The Promenade is different to other Phil and Teds’ inline doubles for it is the brand’s first ever inline to feature a reversible seat. As well as looking good, another great feature of the design is that both seats can actually convert into a lie-flat carrycot mode, so can carry newborn twins without the need for additional carrycots.
The Promenade has a total of eight configurations. It is travel system compatible and can be used with Group 0+ Maxi-Cosi car seats or Phil and Teds own brand Bebe* or BebeHS car seats.
Price wise, Phil and Teds Promenade will cost you £650 for the basic single pushchair and a further £139 for the extra seat (doubles kit). Optional accessories – such as car seat adaptors, cosytoes, liners, storm covers, cocoons, sleeping bags, bottle holders – all add to the price.
The buggy is only available in black, which is very practical, and can be brighten it up with the added liner or cosytoes if you want.
I put it to the test with my two girls – 3-and-a-half-year-old Esme and her 7-month-old sister Sofia.
What we love
It could seem pricey at £789 for the basic double set-up, but I think it is good value for money. It feels so well made and is a remarkable bit of kit. It’s easy to assemble and I love its smooth lines and good looks.
I love the Promenade’s neat concertina-fold mechanism - it makes it really easy to open and close. To fold you release clips on either side of the frame, to unfold you release a black handle on the lower chassis.
I love that it adapts to a pram-style set-up or pushchair-style set-up without any fuss or extra bits to then store. It can easily be changed to a tandem with the addition of the doubles kit in one very swift move.
My children are comfortable in the seats and the tall aluminium lightweight frame means that both seats get a view. I was impressed to find that even the child in the rear/lower position is able to see well – I hadn’t expected that to be the case.
Both seats move through three positions from sitting up high to reclining flat and are quick to adjust.
To change from seat to carrycot, you release two clipped straps, enabling the seat to relax down in to its bassinet style. I was really impressed with the two lie-flat carrycots. They’re quick to convert, and I did so with Sofia in situ as she had fallen asleep sitting up. She slept for ages, clearly comfortable.
The Promenade handles well and good front wheel suspension means the overall ride is comfy. This is also a buggy that behaves with its wheels in swivel mode.
The handlebar extends to suit a range of parent heights and there is an easy step-on brake system too.
Both seats have a ‘peek-a-boo’ hood and offer good protection for shade or rain.
The back wheels have mudguards to stop rainwater kicking back on to the bottom seat. In the wet, the raincovers (storm covers) work just fine. I should mention here that the Promenade has two individual storm covers (one for each seat), different to previous models.
As a ride for two this is well thought out. Both seat harnesses are ultra strong as well as user-friendly, and the shoulder pads are comfy and can be adjusted independently. In addition to the straps, a bracket sits across the front of the seat for the top traveller.
Although happy to test out the seat of the Promenade for me, Esme loves walking, and if your child gets out for a stroll, then there’s a strap on the side of the handlebar that’s perfect for them to hang on to. It’s intended to tie your pushchair up but I found it worked great as a handle for Esme.
The Promenade is definitely built for everyday urban use. It’s not for bounding along an uneven terrain. It is tall and not wide, so getting through shop doors is not a problem and pushing it up the high street is fine.
What to watch out for
Firstly, you’ll probably need to buy those optional storm covers.
With a toddler and baby onboard, plus groceries, it is heavy. But of course it is going to be - this is a double pushchair carrying double the weight, after all.
Only the top seat is reversible – although not if using the bottom seat. As a double, the top seat has to face away from you unless it is in carrycot mode. The seat underneath always faces away from you, though can look down and see your little one easily.
You have to remove the doubles kit before folding, but this isn’t difficult to do. There is the extra seat to think about though. The whole unit is rather large to store and completely fills the boot of my mid-size Citroen Picasso. Public transport may not be that easy either.
The hoods on the seats have gaping flaps at the edges – I think a little bit of Velcro here would not go amiss as my girls found it a bit drafty.
With the bottom seat added, in carrycot mode, the basket becomes obsolete. And even with the bottom seat sitting up, I noticed how the shopping became an extension of baby Sofia’s legs.
Esme is 3 and a half, so theoretically could ride in the Promenade for six more months. However, because Esme’s tall for her age I don’t think she really fits. Also, her height means the footrest (on the main seat) doesn’t work so well for her.
Who is the Phil & Teds Promenade Inline Double best for?
Families with two small children, either twins or silings, that won’t be relying on public transport.
The new Phil and Teds Promenade Inline Double is a fabulously designed buggy for two. Versatile and practical, it looks the part, and although not light to push when fully loaded, is an ideal set up for those with two small children as well as those with newborn twins.
