The Stokke® Scoot™ has had a refreshing makeover for 2017. We've put it through its paces - let's see how it got on.
Quick Summary: The Stokke® Scoot is certainly a unique stroller in terms of looks and functions. The quality of its fabrics, plastics and all other components is clear from the start. It sure is a head turner and will be great for parents who like to look the part as well as have a pushchair that functions well too.
Whats good?
- High quality
- Unique design
- Optional carrycot
- Folds with seat attached
Whats not so good?
- Taller children's legs dangle off the seat
- Seat fabrics gathers at child's head in upright position
Chassis
The Stokke® Scoot™ arrives in a neat and tidy box in three separate parts – chassis, seat and wheels. You click on the wheels with ease using the clearly marked white buttons on the underside of the chassis. You might need to refer to the instruction manual to figure out how to unfold the chassis to pop the seat unit on. It’s very easy, as you will see later in the fold section. Just sit the seat unit on top of the frame and you will hear it reassuringly click into place. You will also need to thread your choice of sun canopy onto the strong and robust hood frame – this again is really easy and quick to do.
When completed, you can stand back and take a look at your Scoot™ and admire the beautiful finishes on the uniquely styled chassis and seat unit. Stokke® have recently switched the production of their Scoot™ from China over to the Netherlands, so that they can really keep a close eye on product quality and this is extremely evident in the quality of finish you can see on this chunky but compact stroller.
One of the most valuable and clever design features of the Stokke® pushchair range for us here at PX HQ is the colour coded white function operation buttons and levers. If you see a white button or lever on a Stokke® pushchair then you know it has a function. Push it or pull it and it will make something happen! This is great for a pushchair novice or when someone who is unfamiliar with the pushchair is using it for a trip out.
The Scoot™ is no exception to this rule and the handlebar features two white circles on its hinges. Pushing these moves the adjustable handle to 3 different positions between 88 and 105cm – meaning there is sure to be a setting to suit every height of pushchair driver.
The Scoot™ wheels are slightly different to what you may expect for a city stroller. At first glance the wheels seem to be a little brother version of the Stokke® Trailz™ wheels. These wheels are different though, in that they are foam filled and puncture resistant. Although not what you might expect of an urban pushchair, it is clear why they have been added to this stroller when you push it, as they provide the smoothest of rides! Which is a must seeing as the actual suspension on the chassis of the Scoot™ is minimal.
The brake on the Scoot™ sits centrally on the rear chassis axle, right between the two wheels. It’s really easy to push down and flick up, but you may need to watch your toes if you have sandals on in the summer.
The basket appears shallow at first glance, but when you start to pop things into it, it holds more than you expect. It has quite a good footprint, so slipping a changing bag in there is possible, however if you do that, you leave little room for anything else. We preferred to hang our bag on the handle and store clothes, coats and other oddments in the basket space. The sides are quite shallow, so you need to make sure things are in their securely or they may drop out over the edge.
Seat and carrycot
One of the main differences in the 2017 model of the Scoot™ is the introduction of the Scoot™ carrycot. We were excited to unbox the carrycot and were surprised at how compact the box that it arrived in was. The carrycot arrives almost flat, so you need to pull the metal bars into place and make sure they are clicked into the black clips firmly. You then need to use the hood from your seat unit and click it into the holes on the carrycot. It comes complete with a lovely soft lining and mattress, which is obviously of superior quality. For a compact stroller carrycot, it is actually deceivingly large! It is easily big enough to last your child until they are able to sit unaided. The carrycot comes in two colours, Grey Melange and Black Melange. Both of which pair with all of the canopy colours beautifully. The apron of the carrycot is easy to attach and has two handy (and quality) zips down either side to allow easy access to get baby in and out. It also comes complete with its own mosquito net. Our favourite feature of the new Scoot™ carrycot is the carry handles – they are tucked into pockets on the inside of the lining and provide the most stable way to carry baby when you have unclipped the carrycot from the pushchair frame.
The Stokke® Scoot™ seat is different to many seats you might see on the market, in fact, it’s totally unique. It has that recognisable Stokke® look to it, but functions differently to other stroller seats in the majority of ways.
