The latest name in the UK pushchair market is Australian brand Redsbaby. They might be the new kids on the block here but they've got an impressive track record Down Under producing perfectly formed pushchairs to help parents and children live the adventurous lives they crave. We've been taking a closer look at the METRO².
Quick Summary: The METRO2 strikes us as a quality go anywhere, do anything pushchair. The compact, easy fold is brilliant for busy families, and those who are short on space or need to pack their pushchair into their car boot for most of the time.
Whats good?
- Extra-large shopping basket
- Storage on back of seat unit
- Mesh panels in carrycot and pushchair hood
- Large wheels
Whats not so good?
- Brake pedal sits close to back wheel
- No raincover included
- Only two colours available
Chassis
Light and strong, the chassis really sets up the METRO2 as a perfect do-it-all travel system. We love the quality wheel material, which helps provide a super-smooth ride. The wheels are on the chunkier side, which plays to the advantage of parents who will find themselves on park and off-the-beaten-track terrain walks, as well as city strolling.
Practical and classy are our first impressions. There are many positives to talk about, so we will start with the chassis, which is sleek in appearance. We are testing the Black colourway, so the chassis is coordinated in black too. If you choose the Forest colour, the chassis is matte aluminium.
The wheels are puncture resistant and we especially love the size of the rear wheels – they are large and able to drive over almost any ground. The wheels coped well with wet and mucky walks as well as shops and cafes, and they are easy enough to pop off if they get too muddy and need a clean.
It is worth mentioning that the METRO2 felt superb to push – whether we used it with a tiny baby in the carrycot or a two year old in the seat unit, it was smooth and so easy. You also get that luxury feel-good vibe when pushing thanks to the little touches of class in the finer details of the pushchair.
With an adjustable handlebar, it will suit parents of most heights.
The brake is operated by one simple-to-use, push on-flick off foot pedal. We used the brake on hills, pavements and even on the train platform. Every time we applied the brake it was rock steady and the pushchair felt very secure. The pedal is tucked right against the back wheel so sometimes shoes did catch the wheel when trying to release the brake.
This shopping basket has definitely been designed to suit the needs of busy parents. The roomy basket has high sides, meaning it can hold all manner of items, big and small. There is plenty of room to keep your essentials in the basket along with a changing bag, shopping, coats and boots, etc.
While we are on the subject of storage, one of our favourite features of the METRO2 is the really useful elasticated pouches on the back of the seat unit. They are great for keeping bottles and sippy cups at hand, and being able to zip away keys and phones whilst still having them within easy reach is great.
Seat
In those early days, the spacious carrycot will keep your newborn comfortable whilst out and about, and it is lined in a gorgeously soft material. Everywhere we look on Redsbaby pushchairs we see genuinely useful design additions and this carrycot is no exception. It has a brilliant sun hood with a zip-open mesh panel at the head end, which allows optimal airflow through to baby. The carrycot clicks on and off the frame with ease.
When baby has outgrown the carrycot (although it is so roomy this is unlikely to be until they are able to sit up and wriggle about all by themselves!) they can move onto the just-as-roomy seat unit.
The stylish seat is suitable from 6 months all the way up to 20kg. It can change from parent to world-facing by pressing the two small buttons on the sides of the chassis to remove – this is super-easy once you know where your fingers are meant to be!
The hood is perfect for covering every eventuality of weather! It is large and extendable so pulls down to provide plenty of shelter from sun, wind or even showers.
The mesh peek-a-boo window meant we could have a sneaky peek of what our toddler tester was up to and we knew exactly when it was time to recline the seat back for a nap. The zip-open mesh panel was also brilliant in the heat to allow a breeze into baby. It’s also pretty impressive that the fabrics are not only anti-fungal but anti-bacterial and have UV protection.
You can also use the METRO2 as a travel system with the available adapters. Redsbaby pushchairs are compatible with market-leading brands including Maxi-Cosi (Pebble, Pebble Plus, Rock (i-Size compliant) and Cabriofix), Cybex (Aton), Britax (Romer), Joie (i-Gemm) and BeSafe (i-Size).
Fold
The fold is simply fab! It is so easy. If your seat unit is in world-facing mode then you do not have to remove it. If your seat is positioned in parent-facing mode then you can either flip it around or remove it to fold. We found removing the seat the quickest option if we are honest.
The fold takes seconds with the levers on each side.of the chassis and gave a really great final size to fit in the boot of your standard hatchback car.
Conclusion
The METRO2 strikes us as a quality go anywhere, do anything pushchair.
The compact, easy fold is brilliant for busy families, and those who are short on space or need to pack their pushchair into their car boot for most of the time.
The comfortable seat unit and carrycot work well for baby but as a parent there are many features that will come in useful too, such as the pockets on the back of the seat unit and the extra, extra large shopping basket
If you are hunting for a modern, stylish pushchair that won’t let you down come almost any eventuality, the METRO2 could definitely be the one for you.
