At £450, I’ve bought cheaper second hand cars than Quinny’s latest Buzz pushchair, which parenting website Made For Mums has asked me to put through its paces and review for all the newbies out there. I thought I’d share my (highly scientific) findings with you too, in case you’re also in the market for a set of (mummy-powered) wheels.

It might be pricey, but if trips out are going to involve a pushchair from now on, my advice is this: you might as well invest in one that’s going to see you through from birth.

This one comes with everything you need to get started: the pushchair itself, a from-birth inlay, adaptors for a Maxi Cosi car seat or Quinny carry cot, a shopping basket that will comfortably hold two bags of supermarket shopping (pictured), a rain cover and a sun canopy. Oh, and a parasol clip.

In terms of accessories you’re good to go with the basic package: a footmuff, which I’d definitely recommend for the winter (rrp £60), a cup holder (rrp £9.99) and a parasol (rrp £25) can be added later. It’s also worth remembering that although you may have shelled out less for small car, look after your Quinny carefully and you could see some money back.

A bit like a Volkswagen, it’s numerous parts can be replaced – new push bars, wheels, shopping baskets, rain covers and even Quinny logo stickers are easily available on internet auction sites – so when your days behind a pushchair are done you can spruce it up a bit, list it for sale and expect to get as much as £200 back, if not more, depending on the condition and accessories.

This Quinny certainly lives up to its nickname ‘the bold explorer’ and if, like us, you’re an outdoorsy family who love walking on different terrain this is definitely a model for you. The padded seat and suspension mean your tot’s in for a comfy ride wherever you are – be it a muddy towpath or beach pebbles – and the sturdy rain cover amply protects the passenger from both wind and rain.

The only problem – and this is really annoying when you’ve been somewhere muddy – is that we had to take both back wheels off to get the chassis in the boot of our car (a reasonably sized Peugeot 208, pictured). This is definitely something to bear in mind when planning your next foreign holiday – I have taken our old Quinny Buzz on a plane and it wasn’t the most straightforward experience.

I’d also think twice when ‘nipping’ into town: built for the great outdoors, this model isn’t so great when you’re trying to get on and off a bus and in and out of narrow shop doorways. It’s rather clumsy to manoeuvre in tight spaces and tends to have a mind of its own if you forget to lock the front wheel and lift it front-first up steps or onto the bus.

As a Quinny fan there’s no question this is a more refined version of previous models – the buttons are easier to press and certain features, like the bumper bar which sits across the seat, have been improved. The latter used to be covered with the same foamy material found on the push bar, and which I unwittingly discovered grew live cultures of mould after a summer of ice cream consumption followed by a winter in the garage. The new version is made of simple wipe-clean plastic, just the job.

I would certainly recommend the Quinny Buzz Xtra – it will definitely last you the necessary couple of years (assuming you don’t need to upgrade to a double buggy at any point, of course!) and is a sturdy, reliable piece of kit.

For more details, including pictures and star ratings on the Quinny’s various functions, you can read my Made For Mums review in full here