For those of you who love the nimble nippyness of a three wheeler you will be glad to hear that the award winning Britax B-Agile 4 has been released in a three wheel version...come and take a look at our review.
Quick Summary: I'm sure that parents who choose the B-AGILE will be patting themselves on the back for their excellent choice in the months and years to come, while others are swearing at their overpriced, over engineered, landrover sized conundrums that they re-sell within the first year!
Whats good?
- Fabulous one-handed fold
- Large canopy
- Non-puncture tyres
- Lightweight
Whats not so good?
- Strap recline
- Won't stand vertically when folded
If you like to get off the beaten track, then a 3 wheeler is the way forward. The Britax B-AGILE 3 offers fantastic, compact manoeuvrability but move aside, because here comes the Britax B-AGILE 3. What makes it different from Britax B-AGILE 4? Well, there’s a clue in the title – it really boils down to whether you prefer three wheels or four. Apart from that, there is very little difference, so it’s important you test drive both to get a feel for your preference.
The Britax B-AGILE 3 is so simple to put together, the three wheels slot into place and the canopy slides into its sockets and you are ready to go. The benefit of this ready-to-go approach is that you don’t get fed up with pouring over instructions on how to get it assembled, plus it’s just as easy to take it apart if you need to minimise it’s footprint at all.
Setting up
The Britax B-AGILE 3 is so simple to put together, the three wheels slot into place and the canopy slides into its sockets and you are ready to go. The benefit of this ready-to-go approach is that you don’t get fed up with pouring over instructions on how to get it assembled, plus it’s just as easy to take it apart if you need to minimise it’s footprint at all.
Fold
To start with, let’s take a look at the fold…
To fold the B-AGILE 3 or 4, press the grey button on the right hand side of the frame (if you are behind it), then with one hand, simply pull up on the handle found in the crease of seat and the whole frame folds in half and stays folded thanks to the locking bracket.
Differing slightly from it’s 4 wheeled weight of 8kg, the 3 wheeler only weights 7.8kg.
Although the frame cannot stand upright, the fold is very small, and should you need to compact it even further, then the wheels are all detachable at the press of a button.
Opening the B-AGILE is just as easy as folding it. Release the frame lock and shake out the pushchair and VOILA! I love the fact that all the hinges and working parts are enclosed in plastic, so it eliminates the prospect of trapping fingers etc.
Seat
The fabric on the B-AGILE 3 differs slightly from that on the 4 wheeled version. The soft-touch fabric has been replaced by something more durable that’s by no means uncomfortable, just different. The well padded seat makes this alteration virtually unnoticeable and I’m sure this fabric will wear better over time.
The seat is 29.5cms with a back height of 47cms allowing a further head room of 6cms, which would easily accommodate older or taller children. Unfortunately the seat is not reversible which will deter some parents, but it wouldn’t be able to perform such a quick and simple fold if you could detach it.
The seat recline (shown below on the Britax B-AGILE 4) is controlled using tapes and a slider; simply press the button on the slider and drop the backrest to whatever angle suits your child. Sitting your child upright again can be a struggle because you have to pull the tapes apart, which in turn pushes the slider up, acting as the brake on the angle of the backrest.
The B-AGILE 3 and 4 come with large canopies that incorporate a peephole, mesh window to allow you to spy on your passenger. When the seat is reclined, a rear apron hangs down from the rear of the canopy to enclose the seat, it includes a large pocket for all the bits and bobs you would otherwise balance precariously on the canopy. On warmer days, the apron can be completely removed to reveal the mesh enclosure to the top of the seat, this allows a brilliant passage of air across your child, keeping them ventilated and cool.
Adjusting the five point harness is simply a matter of re-threading the top straps through an alternative shoulder height slot in the rear of the seat. It’s not over complicated, but also not something you want to faff about with every day.
Well obviously, the major change between the two B-AGILE models is the wheels. If you were getting really picky then you could say that the 3 wheel version actually has 4 wheels because it has a double unit at the front. The two wheel unit gives it the stability of a really wide single wheel at the front. Both the rear 24cm wheels and the front 16cm wheel unit have EVA foam tyres, so there’s no chance of an unexpected flat.
Stopping the B-AGILE 3 is a flip-flop friendly process using the flick on/flick off brake found on the right wheel.
The basket is not enormous but enough. As with many fixed seat pushchairs, the basket is tricky to access when the seat is fully reclined, but that’s the compromise you have to make for a fully flat seat.
As with the B-AGILE 4, the foam handle has a fixed height of 100cm. It is not a problem unless you are exceptionally tall or exceptionally short, for most people a metre is an accessible height that feels comfortable to push.
Turning your B-AGILE into the perfect travel system is easy with the range of options available. The adaptors simply slide into the ready-made sockets on the folding hub then the car seat or carrycot is placed on top – Click and go.
The raincover engulfs the whole of the pushchair with an excellent protrusion at the front so that your passenger won’t feel vacuum packed into their seat. It’s Velcro fixings are easy to attach in a hurry, plus the whole thing folds down to a small bundle meaning that it won’t take up the whole of your basket space.
Conclusion
The Britax B-AGILE 3 is simply an adaptation of an extremely popular pushchair that has now been opened up to a wider audience. If the only thing putting you off before was the fact that it had four wheels, then your excuses have run dry. You can’t help but draw many similarities between this and the Babyjogger City Mini because they look and function the same way. The only discernible difference is the price, with a City Mini setting you back around £250 the B-AGILE sneaks in at a competitive £230.
For ‘get-up-and-go’ parents, the B-AGILEs will slot into your life without taking over. The small fold means they can be thrown into the back of your car without consuming all the space in the boot. The simplicity of the fold means that you don’t pull your hair out every time you get to your car to face an overcomplicated 6 stage fold! It’s merely a press of a button and lift. Turning this easy-breezy pushchair into a travel system is equally effortless whether you want to attach a car seat or a carrycot.
Like most pushchairs, it’s not perfect, it does have a couple of minor niggles, that I hope will be addressed in future incarnations…
Firstly, the folded pushchair cannot stand vertically independently. Granted, it doesn’t take up a huge amount of space but it would be neater if it could stand alone in the hallway or under the stairs.
Secondly, the recline is great as it goes down but much trickier on the way up. I don’t like strap reclines because I just don’t like having to apply myself too hard to a function that should be effortless, especially when you use it most days. Ok, it’s not ideal, but if I had to settle for a strap recline, this would be the best compromise I’ve seen.
The B-AGILE 3 will undoubtedly be as successful as the 4 . It’s one of those pushchairs that might get overlooked in the showroom (especially in black) for something more glitzy, but as with all the Britax pushchairs I have seen so far, they offer great value for money and day to day practicality. I’m sure that parents who choose the B-AGILE will be patting themselves on the back for their excellent choice in the months and years to come, while others are swearing at their overpriced, over engineered, landrover sized conundrums that they re-sell within the first year!
