Mutsy Igo pushchair review

The high-end brand sits up with the likes of Bugaboo for quality and fashion and prides itself on being a premium stroller brand that is reliable and innovative. I have to agree!

The Igo is leagues ahead of many of the prams that I’ve had the pleasure of testing thanks to its sleek look, and comfort for both me, and my four month-old baby, Elliott and two year old daughter, Lacie. The company’s objective was to develop a combi-stroller without compromising ergonomics and user friendliness, for both the parent and child, and they have certainly done just that.

The chassis and seat package retails for around £525, and adding the carrycot for £155 makes this a buggy from birth option for £680.

It can also be used as a travel system by adding car seat adapters (£20), and used with major seat brands such as Maxi-Cosi, Kiddy, Cybex and BeSafe. And if you weren't aware, the Mutsy Evo scooped the Gold award for best newborn pushchair over £400 in the MadeForMums Awards 2017.

Compared to the Bugaboo Cameleon 3 (£899), new Jools Day 2 (£799), and latest iCandy Peach (£940 including carrycot) it is certainly less pricey, but how does it measure up?

The Mutsy Igo is available to buy from BebeModa, Uber Kids, Amazon or you can find the nearest Mutsy dealer on their site.

First impressions?

Simply gorgeous. It’s nippy, compact when folded (70cm x 58cm x 39cm), lightweight (the carrycot weighs just 3.4kg and the chassis and wheels weigh 8.4kg) and elegant.

Available in 11 colours, I went for the Farmer Earth, a warm dark grey colour with a silver frame - and just love the chrome finish. You can also choose to have a black, dark grey, blue grey and deep blue frame with a stylish leather-look grip handle and bumper bar.

Buyer's guide to travel systems

Is it easy to build the Mutsy Igo buggy?

I didn’t need my husband so yes, very! It came in three separate boxes: one for the chassis and wheels; one for the stroller seat; and one for the carrycot. I simply had to attach the wheels and the carrycot or stroller seat and that's it!

The instructions were super detailed and divided nicely into sections and seemed to cover everything I needed in loads of detail with pictures too. The website has lots of handy videos also.

Can you use the Mutsy Igo pushchair from birth?

Absolutely. The carrycot is lovely and soft and does what you expect from the beginning; it’s roomy, secure and comes with a cosy mattress, which is soft and breathable. Elliott loved sleeping in it even at home when we weren’t on our travels. I also loved the design of the carrycot.

It had stylish pockets on the hood, cover and on the carrycot itself (I love detail like this!), which were fab for storing things like loose change, my earphones, my phone and a dummy. Just having these things to hand when out and about makes life so much easier – and they look great too!

• Why your newborn needs a lie flat buggy
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What do you think of the height of the carrycot on the frame?

Mutsy does pride the Igo on the height of the carrycot on the frame to reduce pain from bending down but, if I’m honest, the height of the handle and frame was a little high for me, as I am just 5ft 2 in tall, so it took some getting used to.

Granted, the push bar has three adjustable heights but the lowest one still felt slightly high. My 6ft 2 husband loved it though! To change the height you simply press the push bar setting button and move it higher or lower while pressing on the button.

The height of the carrycot does however mean that you don’t need to bend down too much to comfort your baby and makes it easier to take the carrycot off the chassis as it’s around hip height. To do this, you simply slide the unlocking buttons on each side of the frame upwards (red sections will show up on the chassis to show that the carrycot is unlocked – a great safety feature.) then take the carrycot FIRMLY by the handle on the hood and pull.

It took me a while to find the unlocking buttons but once you find them, it was easy, and actually once you find them you will soon discover that these are the key to everything when it comes to this system.

How easy is it to push?

A really smooth and light ride! With the handle being a little too high for me I thought it would be hard for me, and bumpy for my bubba when mounting and dismounting curbs but the front wheel suspension was great and took all the impact and it was really easy to steer. I also preferred the wheels to be unlocked.

The wheels can swivel 360 degrees, making it a real pleasure to push around town on smooth paths and cobbled pavements. I didn’t try it on the grass. It’s the wrong time of year for off-road adventures and the pram is far too luxurious to get muddy!

What do you think of the tyres?

These are easy to put on and take off, which ultimately makes the pram easier to store (it’s just 18cm high when folded without the wheels). There is a button on the inside of the wheels which you simply press in, which allows you to take them off effortlessly.

Once again it took me a while to find the well-hidden button, but once you do it’s really easy. There is also a choice between extra shock-absorbing air tyres or very light foam tyres – the foam tyres come as standard.

Tell us about the brakes

They are sturdy and prominent and sit at the bottom of the chassis – one each side by your feet. To lock it you push the pedal down and to unlock, push it up. It’s easy and fluid and can be done from either side.

What do you think of the fold system of the Mutsy Igo?

It’s super easy and takes seconds to do. As a three-part fold, first of all, you fold the handlebar down, you then push the seat down by pulling the lever at the back of the chair (which causes it to fold half way) and then just fold the second part down and you’re done.

At first I thought it was confusing, which is ridiculous because it’s really just three fluid movements and one of the easiest I’ve used! It unfolds fast too – you literally reverse the procedure.

