Nuna produce a comprehensive range of premium pushchairs and car seats. Here we've tested out the smallest of their pushchair family, the PEPP luxx.
Quick Summary: The PEPP luxx is definitely a premium pushchair that oozes quality. The thick woven fabrics and good sized seat are comfortable for baby. The excellent hood coverage, with the addition of the fabulous dream drape is a great feature to help baby sleep in peace. Which we are sure that many parents will find really useful. Although the PEPP luxx is not light to lift and carry, it has a compact fold that can either be wheeled in a trolley fashion, or carried using the handle. The PEPP luxx was easy to use and the large brake pedal and unique design give the PEPP luxx that little bit of extra flare, making it really stand out from the rest of the pushchair crowd.
Whats good?
- Good hood coverage
- Great built in dream drape
- Great overall quality
- Large brake pedal
- Tall seat back
Whats not so good?
- Small basket
- Fiddly bumper bar
- Heavy to lift
Chassis
The PEPP luxx is pretty much ready to roll straight from the box. The wheels are already attached to the chassis, as is the seat fabric.
One job that you do need to do is attach the hood, by slotting it through the slits in the seat fabric and clipping it onto the frame using the slide clips. There is also the bumper bar to clip onto either side of the pushchair frame.
First impressions of the Nuna are of distinct quality. The fabrics, framework and components are all really well moulded from great quality materials. Quality lasts – so we were really pleased to find this when we opened the box!
When you lift the PEPP luxx out of the box you will notice its weight. At just over 10kg it doesn’t fall into the lightweight category for us here at PX HQ, but it definitely ticks the compact box.
If you like your pushchairs to look that little bit different and have that quirky aspect to them, then the PEPP luxx will be right up your street. It is most certainly small but mighty with its quality and sturdy frame and uniquely designed wheels and axles – the overall design feels as solid as a rock.
The charcoal coloured frame is supported on the low slung chunky wheels. The wheels are nimble and quick to steer around the tightest of corners. The low centre of gravity creates a rock steady base, so even if you slalom through the shops the PEPP luxx is secure and safe. There was definitely no chance of this one tipping or toppling! We love the unique look of the wheels and especially the broader width of the rear wheels.
The front wheels are lockable / swivel wheels, but we never came across the need to lock them off, not even on a gravel driveway or cobbled path.
The continuous bar handlebar style made steering the PEPP luxx as easy as pie. One great benefit that we came across was the ability to adjust the height of the handlebar all the way up to 104cm. Usually our Daddy tester has to stoop over the handlebars of smaller pushchairs, but he was pleased as punch that the PEPP luxx catered for taller pushers too!
The shopping basket is nice and deep but being on a small folding pushchair, it does have a small footprint. We definitely couldn’t fit a changing bag in there, but it is handy in the sense that you can pop lots of loose items in there and the tall sides will keep them contained. The basket has a metal frame, so is very strong. We happily managed to fit 2 children’s coats, a pair of children’s shoes, hats, gloves and a bottle of Calpol into the basket on several journeys out!
The brake is a stand out feature on this individual little pushchair! The chunky chassis and low rear wheel base are broad and the brake is one of the largest brake pedals we have ever tested! One thing is for sure, it was very easy to find in the centre and press on and off with our feet.
Seat
The pushchair seat is the same great quality as the frame. The fabrics are thickly woven and built to stand the test of time. We did find ourselves adding a seat liner to the seat, just to give our little testers a tiny bit more comfort, but the thick fabrics would suffice and the liner wasn’t a total necessity, more of a personal preference.
The seat back itself is nice and tall and easily accommodated our 2 year old toddler tester. He had plenty of headroom and didn’t look restricted in the seat at all. The adjustable calf rest can be popped up or down and adds extra length to the seat to allow baby to put their legs up whilst they snooze.
The harness is nicely padded with neatly sized pads that coordinate with the lovely fabrics of the seat unit. The 5 point harness clips into a central buckle. You have to hook the waist straps onto the shoulder straps before you clip them into the buckle, to make a one-click release harness.
The recline on the pushchair is just as unique as the overall appearance, being operated by zips as opposed to levers, buttons or straps. There are three positions that the PEPP luxx seat can be adjusted to – perfect for sleep, rest and play. When in the most upright position the seat is virtually vertical – our nosey toddler tester loved this! By un-zipping the first zip, the seat reclines slightly to give a perfect resting position. Un-zipping the final inner zip reclines the seat fully. Reclining the seat was easy enough, but you do have to use your hand to support the back of your seat when sitting the seat back up.
