Uppababy Vista Pushchair and Carrycot 2017 – Review

When deciding to go for the Uppababy Vista pushchair and carrycot (2017 version – see here) there were a number of key factors. We wanted something:

• easy to use
• simple to unclip the carrycot from the frame/chassis
• not too heavy
• of a good height for me to push (I’m 6 foot 5 inches tall)
• making sure the carrycot is not too low to be able to pick up the baby easily

The Uppababy Vista fitted the bill very well with some neat extras, which is why it gets five Dads out of five.

Uppababy Vista 2017 – The Basics

It’s a pram. All prams are the same in their basic functionality, i.e. get you and baby from A to B safely.

On top of this though the pram has both the pushchair fitting for older children and a carrycot for babies. There is a large basket underneath, sun visor, extendable handle, cover etc etc. Most of the add ons are pretty standard I think but there are some pretty cool elements I’ll get to later.

You also get an insect net (could be useful depending on where you go!) and rain covers. You can also buy a number of extras for it, both through Uppababy and more generic versions. We’ve bought something to go over the handlebar for example to put bits and bobs into so they’re easy to grab.

Uppababy Vista 2017 – Usability 5/5

I’ve been very impressed with the Uppababy Vista so far. Our little one has obviously spent most of his time in the carrycot/bassinet so far but he has recently transitioned to the pushchair version so he can sit upright. He loves to be able to look around as he is wheeled along.

It is nice and easy to slip the carrycot on the frame and one of the nicest features I like is the ability to remove it with one hand. Simply slide a button on the top of the handle and lift. Very simple, very easy and very quick. Also, the carrycot can be used for the baby to sleep in overnight should you stay in another house as it has good depth and ventilation. In fact, we used it downstairs rather than a Moses basket.

The sunshade on the carrycot is easy to move with buttons on the side to use to push down and up, and when up there is a UPF 50+ protective visor you can pull forward for extra sun protection at the front. Babies can’t go in the sun for the first six months at all, so this is really useful. I’ve written all about this in my post about looking after babies in the sun (here).

With a push of a button you can also change the height of the handlebar. This is important when you’re quite a bit taller than the other person pushing it!

The pushchair part is easy to go on to the chassis. It just pushes down on to it, and has two parts you push to release it. It also has a bar across the front to put things on, for the toddler to hold on to and I guess to stop the toddler escaping if they undo the five part harness!

The pushchair also has a five part harness as I mentioned above. This isn’t to say you have to fix five parts together in order to fix your child in, only three parts. One part lifts between the legs and two other parts go around the arms to fix to the part between the legs.

You can see on the picture to the right how it works. It really is very simple. It’s not the sort where you have to try and plug everything in together at once either, you just connect two parts together (e.g. left arm harness and the bottom) and then connect the other part (e.g. the right arm harness in this case).

Uppababy Vista 2017 – Convenience 5/5

Thankfully (since I’ve bought it) I’m struggling to find fault with the convenience of the Uppababy Vista:

• the carrycot can be used overnight (no need to take a Moses basket with you wherever you go)
• the basket underneath is huge (one of the biggest, if not the biggest we have seen)
• it folds down well to fit in the car
• the one button removal of the carrycot from the frame means you don’t have to keep both hands free
• it has a water repellant inner liner
• the liner of the carrycot is easy to remove with a zip and clean
• I’d say that compared to others we have tried the weight is fairly middle of the range
• it’s pretty much ready to use straight out of the box with minimal effort
• there’s also a magnetic window on the pushchair unit…no noisy zip to wake sleeping children!
• Very good sun cover on both the carrycot and pushchair

You’ve also got a number of different stylish colours to pick from. We’ve gone for the black one as we didn’t know what gender our little bundle of joy would be and hopefully it will hide stains!!

I have to say I struggle to think of a way this could be easier to use and more convenient. When the chassis is folded it is not small by any stretch of the imagination so may not fit in some boots, but the good chassis means it’s solid when it’s open.

The bassinet also moves into different angled positions, as shown here:

  

Uppababy Vista 2017 – Quality 5/5

The thing is, you get what you pay for. If you buy something dirt cheap I would expect to get something of a lower quality (though not always of course!). I think the Uppababy Vista is at the top end in terms of the price range but the quality is excellent, truly excellent.

Each piece that needs to fit does so very well without moving around and rattling. The zips seem durable and robust (nobody wants a broken zipper!!). All of the material feels of a good quality and nice and soft for your baby.

The frame folds and opens well, plus it is very sturdy. It’s certainly not one that rattles incessantly as you walk along, it locks together very well. The handle also feels nice and soft (we went for the foam handle rather than leather – purely a style thing).

I genuinely can’t see anything that could be better quality on this at all.

Uppababy Vista 2017 – Value 4/5

Let’s not beat around the bush, the Uppababy Vista is not inexpensive. You’re looking at around £850 for the 2017 version but this is the price you have to pay for a top end pram with excellent quality and good features. You can get less expensive ones which are good too of course, hence giving it 4/5.

Uppababy Vista 2017 – Summary

Overall I do love this pram. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending this to anyone looking to buy a new pram, but I would definitely mention the price. However, though it is at the top end in terms of the price, the quality finish along with the nice little extra features make this a winner for me.

Have you got this pram? What are your thoughts?

Read my other reviews here.