Diono presents us with this no-nonsense stroller, designed for city living but does it hit the mark? We have put it to the Pushchair Expert test so read on for our review...
Quick Summary: An undoubtedly quality stroller, the Diono Flexa is a great companion around town. The sturdy and quality wheels give a good ride over most urban surfaces and the freestanding vertical fold makes storage in tight spaces easier.
Whats good?
- Good hood coverage
- 22kg weight limit
- Hard-wearing wheels
- Adjustable handle heights
- Comfortable seat
- freestanding fold
Whats not so good?
- No access to basket
Things we love..
At first glance it may seem that the Diono Flexa is just your average umbrella stroller but with further investigation we can assure you that is NOT the case. The Diono Flexa is in fact not an umbrella fold stroller at all! The fold is top of the list of things that we think are pretty nifty about the Flexa. The vertical telescopic fold is unique and means that the stroller stands on its tiptoes. We found it really handy to be able to stand the stroller upright wherever we were, which makes it a good option if storage and space are at a premium.
As strollers go, the wheels on the Flexa are great. They are chunky and have plenty of rubber on them so that they can handle regular use. If you cover lots of miles on foot every day then these wheels are sure to be able to cope. The front swivel wheels can be locked, which was useful when we encountered cobbles and slightly rougher paths – the only place we found the wheels struggled was through grass.
The seat of the Diono Flexa was really pleasing. It is covered in a soft material (almost like memory foam) and was very comfortable for baby. The adjustable calf rest and removable bumper bar enabled us to make our little testers comfortable whether they were sitting up or napping. We were also impressed with the upper weight limit of 22kg that the seat has been tested to. Our 4-year-old weighs 18kg and was able to sit in the seat comfortably, although his head did touch the hood.
The hood gives great coverage and there is a silent-opening viewing window in the top so that you can peek in on baby too.
Another jewel in the Flexa’s crown is the adjustable handlebars – less common on strollers and something parents often miss if moving on from a large pram or pushchair as little one grows. There are two separate handles and each has a button on the top that adjusts the height independently. This is great for drivers of all sizes and also a bonus when you fold the pushchair as you can reduce the height quite significantly by pushing the handles down to their lowest setting.
Things to look out for..
The fold on the Flexa may be clever, and fantastic for standing the stroller and storing in hallways and corners, but in actual fact we found the fold size quite large for those who plan on travelling with the stroller in their car boot. The fold package is narrow but very long and we had to use some creative approaches to fit it into the boot of both a Ford Fiesta and a Nissan Qashqai.
The most notable point for us whilst using the stroller had to be the storage space. There is a basket underneath the pushchair but we found we couldn’t use it for anything more than very small essentials as access to the basket was blocked by the cross bars of the chassis and the fold mechanism on the back of the stroller. Hanging coats and bags off the stroller handles is tempting (and easy to do) but it’s never an ideal solution and the lack of storage may become an issue if out for the day.
Our verdict..
An undoubtedly quality stroller, the Diono Flexa is a great companion around town. The sturdy and quality wheels give a good ride over most urban surfaces and the freestanding vertical fold makes storage in tight spaces easier.
Passengers were always comfortable in the soft and well padded seat unit and the gate-opening bumper bar made it easy to get baby in and out of the seat. The independently adjustable handles are a handy feature but if a large basket is on your list of essentials then you may need to think again about using the Diono Flexa as your main stroller.
