Hauck Miami 4S Travel System review

The brand makes pushchairs, car seats, travel cots, rockers, highchairs, carriers, safety gear and play centres to mention only a few of its products.

I must admit, I’ve never heard of them before, but was really impressed with their range!

The brand’s latest offering is the Miami 4 travel system. A versatile travel system especially designed for new parents who have yet to buy any baby products. The fourth incarnation of the popular Miami buggy, it contains all the essentials you need for a new-born’s travel needs; a car seat, a carrycot and then a pushchair seat unit, which is suitable for a toddler up to the weight of 15kg.

The Miami is launching against the Red Kite Push Me Fusion (£249.99), Roam, Mothercare’s travel system (£249.99), as well as similarly spec’d and affordably-priced products such as the Graco Quattro (£249).

Would you recommend the Hauck Miami 4 travel system from birth?

Yes, absolutely. In fact, buying a travel system for a child much past the age of six months wouldn’t be worthwhile as both the infant car seat and carrycot are suitable from birth.

I found the carrycot to be super roomy and padded and the car seat the same with a head-hugger to accompany even the smallest of babies.

I doubt I would use the stroller seat unit until my baby was at least 6-months-old, especially as it’s forward facing only, quite jerky to push and hard to see and interact with him.

You can buy the Hauck Miami 4s travel system from Tesco or Kiddies Kingdom.

Tell us more about how the buggy pushes

Because its lightweight I found the Miami 4 quite nice to push, but only when the wheels were unlocked.

When locked the wheels make it hard to steer and manoeuvre it even on the smallest of bends, and there’s no way you could steer one-handed, an essential for me when I have a toddler’s hand to hold on to.

The buggy also doesn’t like cobbles or rough terrain. It is really bumpy to on my hands when pushing and I’m pretty sure the little ones felt every lump and bump too even with its suspension.

The handle bar height cannot be adjusted. It's quite high for me (I’m 5ft 2) but was manageable.

My husband was ok with it too, but I did miss the fact that you couldn’t adjust it especially as our porch is quite tight, so in order to store buggies in the past, we have had to retract the handlebar, which has made it fit.

The handle of the Miami 4 is also very slim line, which is nice for small hands like mine. However I found the foam-type material covering the handlebar felt quite slippery if you had wet hands, making me a bit nervous especially when pushing down steep hills.

What do you think of the tyres?

They are solid and plastic, so no chance of a puncture, but they were also quite shiny, so I do worry about the grip on them especially it when icy.

That said, once they were worn in a bit and had a few holes and dents in, and felt more rugged. They don’t take bumps that well though. I guess this is down to their rigidness.

Tells us about the brakes

They were so stiff at first! I struggled to push the lever down in my flip-flops and then to release them by flipping the lever up and over was hard too.

I wouldn’t like to have to put them on in a hurry! You could also move the buggy forwards and backwards slightly with the brakes on, which I don’t like, especially with so many busy roads on my journey to and from pre-school and to the park.

How much does it weigh?

The Miami 4 buggy weighs 10.8kg, which is not light or heavy, it’s about average. Saying that, it feels quite flimsy and not as sturdy as other travel systems I have used in the past.

There also doesn’t seem to be much flex in the basket, handles and leavers. So as a heavy-handed, rush-y mum, I was quite scared of doing something in a hurry and being too forceful, like when trying to get it in the car or when changing it from the car seat option to the carrycot option.

I was slightly nervous that such a flimsy-looking chassis would be up to the job of supporting a newborn & a toddler (at different times of course) and withstand my daily mileage and steering, but after a few months there are no problems to report as yet.

What do you think of the Hauck Miami 4 travel system fold system?

It’s easy enough. You do need two hands and it took a bit of getting used to as it concertinaed rather than flipped out.

You can fold it with the stroller seat all attached which is handy and something I missed when using my Costatto travel system.

But it does feel like it should fold flatter than it actually does. The wheels are quite big so it sits quite high of the ground making it feel bulkier than it should, but the wheels can be removed if you need to store in a very small space.

How easy is it to store?

Fairly easy when you are using it with the stroller seat. Plus the chassis has a locking function, which locks the frame into a closed position and detachable front and back wheels.

That said, if you are using it with the carry cot or the car seat, there is no way of storing it, other than removing these and then folding down the frame and storing these separately.

When it’s being used as a stroller or with the car seat, it can also be stored in the boot of my car, it fitted.

What are the basket and storage pockets like?

The basket is far too small for anything! There was just enough room for my change bag and even that was a squeeze and so hard to get in and out.

There was no give in the sides either, so it was a tug, and another tug to get out.

A bit of a faff when you are feeling tired, impatient and in a rush. I actually broke the strap of my bag when trying to force it out!

