(ENDED) Graco Vie4 Stroller – review and GIVEAWAY

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED AND COMMENTS ARE CLOSED

The winner is:

#85 Carol

I would venture a guess that most parents would put a stroller on their top ten, or even top five list of baby gear “must-haves.”  A stroller is an essential piece of equipment in so many situations, and many of them can be used from infant on up, some up to 50lbs.

My son who is almost six years old even recently spent some time in the stroller.  We were shopping and he was feeling ill.  Luckily my Mom was with me and she put Abby in a store cart and Jake sat in the stroller.  I was able to finish shopping and didn’t hear a single complaint from my passenger, although his feet stuck out off the front of the stroller and kept snagging on things.

The stroller that we had for Abby was originally Jake’s.  I received it as a shower gift in the Fall of 2003.  It was not the one I registered for and I didn’t really care.  My Mom picked it out and I recall her telling me she spent hours at the store trying them all out.  In the end she chose a Graco Quattro Tour Travel System that included an infant car seat.  We used that stroller regularly with Jake and for the last almost two years with Abby.

As much as we liked the old stroller and it had many great memories for us, I recently was given an opportunity to try out a brand new Graco stroller called the Vie4.  Graco sent me a Vie4 in the “Betsey” pattern (totally girly) to test and review and let’s just say the old stroller is now no longer with us.

The Graco Vie4 is considered a full-sized stroller.  A little bigger and bulkier than the light-weight strollers but not quite as big or heavy as the largest of the Graco full-sized strollers, the Quattro Tour.

From the site:

The Stylish Design That Makes Strolls More Fun

Something about the Vie4′s stylish design makes strolls more fun! Fold it with one hand and it automatically latches closed and stands upright – no need to bend down to retrieve it. The height-adjustable handle means Dad won’t have to crouch to push it, and an extra-large storage basket means Mom can shop til she drops. The parent tray two deep cup holders to keep keys and drinks handy. Baby will enjoy the ride in a multi-position flat reclining seat and child’s tray with cup/snack holder that pivots open for easy stroller entry. The Vie4™ Stroller even accepts Graco® SnugRide® Infant Car Seat and Infant SafeSeat™ Car Seat so your baby can effortlessly go from car to stroller to anywhere.

Features

• Accepts Graco® SnugRide®, SnugRide® 32 and Infant SafeSeat™ Car Seats
• Parent storage tray with two deep cup holders keeps keys and drinks handy
• One-hand, self-standing fold closes simply with no bending necessary & automatically latches
• Height-adjustable handle lets both Mom & Dad push comfortably without stooping over
• Extra-large storage basket makes it easy to access and stow your necessities
• Multi-position, flat reclining seat and flip-up bassinet so Baby can rest
• Canopy with peek-a-boo window lets you see Baby at all times
• Child’s tray with cup/snack holder pivots open for easy stroller entry
• Lockable front swivel wheels with suspension for a smoother ride
• Convertible 3- & 5-point harness grows with your child

Specifications

• Weight: 22.8 lbs
• Handle Height: 41.5″
• Handle Width: 16″
• Stroller Width (open): 23.5″

Recommended Use

For child up to 40 lbs

After I received the Vie4 I did have to assemble it but it didn’t take very long, it was pretty straightforward.  Then one of the first things I did was put the two strollers next to each other to compare them.  Below area series of shots so you can see the differences in the two strollers.  I don’t think the Quattro Tour has changed a whole lot from our old one, but I can’t say for sure.

From the pictures, the Vie4 looks smaller than our old stroller and in many ways it is but it doesn’t seem to sacrifice the roominess for Abby.

