Handy but Bulky

We received this travel system as a gift is preparation for our first child. We have used it for the past 10 months. It has been simple to use for the most part. The car seat detaches from a base that you can leave in your car. That has been a very handy feature. It allows you to simply slide the seat in, listen for the click and know that your baby is in as safely and swiftly as possible. It also has a notch to be used without the base. While this process is a little more cumbersome (you have to thread the seat belt through and then lock out the seat belt), it is still fairly simple and allows you to use this seat in multiple cars without having to move the base (which is more difficult to install). The stroller is nice and large and easily fits the car seat to be used when the child is young. The car seat just snaps onto the stroller (much like the base for your car) and then you clip in the back end of the seat. It was very intuitive to use and seems safe and protected. I also liked the fact that you could pull out both the car seat's sun visor and the stroller's sun visor and completely close off the baby from the sun on those hot summer days. When our daughter reached 6 months she decided she wanted to see what was going on and so we switched her to the forward-facing seat. While she was still pretty little for the seat, we were able to belt her in (using the 5-point harness) and she seemed safe and comfortable.
The main drawback that I see is just how large the stroller is. It folds down fairly easily (it folds with one hand; the motion takes a little to get used to but once you do is a snap), but once it is folded down is still fairly bulky. We have difficulty fitting it in our trunk if there is anything else in there (which isn't much good for long trips). If you are taking this to the mall, you know that you won't be able to put any of your purchases in the trunk because there won't be room with the stroller. It is fairly light, though, for all its bulk. I have no difficulty lifting it to get it in our trunk (or even carrying it up a flight of stairs). Also, I can't find a way to take off any of the material for washing if you spill something on it or have an accident. We've had multiple spills from putting open drinks in the cup holders and then hitting a bump in the sidewalk and I have yet to figure out how to clean up after these spills.
Overall I would say that even though it is bulky it is still a good value.