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In a nutshell

A contemporary looking buggy that handles well over all sorts of terrain, it's a great buy if there's spare cash available for all the accessories you want

What we tested

  • Fold/unfolding
    A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.
  • Manoeuvrability
    A star rating of 5.0 out of 5.
  • Comfort for child
    A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.
  • Style
    A star rating of 5.0 out of 5.
  • Durability
    A star rating of 5.0 out of 5.
  • Worth the money
    A star rating of 3.5 out of 5.
Overall Rating
A star rating of 4.6 out of 5.

Pros

  • Top design, fantastic looks, all parts individually sold, huge range of colours and accessories, forward and rear facing mode

Cons

  • Price quickly adds up, some people may prefer all-inclusive models

As I was assembling the Mutsy 4Rider Single Spoke buggy, two thoughts sprang to mind: wow! And just how many bags of gold is this going to cost me? For better and worse, at the end of a thorough road test the wow factor and concern over price still hang thickly in the air.

The Mutsy 4Rider Single Spoke ticks all the boxes. Comfort – tick; durability – tick; style – tick; safety - tick. But you’ll need to fork out some proper dough for this buggy because each component is priced separately. And with the chassis alone costing £235, that’s not cheap. In terms of other items you might require, the price list includes: deluxe pushchair seat unit and hood, £119; carrycot and raincover, £149; Mutsy Traveller car seat and adaptor, £159; Mutsy Safe2Go car seat, £119; Funseat (suitable from 12 months), £69; and footmuff, £40. As a pushchair, the 4Rider is suitable from birth, but it doesn’t lay completely flat, so it would be wise to purchase the carrycot as well as the pushchair seat.

This buy-only-what-you-need structure is both a great attraction and a downfall. By custom-building your buggy you don’t pay for items you may already have or simply don’t need. But the individual pricing also accentuates the high prices, especially when you compare it with some cheaper all-inclusive models.

What we like

First impressions do count, and the most striking aspect of the 4Rider Single Spoke buggy is Mutsy's distinctive profile with a contemporary minimalist look. Just as a well-presented plate of food usually tastes sooooo much better than a slapdash arrangement, so it is with the Mutsy 4Rider Single Spoke. Looks good, feels good, and therefore is good.

The modern single spoke wheels have pneumatic tyres for a stylish look that also offer top comfort for your baby –on ‘off-road terrain’, on cobblestones or even in sand. No chance of this buggy getting stuck in the mud even as a hard British winter sets in.

An intelligent click-mechanism enables you to transform the system from forward facing to rear facing buggy, or to simply exchange the seat for the carrycot.

Its other features are equally impressive. For starters, it folds up incredibly easily (though two hands are still needed). The lockable swivel wheels make steering kids’ play no matter what surface you’re going over. And in the folded position the quick-release wheels can be removed extremely easily, making a very compact frame if space is of the absolute essence in your car boot.

To bolster its impressive looks even more, the Mutsy 4Rider Single Spoke offers a huge range of add-ons (from car seat to dinner trays) while its upholstery comes in 15 fabulous colours.

All that said, it’s irrelevant if the parents love the buggy but the baby would rather walk, so we asked 7-month-old Edith for her impressions. She couldn’t actually find the words yet, but she did smile and fell asleep peacefully in the deluxe buggy – and that must be an excellent recommendation.

What to watch out for

Much as I loved this buggy, the costs remains an objection. Even the most basic purchase – the chassis and a seat – would not leave much change from £400. Add the car seat and adaptor for £159.00, and as a travel system its price certainly wouldn’t be for all budgets.

The one technical aspect I didn’t like was the insufficient protection offered by the pushchair seat and hood. A winner on looks but not enough shielding from the sun and wind.

In the back of my mind I just had this nagging feeling that far more effort had gone into the design of the chassis rather than into the actual pushchair.

Who is the Mutsy 4Rider Single Spoke best for?

Parents after a design-orientated buggy they can add to as their budget allows.

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MadeForMums verdict

This is a fantastic, comfortable buggy that will turn heads. The Mutsy 4Rider Single Spoke can handle diverse terrain, convert from forward to rear facing and back again, and it folds easily and compactly. But it’s certainly not for those counting the pennies.

Product Specifications

Product
BrandMutsy
Model4Rider Single Spoke
Price£354.00
Suitable for
Child age (approx)Birth to 3 years
Dimensions & Weight
Weight10.5kg
DimensionsH:114cm W:63cm L:74cm
Dimensions (folded)H:30cm W:63cm L:104cm
Features
Travel system compatibleYes
Compatible car seatsMutsy Safe2Go car seat, Mutsy Traveller car seat, Maxi-Cosi, Graco car seats
Seat facing directionForward facing and parent facing
Front wheelsLockable swivel
Recline positions4
Features
  • Tyre pump (all other parts sold separately)
Accessories
Accessories includeddeluxe pushchair seat unit and hood (required to create this buggy), carrycot, car seat and adaptors, Funseat, footmuff, nursery bag, beach bag, basket bag, dinner tray, step-up board, raincovers, shopping basket, parasol
Optional extras
  • Mutsy Safe2Go car seat
  • Mutsy Traveller car seat
  • Maxi-Cosi
  • Graco car seats
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