The Twin Triumph is Maclaren’s ‘budget’ twin pushchair, as it’s much cheaper than the brand’s other model, the Twin Techno, and has fewer additional features. For example, it doesn’t include head huggers or cosytoes and doesn’t have adjustable legrests or a cup holder. However, these aren’t really essentials, and the Triumph is around 2kg lighter, which is a definite bonus as a double buggy is always going to be challenging to lift in and out of the car, or up and down flights of stairs.
Maclaren have had some bad publicity recently, as there have been a few accidents involving the hinges on the fold mechanism, but you can get hinge covers from Maclaren if this is something you’re worried about.
What we love
The Maclaren Twin Triumph is great value. It may not have some of the luxury features of the Twin Techno, but it has pretty much everything you need. It fits easily through most doorways, so it’s an ideal buggy for shopping.
The Maclaren Twin Triumph is very light, and when you consider that you may be pushing around two hefty toddlers in it, that’s definitely a big bonus. This low weight also means it’s easy to lift in and out of a car. It’s also compact, which is great for storing it indoors.
The fold mechanism is great - very simple, quick and easy to do one-handed.
The Maclaren Twin Triumph doesn’t have a central handle, but does have ergonomically angled handles at each side that make it comfortable to push. They’re nicely padded, too.
The shopping basket isn’t huge, but this helps to keep the weight of the buggy down.
There’s a separate hood over each seat, and they’re really nice and deep, providing good protection from the sun or wind. A raincover is included, which is nice and easy to fit over both seats simultaneously, and the buggy has clips on each side to keep it secure once folded.
Each seat reclines independently, which makes it a great option for a baby and a toddler, so that one can sleep while the other can sit up and enjoy the ride.
The wheels are lockable swivel, and these, combined with the light aluminium frame, make the Maclaren Twin Triumph easy to manoeuvre, even through tight doorways.
What to watch out for
The wheels are pretty small - smaller than those on the Twin Techno - which makes it more difficult to handle on grass or gravel. The Maclaren Twin Triumph also doesn’t have wheel suspension, so it can be a bit of a bumpy ride.
The seats are fairly narrow, and they do need to be so that it can fit through doorways. However, this does mean that while it may be comfy for small babies, it’s a bit more restrictive for older toddlers.
The shopping basket isn’t really big enough, and it’s very hard to get to when the seats are reclined.
It could really do with head huggers for smaller babies, and it’s worth noting that the seats don’t lie completely flat, although they are suitable from birth.
Who is the Maclaren Twin Triumph best for?
City families with twins or a baby and a toddler who use the car a lot.
The Maclaren Twin Triumph is a good-value, quality pushchair that’s light, compact and easy to manoeuvre. While it doesn’t have all the extras of its sibling, the Twin Techno, it is lighter and certainly does the job, for twin or siblings, especially in urban settings.
