Cosatto Wowee travel system review

It is excellent value for money if you need an all-rounder that also saves on space.

Tested by:

Danny is a first-time dad and lives with his partner and their newborn. He tested the Cosatto Wowee in his local area, using it on tarmac, broken pavements, cobbles and his lawn.

What were your first impressions of the Cosatto Wowee?

When I took delivery of the Cosatto Wowee travel system, I immediately noticed the playful nature of the packaging. Sure, you don’t keep the boxes but wording such as “For best results and less drama, open other end”, are neat little touches and genuinely helpful when unpacking.

I’m a big fan of the Wowee design too. We opted for the “My Town” finish, which has a smart exterior design but a more colourful vibe on the interior for baby. There are some even more vibrant options available should you want something that really pops.

How easy is it to build?

I found the Wowee remarkably easy to build, especially compared with the iCandy Peach we already had at home.

For starters, the main components are already assembled so no need to attach the fabric to the carry cot or anything for that matter.

This takes away one of the main frustrations I have noticed with other travel systems. The Wowee allows you to get on with the core setup very quickly – simply take the chassis out and remove any protective materials, unfold, pop the wheels on and you’re ready to add the seat or carrycot.

It’s just as well the build is intuitive because I found the instructions lacking. I’ve no idea why there is such a trend nowadays to only include diagrams without written instructions, but it’s a trend I wish would go away.

Most of the setup is self-explanatory, so the corresponding pictures in the manual make sense in these cases. But there are instances, such as how to unfold the Wowee, where I found the instructions unclear and I spent quite a long time trying to work out if I was staring at the right picture.

In the end, I had to find a video from Cosatto on YouTube to check I was doing things correctly.

All in all, though, it is a very quick and simple build, which took me under an hour – and I was being pretty deliberate in my approach.

Is the carrycot a useful addition to the Wowee travel system?

The carrycot fits in nicely and just adds to the overall stylish silhouette of the Wowee. It seems a tad smaller than other carrycots, although is suitable for babies until approximately 6 months (up to 9kg), according to Cosatto. Our newborn has always been very comfortable and snug inside too.

The Wowee carrycot is very light, which makes it easy to move around and hold in place to attach to the chassis.

There are also 2 memory buttons on either side, which means you can easily pop the carrycot off the chassis one-handed.

How comfortable does the Wowee’s seat unit feel?

It feels like this was where the designers spent most of their focus and it shows.

It’s solid but with enough give to ensure a comfortable ride for your baby. It has 3 recline positions from lie-flat for newborns right the way through to upright when baby is old enough to sit up. The sufficient padding plus the extra headrest meant I was very happy to put my daughter in the lie-flat position despite only being 2 weeks old. The padding is all removable which makes it easy to clean and wash too.

The materials are reversible, which is a nice touch especially if you prefer a more muted colour palette – for example, our “My Town” has a lovely teal colour on the underside.

Initially I found the clips and buckles difficult to adjust, so be sure to lengthen or shorten them before you put your baby in for the first time, and then make some minor tweaks as necessary.

How secure does the Wowee's car seat feel?

The car seat bundled with the Wowee travel system is the RAC Port i-Size. It was very reassuring to know it meets the latest i-Size safety standards and I had no hesitancy in using the seat.

However, just like the Wowee’s instructions, the guidance for fitting the car seat were lacking.

The base itself was straightforward to attach to the Isofix points in our vehicle and actually much easier than our own car seat, so things got off to a promising start.

But I struggled to place the seat onto the base. Again, there are diagrams on the base and seat, but it really is not clear what you should be doing and I found myself resorting to YouTube.

After watching a quick video tutorial, the seat fitted into place and was also removed with ease. Being a new dad, it may well be inexperience leading to some of my difficulties, but I can’t help wondering that manufacturers of any product for newborns and young children should make more of an effort to make setup instructions much clearer for us newbies.

There are also 3 “tilt” settings on the RAC seat to suit different ages from newborn to around 15 months and I liked the fact this was clearly marked.

How easy is the Wowee to fold?

The fold is the Wowee’s party trick, as it’s very simple and you can fold it with the pushchair seat in.

I always found myself taking the seat out anyway to make the most of the compact nature of the Wowee’s fold, but being able to leave the seat (parent-facing and world-facing) in could be a real game-changer in some scenarios and certainly offers a level of flexibility I haven’t experienced with other pushchairs.

The folding mechanism is located beneath the seat:

• Simply recline and fold the seat so it lines up with the chassis to expose the folding mechanism
• Release the catch on the folding mechanism and once released twist the bar back
• As you twist it back the Wowee neatly folds on itself

It’s a 2-step process that usually requires both hands but it could be completed with one hand after some experience.

Unfolding the Wowee is not quite as intelligent. There’s a rubberised plastic catch on the side to keep the pushchair folded. This must be manually held open while you open up the Wowee.

Again, this needs 2 hands to prevent any unnecessary faffing. While there’s a knack to it, and it’s not as smart as some other pushchairs to unfold, it’s a minor inconvenience and I got over it pretty quickly.

How compact is it to store?

The Wowee tucked away very neatly in our hallway and I’d definitely recommend it to those who lack storage space. In fact, it made our own travel system look very bulky when stacked side by side.

It was also extremely easy to fit into our car boot and I didn’t need to remove any wheels, as I do with our own iCandy Peach, to fit it all in. As we have a saloon-style boot opening, it was a relief to have such a compact and lightweight product I could chuck in (don’t worry, no Wowee products were harmed during this review).

