Mamas & Papas Urbo2 Stroller Review

It's no secret that I adore strollers. My husband asks me all the time, "When will your hunt for the perfect stroller end?". Normally, I tell him that I see no end in sight. After all, I've been pushing around different strollers for two and a half years now, and while all of them have their merits, it's hard to find one stroller that has every single feature you're looking for. When I laid eyes on the Mamas & Papas Urbo stroller a few years ago, it definitely caught my attention. It was sleek and sophisticated and packed with features in a relatively compact unit. When I heard that they were releasing an updated model, the Mamas & Papas Urbo2, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. From perusing online I had high hopes that this stroller (or pushchair as they say across the pond) would be "the one" for me, so I was beyond thrilled when Mamas & Papas offered to send me an Urbo2 at no cost to facilitate a review. I've been using it for weeks now, so let's take a closer look at the Urbo2.

The first thing that I like to evaluate when a stroller arrives is how easy it is to put together. Lately, I've been trying to assemble all baby gear myself to see if an average lady could accomplish it and I'm super pleased to report that the Urbo2 is pretty much completely assembled for you! All you have to do is pop on the two front wheels, which takes about 10 seconds, and you'll be ready to stroll.

Just look at how beautiful this stroller is!

The Urbo2 is suitable to use from birth to 50 pounds. Of course, if you have a newborn you'll want to use this stroller with their optional bassinet (sold separately) or with an infant car seat (adapters sold separately). The Urbo2 is compatible with the following infant seats: Cybex Aton/Aton2/Aton Q, Graco Snugride 35, Primo Viaggio IP/Primo Viaggio SL, Nuna, and Maxi Cosi Citi/Pebble/Cabriofix/Mico. However, the seat on the Urbo2 does fully recline so you could use it without these options - more on the full recline later.

First, let's take a look at the seat of the Mamas & Papas Urbo2. The seat is reversible, simply by pulling up on the handles located on the side of the seat, so baby can face you or the world ahead of them. I really love this feature since I prefer to keep a close eye on my baby for the first few months. If you take the seat completely off, you can add the infant car seat adapters or the optional bassinet.

As you can see in the photos above, the quilted seat is PLUSH! It's very nicely padded and roomy for your child. There's an included leather wrapped bumper bar. It's extremely easy to pop off one side of the bumper (letting it swing down, secured by the other side) as needed for loading and unloading your child. The seat also comes equip with a newly designed 5 point harness to keep little ones secure. This is a puzzle buckle so you'll have to align the pieces together before locking them into place. This can be a bit cumbersome since the shoulder strap harness piece tends to break apart from the waist strap piece, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy to snap your child in. This harness is also a re-thread system so you'll have to re-thread this as your baby grows, but I didn't find that process to difficult. You have very easy access to the harness slots from the back of the seat. The seat is 11 inches wide at the base (where baby's behind sits) and it's 21 inches from the bottom of the seat to the very top of the seat back. With the canopy extended, there is 22 inches of space from the base of the seat to the canopy.

Just a quick look at the back of the stroller to show you the recline handle and the re-thread slots for the harness.

Another great feature of the seat on the Urbo2 is the one-handed full recline. This is wonderful if you have a baby that tends to fall asleep while strolling, or if you have an infant less than 6 months old that can't sit upright on their own. All you have to do is squeeze the release on the back of the seat (did I mention you can do it with just one hand?) and lower the seat to the level you desire. Speaking of snoozing in the stroller, the Urbo2 now features an extra lined hood and visor to block out those rays. The black canopy has a lovely contrasting gray lining.

The canopy is sized very generously (hooray for us Floridians), and there are multiple panels so you can provide as much (or as little) protection as you deem necessary. There's even a hidden zippered panel with mesh insert to allow for extra ventilation on hot days. If you want to sneak a peek at your little one, there's a fabulous peek-a-boo window with a magnetic closure. I love that they used magnets instead of Velcro! There's nothing worse than the "rippppp" of Velcro when your baby is drifting off to sleep.

Another fun feature on the canopy is the toy loop that's located underneath at the back of the visor panel. This is great for attaching toys (like the adorable Mamas & Papas winter edition owl I have pictured above) to keep your little one busy and entertained.

For baby's comfort, there's a multi-position adjustable footrest that can be moved up or down as needed. One thing I've noticed about this stroller is that every single feature is intuitive. To adjust the footrest there's a small button on the side of the seat, exactly where you'd expect it to be. Same thing with adjusting the handlebar and folding the stroller (more on those features in just a minute). I love that this stroller is so user friendly.