The seat clicks onto the chassis at the same points as the carrycot does. We love the reassuring appearance of the green indicator when the seat is clipped in properly.
Although Stokke® advise that the Scoot™ seat is for use from 6 months of age, it does recline to an almost flat position using a unique strap recline system and when used with the Soft Bag, provides a great space for newborns. Squeeze the white buttons on the strap recline buckles (back of the seat unit just below the hood joint) and the seat can go into two different reclines as well as in its total upright position when you have the clips on their tightest setting. When in the most upright position, the excess seat fabric does tend to gather in the child’s head space which can be irritating for toddlers. It’s an unusual system, but it’s easy to use.
The Scoot™ seat almost resembles a bucket seat. It cocoons around baby and really gives them a deceptively large but cosy space to travel in. The one thing we have noticed when using the Scoot™ with an older toddler, is the leg dangle. Because the footrest is separate to the seat and clips at two different positions on the chassis, your toddler’s legs hang as opposed to rest when they are sleeping. Although it appeared odd at first, our toddler did always seem comfortable when sleeping or playing in the stroller.
To change the direction of the seat, again the cleverly coded white button rule comes into play. On either side of the seat are two large white buttons, just squeeze these together and the seat will click off the chassis and you can pop it back on in your required position. You will need to use the pull levers to swap the foot rest over to the other side of the chassis too, as it isn’t attached to the seat unit.
The 5 point harness is also typically Stokke® in its design. The chunky buckle is simple to use and feels of great quality.
The new hood, or canopy, as it is referred to by Stokke®, is perhaps the biggest alteration to the 2017 Scoot™. It is available in seven lovely colours to suit everyone’s personal preferences and features a lovely mesh panel to allow air to flow through to baby’s space on those warmer days. The 2017 hood features the addition of an extendable panel to give you extra coverage from the elements as well as the Stokke® sun visor which can be zipped on and off too. You use the same canopy for the carrycot and the seat unit and its pretty easy to clip on and off. And of course, in true Stokke® style, the hood is very pleasing to the eye too! It looks great and has a lovely rounded shape to it.
Fold
The folding mechanism on the 2017 version of the Scoot™ is also something which has been refined and improved upon since the previous model. One of the real bonus points is that the Scoot™ can be folded with the seat attached to the chassis in forward facing mode.
Folding the Scoot™ with the seat in place has been made easier than ever and in fact there was no advantage to be gained in size or speed by removing the seat at all. There are a few steps that you need to follow, but they are very speedy to execute.
First, you need to fold the handlebar right down until it clicks neatly into the frame. Secondly, fold the seat base upwards into the seat back. By doing this you will reveal the white (cleverly coded) bar which operates the main fold of the chassis. Finally, you need to push the white fold button to the side with your thumb and squeeze it all in the palm of your hand. The chassis folds smoothly and instantly and the white button will flick to the side again to lock everything into place.
To unfold, squeeze the white button to the side and inwards again and draw the chassis up until it clicks into its open position. Then pop the base of the seat unit down again. The Scoot™ fold is really unique and thanks to the refinements made to the mechanisms, functions like a dream.
Conclusion
The Stokke® Scoot™ is certainly a unique stroller in terms of looks and functions. The quality of its fabrics, plastics and all other components is clear from the start. It sure is a head turner and will be great for parents who like to look the part as well as have a pushchair that functions well too.
The 2017 improvements of the extendable sun canopy and addition of the Scoot™ carrycot have really made this urban stroller a contender in the from birth pushchair market and not just a stroller that parents purchase when their child has outgrown their full sized pram.
We love the cocooning nature of the seat unit, although the recline may not be to everyone’s liking due to it leaving a gathering of material in the child’s head space when clipped into the upright position. The ‘leg dangle’ from the footrest might also pose some children an issue too.
If you love the Scandinavian design of the Stokke® pushchair range then the Scoot™ will definitely not disappoint you. In true Nordic style, it functions well as part of everyday life with both small babies and older toddlers as well as looking great too.
