Joie Signature Finiti review

Tested by

Annabelle tested the Joie Signature Finiti with her newborn baby Orla in the carrycot and her two-year-old son Tadhg using the pushchair. They went on long day trips, short trips and walks covering a variety of different terrains. Annabelle is the Lifestyle Editor at Closer magazine and has been a journalist for 12 years.

What age is the Joie Signature Finiti suitable for?

The Joie Finiti is suitable from birth through to 22kg (approximately 4 years of age). With a newborn, you can either use the lie-flat option on the pushchair or use the carrycot or car seat with adapter attachments.

What were your first impressions of the Joie Finiti?

I was so impressed at how premium and stylish the Joie Finiti pushchair was when I opened the box. The colour, which Joie name Eclipse, is really smart, especially when matched with the tan vegan leather touches. I was equally impressed with the look of the carrycot and surprised at how light it was at just 3.8kg.

How easy was the Joie Finiti to build?

It took about half an hour to build the pushchair and the instructions were perfectly adequate and easy to follow. We found fitting the seat cover a little fiddly, but on the whole, the process was straightforward.

How does the Finiti compare to other Joie pushchairs?

Joie's full-feature everyday pushchair collection also includes the Signature Aeria, which is similar in both function and design to the Finiti. The Aeria is a little more expensive as the seat is height adjustable whereas the seat is fixed on the Finiti. The Finiti is definitely more of an everyday, good all-rounder pushchair compared to Joie's lightweight models like the Tourist.

What do you think of the carrycot?

The carrycot was exceptionally light at just 3.8kg, which made taking it on and off the frame really easy. It is stylish and really comfortable for my 8-week old daughter and the mattress base is padded but firm enough for safe sleep.

The carrycot isn’t huge. Joie says it is suitable from birth to 9kg (around six months) which I’d say seems fairly accurate. I think the fact it is quite snug helped my daughter feel cosy, even at just a couple of weeks old.

The fabric is soft and breathable, I tested it by holding it to my face and found it easy to breathe. The handle is vegan leather too and this provides a stylish addition.

How easy is the carrycot to add on/take off the Joie Finiti?

The fact the carrycot is light really helps and it’s easy to take off, whether your baby is still inside or not. On a few occasions when my daughter fell asleep, I brought her inside in the carrycot and she continued her nap in the house. It was really handy being able to do this without waking her.

Is the Joie Finiti easy to fold?

I found it fairly easy to fold the Finiti:

• Pull the lever on the back of the seat which folds it forward and exposes a pull under the seat
• Pull this to which collapse the entire pushchair

Our video below shows you how to fold the Joie Finiti with the carrycot and seat unit attached, as well as showing how to change from using a carrycot to a seat unit.

I found I was able to fold one-handed, though the lever part at the beginning can be a little fiddly at first.

The buggy is easy to fold and unfold with the seat attached or you can remove it first depending on your preference. The pushchair can be folded in both parent and forward-facing positions.

I found the frame more fiddly to collapse without the seat or carrycot attached and couldn’t find any videos online on how to do this which was frustrating, though once I knew how it wasn’t too difficult to do. MFM Awards judge Georgina had a similar experience, explaining it is “not that easy to fold when the seat isn’t attached”.

How compact is the Joie Finiti once folded?

The Finiti is impressively compact when folded, measuring just 68 x 63 x 43 cm. It fitted easily in the boot of our Hyundai Tucson with plenty of space for a food shop or other items. Weighing 11.2kg, I also found it easy to lift in and out of the boot. When folded, the buggy self-stands, which is really useful if you are storing it in your hallway.

Fellow MFM tester Nicola also found it “a breeze to lift and carry”, thanks to the carry handle, as did MFM Consumer & Reviews Editor and mum of 3 Christy, who described the Finiti as “compact and easy to carry with a padded hand strap”. Parent tester Danielle did point out however that it “does not lock, so can come open when getting back out of the car.”

How easy is the Joie Finiti to steer?

This is where the Signature Finiti is really impressive. The pram feels sturdy yet lightweight and pushes like a dream. Our drive is gravel and I generally struggle with pushchairs on it, but not with this one! It is light going up kerbs and steps and even pushes efficiently on grass. I found it a little more difficult to manoeuvre with my toddler inside, but of course, he is heavier, and even then, it was still easy enough to push up kerbs and on bumpier roads.

Another MFM parent tester and Mum of two Danielle found the Finiti easy to steer, even pushing one-handed with her toddler on a buggy board. Whilst parent tester Nicola found it was “bumpy on rough ground” she did find the Finiti “moved well and was easy to use with one hand”.

How easy is the Joie Finiti to use on public transport?

