Move over iCandy and Bugaboo, Mima is the hot new buggy brand in town

Without even knowing it, you’ve already seen the handiwork of Davy Kho, the Spanish-based Dutch dad-of-two behind Mima. He’s responsible for Bloom’s striking Fresco highchair and Bloom lounger.

But back to Davy’s Mima. There are two Mima buggies – the Mima Xari and Mima Kobi. Both have a hard shell pod-like buggy seat unit, called a “cocoon seat pod”, which has a cushy liner and matching chest pads on the 5-point harness. The seat pod is smart in looks and function - you unzip the pod’s edge and inside is the collapsed carrycot. The carrycot is easy to set up, using the seat’s bumper bar as its handle and the seat’s hood as its canopy. While the seat pod shell will need to stowed somewhere at home while you use the carrycot, once you’re using the buggy seat pod, the carrycot is safely tucked away inside, ready for the next baby.

More Mima buggy features we rate

Both the Xari and Kobi boast a 3-position seat recline, reversible seat direction and two height positions for the seat and the carrycot. The lower one is ideal for getting your toddler near a café table, the higher seat position is great for giving your child a better world view and saving your back a little. Making any of these adjustments is straightforward and fast.

The buggies have a footbrake, in the centre of the rear bar. You press it on and off, which is great news for any flip-flop wearing mums or those of us who’ve ruined our pointy-toed shoes in the past.

When it comes to folding, it’s not a one-handed job but is still straightforward to do. You can fold with or without the seat pod attached (it has to be in the forward facing position), and there’s a small carry handle on the chassis, too. The quick release wheels can be left on, but if space is at a premium, they’re so simple to pop off (and back on).

Both the Xari and the Kobi are travel system compatible with the Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix or Cybex Aton car seats. The car seat adaptors (£28) just click into the two points where the seat pod/carrycot normally connect, and then the car seat clicks into these without any faff.

The exciting bit for double buggy lovers

Now to the bit we’re most excited about… the Mima Kobi is a convertible buggy. Changing from a single to a double buggy and back again, we predict it will be a serious contender for any parent considering an iCandy Peach, Bugaboo Donkey or Phil & Teds Verve. It can take two seat pods, a carrycot and seat pod, two carrycots, or a carrycot and car seat (but not two car seats).

Weight, price and where to buy

In terms of weight, when the Xari’s used with the seat pod it’s 13.4kg, with the carrycot, 11.7kg. The Kobi is 15.2kg with the seat pod and 13.5kg with the carrycot. Both buggies have suspension, large rear wheels and glide when pushed. We’ve given this a go through John Lewis’ rather nice looking Bistro (apologies!), and found it smooth and light, but can’t wait to see if it feels the same when big tots are onboard and we’re out on the street.

Price wise, the Mima buggies compete with iCandy and Bugaboo. The Mima Xari is £850. For this, you get:

• Chassis with seat pod (and carrycot inside)
• Canopy
• Shopping basket
• Raincover
• Starter pack (seat pad, harness, apron and mattress)

The Kobi is £950, and includes:

• Chassis with seat pod (and carrycot inside)
• Canopy
• Shopping basket
• Raincover
• Starter pack (seat pad, harness, apron and mattress)
• Changing bag (a pod that fits into the shopping basket)

To convert the Kobi into a double, expect to pay £160 for a second seat or £225 for a second seat with carrycot inside, £58 for a second canopy and £39.99 for a double raincover.

For the next six months, you’ll find the two Mimas exclusively at John Lewis.

We’re champing at the bit to get one tried and tested in real-world conditions, so check back soon…