The Tale of the Graco Quattro Tour Stroller Snatching Thief
Written: Nov 01 '06 (Updated Nov 02 '06)
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Pros: Easy to steer, easy to fold, large storage basket, good suspension, cupholders, great overall stroller
Cons: 3 point harness, fairly heavy, a little bulky folded, no handle height-adjustment
The Bottom Line: If you are in need of a stroller, the Graco Quattro Tour is definitely one you should check out!
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| gatorgirlie's Full Review: Graco Quattro Tour - Mocha Travel System Stroller |
It's a sordid tale based on real events-- full of mortal peril, intrigue and, yes, *scandalous* situations. It's a NYT Best Seller and even has one reviewer quoted as saying "I'm surprised that this mild-mannered suburban mom made it out alive."
Just kidding. Actually the tale is fairly pedestrian and normal, though it does start out with dreams of a stroller going up in a blaze of glory. One day, not too long ago, I finally tired of my hard-to-push, hard-to-fold, small-storage-spaced, no-cupholder-bearing monstrosity of a stroller and decided that I was going to steal my parent's Graco. Actually, borrow is the more accurate term here... but since we're going for drama and intrigue, I'll use steal. Since (when their grandson isn't over their house) they have no honest use for a stroller (unless there is something they have yet to inform me about), they graciously let me have it. Hallelujah. I now have a good stroller.
First, how did Grandma and Grandpa get a stroller of their own?
They purchased the Graco Quattro Tour stroller (in Mocha, a now-discontinued color) as part of the travel system package (along with the SnugRide car seat) at Toys R Us for around $160. I think the MSRP is around $200, but they were having a massive sale... so they got a good deal. It was nice having strollers at both houses (so I didn't have to lug mine whenever we visited Grammie and Papa), but I slowly started realizing how much I liked their Graco over my Britax (the review on the Britax Forerunner can be found here).
Every time I'd visit I would eye their stroller with envy... I'm surprised I didn't get smited for one of the Seven Deadly Sins on the spot. When you have a horrible stroller and someone close to you has such a nice one, it's very hard to deal with that angst.
The Basics
Like I said, you can purchase the Graco Quattro Tour stroller at Toys r Us, and many other baby retailers including Target and WalMart. You can buy the Quattro Tour stroller separately for around $140 or you can purchase the "travel system" (where the stroller comes with the car seat) for around $230. This fabric is the Mocha color, which is a nice brown with brown/blue/cream plaid accents. It has since been discontinued and I can't find it anywhere online, but Graco has seen fit to replace it with the Oakwood... which looks very similar, only the brown is darker.
The company's website is: http://www.gracobaby.com.
Stroller Specs:
*Weight= around 27 lbs
*Aluminum Frame
*Attached parent tray with two cupholders and two storage compartments
*Infant tray with three separate compartments
*3 pt harness
*One-hand, gravity folding mechanism
*One-handed steering mechanism
*180 degree canopy with tinted window
*Four position reclining seat
*Large storage basket underneath
*One touch, dual rear brakes
*Removeable head support
*Storage Latch
*Front swivel wheels with locks and suspension
*Children up to 40 lbs
Of course, these are the specs on my parent's Graco Quattro Tour stroller, which has been updated. Now the stroller is coming with digital time and temperature readings on the parent tray and some are coming with side storage compartments and a higher weight limit (50 lbs). However, I feel confident in reviewing this stroller because everything Graco has updated has been cosmetic only -- there haven't been any changes to the frame, suspension, wheels or steering -- which doesn't really impact the performance of a stroller.
Disclaimer:
I cannot evaluate the ease of assembly because I didn't assemble it. I can see, however, from the manual that it appears to be fairly simple. The manual is easy to read, with color-coded instructional pictures corresponding to the written words. The instructions are in English, French and Spanish... so good for you if you can speak one of those three languages, sucks to be you if you can't. Honestly, though, the pictures are so easy to follow... you probably could get away with just looking at the pictures and ignoring the written instructions.
I also wanted to add that I have stolen this stroller AFTER Aidan outgrew his infant car seat. I did watch my parents use the Snugride with this stroller a few times and it seemed easy enough -- just pop the car seat on the stroller and lock the ends. I like how the car seat actually got "locked" in with clamps -- the Forerunner didn't do that and I feel it adds a bit more safety to the equation.
