Great Lightweight Stroller. Pricey but Worth Every Penny!

Author's Rating:

Pros: easy to open/close, moblity, 4-point recline, UV/viewing window visor, leg rest, seat, carrying handle

Cons: lack of snack tray/cup holder, basket size, tipping over (all lightweight strollers), brake, price

The Bottom Line: 
I'm extremely happy with my decision.  I think the pros definitely out weight the cons.  I believe the Quest surpasses its competition when looking at all it has to offer.

Author's Review
I have to say that I've really enjoyed my Maclaren Quest. I like how it stands up in my opinion against the Maclaren Volo and Triumph as well as other lightweight strollers (like the Combi Flare and Peg Perego Aria). I found that the pros significantly outweigh the cons, and I don't regret for even a second buying this stroller.

I got the 2007 Quest Sport (the only difference that I could find between the Sport and Mod is the fabric. I might be wrong, but in all the research I did that was all I could find). If you want specific information on the Quest here is the Maclaren website address: http://www.Maclarenbaby.com/us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=101&Itemid=493 Please know that even though I've only owned my Maclaren for about 1 month, I borrowed a friend of mine for a long international vacation (and therefore lots of plane rides) as well as watched her use hers for almost 2 years. This opinion is written in several parts. My likes on the Maclaren as if it were the only umbrella option out there, how I feel the Quest compares to the Maclaren Volo and Maclaren Triumph, how I believe it compares to other lightweight strollers like Combi and Peg Perego and finally how I look at travel systems differently now that I've own a Quest.

What I like about the Maclaren Quest:

Weight: It is only 12.5lbs and can hold up to 55lbs.

Easy to open/close: Once you open it 4 or 5 times it is easy to open. I can now open even while dealing with my extremely active 1 year old desperately trying to escape my grasp. Once you get the hang of it, it is also easy to close with one hand. Once it is closed it is compact like your standard umbrella stroller.

Mobility: This is a huge one for me. I can move this around with one hand. This means I can hold my 2 year old's hand and drive the stroller with the other one. Even though you can drive it with one hand, I still feels like it is a solid and sturdy stroller. It never feels like it is going to tip.

Recline: It has 4 recline options. Note it doesn't recline completely flat. So this is definitely not meant for a newborn. A friend of mine used this for her baby (probably as young as 3 months, which is the youngest you can use this for according to Maclaren) and he seemed to be just fine in it. It reclines perfectly for my 1 year old. He's past the age where he can sleep basically anywhere, so finding a stroller that he could sleep in was a goal for me (it wasn't going to be a deal breaker...but it was a huge bonus!) In addition, the recline helps with the sun. The visor is nice, but sometimes being able to recline just a little is all you need to do to get the sun out of their eyes. It is also very easy to adjust the recline; it isn't just adjusting straps. There is actually a mechanism in place that locks in each of the four different positions. Even with my 2 year old in the stroller I was able to recline the stroller to the second and third position without any difficulty. So, it wasn't as if I went from straight up to completely reclining (fourth position) because the weight of the child was too much when attempting to recline the seat.

Visor: I like the visor for several reasons. First it has the UV protection. Now that might really mean nothing. But given how fair my children are...I'll take anything I can get. Second, it has a viewing window. It is always nice to see what's going on in the stroller. My 2 year old has a way of looking like he's hugging my 1 year old but really he's not being so nice (gotta love boys). The viewing window gives me a better angle as to what's really going on. Also, it just lets me know without having to stop and check if the child's asleep or if he has his pacifier. It makes things a little easier. And giving how crazy things are with a 1 year old and a 2 year old...anything to make my life easier is worth it!

Adjustable Leg rest: The Quest has the ability to have a pull out leg rest. It adds about 3-4 inches to the end of the seat. It is great when you want to recline the seat so your child can sleep. Who knows if my 1 year old cares if his legs are propped up more or not (he seems to like it...but it may just be the fact I think he looks more comfortable), but if he were younger (say 6 months) I know having the leg extender would be nice. And since we are still on the fence about a third, we decided having that ability was nice.

