A new addition to the market, the Nuna IVVI is the multi-mode pushchair which will last from birth until your little one wants to take on the world on their own two feet. Here at Pushchair Expert, we have the IVVI in for a closer look.
Quick Summary: A real multi-mode option, the Nuna IVVI offers everything you need from birth to toddler, and has some great extra features on top too. The real bonuses to point out are the ease of use, the ultra padded seat and the smooth push. The extra little bits and pieces make it a great everyday option – the large, zip out hood, the gigantic shopping basket and the easily adjustable strap height make it a pushchair you could easily use day in day out, for any eventuality.
Whats good?
- From birth
- Deeply padded seat
- Easy fold
- Huge shopping basket
Whats not so good?
- Handlebar adjustment a little fiddly - needs 2 hands
- Seat a little narrow
- Heavy when folded
Nuna work with the beliefs that less is more – products designed to be as simple and basic as possible while still offering style and safety. The new Nuna IVVI is the multi-mode option with everything you could need from day one to the toddler years.
Chassis
The chassis on the Nuna IVVI is a matte chrome, with one smooth and slightly curved bar stretching from the handle right down to make the footplate. The handlebar is black foam, and nice and thick – making it easy to grip and comfortable to hold. The handlebar is height adjustable from 100cm to 108.5cm, so there should be a height to suit most people. The height adjustment is via sliding buttons on the side of the frame – slide them back towards you then pull or push the handle to the desired height. Simple, but a bit fiddly and requires 2 hands.
The shopping basket is huge – there is more than enough space for your daily essentials and then some. It even comes with a divider so that you can keep your bits and bobs organised – although you can fold this flat if you need a larger space.
Moving on to the wheels, and this is where the IVVI really starts to stand out. The rear wheels are large, foam filled, airless tyres which could handle off road action just as easily as a trip around town. They come with easy, push release buttons and a black spoke design. The front wheels are made from the same puncture proof material, and are slightly smaller. They have the option to be locked for rougher ground – this is via a simple flick switch above the wheel hub. There is some rather good suspension on this pushchair too, which would make for a smooth ride no matter where you go. The brake is operated by a simple and easily accessible pedal with colour coding for extra ease – push down on the red to activate the brake and push the green to set off again. It’s a nice large pedal too, which should be a breeze for any size feet – although maybe one to avoid with flip flops.
When pushing, the Nuna IVVI feels light as a feather. There really is no effort involved in this smooth, sleek ride. It turns effortlessly and the weight feels very evenly distributed across all 4 wheels. Definitely a good option for nipping in and out of shops – although just watch the slightly wider rear wheel base – it may catch you by surprise!
Seat
If you are looking for a comfortable option, then the Nuna IVVI certainly offers that in spades. The unique Oeko-Tex fabric offers a real plush and padded seating area for little ones – it has the same sort of feel as memory foam, and I imagine it would be super cosy for tiny tots. The only downside with this ultra padded fabric is that it makes the seat a bit narrow – at 29cm it may not last as long as you would like. There is plenty of foot room though, and even longer legs would have somewhere to rest, with the adjustable calf rest dropping down in line with the footplate. The calf rest is adjusted via a simple squeeze button underneath the seat.
The height of the seat is no issue either – 49cm from seat to the top of the seat back offers plenty of head room for growing toddlers. Above this is the hood – and it is huge. It simply pulls out to a standard size hood, but a hidden zip allows you to extend a further portion of the hood for masses of protection from the elements, and there is a viewing window for you to keep an eye on your tot too. When not in use, the hood simply folds back against the chassis. Just take care if you using the seat forward facing with the handlebar at the lowest setting – the hood can catch on the handlebar, especially when using the recline.
The recline itself is ever so simple to use – a one handed squeeze lever that then allows you to drop or lift the seat into one of the 5 available recline positions, from totally flat to very upright.
Also on the rear of the seat with the recline lever, is another button – squeeze this in and slide up and down to adjust the height of the shoulder straps. A very clever and very useful feature that takes away all the hassle of having to change the strap height as your child grows. The straps themselves come with very padded shoulder and crotch pads, as well as a rounded headrest for extra comfort. The harness clip is a bit of a faff – the shoulder and waist sections don’t come clipped together, so you do need to reattach these every time you put your child into the seat – not a major issue but a bit of a fiddle – especially with a wriggly toddler on board.
The seat unit can be rear or forward facing, and to change between the 2 modes is child’s play. If you lean over the seat, your hands will naturally find the 2 handles on each side of the seat. Put your hands inside and there are buttons to squeeze – then you just lift to remove the seat, turn it round and drop it back into position with a click. Easy peasy.
In this country, a good raincover is a must have item, and the Nuna IVVI raincover is simple to use – ideal if you suddenly get caught in a downpour. It just slides on over the seat unit, kept in place by an elasticated foot section. It’s not the most generous of raincovers, so larger toddlers may find they need more foot room.
Fold
This is one of the simplest folds I have come across, the Nuna IVVI can be folded down in seconds, with the seat on or off. Just use the recline lever to fold the seat right over on itself, so the seat back rests on top of the seat itself. Then pull 2 levers that your hands will naturally find on the chassis – just below the handlebar adjustment levers. The pushchair will fold over on itself and the front wheels will tuck neatly inside the rear ones. In this position, the pushchair can freestand, with the fabrics well off the floor. It will also leave you access to a handle at the rear, which allows you to pull the pushchair along behind you – this could be very handy for public transport.
It is heavy when folded –16kg – so you wouldn’t want to carry it too far, or lift it in and out of the car too often, but these larger types of pushchair do tend to be on the heavy side. It doesn’t feel heavy when pushing, but you do feel the weight when you need to carry it anywhere.
Unfolding is straightforward too – grab the handle and pull it back towards you until it clicks into place. Then just use the recline lever to unfold the seat unit to the position you require.
Conclusion
A real multi-mode option, the Nuna IVVI offers everything you need from birth to toddler, and has some great extra features on top too. The real bonuses to point out are the ease of use, the ultra padded seat and the smooth push. The extra little bits and pieces make it a great everyday option – the large, zip out hood, the gigantic shopping basket and the easily adjustable strap height make it a pushchair you could easily use day in day out, for any eventuality.
There are only a couple of small niggles really. The weight is a bit of a sticking point for me – at 16.5kgs it is heavy. If you don’t intend to regularly lift it in and out of the car or lifting onto buses and trains, then it wouldn’t be an issue – you don’t feel the weight when pushing at all. If you are looking for something easy to pop in and out of the boot, it might not be for you.
I will also mention the padded seat as a negative as well as a huge positive. The padding is lovely, but it does narrow the seating area quite a lot, and if you have a larger child, it might be a tight squeeze.
The handlebar adjustment is my only other small negative. It works well, and there is a great range of adjustment, but it does require 2 hands, and it is not the smoothest I have used. Not a big issue, but worth a mention.
Overall, the Nuna IVVI is a pushchair that should be on your shortlist. Suitable from birth, compatible as a travel system and with lots of clever tricks up its sleeve it is well worth consideration. It is a tad on the expensive side, but you do get a pushchair that will see you through from day 1 until your tot is walking. Clearly designed with comfort and simplicity in mind, the Nuna IVVI has a lot to offer.