I don’t regularly use public transport so we, unfortunately, didn’t get to test this, but I found getting in and out of lifts easy as well as through doorways with high steps so I imagine getting on and off buses and trains would be very smooth.

What’s the chassis like?

The Joie Finiti has a stylish chassis frame with a matte finish, which looks great. I did, however, find it scratched easily and after just a few uses it had some noticeable scratches and marks which was a real shame.

How do you rate the Joie Finiti handle?

The handle on the Finiti is made from vegan leather which is both stylish and comfortable to hold. It’s also quite wide, so I felt like my arms were in a natural position when pushing. I loved the adjustable handlebar, which is really easy to adjust depending on the height of the user. Being 5’11, I found the highest setting really comfortable. My brother who is 6’8 also pushed the pram and said he found it comfortable too, so it works well for tall people at the highest setting.

What do you think of the seat on the Finiti?

The seat looks plush and is nicely padded - Joie describes it as having ‘flexible spring technology’ suspension, designed to make even the roughest of rides feel smooth.

My son said he was very comfortable in it, though he is coming up for three and I felt he was on the bigger side. One John Lewis reviewer stated that her “2-year-old daughter is tall and this pram fits her perfectly with room to grow”, but if you have an older child or a child who is particularly tall for their age, this pushchair may not offer the longevity of other buggies.

What are the recline options?

The seat unit is really easy to recline, with a smooth mechanism that goes from a slight incline to lying completely flat, the latter of which is great if your child tends to fall asleep on the go. One reviewer at Boots.com pointed out that the lie flat on the Finiti really is lie-flat - “unlike some pushchairs say they do but don't!”.

When in a normal seating position, the seat unit is upright and it’s simple to turn the entire seat from parent to front-facing mode.

How effective is the hood on the Joie Finiti?

The hood is UPF50 plus, water repellent and comes with an expandable section for additional coverage for sunny days. The expandable section is ideal if your toddler is having a nap and you want to block out extra light. It's also ventilated which is great peace of mind on hotter days. I loved the handy peephole window so you can check on your child when forward-facing without waking them up.

The hood on the carrycot is equally impressive and successfully kept the sun out of my baby’s face.

What are the wheels like?

I found the wheels on the Joie Finiti easy to attach to the frame when the pushchair first arrived. They are big and sturdy foam-filled rubber tyres which makes pushing really easy. Joie says they are also puncture-proof, and we certainly didn’t have any issues of this nature.

How effective is the brake on the Joie Finiti?

The brake is a one-touch pedal near the back wheel. It was quick and easy to use and held the pushchair securely in place. The brake was in a good position on the frame - easy to reach but not so obvious that I accidentally triggered it when walking. This was a big positive.

How big is the basket on the Joie Finiti?

The basket is deep (4.5kg capacity) and easily accessible and there was plenty of room for my changing bag and a big bag full of picnic food when we took the pram out on a day trip. I found the basket even easier to access when using the carrycot. There is also a little bag attached to the basket which you can use to zip in your car seat or carrycot adapters - this was really useful. MFM parent tester Danielle also loved the large basket saying “it's a great size and the additional bag it comes with is handy to store things like keys, nappies and wipes for easy access.”

What’s in the box?

• Chassis
• Seat unit
• Rain cover
• Adapters

What are the additional accessories that you can buy?

• Joie Baby Ramble Signature Carrycot, £120
• Joie Signature i-Level car seat with base, £300

Can the pushchair be used with a car seat to create a travel system?

Yes you can pair it with infant carriers such as the new Joie Calmi carrycot-style car seat.

Now you’ve tested it, what would you have wanted to know before purchasing the Joie Finiti?

How satisfying it was to push, I was so impressed. Perhaps before spending this amount of money I’d also want to know that the chassis scratches easily - that was disappointing.

Who would this pushchair be most useful for?

Parents wanting a stylish, easy fold and affordable pram that has the option to turn into a travel system.

Is this pushchair worth the money?

For a toddler pram, it is on the more expensive side but is noticeably nicer to push than my other foldable pushchair. I loved the pram with the carrycot and would find it so useful with the car seat too. It costs £820 for the pushchair with the carrycot, car seat and base, which is good value for a complete travel system - it certainly looks more expensive.

How does the Joie Signature Finiti compare to other similar pushchairs on the market?

Where can I buy the Joie Signature Finiti?

The Joie Signature Finiti is available Boots.com and John Lewis.

MadeForMums verdict:

A stylish and premium looking pushchair suitable from birth that can be used with a carry cot and car seat to create a complete travel system. An easy compact fold and large basket, makes this pushchair a solid all rounder at a medium price point.