Seat: The seat has substance to it (or at least it looks like that to me). I just feel like it is more solid and more comfortable. Given the fact I really use my stroller a lot (I probably use my stroller 5 times a week if not every day), I needed something that's comfortable. I needed something that both my 1 year old and 2 year old would be comfortable in. They both seem quite happy in it. The 5 point harness doesn't hurt either. Given the fact my 2 year old rivals Houdini in getting out of things, it helps to have a 5 point harness. A 3 point harness is a joke and won't keep him in the stroller. Of course to be honest, the 5 point harness isn't much better...but at least it gives me a little bit more warning when he begins his escape.

Carrying handle: It isn't too cumbersome to carry. When we were traveling there were times when carrying the boys was a must, but at the same time...we still had to deal with the stroller. Usually it was my husband who was carrying one of the boys and the stroller and he said it really wasn't that bad. The carrying handle was comfortable and sturdy (according to him). He said it might have been a little easier having the strap, but the handle was really Ok. (note: the 2008 model has a carrying strap)

What do I not like about the Maclaren:

Lack of kids Snack tray: I don't like the fact it doesn't have a snack tray. My kids actually use a snack tray and my 2 year old has reminded me several times that this new stroller's missing it. I know you can buy extra pieces for the stroller, but that messes up the ability to close the stroller. I know you can buy things that you just take off when not using them, and we might do something like that...but that's still going to be a bit of a pain.

Lack of Cup Holder for me: This is just a real inconvenience not a major problem. On this one though, my friend actually put one on hers so that it still folds without any problems. So I'll just do that and move on with things.

Basket size: I just moved from SUV stroller land, so I'm used to having a basket that you could almost do grocery shopping with. So adjusting to a basket that can really only hold a small diaper bag has been a little difficult to adjust to. I will come around, but it is still a pain to remember I can't take everything I'm used to carrying.

Tipping over: Darn it...I've got to remember these strollers will tip over if you take your child out when heavy things are still on the handles. Today for example my diaper bag went flying b/c I took my 1 year old out of the stroller before I took off the diaper bag I had hanging on one of the handle bars (I know...a big no-no). This one is the most difficult thing for me to adjust to.

Brake: Right now the brake is still hard for me to get used to. I've been told by my friend that it just takes some time and then it is no big deal. At this moment in time the side brake is driving me batty. I do believe my friend though b/c her stroller didn't give us any problems at all while traveling. Hers is about 2 years old than mine, so hers was broken in. (Note: the 2008 model has a central foot brake)

Okay, so that summarizes my thoughts on the Maclaren. How does it stand up in my opinion to other strollers?

If you are looking a just Maclarens you can first check out the website: http://www.maclarenbaby.com/us/language/english/full_comparison_chart.pdf That is maclarens quick pdf chart on the different strollers and their specs.

I have to say that I'm not a huge fan of the Volo. I borrowed one from a friend of mine (when I was trying out several Maclarens) and really didn't like it. It is light (even lighter than the Quest at 8.6 lbs), it folds with one hand and it has a carrying handle. Outside of that, it doesn't have anything else. So even though is has 3 of the features I really like about the Quest, it doesn't even come close to all of them and honestly in my opinion I can find those features in a much cheaper stroller. Not only that, one of the things I really disliked about the Volo I tried was the seat. It was a basic mesh seat. It looked uncomfortable and after about 15 minutes in it, my 2 year old wanted out. Now that could have been because he hates being stuck in a stroller. But at the same time, I can find a much cheaper stroller with a mesh seat. In my opinion (of course, I didn't buy one and I don't own one, so I'm not the best judge) I would say it doesn't make sense to buy a Volo for the money. If you are going to spend the money for a nice umbrella stroller the Triumph and Quest are better options.

Okay, so that brings me to the Triumph. My sister in law has the Triumph and loves it. When my husband and I were comparing her stroller to my friend's Quest (we were comparing them on vacation) we just felt that the extra few perks on the Quest were worth the money if we could find one on sale (hence the reason we bought the 2007 model rather than the 2008 model). I feel like the visor and leg extension were worth it. I'm also not sure what the difference between the Triumph's "multiple" recline positions and the Quest's 4 recline positions. I also feel like the seat was more comfortable. But, that really is subjective. It is very possible we were comparing different years and therefore one was used more than the other. It is quite possible the actual seats were identical. I'm not sure. But, we were able to get the 2007 model for the 2008 Triumph price. So we went with the 2007 Quest.

