If the more classical pram, for which they are better known, is not your cup-of-tea, don't discount Emmaljunga because their range includes more contemporary designs that you might not be aware of. We take a look at the Ozone City, a modern lightweight Emmaljunga...
Quick Summary: The Emmaljunga Ozone City, as the name suggests, is predominantly for urban dwellers. It isn't ideal for taking in and out of your car but for a day out shopping, this is the ideal pushchair. It's comfortable for both pusher and passenger so everyone is happy..
Whats good?
- Extremely comfortable
- Large wheels
- Large basket
- Huge canopy
Whats not so good?
- Awkward to close
- No closure lock
- Large fold
- Fixed crotch strap
Introduction
Emmaljunga have been manufacturing pushchairs for an incredible 86 years and are proud exporters from their native Sweden where their purpose-built factory assembles their range.
The Ozone City is a departure from the classic Emmaljunga carriage pram, with which their name is more commonly associated. However, like the rest of the range, this pushchair is built around the comfort of your passenger.
The Ozone City is available in Capri Creme, Nautic Navy, Polar Performance Lime, Polar Performance Blue, Polar Performance Black, Polar Performance Red, Polar Performance Khaki, Polar Performance Black/Red, Polar Performance Black/Blue, Polar Performance Black/Lime, Polar Performance Black/Orange, Polar Performance Black/Pink. It is also available in a Limited edition Nautic Grey.
Chassis
The Ozone City shares echoes of its carriage pram past with the amount of exposed metalwork on the seat and chassis, however, this lightweight aluminium frame is easy to manoeuvre and you don’t have to be a six foot Amazonian to tame it.
The single handle is wide, foam covered and adjustable from 68cms to 111cms which will suit absolutely any height of parent. Lower down the handle shafts are the folding controls, followed by the sockets that accommodate the seat unit or carrycot accessory. More on this later..
The wheelbase is very square and it supports a large basket, 44cms long by 35cms wide and 19cms deep – plenty of room for all your gubbins. The back of the basket is lower than the front to allow easy access.
At the back, the 30cm wheels with EVA tyres give a chunky but stable feel to the pushing experience. If this wasn’t aimed at the urban market, it would make a great all-terrain pushchair with pneumatic tyres but this would of course, add to the weight defeating the nimble, lightweight feel that Emmaljunga are aiming for with the Ozone.
The 17cm front wheels rotate 360 degrees but can be locked off to make them unidirectional – useful on bumpy ground. You can see the springs in the front wheel that offer some suspension but the majority of the ‘bounce’ is at the back. If you lean on the frame, the amount of cushioning given to your child is visible…give it a go. This seemingly inconsequential element adds cost but also comfort to the smoothness of your journey for both passenger and pusher.
The brake is centrally located on the back axle. It’s a reassuring size that can be flicked on and off with little effort.
A quirk, that will only be more visible when the seat is in position, is the facility to alter the angle of the seat. Dials either side of the frame can be switched into 3 positions. Pull out the grey tab, turn the dial to the required location making sure you select the same on both sides and you will be able to angle the seat to suit your child. I doubt you will use this facility very often, you will find a position with which your child is happy with and stick with it. Without the seat unit in place it doesn’t look like it alters anything significantly but we will look at this further later.
Fold
If you are relatively short…like me, then the fold can make you wish that you had the long legs of a Scandinavian beauty (which I do anyway!). You have to reach over the handle to pull up on the folding catches near the chair sockets. To make this possible, you must fold the handle flat against the underside of the frame to stand a chance, then with one foot on the back axle, lift the latches and fold the handle towards the front axle. Your performance will be impeded by the safety soon after you begin but all you need to do is lift it up to continue your fold. The finished fold is large but can be reduced by removing the back wheels they then neatly sit in the basket.
The frame is not engineered to stand vertically and most annoyingly of all, it doesn’t have a closure catch of any sort, not even a manual affair.
Seat
Place the chair on the frame in the required direction and the brackets locate into the sockets. A firm press and a resulting click ensure it is safely in place. To remove the seat unit, squeeze the grey release buttons and lift…simple as that. We have the black and orange colourway in for review and the first thing you notice; apart from the reflective orange strips is the quality of the fabrics. Each element is beautifully padded with areas of contrast being finished in a high lustre metallic colour.
The canopy is enormous and poppers to the back of the chair to stop it coming too far forward. It is one of the largest canopies on the market and extends even further with the flip-out sun visor.
The back height of the seat is 46cms with a width of 28cms and a depth of 26cms. There is so much padding that it’s quite hard to get an accurate measurement, needless to say, your child is going to be comfortable regardless of their size. Even the bumper bar is superbly padded with a zip off sleeve. Even though the bumper bar looks as though it is an unmoveable, permanent fixture, you can slide the brackets upwards and remove it. Delightfully, it doesn’t leave any ugly, unfilled sockets behind but sadly it’s not gate opening for easy-use. However, the depth above and beneath it would mean that it wouldn’t get in the way of sliding even the largest child in behind it.
A crotch strap loops around the bumper bar to stop your child from slipping down the seat. Unfortunately, this strap cannot be removed as it is stitched into the seat, so if you choose to not use the bumper bar, the strap hangs awkwardly over the calf rest. A fixed position, five-point harness with padded chest pads ensures your passenger stays put, but doesn’t allow for height variations.
The calf rest is fully padded, like the seat, and can be angled in 7 positions, including fully upright – useful for gaining better access to the basket when you need to insert something large. Likewise, the recline can be angled in 4 positions by pulling on the large plastic arch at the back of the seat. It takes quite a pull to release the ratchet and change the angle but it spans from fully upright to a lovely bucket seat recline which, with all the padding, looks so comfortable.
Now, back to the seat angle dials on the frame. With the seat in position you can select one of the three angle options to suit your child but if they actually notice the variation between them I would be amazed. Having played with this for some time to try to find out what I am missing, these dials alter the angle by only around 10 degrees between the highest and lowest setting, which is barely noticeable.
Conclusion
The Emmaljunga Ozone City is a mixed bag. Like many Emmaljunga products, it is focused on the passenger and certainly delivers more comfort than the average pushchair. From the padding to the suspension, the smooth, cosy, comforting feeling is enough to make you want to climb in yourself to be wheeled round town in cosseted luxury.
Taking the two elements individually, the pros of the frame are the large wheels and the large basket. The wheel base with the big wheels gives it a stable grounding and the large basket allows you to carry anything you need. One of the cons is the awkward position I have to get myself into to fold the frame, this will not be the case for everyone, especially if they aren’t as vertically challenged as me! Another glitch is the fact that it doesn’t have a closure lock of any sort – pick it up incorrectly when it’s folded and it will open again. Plus, folded size – if you can’t be bothered to remove the wheels every time you put it into the car, then you are left with quite a large fold. The dials on the side of the frame to adjust the seat angle seem to be relatively pointless.
As I may have mentioned, the seat unit is epicly comfortable and the canopy is huge (we like big canopies). This seat only needs to be a fraction bigger and I could to sit in it, but sadly it’s kids only..booo. It only has a couple of glitches, those being the non-removable crotch strap and the stiff, quite rudimentary recline control.
The Emmaljunga Ozone City, as the name suggests, is predominantly for urban dwellers. It isn’t ideal for taking in and out of your car but for a day out shopping, this is the ideal pushchair. It’s comfortable for both pusher and passenger so everyone is happy.