Some things I like about the Vie4:

• Child tray is higher up than our old stroller and seems at a better height for her to reach it.
• The child tray has a drink compartment and a longer single compartment rather than the old stroller that had a weird third section that nothing fit into.
• The adjustable handle is amazing to accommodate different heights, including if you are wearing flats or heals!
• The basket seems bigger even though it doesn’t look that way.  I fit more in it for some reason.
• Tall parent cup holders so drinks are more stable.
• It’s lighter and easier to manuever.
• The clear area in the canopy where you can view the child is at a better angle.  I don’t have to stand on my toes and lean over to see her.
• The seat back angles at almost any angle before it lays flat and it is so much easier to use.
• It folds UP towards you when closing so you do not have to bend down.
• When it is folded it is latched and you must press the button and the handle to get it to open back up again.  Our old stroller did not latch when it was folded.

Some things I would like to see improved about the Vie4:

• The 5-point harness is nice for infants but as they get older and only need the 3-point harness, I’m not sure what to do with the shoulder straps.  Right now Abby plays with them.  If I take them out (and I’m not sure I can) I’m afraid I will lose them.
• The child tray was difficult to open for awhile until I got the hang of it, but that mostly because the mechanism functions differently than my old one and I wasn’t used to it.
• I cannot seem to open the stroller with just one hand, I have to use the second one to push the tray down to get it open.  I’m not sure it matters, but I just expected it to work with one hand.  I’m not even sure it is supposed to but since it closed with one hand I just expect it to open with one hand.
• The back part of the footrest, where the fabric is, seems to sit on the footrest rather than back behind it making it more difficult for the child’s feet to rest fully on the footrest.  I can push it back behind it, but it pops forward again right away.
• The canopy retracts but does not flip to cover the front of the child like our old stroller did.  At Abby’s age it is not a big deal for us because she’d end up playing with it, but for a younger child, I’d think it would be a feature people would miss.

Below is a shot of Abby in the stroller.  She looks unhappy.  She was.  Not because of the stroller but she hadn’t napped and was royally disagreeable.  We call her “Crabigail” when she gets like that.

This is a close-up of the back of the stroller showing the seat reclining strap.  Our old stroller had a metal bar and 3 or 4 fixed seat positions.  At first I was kind of wary of this strap, but in the end it works very well, is a whole lot easier to use and allow me to pretty much put her at whatever angle I want.

The picture below shows a nifty feature of the Vie4.  The back of the footrest area flips up and velcros into the side padding to make a nice sort of  “carriage” for an infant.  I think though, that this feature is what keeps that flap thingy from sitting properly behind the footrest when it is folded down.

The last two photos show the folding process of the Vie4.  Again, you can close it one-handed and it collapses UP towards you.  You don’t have to bend over to fold it or to pick it up to lift it into the car or put it away.  The child tray does seem to stick out a bit when it is folded but it seems to fold just as flat as our old one.  But the way the handle collapses down, the Vie 4 definitely takes up less room in the car, plus it is lighter and easier to pick up.

Overall I really do love this stroller.  It is easier to push and seems more manueverable. The adjustable handle makes it feel more natural for your arms and the way it collapses and folds down takes up less room in the back of my van.  Abby looks way more comfortable in the Vie4, because the tray seems like it is at a better height for her and the child tray is overall more usable.

Somehow the basket on the Vie4, even though it looks smaller, seems to hold more.  While it does not fold down to allow you to access your stuff if you happen to have your child reclined, I still have gotten much better use out of it and been less frustrated trying to fit a bunch of things in there.  The other day I even had two canvas folding chairs AND an overstuffed diaper bag in it, not to mention some shoes, sunscreen and a box of crackers.

For an MSRP of $109.99 I think it is a great choice for parents who want the features and solidity of a full-sized stroller but with a little less bulk.

ENTER TO WIN A VIE4 STROLLER

One winner will get a brand new Vie4 stroller from Graco!

How to enter:

Visit the Graco Baby website and check out all of their strollers.  Then come back here and tell us why you think the Vie4 is a stroller that would suit your family’s lifestyle.

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Please leave a separate comment for each additional entry.

Giveaway ends on Wednesday October 14, 2009 at noon CST and is open to the USA.

Winner will be selected from all eligible entries using Random.org.  Winner will be contacted via email but must respond within 48 hours.