Having seen them first in Kind & Jugend in Cologne, the Moodd and the Yezz are the two new colts from the Quinny stable. Today I am trying to gauge the Mood in the office? Come and see how it affects you...
Quick Summary: I can safely conclude that this is a good Moodd. Quinny have taken one of their most popular models and brought it right up to date adding some nice touches and improving on previous weaknesses.
Whats good?
- Incredible colours
- Superbly finished
- Well designed accessories
Whats not so good?
- Stiff seat release
- Basket too small
- Heavy
- Exposed seat
OK I’m not going to beat around the bush…. I love the look of the Quinny Moodd. When I initially saw it in Cologne, I saw the white version of the frame with the shocking pink seat and fell instantly in love. The gloss on the plastics makes it really slick and in white, very iphone-esque.
Aesthetically I’ve been dying to take a closer look. I’ve been a little concerned that I may have fallen for its charms because I was a little bit giddy with so many pushchairs around me at the time. However, I’m glad to report that our second date has not been disappointing and so far I still see potential. Of course, I can’t make any kind of commitment until we are better acquainted but so far so good!
Well, being well-dressed is part of any initial attraction, and our ‘Red revolution’ with black frame and red seat covers is nothing but the personification of the clean sharpness of ‘Paul Smith’ on wheels. It’s easy to fall for slick-talking, good looks but I’m looking for integrity. Being in each other’s company – day-in, day out – will be the test of any relationship, unless you are the sort to fall for looks alone, in which case you still won’t be disappointed – the Quinny Moodd could easily be mistaken as a ‘trophy pushchair’.
Chassis
The Quinny Moodd frame has more than a passing resemblance to that of the Buzz 3. A long stem extends from the centre of the chassis to support the double 18cm, EVA, front wheels. As you would expect, they can be locked to be unidirectional instead of having a 360 degree swivel.
Like the Buzz 3, the large 31.5cm rear wheels have pneumatic tyres with a pump included within an integral pocket in the basket. The rear rims are made from glossy black plastic, giving it a very clean, new look, however, given the British weather and a little hapless steering, they won’t look this way for long.
Again, like the Buzz, the basket is extremely shallow and not of great use because the front axle stem limits the height of anything you may want to carry.
The brake controls are on the inside of the rear wheels. The right is red and applies the brake – the grey releases it, both are step-on mechanisms – so no broken toe nails!
Moving up to the handle, pressing the button in the middle will allow you to telescope the foam covered handle from 96cms to 104cms.
Fold
To fold the frame, apply the brake, then move the safety catch on the right shaft of the handle to allow the release button to slide upwards. At the same time, slide the button on the left and push down on the handle. An automatic clip holds the frame shut. For reassurance that your fame will remain shut when you put it in the boot of your car, a strap from the rear axle can be attached to the handle.
The pneumatic opening mechanism of the Buzz has been repeated in the Moodd. It makes opening a breeze, reminding me of a stretching cat as it wakes from a snooze. The smooth, gentle movement results in a ready-to-go pushchair. The Buzz did meet with some complaints from consumers about this automation. If something fell on the locking mechanism while it was folded in the boot of the car it could start to expand of its own free will. Quinny have listened to their critics and instead of resigning this useful ability to the scrap heap, they have made the locking clip firmer and backed it up with the axle to handle strap.
Seating
The casing on the seat unit reflects the glossy plastic used on the rear wheels. It gives such a ‘car showroom’ finish to the overall look but you must remember to treat it carefully, scratches are going to be as noticeable as a keyed car on the Moodd.
The seat is a modern egg shaped bucket seat with clean definite lines. It looks quite small but with a depth of 27cms, width of 30cms and a back height of 50cms it is not as petite as you might first assume.
The five point harness can be adjusted to three shoulder heights. To ensure the neck pads stay in the right place, the top section of the strap is fixed to the shell of the chair and pokes through its allotted hole in the seat padding and is fixed with poppers inside the neck pad. Each height setting has its own top section of strap concealed behind the seat pad.
You can choose whether or not you use the T-bar in the bottom of the chair. A blanking cap covers the socket so you won’t have an obvious omission if it doesn’t take your fancy. When in place, the T-bar adds to the contemporary feel of this pushchair. Plus, with little effort it can be pulled out of the socket but remains attached via the elastic hook. This makes my argument against T-bars redundant because Quinny have finally come up with a solution that gives you the best of both worlds. No longer will you have to thread your child in behind their T-bar because it can drop down, out of the way, leaving ample access to load or unload then slots back into place giving your passenger something to hold onto.
The canopy attaches to the frame by sliding onto two brackets that are concealed under blanking strips either side of the seat. Another attachment at the head of the seat ensures that it will remain in place when the seat is reclined. Talking of recline, this is controlled by a handle at the back of the seat which allows the seat to be posed in three positions, regardless of whether it is mounted in the forward or rearward facing position. The foot rest can also be angled, but only in two positions, using the buttons on the sides of the rest.
At the point where the seat meets the frame, grey switches are encased on either side of the seat. Click these switches then lift at your leisure. The good thing is that you don’t have to do all the releasing and lifting at the same time. Left switch, right switch and lift all work independently so you aren’t under any pressure when it comes to removing the seat. Quick tip: Having the T-Bar in place certainly helps in lifting the heavy seat unit off the frame.
Accessories
The beautiful baby nest matches the red in the seat but is lined with a contrasting coral orange jersey which includes a zip-in head rest and foot bumper. The straps all thread through the holes in the bottom to keep your baby safe, plus the top can be completely zipped off for warmer days. Although it is very attractive, there is not enough side protection afforded by the pushchair for my liking, so personally, I would probably opt to buy the new collapsible carrycot that fits the Moodd.
The raincover is custom made to fit and has a durable black fabric making up the lower half and also covering the canopy. It’s not only good looking but practical because it won’t rip as easily as fully plastic raincovers tend to do. I also love the fact that it’s a doddle to put on – no poppers, fiddly Velcro or elastic straps, simply an elastic rim and great tailoring allow it to stretch enough to fit.
If you are discounting this pushchair because it only has three wheels and you are a four-wheeler sort of gal, then don’t despair as the Moodd will change to suit yours. The front wheel unit listed in the accessories is the alternative two-wheel front fork, instead of the single wheel that comes supplied as standard.
Conclusion
I can safely conclude that this is a good Moodd. Quinny have taken one of their most popular models and brought it right up to date adding some nice touches and improving on previous weaknesses.
For starters the colours are amazing. I have not seen such classy use of stunning vibrant block colour in any other manufacturer. It’s bold without being garish, acceptable without being run-of-the-mill!
In terms of use, it is as simple as it seems. There is nothing over complicated or under engineered. It’s all finished to an extremely high standard. The only niggles lie in the seat release button where they are a little stiff and potential nail breakers. Plus the basket, like that on the Buzz, is not very practical giving you very little room to carry anything of consequence. Thirdly, and not surprisingly, the Moodd is quite heavy at 15.1kg but don’t worry because your pockets will be £599 lighter!
Although the seat is a little exposed for some tastes, it would lose it’s contemporary look if it was changed and if this worried you too much, you could always use the raincover during inclement spells.