• 10 of the most compact folding buggies
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What is the basket like?

The basket is pretty good – not as big as I like but it’s big enough to fit some shopping in and my change bag.

What I love though is the Mutsy shopping basket accessory (£39), which hooks on and give you another full sized huge basket to throw things into.

At first I thought it could only be used with the stroller seat, as when attached with the carrycot it looks like there's no space to get in-between the basket and the frame. However, I found out that the shopping basket accessory can be opened at the side too.

To attach it, you connect the clips that come with the basket onto the stroller frame and place the basket hooks around the attachment clips. It doesn’t affect the stroller’s stability and it’s easily accessible, which is so handy to have especially if you are like me and walk EVERYWHERE including the supermarket for those bulky essentials like nappies and milk.

What age child is the Mutsy Igo pushchair best for?

It's fantastic from birth to preschool. You can fit a carrycot, stroller seat with canopy and bumper bar, and various car seats to the frame, so this pram/stroller will suit a newborn and see them through to a toddler, making it excellent value of money, especially as it’s so well made and it built to last! My son loved the carrycot, but once he got a taste of sitting up slightly in the well-padded stroller seat there was no going back. He didn’t want to lie down flat anymore!

I also had the pleasure of testing the step up board (£55) for my two year old, which was perfect. It allowed me to push my four-month old and her at the same time. You simply clip the step up board to the bottom of the chassis (it’s so easy!!) and she fitted perfectly under the handlebar.

You can adjust how far the step up board sticks out by adjusting the length of the attachment bars by holding in a button and sliding the arms in and out, and you can easily remove the front wheel, which made it easy to store in the storage basket once I had dropped Lacie off at nursery and didn’t want the board on the pram anymore.

Lacie also sat in the stroller seat when I was Elliott-free and she wanted to come to the shops with Mummy, so it definitely ticks all our family boxes. She was comfortable and although didn’t have as much room as Elliott seemed perfectly happy in it.

The only thing was she wanted to face forwards and see where we was going rather than face me – but this was easily done by simply taking the stroller seat out of the chassis and turning the attachment elements 90 degrees. It’s so nice to have the choice and have them face forwards and backwards depending on their age, mood and needs.

Tell us about the stroller seat

It is when the stroller seat is attached that the Igo really shows how adaptable it can be: the backrest, angle and leg support can be set to various positions including a flat, ergonomically correct sleeping position, and the seat can be placed in either a front or rear-facing position. Plus, you can collapse the frame with the seat intact.

The seat fully reclines (one handed) by pulling the button at the back of the seat upwards, and the footrest adjusts by pushing the buttons on both sides, giving your child ultimate comfort. My son was able to relax, and look around when awake, but sleep comfortably in his ‘mini bed’ once asleep. The footmuff (£55) made it extra cosy and so did the well padded straps and seat.

And how about the hood?

The hood extends via a zip, and has a mesh peek-a-boo window, which closes with Velcro. The mesh allows air to flow through the seat giving your baby a little breeze on a warm sunny day – and the same goes with the hood on the carrycot – there is a mesh opening at the bottom of the hood to help keep your baby cool.

Does the Mutsy Igo buggy fit into a small car boot?

Yes. We mainly use my husband’s car - a BMW five-series and the Igo stroller fitted really well, and it was so easy to fold up and unfold which is great with two kiddies.

My car, a Vauxhall Corsa, was more of a squeeze and I had to take the wheels off and the stroller seat to fit it in BUT I hardly use my car and when I do I just keep a simple fold up buggy in there for convenience. If you do struggle to fit the stroller in your car, you can also take the foot muff off which makes it less bulky.

Buggies for car users

Is the Musty Igo pushchair value for money?

Yes, for what it is, I think so. Coming in at around £680 for the package including the chassis, seat and carrycot this is a great price and a cheaper option than a Bugaboo or iCandy, although in reality you may want to spend extra on the footmuff, carseat adapters (from £20 depending on what seat you have) or change bag (£65).

I am so impressed with its sturdiness and, quality that I’m pretty sure this is the only pram I will need to see my son through until he’s walking and I could probably sell it on second-hand too.

What’s in the box?

• Chassis
• Mosquito net
• Soft PAH-free mattress with breathable mesh layer
• Raincover
• Seat with detachable hood
• Optional carrycot (£155)

Optional extras:

• Footmuff (£55)
• Baby changing bag (£65)
• Parasol (£39)
• Shopping basket (£39)
• Step up board (£55)
• Cup holder (£18)
• Car sear adapters for Maxi Cosi: Pebble Plus, Pebble, Cabriofix, Citi, Kiddy, Evolution Pro, Evolution Pro 2, Evo-luna i-size, Cybex: Aton, Aton 4, Aton Q, Besafe: iZi Go (X1), iZi Go Modular & Mutsy Safe2go car seat (from £20)

MadeForMums verdict:

The Mutsy Igo is great to look at (it reminds me of the designer brand Diesel – my husband’s favourite), but it’s also enormously practical. From taking both kids out either using the step-up board for the pre-school run, to dashing around the shops with either my two year old or four-month old, it’s proved ideal and a pleasure to use in everyday life.

Want more buggies?

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