The basic Prestige 3 in 1 system includes a carrycot and forward and rear facing seat, but not the car seat, which must be bought separately. The Prestige fabric range is mostly mono-colour - mine was a classic black - although the range includes subtle polka dot patterns or a ‘Highland’ pattern with a tasteful tartan trim, as well as the funkier cerise, green and cream ‘Of hearts’ options, which have a tiny heart shaped detail on the fabric.
As mentioned, there’s a choice two very different chassis, BabyStyle’s classic chassis and the S3D, which I had. It’s BabyStyle’s newer stroller style, and comes in black, white or titanium. The chassis has adjustable handle length and relatively simple click-fit mechanisms, which mean that changing the configuration from forward to rear facing is easy, although not something you’d tackle mid-journey.
What we love
Having consigned my daughter Tirion, 8 months, to an extremely lightweight option for most of her young life on wheels, I was unsure how I would feel using something that was so much bigger and heavier. However, the first word that sprang to mind with the BabyStyle Prestige 3 in 1 with S3D chassis was “safe”. The S3D chassis feels absolutely bomb proof, yet weighs only 7.5kg. The centre of gravity is low, but the all-wheel independent suspension means that it’s easy to steer around corners and able to pivot a full 360 degrees pretty much on the spot.
The giant shopping basket on the BabyStyle Prestige 3 in 1 made my trips to the supermarket a breeze. I can testify to its stability by revealing that in my “tipability” experiment (I balanced a full shopping basket on just one handle), the S3D chassis didn’t flinch. I don’t recommend that you try this at home, but I can also reveal that the same experiment on my usual buggy ends in disaster. I should also add that no offspring were harmed in writing of this review.
The downside of such a robustly made chassis is normally its weight, but in this case the S3D weighs just 7.5kg. Not only that but it folds up into a space saving 108cm x 34cm x 41cm (think golf club bag) when the seat or carrycot have been removed.
The minimalist lines of the Prestige fabric (in black anyway), coupled with the sturdiness of the chassis and the modern, streamlined hi-tech look and feel make for a buggy most blokes would be proud to be seen pushing. And compared to some of the more macho systems designed to lure new dads out of their hard earned money, this one is still lightweight and manoeuvrable enough not to clog your hallway or leave mums out of puff.
What to watch out for
The large 19-inch wheels make short work of most journeys but are not pneumatic so come unstuck on pebbles or muddy ground.
While the S3D chassis is light and compact with the seat or carrycot removed, once you add them back into the mix and you have another weighty non-foldable item that you have to fit into your car boot. So it’s still a fairly big buggy to transport or store anywhere.
There was one design flaw I couldn’t find a good excuse for. The centre of gravity of the BabyStyle Prestige 3 in 1 with S3D chassis makes it incredibly difficult to tip back towards you in order to get the front wheels up. This makes any road crossing and bumping up kerbs quite a heavy task. Perhaps other individuals would find this less irritating than me (I’m small in stature, which probably amplified the problem), but that particular issue would put me off the S3D chassis if buying.
While the shopping basket is big, it’s actually quite difficult to get anything big into it as the frame gets in the way.
Who is the BabyStyle Prestige 3 in 1 best for?
New parents after a robust yet manoeuvrable pram-to-pushchair option
A large shopping basket on the bottom, a robust yet lightweight build and reflectors on the side make this a practical and very safe and secure feeling buggy. The BabyStyle Prestige 3 in 1 has a design that will appeal to dads as well as mums is a plus, but getting it up kerbs can be tricky.