In my opinion when comparing the Volo, Triumph and Quest the Quest wins. We did not look at any of the more expensive maclaren options. So I don't know anything about Techno.

Now, the Quest vs. basic umbrella stroller.

Your basic umbrella stroller that you can pull off the $29.99 rack doesn't have the comfortable seat, the ability to recline, the carrying handle, the great visor, the storage basket, need I go on? But...it is also only $29.99. So if what you are looking for is a cheap stroller. Then I say, go with the basic umbrella stroller.

I was told that good comparisons for the Maclaren are the Combi Flare and Peg Perego Aria.

I have to say that even though the combi flare had some of the things we were looking for (and was about 50% cheaper), it didn't have some of the things we really liked. First to recline the seats I believe you have to adjust a strap. I'm not a fan of that as I noted above. Second, I'm also not a fan of the way it folds up. I don't like the tri-fold that seems to be on all of the Combi strollers that we looked at. I like the simple one hand way that the Maclaren folds up. It folds up just like your basic umbrella stroller and that was a huge plus for me. I need it to take up as little space as possible. Even though I have a minivan, I'm tired of giving up all of my space to a stroller. Third, from what we saw it didn't have a viewing visor. And for me the viewing visor was a real plus. Finally even though the combi flare is compatible with their car seat, we don't use their car seat so that's not a plus for us (we use the Graco car seat).

The Peg Perego on the other hand had quite a few of the same things the Quest did, but it was in the exact same price range. So now it really came down to specifics. And again, I was won over b/c I really like the folding of the Maclaren. I also really like how the Maclaren reclines. I'm not saying that the Aria reclining method is difficult; I'm just saying that for me, the Maclaren is easier.

Last comparison is the Maclaren to the travel system:

Okay really, this isn't a fair comparison...this is comparing apples and oranges. Actually really I feel like it is like comparing oranges to carrots (same food group fruits/veggies and even same color, but totally different entity all together). But, if you knew me, you would know that I rave about my travel system. When my first son was born I had a single Graco travel system. When my second son was born, I bought the double Graco travel system. I can't even begin to say enough wonderful things about the Graco travel system (but this isn't a review for that). I believe that if you have an infant that sleeps well in his/her car seat then the travel system is the way to go...hands down. Both of my sons were fabulous sleepers in their car seats and since I use my stroller all the time, I needed to have the ability to transfer from stroller to car and viceversa. If you had asked me two months ago if you were registering for a stroller what should you buy, I would have told you without thinking that a travel system is the way to go.

Now, I would have to pause a second and reassess the situation. I now understand why my friend used her Maclaren while I used my travel system (it used to completely baffle me). Her son didn't sleep in his car seat well when it wasn't in the car plus he was out of his bucket seat at 6 months. So why should she lug around such a large stroller in her car for a child that wouldn't sleep in his car seat anyway. I now see her point. I would almost tell a friend you need both because you will use both eventually. By the time my first was 15 months, I was pregnant and very uncomfortable. I wish I had the Maclaren rather than my travel system. It was way more stroller than I needed for a 15 month old. I see that now. So, I would tell a friend now that there are huge benefits to both strollers and that I'm glad I have the Maclaren. If I have a third, I will definitely go back to my travel system. But the second (and I mean the second) my child stops sleeping well in his car seat, I'm moving him into the Maclaren. I love it that much...and that is huge coming from me.

I know this is an extremely long opinion. But I really struggled with this decision. I searched high and low for information on this stroller and how it stood up against other strollers. Strollers are expensive and because of that it can't always be a quick decision. I would strongly recommend the Maclaren Quest. I've loved my friend's 2005 Quest and I love my 2007 Quest. My friend's about to have a new baby in March and is treating herself to a new Quest when the baby's born. So she loves hers so much she's going to be a repeat buyer. I always look at repeat buyers as a good sign.

On more thing...the stroller comes completely assembled...not a reason to buy it...but definitely a big plus!