Quinny Buzz 4
$630 without bassinet, $830 with bassinet, Quinny, Giggle
Overall score: 4. Your kid's going to love it, and sometimes that's all it takes.
Value: 3.5. Great features, but at a cost.
The basics: 26.5 pounds. Good from birth with the Quinny Dreami bassinet or 6 months without to 50 pounds. A massive 25.5 inches at its widest point when it's unfolded. Collapses to 39 by 16.5 by 25.75 inches.
The extras: The über-plush seat can face forward or backward. Plus, the seat lining is washable and comes with a large seat extender for toddlers. The Buzz 4 also comes equipped with a sun canopy, a storage basket, a bug net, a rain shield, and adapters for the Maxi-Cosi car seat and Quinny's Dreami bassinet.
Folding and storage: Collapsing the stroller takes two hands, a lot of pressure, and is impossible to do while holding anything else. Unfolding the stroller, on the other hand, is a breeze. It pops up with the push of one button. In its collapsed position, testers found the stroller bulky and difficult to store. It collapses flat vertically, but the stroller's wide wheelbase isn't reduced at all. Throwing it into a closet isn't going to happen, so unless you can stash it in your garage, you may be forced to stare at it all day.
Pros: The Buzz 4 is the SUV of strollers. Its enormous wheels handle grass, curbs, gravel, or uneven pavement with no trouble. One of our testers said that her child continued to sleep even while she plowed over a cobblestone street. The frame is study and durable. Plus, thick tread on the tires let the Buzz perform well on slippery sidewalks, through puddles, and even on a little ice. One-handed steering is no problem, and the stroller maneuvers well around obstacles. The five-point harness is another big plus. But the thing that sold our testers on the Buzz 4? Their kids loved it. The seat allows children to fully see their surroundings and puts them up higher than a traditional stroller does. One mom noticed that on the first day she had the stroller, her daughter sat in it for an hour and a half before she was forced out of it to eat dinner. A stroller that kids don't want to bust out of? Priceless.
Cons: It's bulky! Parent-testers were frustrated with the amount of space the stroller took up in their homes. It's heavy, too. The empty stroller is 27 pounds. Add a 23-pound child and you've got quite the workout. Urban parents complained about how difficult it was to lug the stroller up stairs, even with two people. Suburban parents hated that it took up all the trunk space—even in the trunk of a small SUV. The Buzz 4's lack of storage is another problem area. Standard-size diaper bags are a tight squeeze in the stroller's limited storage basket. There are no additional pockets or compartments. If you want a cup holder, you're going to have to shell out an additional $20 for the attachment.
Who will love this stroller? Parents who have plenty of space both at home and in the car and are looking for an indestructible all-terrain stroller. Active parents are going to be big fans the Buzz 4.
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