The Mima zigi is hitting high streets near you this spring! As we'd expect from always style-savvy brand Mima, it's an ultra-sleek and impressively engineered city stroller, but how did it perform in action?
Quick Summary: The Mima zigi is a perfect choice for parents living life on the go in urban environments. If you need practical but want style, then the zigi will fit the bill.
Whats good?
- Easy to fold
- Easy to fold
- Stylish looks
Whats not so good?
- Expensive
- No option to parent face unless using a car seat
Introduction
The city stroller market is a strong one at the the moment. Many people think that smaller compact strollers compromise on comfort and features, but the Mima zigi has proved that this certainly doesn’t have to be the case.
Eye-catching is the word that springs to mind when we unbox the Mima zigi. It may look a little unusual to some but is perfect for en vogue families to explore the world with their little ones. If you want the wow-factor then the zigi delivers.
This stroller was winning from the word go with our reviewers thanks to its fuss-free assembly. And when we say fuss-free, we mean it! The zigi was whipped out of the box, unfolded and ready to roll the streets within seconds. No building required! Perfect for busy parents and those that leave things to the last minute (isn’t that all of us?).
Chassis
There’s so much to talk about with the zigi. For one, its unique frame is like no other pushchair out there. The shape of the chassis is certainly quirky and has an edgy futuristic flow to it. This is all finished off by the never-seen-before clear plastic rimmed wheels. These wheels are small and nippy and can almost literally turn on the spot. We half expected the wheels to fall foul when we headed onto gravel and cobbles but in fact behind the transparent wheels is a fab suspension system that coped brilliantly with the slightly rougher terrain – Mima have obviously realised that city strolling doesn’t always make for perfectly smooth surfaces! The flex that this suspension gives makes it very easy to tackle kerbs too.
Moving up from the wheels, the basket offers a cosy space to store your essentials. Now it is quite low to the ground, so you do have to crouch down to reach right in but there are some lovely features to this basket. We love how the classy look of the pushchair seat unit is emulated in the basket with the same gorgeous fabrics and leatherette edging. The pop-open flap not only means that your goods are kept inside and won’t jump out when you go over bumps but also that you can keep that elegant look whilst out and about. Inside the the basket opening is a great elasticated storage pouch where you will find the included raincover (I’ll talk more about this fab little number later!). We also found that this pouch was great for standing bottles and popping dummies in, rather than having to dig to the bottom of the basket to find them.
The continuous bar handle is covered in a funky but stylish leatherette to coordinate with the trim of your pushchair. On the charcoal colourway this handlebar cover is silver. It’s soft to hold but did feel quite chunky in the palm. The handlebar adjustment is also in the center of the handle. Just squeeze in and adjust the handle height. The lowest height is very low and the highest height sat at the perfect height for our 5’6″ tester. There are just two handlebar heights and the handlebar is at a quite upright position to the driver.
The brake is set in the centre of the rear axle and is really simple to use. Just flick it down to engage the brake and flick it upwards with your toes to release. The pedal is smooth on the underside so no danger of grazing your toes if you are wearing flip-flops or sandals.
The zigi was always rock steady and stuck to the ground like an F1 car of the pushchair world.
Seat
The seat unit is a forward-facing only seat with a 150-degree flat recline. The actual seat unit of the zigi is suitable from 6 months onwards but as we found out, the pushchair can be used from birth for the occasional city trip with the use of a car seat on the frame. You will need to purchase the car seat adaptors as an additional extra if you wish to do this. There is no bassinet for now but it is expected that one will be available as an optional extra in the future.
The fabric seat unit oozes luxury just as the rest of the pushchair does. The charcoal colour is elaborately piped in silver leatherette for that final flourish of style. The padded sides may look small but they offer that extra bit of protection for baby and offer a comfortable cushion for toddlers to nap on. The broad seat width is favourable for toddlers and the hood sits nice and high on the seat unit too.
We were so pleased to see how easy the harness adjustment was on the zigi. Fiddling around trying to rethread harness straps through very small slits in the seat is not what busy parents need to be doing and on the zigi all you do is unhook the metal clip and reattach it at the desired height. Brilliant! There is also a slider to alter the lengths, which can be hidden underneath the silver shoulder pads when not in use.
The recline of the seat is operated with one hand by a simple lever on the rear of the seat. What we have noticed is that the recline sits quite low down the seat so you may need to bend down to do this. There are three seating positions: upright (our nosy toddler loved this!), resting (great for naps), and almost lie flat.
Hood
The hood is made from the same lavish fabrics as the seat unit and sits high above the seat, giving good amounts of headroom. The hood folds neatly back out of the way when not in use – although if you are using the handlebar in the lowest position, you might find it interferes with your hold on the handle. The hood canopy extends up and over your child’s head, giving nice coverage from the sun to an older toddler; it also has a mesh peephole window so you can keep a close eye on your little passenger. The hood locks in either a fully extended or fully retracted position.There is also the option to pull out the extending panels that are tucked away inside the hood, as well as the styled leatherette-trimmed visor, which complements the silver accents on the rest of the pushchair.
We loved how you can equip the zigi for the perfect urban stroll with the available accessories. These accessories are just as lavish as the zigi stroller itself and add to the overall sleek style of this city slicker. The car seat adaptors allowed us to attach a multitude of different car seat models to the frame, which made it really handy for quick city trips.
The included raincover was a breeze to put on and had the most fabulous window for you to gain access to baby. The raincover also forms a bubble around your child as it has a stiff arch shaped rod, which helps it to hold its shape when popped on the pushchair seat.
Fold
For a city pushchair we expected the fold to be small… and it certainly is! It measures at around 56x45x25cm when the fold is complete – compact enough to be accepted as cabin baggage with most airlines.
You might find that the fold takes a few test drives until you gain that smooth motion but after just a few goes we were able to fold the pushchair in two seconds flat.
To operate the fold, you will see a strap handle on the seat base. Next to this you will notice a small ring pull – both are key!
Using your thumb, pull the ring pull to the side and with your palm and fingers grab the carry handle. Pull upwards and the fold will happen automatically. If you find it tricky at first, the key is to apply pressure on the base of the seat with your other hand and the fold happens as easy as pie. It took us just two practices until we were confident with the fold and it took a matter of seconds to complete from then on in. We also love the way that the pushchair stands on its own when folded.
In true Mima style, every little detail has been thought out. The silver handlebar even has a rubber foot perfectly placed on it so that the handlebar does not touch the ground and get any scuffs or scrapes on it.
To unfold, pull the release ring pull the handle upwards, and the pushchair will pop back into place. A great design for parents using public transport regularly.
Conclusion
The Mima zigi is a perfect choice for parents living life on the go in urban environments. If you need practical but want style, then the zigi will fit the bill. It is light enough to carry if needed and the freestanding compact fold makes for a perfect travel companion on public transport and holidays.
The only real shock with the zigi is the price tag. At £650, it is by no means cheap. For this price especially, the option to reverse the seat or add a parent-facing bassinet would be more appealing, especially if you are looking for a pushchair to use from birth. There is, however, no denying that the Mima zigi is of the highest quality. It doesn’t just look good, it gives baby a really great ride too, thanks to the suspension in the futuristic nippy wheels and the roomy lavish seat unit.