The pushchair weighs in at 11.8kg and while there are other buggies available that are even lighter, it’s the combination of the Wowee’s weight and its ability to fold into one piece that makes it super portable and a great space-saving option.

It can also freestand in the folded position, which avoided the need for leaning it against our freshly painted walls and therefore saved me from the wrath of my partner. Another tick for the Wowee, then!

How easy is the Wowee to push and steer?

The Wowee is pretty effortless to steer and I found it comfortable enough, but the lightweight design is both its best and worst characteristic.

Don’t get me wrong, it is still a sturdy product and is very high quality for the price point, but the rattles and shuddering on the pavements near our home (which need some TLC) were noticeable.

I took our own iCandy Peach on the same routes for a fair comparison and, although the Peach is a fair bit pricier, the difference was clear. The Peach was much smoother and quieter, which is probably down to the heavier chassis.

The Wowee is very manoeuvrable, though, and because it’s light, it’s easy to lean back to get up full-size kerbs.

But I did find myself carefully managing it over the smaller kerbs. I think this is down to the relatively small wheels, which struggle to force themselves over gradients and bumps in the road at times.

I don’t expect to be able to crash my pushchair (and baby) around as if we were on some bizarre version of Supermarket Sweep, but nor do I want to feel like a common obstacle such as a sloped kerb could make the pushchair feel unsteady.

How easy is the handle to adjust?

The Wowee handle is about right for a mid-range pushchair. It has soft-touch materials and there are 3 height settings. It’s all pretty par for the course and I don’t think anyone could have any issues here.

How much coverage does the hood provide?

The quality of the material is good on both the carrycot and pushchair hood and offer great protection from the elements when fully raised. There is a peephole window on both the carrycot hood and seat unit hood, which is perforated. This is also nice if you want to let in some fresh air.

I’m constantly thinking about how cold or warm our baby is, so it’s reassuring to know I can wrap her up in winter but also keep fresh air flowing into the carrycot.

The one bugbear I have with the carrycot hood is it only has 2 positions – up or down. If you have the apron attached too then it can be quite difficult to see your baby at times, so it would be nice to have the option to partially lower the hood.

Both hoods stayed in place and were easy to adjust. The seat unit hood has more adjustment in it, which makes the lack of this on the carrycot more frustrating but if you’re intending on using the seat unit only (or mostly) then you’ll be covered.

How effective are the brakes on the Wowee?

I’ve had no issues at all with the brakes. The “flip-flop friendly” brake pedal is very easy to use.

You can push the Wowee a little with the brakes on, but only if you really try and, to be honest, I would expect a little give. Left alone, the brakes hold perfectly well.

How do the wheels perform on the Wowee?

The hard, rubberised wheels are very good on the whole. As touched on earlier, the front wheels could do with some improvement, such as being larger, to better handle uneven terrain.

However, apart from this I cannot fault them. They are incredibly easy to attach and remove, which makes cleaning very easy, plus it means storage in tight spaces is possible by removing a wheel or 2.

Is the basket a decent size?

There’s a handy pocket to store a bottle, but other than this the basket is unremarkable. It does the job, but we found it to be on the small side compared with our iCandy Peach.

It feels an unfair comparison, given the Wowee is designed to be compact, but don’t expect it to take much more than a changing bag.

Access at the front is a little tight, particularly if you’re storing a changing backpack in it, but it was still very serviceable.

What is useful to know before purchasing the Cosatto Wowee?

As its compact, lightweight travel system, I think Cosatto is pretty clear on what this pushchair is for and who it’s aimed at. Though I was quite surprised at just how lightweight it felt at times.

I also discovered when attaching the carrycot that there are no height adapters to bring baby closer to you. We got used to this, but it would be a nice inclusion.

Does the Wowee offer good value for money?

I think so – as long as you know what it is you want from it. At this price point, the Wowee does a fantastic job of covering the basics – it’s easy to set up, comfortable to use, comfy for baby, a piece of cake to fold down, and it looks really cool while doing it. That said, I think I would go for the seat-unit-only version rather than the other bundles.

It falls just short in some areas, particularly the suspension and its ability to go up bumps in the path. However as it's designed to be an urban pushchair, it'll handle well if you only really encounter smooth terrain.

What’s in the box?

• Chassis
• 4 x wheels
• Seat unit
• Carrycot
• 2 x carrycot adapters
• 2 x manuals
• Car seat
• Car seat base unit
• Car seat adapters for pushchair chassis
• Isofix covers

Extra accessories

• Carrycot (if not bought in bundle) - £69.95
• Changing bag - £69.95

How does it compare to similar pushchairs?

Similar pushchairs include the Baby Jogger City Mini GT2, iCandy Lime and the Bugaboo Fox2 – you can see a comparison of their key features below.

Where can I buy the Cosatto Wowee?

It is available from Cosatto, Trendy Baby and Amazon.

MFM Verdict

If you’re looking for one pushchair to use from birth onwards that doesn’t take up much space with a seat unit that's comfortable and suitable for newborns, then I think the Cosatto Wowee is perfect for you. Cosatto has nailed the easy fold and storage part of the formula (a godsend when you just want to get in and collapse the pushchair without faffing around with removing parts), while the lightweight design certainly makes it easier to transport and move around in an urban environment. It's also excellent value for money. In this price range, I think the Cosatto is hard to beat. So, if price is a key factor for you then the Wowee is a great option. However it's worth keeping in mind that it doesn't handle bumpy terrain with ease because of the smaller front wheels, so is best suited to those who regularly will regularly encounter smooth and even ground in day-to-day life.

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