Quinny Zapp Xtra Stroller + Maxi Cosi Infant Carrier Cabriofix

The Quinny Zapp Xtra is a rear or forward facing buggy that can be used from birth, and becomes a compact urban travel system when teamed with a Maxi-Cosi car seat. But it's not for those who plan to go anywhere but the pavement.

The Quinny Zapp Xtra is a new addition to the Quinny range for 2010 and is similar in looks to the original Quinny Zapp in that it’s stylish, funky and quite original. The main difference between the two is that the Xtra can be used forward or rear facing and the seat now reclines to a horizontal position.

As a buggy, the Zapp Xtra weighs 8.7kg, as a travel system, it's 10.4kg.

I already own an original Quinny Zapp. It was purchased with a plane trip abroad in mind, because the Zapp folds up so small (29cm x 70cm x 25cm) that it fits in most overhead lockers as hand luggage (check with individual airlines though!). With this in mind, I was disappointed to find that one of the unique selling points of the Zapp – its very small folded size - is not a feature of the new Zapp Xtra. It’s also not possible to fold the Zapp Xtra without taking the seat off the chassis, so you end up with two separate parts. However, saying that, the Zapp Xtra chassis does fold pretty small, and was easy to fit into my car footwell. The seat doesn’t fold at all, but it does squash flat to a 10cm deep, 95cm long and 42cm wide unit so it’s also easy to fit in the boot of most family-sized cars. 

What we love

Putting the buggy seat on and off the chassis is very easy. There's a lever on the back of the seat that’s easy to operate one-handed.

The chassis is easy to fold, once you’re used to the 1, 2, 3 Quinny system, which is marked on the buggy - very useful when you're out and about and have a post-birth 'baby brain'!

The handles are more like horns (two separate handles), and were at the correct height for me (I’m 5’8”). Manoeuvring the buggy one-handed was difficult for me as the front wheel kept getting jammed in pavement cracks, but this wheel is lockable, which would overcome the problem.

The Zapp Xtra now also includes a shopping basket, unlike the Zapp, which was big enough for a pack of nappies and two pints of milk.

The hood is nice and large and offered good sun protection, and the included raincover is easy to fit.

What to watch out for

The handles are not height adjustable so my husband (6’ tall) and my mother-in-law (5’4”) did not find the Zapp Xtra as comfortable to push as I did.

Although the shopping basket is a decent size, there’s nowhere else to put stuff, so with the raincover in the bottom, there's not a lot of room left. It’s also not advisable to hang bags off the Zapp Xtra's handles either as it's so light that it tips easily! To be fair, Quinny doesn’t advise hanging stuff from the handles, but let's face it – we all do it!

The Xtra is marketed as a 'quick use' buggy by Quinny, and this is indeed the case, providing you do not attempt to take it off the pavement at all. It was a very bumpy ride for Jack on the gravel paths in my local park, and the jarring in my arms made them very tired. It’s not designed for this purpose, but if you're looking for one buggy for most purposes – for example, travel-system compatible, folds small, lightweight, suitable for newborn and okay to take occasionally on a walk not in town - then the Zapp Xtra might not be for you. But this is a fairly difficult brief to satisfy in one single buggy.

Although the seat is nice and wide, when Jack was sitting in the 'upright' position he looked as though he was only being held in by the crotch strap. This is because the seat is fairly shallow, and there's not a lot of bum space! Jack is an average-sized 2-year-old, so if you have a large child this might be a problem.

When the seat is in the fully reclined position, I found that I kept banging my shins on the end of the seat unit as I walked. This is easily avoided if you're ambling, but if you were in a bit of a hurry it would be annoying.

Who is the Quinny Zapp Xtra travel system best for?

Mums who need a quick-fold option for town that they can use with a newborn and their fave Maxi-Cosi car seat.

MadeForMums verdict

The Quinny Zapp Xtra is a compact, lightweight, stylish travel system option. It’s ideal for the car-driving urban mum with a newborn, though it doesn’t have the bonus of the original Quinny Zapp's ultra-compact one-unit fold.

(Source from: http://www.madeformums.com/reviews/pushchairs-and-travel-systems/travel-systems/quinny-zapp-xtra/1161.html)