This revamped model of the iCandy Raspberry has many brand-new features that will make parents jump for joy. The new chunky but nimble spoked wheels don't just look the part, they also benefit from improved suspension to give your little one the smoothest of rides through the city streets.
Quick Summary: This revamped model of the iCandy Raspberry has many brand-new features that will make parents jump for joy. The new chunky but nimble spoked wheels don't just look the part, they also benefit from improved suspension to give your little one the smoothest of rides through the city streets.
Whats good?
- Super-sleek design
- Compact fold
- Great suspension
- Smooth push
- Elevated seat height
Whats not so good?
- Exposed seat
Colour options
Fabric colours: Greenwich Grey, Savile Row Sand, Piccadilly Pink, Bloomsbury Black and Kings Road Khaki
Chassis
Finding a suitable pushchair as a city dweller can be a tricky task. You need baby to travel in comfort but you also want agility and the ability to easily transport your pushchair up and down stairs and on various modes of transport. The Raspberry has been updated with all these requirements in mind – so does it deliver? The chassis looks great and oozes style with the fluidity of its curves. It really makes a statement as its shape is unique from anything we have seen before.
The wheels have been improved upon greatly from the previous model. There is miles more rubber – allowing for miles more strolling – and the suspension is just brilliant. The Raspberry handled pavements and even potholes with ease and baby didn’t actually notice any bumps in the road.
Compact pushchairs sometimes compromise on storage but not this one! We were really pleased with the amount of basket space the new Raspberry brings to the table – the 5kg of storage was brilliant and really worked hard for us!
The brake is right in the middle of the back axle and is big enough to flick on and off easily but not so big that it stops you from striding out behind the pushchair.
We like the feel of the leather-look material on the handlebar, too; it adds a bit of luxury to this stylish urban buggy. It is also height-adjustable to suit all drivers, which helped greatly when different members of the family were pushing.
Carrycot and seat
The parent or world-facing seat unit has also received a redesign since the previous model, and is hinged where the back and the base join to allow for the compact fold. This design does mean that the seat unit can be quite an open space for smaller babies to nestle in, so that’s where the use of the Raspberry carrycot comes in.
The carrycot is not included in the box and you have to purchase it for an additional £180. After using the pushchair seat with a small baby, we would definitely advise buying the cosy carrycot if you are using the Raspberry from newborn. We liked the fact that if you’re going away for the night, the carrycot is safe for overnight sleeping and comes complete with mattress and its own raincover. This saves valuable car space on trips away as you only need to take your pushchair with you and not a travel cot as well!
You can, of course, use the seat unit from birth if you choose as it reclines to lie fully flat. We were impressed with the padding on the seat, which made it really comfortable, and there was plenty of room for our little tester too. The base is lovely and deep, meaning that baby can easily sit in the seat rather than be perched on the edge, as is the case with many other city pushchairs.
Both parent and world-facing positions have two different height options, depending on whether you use the included elevators. We have been a little dubious about these in the past – would we actually use them or are they a fad? However, we can 100% confirm that every pushchair should come with a set of elevators! They are a simple but very, very useful addition to this pushchair. They raised baby up to our height to allow for better and easier interaction when strolling, and it was also reassuring to feel that our little passenger wasn’t caught up in the hustle and bustle of people’s legs and car exhausts but instead could see faces and absorb the world going by.
The harness on the seat is easy to use – that signature iCandy buckle that we know and love gives great security and comfort for baby and closes with a reassuring click.
The seat recline is also super-simple to operate. Pull the lever on the back of the seat and choose the required position. Our tester really loved the upright position and was always very happy in the seat whether resting, sleeping or playing, but we would still have appreciated a bumper bar or snack tray for baby to hold onto.
The cherry on the top of this seat unit is, of course, the hood. It is extendable via a zip-open panel and also has a built-in fabric visor at the front. The hood fabric is where families can express their individual personalities as you purchase a ‘flavour pack’, which is in essence a colour pack for your pushchair. Each flavour/colour is named after famous London streets or places, and we tested Savile Row Sand. The fabrics are thick and excellent quality, and exactly what we have come to expect of iCandy products.
Fold
A true city pushchair needs to fold down small, and the Raspberry collapses neatly and stands by itself when folded; really handy for tucking it away in a corner of the hallway or on the bus. Folding is a simple and speedy process when you have the hang of it. What we really, really liked about the new Raspberry is that it can be folded with the seat in place in both forward and parent-facing modes, and even with the elevators in place too. It’s such a bonus to be able to fold a parent-facing pushchair in one piece rather than juggling different components.
Conclusion
This revamped model of the iCandy Raspberry has many brand-new features that will make parents jump for joy. The new chunky but nimble spoked wheels don’t just look the part, they also benefit from improved suspension to give your little one the smoothest of rides through the city streets.
The redesigned larger seat is deep and sumptuous, and the new fabrics are thickly woven and give a luxurious aesthetic to the Raspberry. The extendable hood holds a SPF50+ protection rating, making the Raspberry perfect for your sunshine holidays abroad. The addition of seat elevators makes interacting with your passenger easier, even in the midst of a busy journey.
To be very critical (that is what we are here for!), it would be fabulous if the ever-so-slightly open seat unit came complete with a bumper bar as the other iCandy models do.
