The Emmaljunga Nitro City comes in a staggering choice of 23 different colours including the new Polar Performance colours, which feature a white or black painted chassis.
With a reversible seat, 4-wheel suspension and 4-position recline function, it oozes comfort and boasts maximum manoeuvrability. Suitable from birth when the carrycot attachment is in place, to around 3 years, the Nitro City is robust and looks like it’s built to withstand the most boisterous of toddlers. But don’t expect its meaty design to slide effortlessly into the car boot for a quick dash to the shops. While it’s consider to be a lightweight option in Emmaljunga’s range, the buggy is 13kg, or 11.3kg with the City Carrycot on it. Either way, this is by no means close to the 8kg-or-under mark that MadeForMums suggests makes a lightweight buggy. The car seat is 4.2kg.
Prices do vary depending on what colourways you opt for. Buggy prices start at £428 for the standard colour, £453 for the leatherette fabric options and £490 for the Polar Performance range with painted chassis option. The City Carrycot prices start at £175 for standard colours, £188 for leatherette and £193 for Polar Performance. The car seat is £161 for the standrad colours and £169 for the leatherette. The necessary car seat adaptor is £25.
What we love
It seems Emmaljunga left no stone unturned when at the drawing board with the Nitro City.
I was astounded by its features, right down to the integral sun/insect net that hides neatly inside a zipped pocket just beneath the sun canopy.
The reversible seat direction is great - my 10-month-old son Louie loved the rear facing seat option, which meant we could have plenty of eye contact. It really was a pleasure to push.
The way the City Carrycot and buggy seat click so easily onto the chassis is impressive too, and make the transition from a lie-flat position to upright, and front to rear facing, effortless and stress free.
I was particularly impressed with how comfortable Louie looked, thanks to the Nitro City’s outstanding all-round suspension. It even won the battle as we trudged through four inches of snow.
Emmaljunga’s own in-house designed and developed Group 0+ car seat, quickly turns the stroller into a travel system.
The car seat adaptor (sold separately) clicks easily onto the chassis, so the stroller can be turned into a travel system at the touch of a button.
Emmaljunga’s attention to detail carries on into the car seat – the First Class0+Base car seat - provides a flatter laying position for a newborn with the adjustable head protection. The car seat grows with your baby, too, as the head protection can be moved higher to adjust the angle of the seat. There’s even a storage compartment at the back of the car seat so those baby or mum essentials are always to hand. And it comes in nothing less than 13 colours.
What to watch out for
While the Nitro City certainly has the wow factor on paper, personally I didn’t find it very pleasing on the eye, compared with some of the slicker buggies on the market. In my opinion, the footrest - albeit fully adjustable - combined with the oversized rear wheels make the Nitro City look a little old fashioned. As for the raincover (named a storm cover by Emmaljunga), it’s dowdy grey colour did nothing for the somewhat striking red Nitro City I test drove for this review.
The Emmaljunga Nitro City is extremely bulky too. And despite the fairly compact folded chassis measurements (85cm x 57cm x 47 cm), the buggy seat with padded sun canopy makes carrying the buggy feel awkward. This isn’t helped by the fact the chassis doesn’t lock when folded, so it can easily fall open if it isn’t carried in a certain way. After lifting Louie and his older brother Sam into the car, the Nitro felt more like a third child than a buggy! It reminded me of the Silver Cross 3D Pramette I used when Sam was a baby, which rarely saw the boot of my car because of the effort it took to load it in.
Watch out for the price tag too, because purchasing the carrycot to use the buggy from birth, as well as the car seat to create the travel system, does make it costly.
Who is the Emmaljunga Nitro City travel system best for?
Mums who aren’t on a tight budget after a reliable, robust all-weather system.
The Emmaljunga Nitro City travel system ticks most boxes when it comes to its features. However, it may not prove to be your first choice if you’re a busy, on-the-go mum in need of a light system to fit easily into a hectic lifestyle.