Ready to see yet another uniquely awesome feature of the Urbo2? Underneath the footrest is a zippered pocket which houses an integrated insect net that easily attaches to the stroller via a few snaps on the canopy and an elasticized edge. I can't say enough good things about this net that also doubles as a great sleep shade. Here in Florida, bugs are a BIG problem and the mosquitos in our town can eat you alive. I've had other luxury strollers with included nets, but none of them have been integrated so I'd always end up forgetting them at home. This integrated netting is so convenient and it's such a thoughtful inclusion.

If you live in a rainy climate, the Urbo2 even comes with a rain cover. I'm a BIG fan of having a rain cover on hand. Storms roll in out of nowhere in Florida, so this is fantastic for us.

Let's shift gears and talk about actually strolling with the Urbo2 for a moment. The wheels on this stroller are not only sleek looking, both the front and back wheels have built-in suspension for an ultra-smooth ride. That's why this stroller was "built for city steering". It can handle the bumps of city life like a champ. We don't live in the big city, but we stroll quite a bit and the Urbo2 is probably the easiest stroller I've ever had the pleasure of pushing. It pretty much just glides and it can turn on a dime. Plus, thanks to it's narrow frame, it's easy to maneuver even in crowded spaces. The front wheels are SO easy to pop on and off thanks to the quick release button located on the back of the wheel housing. This is perfect for when you need to stroller to be a bit more compact when storing/traveling.

Another thing that makes this stroller easy to push is the adjustable handlebar. Although the angle is not adjustable, the handlebar does telescope outwards so even the tallest people won't find that this stroller interferes with their stride. Having the ability to easily adjust the handlebar is really useful when when you want to store it or pack it into your car - it makes it that much more compact.

The handlebar, like the baby bumper bar, is wrapped in leather and it's luxurious. I really prefer leather wrapped handles over foam and this is truly in-line with the high-end feel of this stroller. There's also a tether strap built into the handlebar so you're stroller doesn't run away from you.

Another way to keep your stroller from getting away from you is to use the handy rear braking system. The brake is pretty easy to lock and release, but I haven't tried it in flip flops yet. While we're looking at the brakes, we might as well check out the storage basket on the Urbo2. It's a medium-sized basket in my opinion, but there's plenty of room for my diaper bag and even a few small shopping bags if we're out and about. You can access the basket from the back, side, or front (as long as your child's legs aren't in the way).

Let's take a look of one of the most important features - the fold! I was really surprised at how easily the Urbo2 folds into a compact unit. Using both hands, you'll simply push a button and slide the levers on the frame (one on each side), lowering the frame downward. Instead of awkwardly flipping forward or backwards, the stroller just collapses onto itself and locks via a chassis lock. This lock is plastic, but it's sturdy and probably the best quality lock I've seen. To unfold the stroller, you'll just repeat those steps - slide the levers back and lift the handlebar upwards toward the sky. Getting the Urbo2 in and out of our large SUV is pretty easy. Weighing in at only 20 pounds, it's easy for me to handle. In the photo above, I have the third row of seats folded flat since I don't have much cargo space behind the third row. With the seats folded down, I have plenty of room for the stroller and many other things like groceries or luggage. According to Mamas & Papas, the folded size of this stroller is approximately: H: 11 x W: 21 x D: 33”.

For me, the only thing missing from this stroller is a cup holder. This isn't unusual for high-end strollers, but I really like having one, so I purchased one for this review. The mamas & papas Stroller Cup Holder easily attaches to a stroller frame via a small knob. The cup holder does stick out on the side and might get caught up if you're strolling through tight quarters, like clothing racks, but you can easily remove it and throw it into the basket when necessary. As you can see, it holds a standard sized (500 mL) bottle of water, but it won't accommodate anything much larger like reusable water bottles or jumbo sized drinks. Despite the drink size limitations, I think the cup holder is a really useful item to have. It's priced between $15-$20 at most retailers.

Overall, we are quite pleased with the Mamas & Papas Urbo2. I think this is one of the most attractive looking strollers on the market, (and comes in a variety of fabulous colors), plus it's super easy to push and navigate through tight spots. The ride is ultra-smooth thanks to the impressive 4-wheel suspension system and my little guy is quite content while riding along. I pretty much love everything about it and it's as close to perfect as I can imagine a stroller ever being.

Connect: You can connect with Mamas & Papas on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Buy it: You can purchase the Mamas & Papas Urbo2 stroller on Amazon, for around $579. The cup holder is available for $15-$20.

Disclosure: I received this item at no cost to facilitate this review. Amazon links are affiliate links. All opinions are my own. One winner will be randomly selected using the Giveaway Tools random selector and notified via email. Once notified, the winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or Google. Void where prohibited.