Quinny Zapp Flex Plus REVIEW

#AD – Quinny Zapp Flex Plus gifted for review

Introducing our Quinny Zapp Flex Plus Review

I always love reading about new pushchair launches, and often flick through magazines looking at pushchairs in admiration in the same way that Mike does when flicking through the brochures from his favourite car manufacturer! Yes it’s a bit weird, but there are some truly beautiful pushchairs out there, and I am always amazed at what they come up with next in terms of style and portability.

When I was given the opportunity to carry out a Quinny Zapp Flex Plus review I think I actually let out a little squeal. I had seen them online and thought how gorgeous they were. I couldn’t wait to put it to the test with Neve.

About the Quinny Zapp Flex Plus

Quinny Zapp Flex Plus – Key Features:

• Suitable from 6 months to approx 3.5 years (15kg)
• Combine with either the Quinny Lux Carrycot, Quinny From-Birth Cocoon or a Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus car seat for a from birth solution (all sold separately)
• Seat unit can face both ways and reclines fully in both directions
• 3 recline positions (2 rearward facing and 3 forward facing)
• Highly compact 3D folding mechanism
• Highly manoeuvrable
• 3 compact sized wheels with a swivel front wheel
• Easy to access shopping basket
• Compact fold
• Includes sun canopy, raincover, Maxi-Cosi car seat adapters and shopping basket

The Quinny Zapp Flex Plus is available in 12 different colours – TWELVE! I challenge anyone to make that decision quickly. Quinny even offer the ability to fully customise your own – choosing the frame, canopy and seat colours from a range of options. My favourite colour options were the Frost on Grey (pictured) and the Graphite on Blush.

Where to buy the Quinny Zapp Flex Plus?

The Quinny Zapp Flex Plus retails at around £335. See below for the latest Quinny Zapp Flex Plus offers:

Setting Up our Quinny Zapp Flex Plus Review

The pushchair arrived in a fairly compact box, and where as I would normally divert the task of assembly straight to my DIY savvy partner, I decided to give this a go myself. I am so glad that I did! It was really really straightforward, and I got to see the slightly put out yet pleasantly surprised smirk on his face when he arrived home! 🙂

The box comes with only a few items to put together, and includes Maxi Cosi adapters if required. This allows a Maxi Cosi car seat to be attached to the chasis so that the pushchair can be used from birth. Without this, the pushchair is suitable from 6 months.

Assembly basically involved slotting the wheels into place on the chasis (super easy), and folding open the chasis, before attaching the shopping basket to the bottom fitting some simple elasticated loops to hooks. The whole process took no more than 10 minutes and then the pushchair was ready to go.

The instructions were fairly easy to follow, although I did personally find it easier to watch the quick YouTube video to see how the pushchair folding mechanism worked. The process is labelled on the chasis itself with numbers so once you become familiar with the process, it is relatively straight forward.

First Impressions

My first impressions were really positive! 🙂 I loved the colour – frost on grey, and the silvery aluminium coloured frame. The lightweight nature was immediately obvious and whilst the wheels were big and chunky, the pushchair was extremely easy to steer one handed. There is no bumper bar, however at the age of 9 months, Neve doesn’t really need one – you can purchase one as a separate accessory if you wish.

Our Quinny Zapp Flex Plus Review

So far I have taken Neve out and about on a number of trips with the Quinny Zapp Flex Plus, both walking to our local park and out in the car to one of our local National Trust gardens. This put the pushchair to the test on a number of different ground surfaces, as well as putting the folding mechanism into action getting it in and out of my car.

First things first, the Quinny Zapp Flex Plus is super lightweight  and easy to manoeuvre. I was able to steer one handed whilst still holding my eldest daughter’s hand, a real positive for those with more than one child. I am 5ft 5, and the height of the handlebar is perfect for me. It isn’t adjustable but didn’t feel too high or too low, so I would imagine this would be ideal for the majority of parents.

The wheels are big and chunky, and the benefit of this was very noticeable when pushing over grass and pebbles. We have a pebble drive, and sometimes I am lucky enough to get a pushchair to move at all on such an uneven surface, whereas these wheels made it feel at least somewhat manageable!

With the weather being lovely during the weeks of our Quinny Zapp Flex plus review, the extended sun canopy was a real positive, without needing a separate parasol to keep the sun out of Neve’s eyes. The sun canopy was already attached to the frame and simply pulls open, with a zip to increase the amount of cover provided. The fabric of the canopy is very lightweight yet still has an SPF benefit of UV50+. as well as shielding from any wind. The thin fabric however did make me feel slightly uncomfortable hooking my changing bag over the handlebar for fear of damaging it.