Luckily the basket was easy to access with the car seat attached and you could get a bit more in there, but with the carry cot and buggy seat on I couldn’t really use it.

I had to either wear my bag and use the basket for my shopping, or use my bag clip, which personally I find gets in the way and bangs my legs when pushing.

How comfortable does the buggy feel for your little one?

The carrycot was very well padded and soft, and actually reminded me of an old-fashioned Silver Cross sort of pram.

It was roomy with a luxurious quilted inner lining and perfect for those early days when my son was asleep before we even hit the end of the road.

I liked to put him in there during the day too, which was a good alternative to a Moses basket when downstairs.

It meant the basket could stay in our room, and he could use the carrycot for sleeping in during the day.

A good space saver, considering we had to keep the pram with the carrycot attached in the house anyway because it was far too big for the porch.

My 2-and-a-half-year-old (around 13kg) looked comfortable enough when using the buggy. It has an adjustable footrest, which she liked and it lays flat which is good for naps.

What do you think of the hood?

Despite being really jerky, and quite noisy (not good when your little one is sleeping), I liked the air-vents in the hood and also the peekaboo window and storage pocket.

The hood folds back quite flat too, so I could see my daughter and interact with her when out and about.

I wouldn’t want her to be in it everyday for long journeys, but to use as a quick run to the park and back is perfect.

As far as sun protection goes, it’s not big enough to shade your little one completely so I would never rely on it if we took it on holiday. You would certainly need an umbrella.

The hood on the carrycot on the other hand covered baby well, but to put it down, you have to press a button on each side, leaving you handless to push it down! I had to use my chin to push it down whilst I pressed the buttons in. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

How is building the buggy?

My first thought about the buggy was that the box wasn’t big enough!

How did they fit a carrycot, car seat and pushchair in one standard size box? I was about to find out.

Firstly the wheels weren’t attached to the chassis. Fine. They clipped in easily enough though.

The pushchair seat unit was just a bit of material that slid onto the chassis with a few slides and clip in’s here and there, and then there was also the hood, which when closed flat is very slim line. Again this just clipped onto the chassis.

So far so good.

Next came the bulkier and more complicated parts; the car seat. It came out the box as a unit – but we really struggled to work out how to get it on, and the instructions were rubbish; just black and white illustrations and no words.

Thank goodness for You Tube. After watching a quick video, we found out that to attach the car seat, you need to pull the arms on the chassis out.

An adapter will then pop out. You do this on each side. You then have to attach the bumper bar, and rest the back of car seat on the bumper bar before rolling it forward so it clicks into the adapters and into place.

Even in place, there was quite a lot of movement, so we were still unsure we had done it right. According to the video we had and once baby was in, it felt less wobbly.

Phew! To remove the car seat there is a leaver at the back of the chair, which you squeeze up and it just pops out. That was easy enough. Lastly came the carry-cot.

To attach this, you need to REMOVE the bumper bar, (yes remove) and then click it into the adapters. Easy once the bumper bar was off, so don’t forget that one, or you’ll be left scratching your head.

To remove there is a lever each side, which you push up. You can then lift the cot off. It’s not too heavy either, which is a bonus when it comes to doing it on your own.

Is it worthy of a buy as a cheap buggy?

Absolutely. For £229, you get a car seat, a carrycot and a stroller seat, enough to see you through until your child is the age of three.

It’s relatively light, functional and the material on the car seat and carry cot is very padded and comfortable for baby.

The chassis is however quite slim, so I think once your 2 or 3 years are up with your child, there will be no handing it on to someone else or saving it for another baby. It’s a cheap run-around that will see you through.

But as it’s only £229 this is one of the cheapest travel systems on the market, and for that price I think it is fantastic value.

If you liked this buggy you can buy it at Amazon or at Tesco.

What's in the box?

• Chassis with bassinet
• Stroller seat
• Infant (0+) car seat
• Rain cover
• 2 x wheels
• Bumper bar
• Hood
• Instruction manual

MadeForMums verdict?

A great travel system, containing all you need for the first few years of your baby’s life. It’s lightweight, compact, and easy to use (once you know how) from birth to toddler.

I would definitely recommend to those on a budget who want a city-type travel system that will run their child around until the age of three.

I was also impressed that this buggy comes with its own rain cover and a few neat little features like the hood storage pocket and air vents on the strolled seat, a thick and quilted on the carry cot and a choice of three colours.

I wouldn’t however, rely on this for parents who are out and about all day, getting tons of miles in a day, on various terrains.

But it is perfect for those who live in a city and want a travel system that will do the nursery and shopping run on those odd days that they aren’t using the car.

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