James Dobson, his wife Caroline and baby Bertie test drive the Uppababy Cruz
American brand Uppababy, best known for its Cruz and Vista pushchairs, has really struck a chord with the London market over the last few years. The Cruz, having been listed as one of TFL’s top five public-transport friendly buggies, is light, narrow and compact, making it a great option for city dwellers.
The Lowdown
For me, choosing a pushchair felt like a massive dad milestone, and made impending fatherhood seem very real indeed. Selecting which set of wheels I was going to proudly push my newborn in was one of the few things on the to-do list that I was genuinely excited about, and which I didn’t try to delegate to my wife, Caroline. My research began by nosing around Peter Jones, kicking tyres and testing the handling of several models. I hadn’t heard of Uppababy until a friend was showing off her Vista model – she told me the Cruz would be a good option for us knowing its compact size would be handy for navigating front doors and travelling. We duly followed her advice…
Good looking?
Even before Bertie arrived, with the carrycot locked in place, our Uppababy looked fantastic in ‘Jake Black’, parked up by the front door ready for action. But it looks even better filled with our baby. A few days after returning home from hospital, we decided to venture into the outside world, and took Bertie for a spin along the river. He looked comfortable cosied up in his carrycot, and Caroline and I were happy as Larry as we took turns pushing this swish set of wheels. The Cruz has already clocked up a fair few miles!
Practicality & drivability
Having fumbled my way through building the cot and baby changer, putting the Uppababy together was a simple delight and the practical aspects have continued. Being the big lad that Bertie is, he was upgraded to the toddler seat after four months of blissful strolls in the carrycot. Bertie loves the seat, as it allows him to keep a lookout on what’s going on around him. One of the best features of the Uppababy is the adjustable canopy which has proven to be very handy in keeping the sun out of his eyes. The other highlight is its ability to turn on a sixpence – great for city life and a fun distraction for Bertie. The Cruz is very straightforward to collapse and assemble, and because it is smaller than a lot of buggies, it’s also reasonably lightweight to pick up and carry around.
The verdict
Having been a competitive dad for six months now and forensically inspected every buggy that has crossed my path during that time, I can’t believe I hadn’t known about Uppababy before – it seems like 90% of West London parents own one of its designs! This is certainly no bad thing and, if anything, offered great reassurance during those early months of finding one’s feet in the parenting world.
We are thrilled that we chose the Uppababy Cruz and in its own way it has become a firm part of our new life as a trio.
From £529.99; carrycot, £219.99, johnlewis.com
