Britax Vigour 3 Pushchair Review

Overall Rating

good value, great quality, forward facing as well as back, from birth, easy to fold, easy to steer.

I did a lot of research into which pram/pushchair to buy for my first baby. I did not want to go with what everyone else was buying - the Bugaboo or the Quinny because I read many negative reviews, they were too expensive and they have tiny front wheels which I was sure would get stuck on kerbs, uneven surfaces etc and so while great to look at and great if all you ever do is go to John Lewis I knew I wanted to go to the park, on country walks etc. I finally decided on the Britax vigour 3 plus for many different reasons and I have not been disappointed. So why did I choose and why do I love the Britax? It is a 3 wheeler which I wanted - it therefore has big wheels which can cope with rough terrain. It is not a real off road Jogger - if you want that buy a Mountain Buggy or a Baby Jogger - but it is a good hybrid - it can cope with gravel, uneven pavements (as they all are) kerbs, grass, bumps even sand. Don't just go to John Lewis and try a buggy on their super smooth floor surface and think that it will be ok - it won't - we all live in an uneven world so get a buggy that can cope. The other main feature and one which narrowed our choice down to a handful of buggies was that we wanted it to be from birth and also to be able to have the pushchair face me or face out. This was really important to me as I wanted to be able to see my baby when she was young, talk to her, interact, point things out and just feel like I was having a relationship with her rather than being some sort of propeller who just saw the back of her head and didn't interact with her. However I also thought that at some point she would also want to face out and look around more so being able to have both was a must. If you need a piece of research to tell you that having your little one face you so you can talk to him/her helps their development then there is such research - for me it just made sense. There are only a small number of pushchairs which have the facing forward and away function - the others I tried though were flimsy by comparison - the Britax is sturdy and well made.The other great things about the Britax are - the folding mechanism is simple - no fiddly bits and I can do it with one hand. The same is true when putting it up. I live in a small flat so I have to fold it away each time after I have used it and so I needed one that was not fiddly and this is not at all - it simply folds down without a fuss and clicks up again without a fuss then the bassinet or car seat or pushchair just clip on. I can put it up and fold it away with my 8 month old in the other arm.The hand height is adjustable and the handle very comfortable. The basket is also a pretty good size - to be honest none of them are massive but I can fit 2 Sainsbury's bags in it and one hanging from a little hook on the side.The pram is also relatively light - it's not light - but it is not as heavy as others I tried such as the Jane which I tried to lift and strained my back. It is also relatively compact when the top is taken off and the wheels folded (the wheels also come off very simply so you can store it easily) - it fits behind the door to our flat and it fits in the boot of any car we have tried - though it does take up most of the boot.

The wheels are made of a fabric which does not puncture so no need to worry about being stranded in the park with a flat tyre. The wheels also have suspension. The pram has a very tight turning circle and you can basically spin it around 180 degrees on the spot without a problem. You can also lock the front wheel so if you are on rough terrain it works better. It is also pretty good value for money - no where near the price tag of the Bugaboo when you include all the bits - it's more like 3-350 with the bassinet and pushchair foot muff etc. The car seat was about £80 and again is good quality. I cannot fault Britax at all they are great quality, sturdy, easy to use, not too expensive, have great features (from birth, forwards and back facing, 3 large wheels, easy to fold and put up, car seat compatible) I just cannot understand why more places do not stock them in store - I had to go to a store in Royston to find one I could try out (I live in London) - it was well worth it though. More people should know how great this pushchair is and buy it and buck the Bugaboo trend. Finally but not least - it looks great - it comes in black or red and also blue I think so if you are a Bugaboo fan because of the fun colours then you can have style too with a Britax - you don't even have to compromise on that - what are you waiting for? And no I don't, have never and don't know anyone who works there - I am a true evangelist for this product because it is great quality and a good price and the best one for little ones in my opinion.

Members' Comments onCJ5's Review

• andym123456 on 13th Apr 2009

  The reviewer must have different wheels then as we've had 4 or 5 punctures, and on one occasion the tiniest of thorns caused the puncture! I've not heard of cloth wheels that don't puncture, but possible some of them have this - certainly not ours! Also don't pump the tyres up as much as the minimum, let alone the maximum, as the inner tube will then bulge. Our push chair has wobbled since we got it, the clasp that keeps it up sometimes comes undone, the fact it has 3 wheels means it isn't as stable and particular care needs to be taken when cornering or going up or down curbs, and it's huge and takes up our whole boot. The best and only good thing is that the baby is facing us and the colour isn't bad! Other than that I wouldn't recommend it.

• CJ5 on 21st Apr 2009

  The wheels on the Vigour 3 plus are solid - made of a special rubber. No air equals no punctures. Older models perhaps have different tyres or maybe the newer ones do but all I know is that it is not even possible to attempt to blow the tyres up on my pram - another good reason for buying it - no puncture problems.

• Beazley on 19th Jul 2009

  Hi, All new models of the Vigour Pushchair have solid wheels and are therefore puncture resistant (very popular) only older models have inflatable wheels and are no longer on sale.

• SAJones on 23rd Aug 2009

  Hi my partner and I are expecting our first baby late September and we have been driving ourselves mad with all the choices. We have been close to settling on the Vigour 3+ (versus the Bugaboo Cameleon), but today we had a concern that there was insufficient padding in the from birth "lie flat" unit that becomes the seat for @3 years. We are mostly concerned about it being too hard for a young child's spine.

• Cookiedoodle on 31st Aug 2009

  We were concerned about the lack of padding too, but we bought a cosytoes to make it a bit comfier. I love my Vigour 3+ and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it

• agnesiiite on 24th Nov 2009

  SAJones - I thought of that as well. but solution is really easy - by cosy-toes or sheepskin (lambskin) liner and that's all :) baby will be safe and snug..