The BRITAX B-MOTION 4 is set to widen the BRITAX range of lightweight pushchairs, but is it anything more than just a souped up version of the popular B-AGILE?
Quick Summary: Giving you a variety of from birth options to suit every style and budget whilst being more than capable of taking you all the way through to post toddler-hood years if you need it to. It is as at home round the shops and using public transport as it is over playing fields and camp sites.
Whats good?
- Well made
- Understated style
- Functional
Whats not so good?
- Heavy
Colours
Neon Black, Neon Chilli
Chassis
The frame of the BRITAX B-MOTION 4 is sturdy and strong, the clean smooth aluminium frame looks smart and provides a stable base for the seat without any jitters or wobbles.
The foam covered handle bar is height adjustable (81 – 110cm) and gently curved to give most people a comfortable holding position. The back axle is curved upwards to give your feet plenty of clearance if you’re longer striding too.
Wheels on the BRITAX B-MOTION 4 are beefed up for off road capability, designed to give your little one a smooth ride no matter where your journey takes you. The tyres on the front and rear are air filled and strong rubber, with the rear ones having a larger diameter to help smooth out the bumps. This pushchair would be well suited to carrying a heavier load, the wheels and tyres combined with some heavy duty suspension make it easy to push even when fully loaded. This pushchair is safety tested as suitable up to 17kg so you can rest assured a larger toddler can sit comfortably.
The extra suspension on the BRITAX B-MOTION 4 is clear to see on either side of the rear wheels, helping with that smooth ride, yet firm enough not to make it too difficult to pop the front wheels up a kerb.
Operated by a toe poke foot pedal, the rear linked brake is an easy one to suss, located on the right hand side of the rear axle. It’s an easy push down, lift off operation, although not too friendly for manicured toenails in flip flops I would imagine.
The mesh basket on the BRITAX B-MOTION 4 is plenty large enough for stacking up your stuff, and easy access can be gained from the sides and the back when the seat is upright. You can still poke some bits in even with the seat fully reclined.
Although it is billed as a lightweight pushchair by BRITAX, the B-MOTION 4 is actually quite heavy. Weighing in at 10.5kg, it’s by no means the lightest pushchair on the block, it’s 2.5kgs heavier than its nimble cousin the BRITAX B-AGILE 4.
Seat
The forward facing (only) seat of the B-MOTION 4 is nice and spacious, with plenty of room to accommodate an older or larger toddler. The seat back measures: 50cm at its tallest, but you will need to ensure the rear mesh recline cover is behind the seat to make this comfortable. Width is: 34cm.
The seat is suitable from birth when used in the fully reclined position, but you will need some additional padding in there to make it comfortable enough, such as the BRITAX Soft Carrycot. Seeing you right the way through, the BRITAX B-MOTION 4 goes right up to a maximum weight capacity of 17kg, giving you an extra 2kgs of weight capacity over the B-AGILE. Not just able to carry the weight, the well padded seat has ample room for larger bottoms and taller backs, add in the beefed up suspension and the smooth running air tyres and you’re looking at a great pushchair for older or larger toddlers.
It’s not the most upright seat in the world, even when fully cinched in, but if you used this pushchair from birth it’s unlikely your little one would notice. The recline itself is the toggle slider type, giving you infinite recline positions, but at the expense of ease of use. To drop the seat down is easy enough, just pull back on the toggle with one hand and drag it down the straps until you reach the required angle. To sit the seat back up the easiest way is to use two hands to pull outwards on the ends of the straps drawing the straps through the toggle and sitting the seat back up, this works well unless you have an un-cooperative passenger. This is when you almost need a third hand to push the seat back forward and release the tension as you pull the straps.
The hood on the BRITAX B-MOTION 4 is another good feature, it has a concealed mesh panel that can be exposed by unzipping to give your occupant much greater coverage and a nice breeze in hot weather. The peephole window has a Velcro closure, and a mesh panel (so caution when opening it in the rain!). A little on the clunky side to open and close but does a great job and overall the hood is a real plus point. The back flap of the hood also features a handy zip closure pocket, perfect for stashing your essentials that you want to keep close at hand.
The fully adjustable five point harness on the BRITAX B-MOTION 4 is easy to adjust and can be adjusted in height and length, and the pushchair comes with padded chest straps. The BRITAX B-MOTION 4 also comes with a bumper bar as standard, a nice touch and the bumper bar itself is nicely made with a soft cover that looks like it could stand up to some serious use.
The fabrics can be completely removed from the frame to allow you to fit a BRITAX infant car seat or carrycot to the frame using the CLICK & GO adapters. Nice and easy to do once in a while with a combination of zips and poppers.
Lastly, the BRITAX B-MOTION 4 raincover is easy to put on and secure, made from soft PVC and completely see-through, with plenty of space around the front to prevent the feeling of claustrophobia. Not huge around the foot area, a few damp toes might occur on older toddlers.
Fold
Nice and nifty this one, a one handed operation that gives a great compact result, even with the large wheels.
With the hood fully retracted and the seat upright undo the secondary safety lock by sliding and depressing a grey button on the left hand side of the pushchair. Reach into the back of the seat base itself and pull upwards on a handle there. The pushchair snaps shuts like a book and you are left holding the ‘spine’. The pushchair free stands, so you can easily poke it in all manner of places as it’s really compact when folded – even with those chunky wheels. If you need to stow it somewhere more permanent or a tighter squeeze, all four wheels are super easy to pop on and off. You will need your strength though, the fold requires you to lift 10.5 kilos in order to get it to auto-lock effectively.
To unfold, simply undo the auto-lock and lift the handle bar up. Easy.
Accessories
We don’t normally talk accessories, but I think it is worth mentioning that the B-MOTION 4 is a really versatile machine and could be used from birth right until your child reaches 3-4 years of age. You should really think about combining it with a car seat and carrycot. This makes it great value for money, especially when you consider that the build quality will actually mean it can physically make it as well!
Conclusion
I can’t help but like the BRITAX B-MOTION 4, it does so many jobs, and does them all well. It’s not too showy or flashy but looks set to be a great workhorse.
The thing that hampers it is the weight. Its gained 2.5 kilos over the B-AGILE 4 and you can feel it. It will no longer be an option over a stroller for many as they will find it simply too heavy to lug around. The weight will also make the fold that bit more tricky for those that are not very strong.
That said you are no longer confined to the pavement. The B-MOTION 4 has become one of the increasing breed of crossover pushchairs designed to extend the operation environment and that we like!
Giving you a variety of from birth options to suit every style and budget whilst being more than capable of taking you all the way through to post toddler-hood years if you need it to. It is as at home round the shops and using public transport as it is over playing fields and camp sites.
