17 out of 17 people found this review helpful.
Volo - good entry-level Maclaren
Date of Review: Feb 3, 2004
The Bottom Line: The Volo is a great city stroller for older babies and toddlers.
Two kids, five car seats and four strollers later, we have finally figured out what works.
We own a Maclaren Techno and Maclaren Volo. I will not review the Techno, because the version we have is no longer available (ours is the 2001 model).
A trip to Florida in Jan. 2002 initiated the quest for a small, lightweight stroller to pack with all of the other stuff needed to take two adults and one baby across the country for nine days. The trick was, we needed to get a set of golf clubs, pack-n-play, stroller, and clothing for all into the trunk of a Honda Accord. Enter the Maclaren .....
One more child added to the mix required another stroller, since our 2 1/2 year old still loves to people-watch from the comfort of her stroller (formerly the Maclaren Techno-which is now our son's). I researched the double strollers, and we decided that none seemed to be a good fit, either in our trunk or in our lives.
The Volo was the perfect solution. It is small, amazingly lightweight, has a five-point harness, and can actually be pushed with one hand, even with a 35 lb toddler sitting in it.
Maclaren is a nicely engineered, no frills stroller. They make "city strollers". They are narrow, light, fold very compactly, easily handle curbs and tight spaces. They are not "shopping strollers". You can't fit much more than the basics in the basket. We pack a small diaper bag to put in the basket, and no, a gallon of milk does not fit.
The Volo does not come with a sun shade. It is available, for an additional price. The additional price may make one of the other Maclaren's a better choice if your child won't wear a hat or you spend lots of time outside in the sun. I use the Techno and Volo together (yes, you can push the two at once...it really is that easy!) for walks around our historic town, to the park and at the mall.
The five point harness keeps little hands close to where they belong. The strollers are weighted/balanced so that with a child inside, they are more stable than without. The Volo has no problem with some of the rather bumpy areas of old sidewalk in our town...none of that tipping forward that some strollers do.
Our children are too busy looking around to actually sleep in a stroller, so I can't comment on that. The mesh fabric is nice and cool and wipes up like a dream.
