a while.

The ThinkBaby verdict

Sleek high-tech looks

Performance:	3/5
Value:	3/5