Quinny Zapp Recline settings

There are 3 different recline settings on the Quinny Zapp Flex Plus, including an almost lie flat setting for sleeping. It is extremely easy to switch between them using the press button on the handlebar, and I was able to move between recline settings without waking Neve (i.e. once she had nodded off I could easily lower the seat to lying mode)

The seat can be turned around if you prefer to have parent facing, however with Neve being almost 9 months, she prefers to be able to see where we are going (I guess she’s seen enough of my face by now!).

Neve is happy and comfortable in the seat. Being very lightweight fabric, there is minimal visible padding to it, with only the base of the seat having additional cushioning. At first I wasn’t sure if this was going to be as cozy as she was used to, but she seems very content and comfortable in the seat.

Shopping Basket

The Shopping basket is attached by small elastic loops and is of a matching colour to the seat. Although made from lightweight fabric, the basket is pretty strong, being able to take a reasonable amount of weight. That said, for me, the storage basket is on the small side, and for me one of this pushchairs few negatives. It is not big enough for my changing bag (although most seldom are!) and I don’t think therefore I would be able to use this for a quick stroll to the supermarket, without needing to carry the majority of my purchases by hand. Again Quinny however do appear to have thought of everything, as the Quinny Xtra Shopping bag is available to purchase as an optional accessory. It doesn’t look as stylish with the additional basket attached, but does mean you could clip it on if you knew you needed some addition space for a particular trip.

The Break

The break on the Quinny Zapp Flex Plus is a little different to what I am used to, in that instead of having one foot operated break system, it has two- using two distinct break buttons on the left and right wheels. The red, right wheel is pressed to trigger the break, and it is then released by pressing the grey button on the left. It took me a little while to get used to this, and at first I got a bit muddled as to which one I was supposed to be pressing, tapping on the grey one and wondering why nothing was happening. Eventually this sunk in, although I would probably prefer one button for both if the truth be known. That said, it does the job well, and holds the pushchair firmly in place when engaged.

The Straps

At first I found the straps a bit fiddly as I couldn’t get them to pull as tight as I would have liked. The five point harness easily clips into place, and features rubber shoulder supports which keeps them neatly in place. As your child grows, you can move the harness up and down, setting it at one of three different heights. The YouTube video implied it was very easy to simply pop the straps through the slits in the fabric – it wasn’t quite so straight forward in my experience, but this may just be whilst the fabric is new. It took me a while to move them, but once I got them to a position I was happy, with they are secure and easy to apply.

Raincover

The rain cover comes included with the pushchair and as with the rest of the design is extremely lightweight. The cover is VERY easy to apply, taking literally seconds to pop over the top and pull into place. I love the contrasting colour, and the access zip so you can say hello, check if they’re awake or more commonly in my case, pass them a wotsit. Neve is renowened for trying to pull off raincovers (not normally liking being covered up), but with no obvious edges to grab or bother her, Neve simply drifted  off to sleep instead!

Unlike some rain covers I have used, this one folds up extremely small which means even with the small shopping basket there is still space for other things.

Compact Fold Quinny Zapp Flex Plus

One huge positive of the Quinny Zapp Flex Plus is the folding mechanism, making the pushchair a compact and portable product. It really is impressive, looking a little like a large scuttlebug when folded down.

The up and down setting involves 3 distinct movements, which once mastered can be done very quickly and easily, and are labelled on the chasis itself incase you forget.

The steps for putting the pushchair down (pictured above) are:

1. Pressing the button and flicking the switch on the handle, fold down the seat forwards (it hinges downwards).
2. Slide the release locks and fold down the handlebar.
3. Press the number 1 button and apply pressure – this causes the chasis to fold in upon itself.

Unlike some pushchairs, the folding can be done with the seat still attached, as it hinges in the centre and folds in on itself. This is a  real positive for ensuring more room in your car. The Quinny Zapp Flex Plus fits easily into the boot of my Golf with plenty of room to spare.

Pros:

• Super lightweight and very easy to manoeuvre even one handed (great for when you have a toddler in tow!)
• Looks super stylish
• Large sun canopy which zips open for further coverage.
• Available in a wide range of colours with contrasting elements
• Raincover folds up incredibly small and is very easy to fit in literally seconds (no faffing around in the rain!
• Small size when folded.
• Innovative folding mechanism which is quick and easy to operate.

Cons:

• Basket is smaller than I would like, as I do a lot of walking and completing errands with the pushchair in tow!
• Moving straps up and down was a little on the challenging side, however once done, I did not need to move them regularly.
• As it is so light, having a heavy changing bag hanging off back made it a little unsteady, I was worried that the lightweight fabric may also tear, so preferred to carry my bag instead.

You can learn more about the Quinny Zapp Flex Plus and check out all the different colour options (Swoon!) on the Quinny Website.

For advice on choosing the right pushchair for you – we found this Independent article helpful.

*Disclosure – We were sent this pushchair free of charge for the purpose of this Quinny Zapp Flex Plus review, however all thoughts and opinions are our own*.