Review: Graco Evo Avant Pushchair & SnugRide i-Size Baby Car Seat

Back in June I announced that I was teaming up with Graco as one of their UK Generation Graco bloggers for 2017 - exciting! At the launch event I got to take a peek at some of the products I'll be trying out and straight away I spotted the Graco Evo Avant Breton Stripe pushchair. I'm a huge lover of stripes; you've probably seen the photos of the boys and I in our matching stripes, and my stripy bump photos all the way through my last pregnancy! I immediately fell in love with the pushchair so, like the character from Little Britain, I said to the Graco team, "I want that one!" A few days later my very own stripy pushchair had arrived, along with a Graco SnugRide i-Size car seat to complete the travel system.

The Graco Evo Avant is part of the Evo family of pushchairs which also includes the entry level Evo and the all-terrain Evo XT. All three pushchairs are compatible with the SnugRide i-Size infant car seat to make a complete and versatile from-birth travel system that grows with your baby.

The seat unit of our Graco Evo Avant has a grey marl padded seat with tan leatherette shoulder straps and a large canopy to keep Essie protected from the sun and wind. The hood of the seat unit has the same grey marl fabric on the outside with a stylish Breton striped fabric on the inside. For extra comfort and to ensure that the pushchair is ready for all conditions, it comes with a matching luxury footmuff and a front access raincover, so you don't need to buy either of these separately.

The seat unit is reversible can be used world- or parent-facing. There is a matching carrycot that can be purchased separately so along with the car seat and the multi-position recline seat unit this gives you up to eight riding options. The seat unit can lie flat making it suitable to use from birth and it can be used for children weighing up to 15kgs, which is approximately three years old. It also has an adjustable calf support which will ensure Essie's legs are comfortable as she grows.

Like the rest of the Graco Evo pushchairs, the Evo Avant has a convenient one-hand fold, and what's really great is that it can fold with the seat unit attached. I can't tell you how much I love being able to fold a pushchair in one go and with one hand! It really makes life easier and helps to save time, something I don't have a lot of now that I'm a mum of three!

The pushchair folds in half at the middle of the frame and lies really flat, so it fits conveniently in the boot of my car leaving room for me to pile things on top of it. The handle is covered with lush tan leatherette, I love the detail of the stitching, it really adds to the look. The plush fabrics combined with the tan leatherette touches give the pushchair a really luxurious look and feel. The handle doesn't extend, but it can be adjusted up and down to suit your height. 

Beneath the pushchair frame is a large shopping basket. When I bought my first pushchair with my first baby I didn't pay any attention to the basket size and it was only later that I realised what a difference a decent shopping basket makes, so now it is one of the first things I look at when looking at new pushchairs! The basket on the Evo Avant is a really ample size and I can fit lots in it; for example, my camera bag and my baby changing bag can both fit with ease and room to spare. Having three children I need a good-sized shopping basket and this is plenty for us, but if you want an even bigger one then check out the Evo XT as the basket on that is huge!

I've never been particularly fussy about what wheels are on my pushchair, as long as they're big enough to make the ride comfortable and take the bumps with ease. The wheels on the Evo Avant are the hard type and it is a four-wheel base rather than a three-wheeler system. The front two wheels are lockable swivel wheels; I never tend to lock the wheels on my pushchairs but this is a useful feature if you are going over bumpier ground.

One of the really convenient features of the Evo is that the car seat and carrycot can slot straight onto the pushchair frame using their Click Connect Technology, without the need for separate adapters. I love this, because I am one of those people that ends up forgetting or losing adapters! It's so handy to be able to switch between the car seat and the seat unit with ease and without having to take any extra bits and bobs out with me and the car seat goes on really easily.

The SnugRide i-Size infant car seat is the newest addition to Graco’s expanding range of award-winning car seats. It is compliant with the new i-Size regulation and has been designed to help protect rear-facing infants from birth to approximately 18 months (13kg). It comes with a base which is equipped with retractable ISOFIX points and leg support. I fitted the base in my car within minutes and the "green light" system helped me check that it was fitted correctly. The SnugRide car seat then simply clicks onto the base and when I want to take it out of the car there is a release button at the back of the headrest so it comes out with ease.

The SnugRide i-Size comes with removable newborn head and body supports which we have already removed as Essie is too big for those. She is still really cushioned and well supported in the seat though; in fact this car seat is one of the most comfortable looking seats we've tried. The headrest can be adjusted as she grows - it simply lifts upwards, moving the harness with it - and the base can be adjusted through seven positions to provide more leg room. The five-point harness is quick and easy to do up and release, and the handle can be adjusted with four different positions from carrying through to sitting.

The car seat has a large canopy which provides shelter from the elements when being used as a travel system, and it has a breathable mesh at the back too. One of the things I really like about this car seat is that the base has a foot rest to protect the seats of the car from getting grubby. Not so much an issue now, but when Essie is a bit older this will be really useful. The car seat covers are also removable and machine washable, and they come off and go back on really easily.

This is such a versatile and easy to use travel system and will see us well into the toddlerhood years. The Graco Evo Avant is also available in Black Grey, Cranberry, Ocean, Plum, Olive and Java and retails at £390. The SnugRide i-Size comes in Midnight Black and retails at £325.

Head to Graco's website to find out more about their range of baby and children's products, all designed for the real world of parenting!

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With thanks to Graco for sending these products to review as part of our sponsored partnership.