Roadtested: phil&teds Verve Buggy

Kids are optional.  Style is not.

Jodi Mitchell
17 June 2011

I was one of the very lucky first people to check out phil&teds new Verve in person and take it for a bit of a spin.   With two kids, phil&teds is a favorite of mine, their inlines take two without the buggy taking up the room of two!

The Verve is yet another winner in the style stakes.  I’m not surprised here, it’s a phil&teds specialty – sleek lines, the red on black colourway, quality fabrics and chic design.

The Verve arrived in its box and I had it up and together in less than 5 minutes.  I quickly removed the mud flaps from the back wheels, but that’s a personal preference, I did the same with my Vibe too.  The double kit snapped on (a must given I have two little ones) and seats appropriated adjusted (the main seat can be adjusted to any angle, the double seat had 3 ‘click’ recline options), we were ready to go.

Except it was raining, and if I was going to go anywhere, the buggy needed to get into the car.  The beauty of the Verve is that it’s not only easy to fold (up and down in mere seconds), its super light (I was able to carry it in the one hand in the folded position), but also the fact it can fold with the double kit still on.  Not a must have given how quickly the double kit can be taken on and off, but still a nice little feature when you always have two to save a bit of time and effort.

So, with the Verve quickly and easily in the car, it was time to hit the road.  I decided Wellington City was a goer – the Verve definitely oozes city style and living. 

Once there, we hit Te Papa.  The Verve was up and the kids in the buggy in no time, and we were on our way.  Fitting into lifts, through doorways, and even through the chaos of the cafe beautifully (something my current double buggy is not always able to do), I was most impressed with both the one hand steering ability, the fact I still had room to pop a few bits into the bottom basket (despite the 20 month olds feet also being in there), and also that my little one actually decided to have a bit of a nap in the double kit reclined to it’s maximum (he’s usually a stickler for lying down for his naps).

Over the next couple of weekends the Verve saw us shopping, enjoying coffees out and visiting the city parks in style. Some of the features I particularly found I liked on the Verve included the padded seat, the very easy steering, the handle brake, and the contoured ventilated main seat, which my 3 year old informs me is ‘really comfy mum!’. 

After owning the phil&teds Vibe, I would class the Verve as the ‘four wheel’ version of this.  It’s perfect for careening Wellington City, shopping in Lambton Quay, taking in the sights of Te Papa, and playing in Waitangi Park.  If I was a permanent city dweller, it would definitely be on my hit list.