As always, we’re pretty excited for the Micralite Toro Review – who doesn’t love a new pushchair to put through its paces?
‘Toro’ means ‘bull’, a label which doesn’t accurately describe this buggy. Which is a good thing, because after all, who wants their little cherub catching a lift off a runaway bovine? So let’s start from the only aesthetically bully feature, the push-bars. Adjustable to suit your grip, but not your height, these horn-like handles are perfectly fine until you realise that they can’t be adjusted in length. Combine this with the narrow rear-wheel base, and the vertically blessed – i.e. my husband – will find themselves stooping over and toe-punting the back wheels. Sub-six-footers won’t have this problem.
The trundle itself is smooth and feels sturdy. The pumpable rear wheels allow for some robust hurtling on all but pebble beaches, without fear of catapulting one’s child. The seat is well-designed, with ample space for even our heifer (well, while we’re on bovine metaphors…), the clasp and shoulder straps easy enough to operate in the dark. Getting said heifer in and out is made slightly problematic by a handlebar which is used to attach the leg-warmer sack – but it’s less than a minotaur irritation (OK, stop now).
For those with less than splendid special awareness, navigating tight spots can sometimes prove embarrassing since the front wheels – which you can’t see – protrude quite wide, but like Brussel sprouts and your partner’s excuses, you soon get used to it.
Opening and closing the Toro is a cinch, as is adjusting the angle of the seat. The beauty of the Toro fully closed is that it stands upright on its own, which is a pretty useful attribute if storage space is tight. There’s a nifty zip-on raincover that doesn’t look big enough to cover a gnat’s backside but in fact encloses the seat perfectly.
Don’t expect to do much shopping with the Toro. Under-crib space is virtually non existent and difficult to access. But then there are those horn bars to hang bags from (oh come on, we all do it!). All in all, the Toro makes for a nice safe ride, a Sunday stroller you might say – perfect for the country or the ‘burbs – but for heavy urban use you’ll probably find smaller, lighter and more compact.
The Micralite Toro is currently available from Precious Little One for £450.