So, tell me what's good about this stroller
Whoa, mom... I can fit old man Perkins in the storage basket.
I thought the basket on my Forerunner was large but this basket takes not only the cake, but the entire bakery as well. In my Forerunner, I could barely fit my supersized diaper bag when the seat was in the full upright position... on a recent shopping trip, I managed to fit my diaper bag and TWO twelve-packs of Bud Light. Talk about room and a half. I probably could have shoved more crap underneath if I had tried but I was so impressed by the fact I could fit the beer and the bag that I didn't even try.
Now, we also have to mention the two additional storage compartments in the parent tray... what a nice addition! The compartments are both covered and they're both sized so you can easily stick your keys and cellphone in them..
Yes, Virginia, there really is a one-handed close
When my father first told me about the one-handed closure mechanism on his Graco, I was doubtful. Especially since I struggled with the Britax since day one. Could there really be a stroller that I could close while holding my infant son?
The answer is yes. All you have to do is press in a button and twist the handle, and voila... the stroller just collapses to the ground. This is, perhaps, the best addition to any stroller I've ever seen. No more struggling with latches... just push and twist.
We're off to steer the stroller, maneuver it through the mall!
One of the most frustrating and tear-inducing things about my Britax is the horrid steering and maneuverability. You couldn't stear it one-handed -- heck, you could barely manuever it with BOTH hands. The wheels almost seemed like they were stuck in sand, and let's not even go through grass in the park. Meanwhile, the Graco Quattro Tour steers like a dream. The front wheels pivot and swivel so fluently, you can turn through the tightest store with ease. And you can do it one-handed. It also handles very well through grass and packed sand, though not as effectively as on concrete (obviously).
I'll also say that curbs and other large obstacles seem to be no problem with the Graco stroller.
Holy frijoles, cupholders!
Seriously, there are two. When you are spending over $100 on a stroller, I am firmly against the idea that you should have to go out and purchase another item to add on because your stroller simply doesn't come with them. They are a generous size, though I doubt you could fit one of those Big Gulps in them.
Most people will find this a bit obnoxious, but come on. I'm never seen without either a) a bottle of water or b) a cup of coffee. When you are steering a stroller through a mall, you don't want a cup of hot coffee in your hand... especially if you need two hands to control your stroller. Plus, I can keep anything that Aidan is drinking up by me instead of in his snack tray. He's at the age where he flings anything within his reach to the floor, so it's nice to control where his bottle is while also having my coffee safely nestled in a holder.
The wheels on the stroller go round and round...
The suspension system of this Graco stroller makes for a nice, smooth ride. What to find out how your shocks (key component of your stroller's suspension) are? When you test your car, push down on the car just above a wheel well. If the car bounces and continues to bounce, your shocks are shot. If the car doesn't move all that much (ie: bounces once then stops), your shocks are in good shape. You can use this with strollers as well. When you push down on the Forerunner, the stroller bounces up and down. Cute, but not that comfortable -- their shocks are horrible. When you push down on this Graco, however, the stroller gives a small bounce then stops.
If the stroller bounces excessively, it isn't absorbing the vibrations your wheels make with the ground... meaning your child will have a bumpier ride. The Graco stroller definitely makes for a great ride!
Oh, I figure I'll stick this here. The seat is definitely comfortable for the child. There is a lot of padding (so you don't have to worry about metal poking your child) and the head pillow seems nice and soft. The fabric is nice -- not ultra-soft, but it isn't rough either.
I wear my sunglasses at night...
This may seem fairly silly, but I love the sunshade on this stroller. You can position it anywhere you need to. This means, when Aidan's sleeping, I can move the sunvisor to the bottom of the stroller and drape a towel over the top of it. Also, if the sun is coming in at a weird angle, I can position it to block my son's eyes.
My Britax's visor is attached at the top, which means if the sun is in his eyes when the visor is fully extended, there really isn't anything I can do about it.
Ok... there has to be a few bad things, right?
