If an all-in-one, do-it-all pushchair is what you are looking for then check out this review on the iCoo Acrobat XL Plus Trio.
Quick Summary: The iCoo Acrobat XL+ Trio set has some luxury touches that make it comfortable for baby and indulgent for parents. The faux leather handle bars and bumper bar as well as the leather logo detailing add the finishing touches to make the pushchair stand out from the crowd.
Whats good?
- 'Follow the sun' canopy
- All in one set
- All in one fold
Whats not so good?
- Plastic brake plate makes curb-popping difficult
- Hard to steer around corners
Chassis
iCoo are are company aiming to produce luxury products that offer the best in functionality for parents, so you can concentrate on giving baby love, warmth and affection – they take care of the rest. This stylish but practical Acrobat XL Plus Trio set has luxury at the forefront of it’s design and is perfect for baby from the day of birth through to early childhood. This do-it-all travel system is a real head turner.
Striking is one word we could use to describe our first impressions of this 3-in-1 luxurious stroller set. Packed neatly into one compact box, it’s quite clear from the start that this stroller might be stylish but it is certainly functional too.
The wheels on this unique travel system are perhaps one of its most quirky features. Unlike most pushchairs and strollers, the larger, wider centred wheels are at the front of the pushchair and the smaller, narrower wheelbase is at the back of the pushchair.
When assembling the pushchair, it’s important to make sure that the front wheels are popped on the correct sides.
Although the wheels did look stylish, the feel of pushing the pushchair was very different to what we were used to and the broad base and centre of gravity of the front wheels meant that turning corners (especially on slight inclines) was a bit of a chore.
If you’re out strolling on those long summer nights, there’s the added feature of the LED lights just above the front wheels. We liked how this added feature was not only useful, but added that extra special touch of individuality to the stroller too.
The brake is operated by a small central pedal, which is surrounded by a large plastic footplate. Whilst curb popping and going in and out of shops, up and down steps, we did find that this plastic footplate seemed to scuff on the steps and stop the pushchair in it’s track. However, the actual brake lever itself is easy and simple to use with a simple push down to secure the brake and flick up to release.
The shopping basket is nice and deep and is one of the Acrobat XL’s excellent features. It’s nice deep sides meant we could keep all manner of essentials in there without them toppling out over the sides. The access to the basket was also great as you can easily reach in from any side.
With the use of the included iCoo iGuardfix 0+ Car Seat, the pushchair can be used as a travel system. The seat has the advantages of being upholstered in the same lovely fabric colours as you choose for your pushchair. The same lovely patterned accents on the harness pads can be seen in on the car seat and the pushchair seat. With nicely padded inserts and a great pushchair style sun canopy, we loved how the car seat coordinated so well with the rest of the Trio system.
Clicking the car seat on and off the stroller frame is easy and popping it in and out of your car is made easier too, by using the iGuardfix ISOFIX Base. This is available as an optional extra, so will add some £££ onto the total package you pay for the pushchair.
Seat
The seat on this compact stroller travel system is a hinged, hard bodied seat unit.
The padded seat liner is comfortable for baby and the iCoo detailing in the leather embroidered circular logo’s gives those flashes of luxury that we saw in the handlebar too. The seat back of the stroller is of average height, however there is plenty of clearance between the top of the seat and the hood for taller babies and toddlers, and our 2 year old tester looked a comfortable size in the seat unit.
The 5 point harness is easy to secure and adjust. The height of the harness is adjustable by threading the straps through the different height slots in the seat unit. The sliding length adjusters on each strap allow for the harness to be adjusted to the perfect fit for your little one. The clasp in itself is a simple buckle clasp but we’re firm believers that simple is effective here at PX HQ and we really loved this harness buckle.
To recline the seat, there is large lever on the back of the seat unit. Squeeze this clasp and the seat can be placed in a number of recline positions ranging from flat (suitable for newborns) all the way to bolt upright for curious toddlers to enjoy watching the world go by.
The fact that the seat unit is reversible too, means that you can keep a close eye on baby when they are sleeping or have a good chat with them when they are awake.
The hood of the Acrobat XL Trio is uniquely branded as a ‘Follow the sun’ canopy. It clips into the side of the pushchair frame and can be pulled forwards a whole 180 degrees to make sure that baby is totally sheltered from the sun.
The hood fabrics are thick and have the same quality feel that the lovely seat fabrics do.
In the back of the hood, there is a slimline window which allows you to peep in and check on baby without disturbing them.
One of the big perks of the Trio set is that a co-ordinating carrycot is also included in the package, meaning that parents are given everything they need from birth.
The carrycot is suitable until baby is 3.4kg in weight, we did think this was quite a small weight limit, but the seat unit is also suitable from birth too.
The carrycot is nice and long but slightly narrower than others that we have reviewed, fitting the bill with the compact city stroller vibes that the Acrobat XL+ has given us so far.
Fold
We were won over by the fold on this pushchair thanks to the ease of being able to fold it with one hand AND the added bonus of being able to fold it in one piece, with the seat unit still attached.
To start the fold, use the recline lever to fold the seat unit all the way forward – it almost folds in half. Then, press in the gold button underneath the handlebar and twist the handle height adjuster button. As the handle drops all the way down to the gold levers on either side of the chassis, the stroller will fold in one piece.
The compact package that it makes was so easy to pop into the car boot and store in the luggage hold on bus journeys.
Conclusion
The iCoo Acrobat XL+ Trio set has some luxury touches that make it comfortable for baby and indulgent for parents. The faux leather handle bars and bumper bar as well as the leather logo detailing add the finishing touches to make the pushchair stand out from the crowd.
The ability to use the stroller with the included carrycot and iGuardfix 0+ car seat, offers parents excellent versatility.
On occasions, we found that the plastic footplate surrounding the brake pedal made curbs and steps hard to manoeuvre. But we did love the ability to fold the pushchair with the from birth, reclining seat unit still attached to to the chassis, even more so as it can be done with the flick of a wrist!
We found the centre of balance of the pushchair very different to what we are used to and the larger front wheels being offset from the narrower rear wheels, made cornering the pushchair slightly more difficult when laden with a toddler rather than a larger baby.
The quirky looks and luxury features will be a real head turner for some parents.
