Easywalker Mini Stroller Review

I don't very often get excited about a pushchair but when I first laid eyes on the new Easywalker MINI stroller, I knew that it was going to be something special.  A head-turner, you might say.  Easywalker asked me and Holly to be some of the first to try out their new MINI branded Easywalker stroller and do you know what, it really is a head-turner.  Two weeks in and I would say that our Union Jack MINI stroller gets a smiley comment from a stranger every time we go out in it!

 

 

The Easywalker MINI is branded with the MINI brand logo - your little one's very first Mini car!!!  It comes in a range of different fabric packs which ooze Mini styling and even has a leather handlebar that feels like a steering wheel.  Our fabric pack is a Union Jack design which is very striking and hard to miss as we whizz past you on the high street!  Other designs include chilli red with iconic white Mini stripes, laser blue with stripes or a couple of black striped designs.  I think they all look awesome and I think they bring a lot of appeal to Dads as well as Mums.

 

I will admit that the Easywalker MINI nearly brought me to tears when I first tried to construct it.  It comes in two pieces but I found it really hard to follow the instructions to get the seat fitted onto the base (you can use the seat either forward-facing or rear-facing).  The fabric set came separately and, once again, I found it challenging to get the hood, straps and crotch-pad fitted.  But, in the grand scheme of things, this isn't really much of a worry because, thankfully, you should only have to set the buggy up once!

 

 

The Easywalker MINI is suitable from 6 months old (or from birth with the Carrycot attachment) right up until your child reaches 30kg (somewhere around 7-9 years old!) which goes to show quite how robust this pushchair is.  I think you can tell this from the feel of the product, it definitely feels like a pushchair that is meant to withstand the trials of real life; it feels sturdy and chunky and there are no rattles or wobbly bits so it is perfect if you, like me, want to use it both in the town and out in the country when you want to go for a walk with your little one.

 

The pushchair itself is extremely compact.  There are no issues getting it through your front door because it is beautifully slim and, as such, it is a dream to manoeuvre.  I love using this pushchair because it is so responsive and so easy to get around corners and up curbs.  I've never driven a MINI but I would hope it offered as good a ride!

 

 

In terms of everyday practicalities, I found the carry basket under the stroller to be limited in size and quite tricky to reach but this is not unusual feedback on most pushchairs and it wouldn't put me off buying.  I found the handlebar to be easily adjustable to any height you choose and it offered a good level of height which is important for tall mums like me, and I guess, more important in a buggy which has such strong appeal for Dads.

 

Once I had mastered the collapse mechanism (which wasn't immediately intuitive) I really came to love it.  The buggy is naturally quite compact and in fact, collapsing it doesn't make it feel that much smaller than it is when it is fully unfolded! To fold, you simply press the buttons on either side and pull up a catch under the seat.  The Easywalker has a small clip on the basket to help keep the buggy closed when it is folded but I found it to be a bit small and tricky to get to - I'd appreciate a bigger and higher clasp of some sort.

 

 

The seat has four different levels of recline and can sit very upright if you want it to.  The hood can be easily lifted up or tucked away so that it is more or less invisible - I like this, it makes me feel that bit closer to Holly when she is travelling in her MINI!

 

Holly really likes the Easywalker because it is so easy for me to get her in and out.  I've been really impressed with the ease and security of the belts (once I had worked out how to install them!) and this really helps because Holly is always more relaxed when I don't have to struggle to get her in and out.

 

I think the Easywalker MINI has a price tag that represents both it's style and quality - it is not a budget pushchair by any stretch of the imagination and you could spend a small fortune on gorgeous accessories (I have my eye on the Union Jack footmuff).  But, unlike many other buggies I've tried, I am now pretty convinced that with the Easywalker MINI you wouldn't need to buy any other pushchair as I think it can cover all stages of your child's life well.  The Easywalker MINI is available for £609.99 from Peppermint in the UK.

 

My only negative comment about the Easywalker MINI, now that I have been using it for a while, is that, if I were a MINI motor enthusiast, I would struggle to get it into my boot.  Yes, this is a naturally compact stroller but when I tried to fit it into the boot of a friend's Mini Cooper S, I couldn't close the boot (I think a larger Mini would be fine though).  As you can see, it fits into our car boot with plenty of space to spare... ordinarily I place it facing front to back as then it takes up hardly any space.

Note: Easywalker have let me know that it does fit into the Boot of a Mini Cooper S and I will try out their top tips for how to make it fit in the next few days!