Hmmmm... it's a bird... it's a plane... no, it's just my son leaping out of the stroller in a single bound
Nah, that hasn't happened yet... and I probably shouldn't even mention it because the newer version of the Quattro Tour stroller has eliminated this problem... but the model we own only came equipped with a three-point harness. For those unfamiliar, a 3 pt harness is one that only latches across the lap (as opposed to a 5 pt harness that latches across both shoulders as well as the lap). While the harness is nice, big and padded... I still get the feeling that my son can lunge out of the stroller at any given time (even when tightly secured). Maybe it's just because he can twist his body and lean pretty far over the edge of the stroller, maybe it's because he can twist all the way around and look at me (while cute... probably unsafe), maybe I'm just being paranoid... I don't know. It's also a pain to get him to lay down -- even if I put the back down all the way, he's still able to sit up. Not so good when the name of the game is "sleep time."
Spot Cleaning and Adjusting, oh my
These aren't necessarily bad... but they are irritating.
First, the handles do not have a height adjustment. We haven't had any problems with this because the greatest height differential is 5'3'' to 5'11''... but it might come into play with a very tall husband.
Secondly, while I have seen it's possible... it looks fairly difficult to remove the fabric to wash it. This means you'll be spot-cleaning it only (unless you like undertaking potentially difficult and time-consuming tasks).
Finally, the seat position lever (while it does recline to four different positions) is located in an odd spot. I have to actually reach underneath the handlebar (on the back of the seat) to adjust. This is slightly more inconvenient than the Forerunner, but it isn't that bad.
Lift those weights, girls!
One thing I'm really not horribly fond of is the weight of this stroller. At 27 lbs, it comes close to equalling some double strollers on the market and it tacks almost 10 lbs heavier than the Britax. Yes, I believe the heavier weight means it's more durable and higher quality... but explain that to my arms who have to lift and remove the stroller from my car's trunk on a daily basis. The stroller folds compactly -- it is shorter than the Britax (when folded) but it is "thicker." Sometimes I have a hard time fitting it into the trunk of my Nissan Maxima... so you might want to watch out if you own a Focus.
Overall...
I'm in love with my stroller. Right now I'm wishing I could transport myself back in time and tell the pregnant me to avoid Britax at any cost. That's really sad because I loved the Companion car seat, but the stroller was a nightmare. I'm actually rethinking using my Companion again simply because I dread the thought of purchasing another overpriced contraption called a "stroller" from Britax. While the Graco Quattro Tour does have a few drawbacks, I feel that all the positives outweigh them. The Quattro Tour offers a travel system filled with both parental convenience (large storage spaces, easy handling/folding and cupholders) and comfort for the child (seat padding, head pillow and suspension). AND it is priced reasonably -- $200 for a travel system complete with a top-of-the-line car seat and stroller isn't a bad deal. Graco's also have durability on their side -- I've talked to parents who have used their Graco stroller through three kids.
In all, I've put both strollers through the ringer... and the Graco definitely came out on top. Yes, it is heavier and bulkier... but it's also easier to close and manuever through stores. Actually, I find that really odd. The suspension, steering and wheels must be THAT good. How could this stroller be almost 10 lbs heavier than the Forerunner, yet seem so light when I'm pushing it? In addition, it's cheaper, better quality and more convenient. What's not to love?! I highly recommend the Graco Quattro Tour stroller and give it Four Stars.
Pros:
*Good suspension/shocks
*One-handed close
*Easy maneuvering -- one-handed
*Can do well in grass or packed sand
*Child's snack tray
*Very large lower basket
*Parent's cupholders
*Two extra storage compartments
*180 degree sunshade makes it easy to keep the sun out of your child's eyes
*Durable and high quality
*Average price
*One-touch dual rear brakes are easy to use... just one button down to lock, and push another button down to unlock
*Nice colors
*Four position seat recline includes completely horizontal for your sleeping one
Cons:
*Hard to remove fabric to wash, you'll have to spot clean
*10 lbs heavier than my Britax
*Folds a little bulkier than usual
*The storage latch is a little hard to use in the car, so you won't be able to lock it... sometimes this makes it difficult to remove it from the car one-handed
*No handle height-adjustment
*Seat position lever is in a weird spot
*Only a three-point harness.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 160
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months
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gatorgirlie
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Location: Orlando, FL
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