Graco Mirage Travel System Standard Stroller Review

Overall Rating

As a first time Mum living on the 2nd floor of a flat, I had no idea what to look for in a pram/car seat other than it being good value for money and lightweight. My baby is now 20 months old and I am looking for a new pram because I am wanting a change of style and possibly a lighter pram.
I must say that it was a fluke that the GRACO MIRAGE TRAVEL SYSTEM suited most of my needs. It cost £130 with the footmuff and raincover and my inital budget was £400 but as I was not sure what to look for in a pram I thought it was best to not waste money on the 1st pram purchase.
I bought the autobaby base to with it for £30.00 and I would defintley recommend that anyone with a newborn do the same. It means that if the baby is asleep in the car you can just unclick the carseat and put it either onto the stroller (it clicks into place) and with the hood in place for both stroller and car seat the baby is protected from the elements. Same goes if the baby is asllep in the stroller, just unclick and place on the autobaby base. I
The car seat is great for being used as a rocker in the house too.
The car seat part can be used up to 13kg which means that baby is facing Mum when used in the pushchair.
The car seat fitted in all cars that I tried (about 5) with the exception of the Ford Ka which had very small seat belts. You can go online at Graco where they have a car seat checker and see if your car is compatable. I did have to buy some belt pads to prevent chaffing around the neck and found the basic Bruin ones to be the best (less than £5).
The pushchair has 3 positions to lie in and as it lies flat you can put baby in from birth.
It is free standing which is handy for storage in a flat and lightweight (approx. 7.5kg) which is good for folks in flats. There is a tray for baby to have food from and we have used this feature when out in restaurants who have either no space for a highchair or no highchair available.
I love that the shopping basket is roomy and can take 2 large bags of groceries easily and a 3rd balanced on top.
I am 5'5" and it was the perfect height for me ergonomically. We are out and about on a daily basis in inner city suburban terrain (parks, pavements, shops, roads)
It goes across grass with ease but if you are looking for an absolutley smooth ride, then you are best with a pushchair that has blow up tyres and suspension. It sometimes gets stuck on potholes. The wheels can be locked for rougher terrain or swivel, which is the position I mainly keep it in.
It folds very easily and has gone in all car boots so far (including the ford Ka). It has good manouverability and the dimensions are compact. I can get this and also another buggy (mamas and papas 8in1) in the back of a hatchback with ease. The only downside I can see is that you can only remove the seat cover to wash which leaves the hood and seat looking dirty. And there are no cupholders for mum. I have also found that the seat cover comes off easily when placing baby in the pushchair as her shoes push it off (only a toddler problem really as she is getting more determined not to go in)
I would recommend this to anyone living in a flat, on a budget (or not)

So to summarise:
PROS: pushchair lightweight 7.5kg, autobaby base, large shopping basket, compact, cheap (£160 for raincover, footmuff, autobaby base, car seat and pushchair), freestanding.
CONS: all fabrics are not removable, no cupholder for mum. Car seat really needs seatbelt covers.