What better way to road test the UPPAbaby Vista stroller then to get the expert opinion of working mum Bianca Luykx.

"Buggies are one of the most important pieces of a parents' kit. It may sound dramatic - and before I became a parent I would have definitely thought so - but a good buggy has the potential to make or break your day. Forget about the child (joke), 'the fold' and 'the storage' are the buggy-deal-breakers. I have struggled so often with buggies that just weren't built to fold. I often imagine passerbys watching on with sympathy as I ram, roar and boot shove.  I have tried to fold fast, I have tried to fold slow, I have tried to fold to the chorus cries of my newborn and my three-year-old. But... there is light at the end of the buggy tunnel - the Uppababy is not perfect, but of all the buggies I have had, and I'm on five now, the Uppababy has the most perfect fold of all - now doesn't that sound sexy!! 

It may come as a shock but the Uppababy folds flat, yes, flat! It's also super light and can be folded with one hand - that's what the ad says - and I tried it and I could do it first time, and I'm quite awkward and clearly no fold expert. 

As regards storage, there'll be no latte drinking while pushing if you have no under-buggy storage. Hanging shopping bags off handles - not a good idea. Hanging shopping bags off arms - even worse. You need a big deep basket and the Uppababy's is huge. You could feel a small family from the Uppababy basket. 

Compared to the McClaren's, this pushes and steers like a dream. Perhaps it's the air-filled tyres or the super-duper suspension but it's fierce bouncy. And steerage involves little heaving and ho-ing. I even pushed with one finger. 

Now to the child (it's not all about the parents, remember) the bassinet for the little one's under six months is cozy as anything. You wouldn't mind a kip in it yourself. The sheet on the bassinet mattress and the outside covers all zip off easily allowing you to wash away life's grime. The seat for the over six-monthers is padded too, and definitely comfier than all buggies I have had before. Another easy-handling feature is what they call, the 4-position recline. Basically it's an easily positioned lever, at the top of the buggy, near the hood, which allows you to position your baby in any of the four chosen positions, flat to upright. Most buggy's have two position, some three, but I have never before come across four so, this is fancy!! It also moves smoothly which is handy if you've been trying to get your child to sleep for like, forever, and are loath to wake he/she up with jerky movements. The Uppababy Vista also has a pop-out SPF 50 canopy that will keep the harmful sunrays away from baby's face.  

Some other need-to-know's, yes, it comes with the attachments for the Maxi-Cosi car seat and has the essential rain covers. Also available is the buggy board called a PiggyBack that you can purchase separately. Good for the over 3's who want to run around a bit. 

However the price.... it is hefty, but if you add up the cost of all my four buggies, the Uppababy comes in at a quarter of the price. And it should last longer than the average because it's made that bit hardier and better by a husband and wife team whose previous projects were Reebok and Ford. And oh, I nearly forgot, this is the buggy the stars (Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew McConaughey) are choosing to free-wheel with these days, not that this would encourage you to buy it over any other brand but it is styling or band on trend or whatever the word is these days.

Before I sign off I should inform you that, no, I do not work as an advertiser for the brand. I am a humble parent, a working mum, who has a love/hate relationship with four-wheelers. I did like this buggy because it's light, folds well and is easy to put together and to push - simple as that. At the end of the day though it is just a buggy, it doesn’t self-wheel, has no remote control and won't put the baby to sleep! 

Happy wheeling."

Bianca

Watch the video of Bianca's review on Xpóse.

TEST RESULTS Rate from 1-5 (5 is best)

The UPPAbaby vista travel system is available to purchase in six colours.  Visit our webshop to read more on the stroller specifications and to find your local stockist.   RRP for the entire travel system is €709.

Read 98FM DJ Dave Moore's review of phil&teds smart compact stroller:
                                             

When I got my hands on the Smart, I was thrilled. I’m a man, in case you hadn’t noticed, and I like things that feel cool and look cool. The Smart is all of that. The futuristic, neon-green, breathable fabric on the seat completely sold it to me. Andrew and I would look like the tech-savvy boys that we are as we stroll around the place!

Of course, there’s no point in looking cool if the Smart is useless. It isn’t; it’s brilliant. Andrew and I always walk our dog, Lorna (yeah, she has a human name, don’t judge me!), on a green near to our house in Portmarnock. (see pics) The grass is often long, the surface slopes and undulates and, once it rains, it becomes mucky. Our former stroller would always struggle in these conditions so I’d be forced to slip on his “wallaboos” (wellington boots) and pop him on his bike, which I can push anywhere. Now, though, the large-wheeled Smart is our only weapon of choice for the green as it can cope with anything Irish weather can throw at us. Also, its rain cover and movable sun visor are perfect to protect him from the four-seasons-in-one-day summer we’ve had this year.

Another challenge for a stroller in Portmarnock is the beach. The Velvet Strand is more than two miles long and an amazing place to go for a stroll at any time of year, in any weather. There are rocks, smooth sand, rippled sand and dunes, grass and stony paths. Whatever surface the Smart comes into contact with it handles like a bigger, more expensive buggy can plus, as I said, it looks really cool!

There is a function where you can turn the seat around and have the child face you. To be honest, that’s not necessary for us because Andrew only likes to face forward and shout at bin trucks and tractors and point at passers-by and point out their gender; “man!” or “luddee!”

Finally, and probably most importantly to my slight, slip of a wife, is the Smart’s compact portability. Two locks and a button transform the Smart into a tiny little thing that fits into any boot we’ve come across.  This, combined with the easy transformation, makes her life a whole lot easier.

All in all, I’m smitten with the Smart and will be putting it to the most rigorous of tests soon, as we’re heading to rural Spain, where the caminos and olive groves will offer it a whole new world of difficult terrains, which, frankly, I expect it to handle with ease.

Dave Moore, new phil&teds head convert

Dermot & Dave Show, Weekdays 1600h - 1900h, 98FM  http://about.me/dave98fm