The bumper bar is a great addition to the seat. We know that our little passenger certainly loved to hold on to it and it was great for securing blankets under and around too. It is a fixed position bumper bar though. Although removing it fully was a doddle, popping it back on did get a bit fiddly when we had to guide it through to slits in the seat fabric and onto its sliding rails.
If using your pushchair as part of a travel system is something of interest to you, then the PEPP luxx will tick that box too. You can use the PEPP luxx frame with the Nuna PIPA and PIPA icon infant carrier car seats. Just un-pop the seat fabrics from the frame and click on the car seat! Simple! You will need to purchase some additional car seat adapters to use the pushchair in this way, but they clip onto the frame easily and securely and you can also fold the frame with them on too, which saves a lot of fiddling if getting in and out of the car a lot.
The hood of the PEPP luxx holds the secret to what has to be our absolute favourite feature of the pushchair – the dream drape! We’re used to seeing lots of pushchairs here at PX HQ and we love a good hood! The PEPP luxx hood is like no other that we’ve seen before (and this is a good thing!). The hood itself gives good coverage as it is and the thick woven fabric is softly lined to keep baby cool, shaded and sheltered. BUT when you unzip the central panel of the hood, you can pull down the dream drape, which is made of almost Lycra like material. It is shaped, yet soft, and covers all the way down to the pushchair’s bumper bar! Our little passenger slept for 2 ½ whole hours in the seat of the PEPP luxx and we are convinced that the shading qualities of the dream drape had something to do with it! To make viewing your child easier with the dream drape extended, there’s a slim peek-a-boo window in the back of the hood.
Whilst we were testing out the PEPP luxx, we were graced with some typically English weather and we needed to shelter our passenger from the icy cold sleet and rain using the included rain cover. The texture of the rain cover was so soft and very malleable. It was easily folded into the smallest of packages and secured around the seat quickly and easily with Velcro. The designers have thought this accessory out very well, as the tabs are large and stick to the pre-placed Velcro on the underside of the seat frame.
Driveability
If you choose the PEPP luxx then the chances are you intend to use it for urban outings, which is exactly what it is intended for. It pretty much floats on its wheels and was so light to push (even when faced with hills!). Though it is not the lightest pushchair to lift, it pushes as light as a feather. The wide wheelbase means that it feels strong and sturdy and we never once felt like it could topple.
Steering through shops and down narrow alleys was not a problem at all. The wheels are nimble and handle tight corners easily, even when done with one hand.
We walked through villages and streets and tackled many a curb with the PEPP luxx too; this was also easy, even with the weight of a 2 year old in the seat.
Fold
The fold of the PEPP luxx is perfect if you find storage is an issue, or those who travel regularly and will need to fold the pushchair and pop it in small compartments on public transport.
The fold is operated by pulling up the two levers on either side of the frame simultaneously. The pushchair folds forwards, in half leaving a long but very flat package. One advantage of the PEPP luxx over an umbrella stroller, is that the fold is shorter, so easier to store.
There is also a handy frame lock on the chassis – this is not an automatic lock but instead a strong rubber strap that hooks over a pin and secures the fold. Once folded, it can stand on its own and you can use the handlebar to wheel it like a trolley, rather than carry it around.
Conclusion
The PEPP luxx is definitely a premium pushchair that oozes quality. The thick woven fabrics and good sized seat are comfortable for baby.
The excellent hood coverage, with the addition of the fabulous dream drape is a great feature to help baby sleep in peace. Which we are sure that many parents will find really useful.
Although the PEPP luxx is not light to lift and carry, it has a compact fold that can either be wheeled in a trolley fashion, or carried using the handle. The excellent manoeuvrability makes it a great choice for parents looking for an urban pushchair to carry out day to day tasks on city streets and on park pathways.
The shopping basket is small but deep and although it may not be able to fit a changing bag in it, you can pop coats and other small essentials in and access them easily, whether the seat is fully reclined or not.
The PEPP luxx was easy to use and the large brake pedal and unique design give the PEPP luxx that little bit of extra flare, making it really stand out from the rest of the pushchair crowd.
