Britax B–Agile Double Buggy lives up to its name for agility. Twins stowed on board, it was like pushing two newborns again instead of two 20+ pounders. If I’d wanted to I could have pushed it with one finger (I did try) and its manoeuvrability came in handy when I had to carry one miserable child and push the other with just one hand. With wheels unlocked steering is easy – it could turn on the proverbial "sixpence". With wheels locked it can tackle uneven surfaces like the cobbles near our cathedral. Kerbs, either up or down, present no problem. The brake is smooth and quick to administer and feels very secure and the handlebar has several positions to cater for different heights. Again, this is very easy to adjust.
It is a smart looker too and the twins seemed to like it too, asking to climb on board as soon as they saw it. For parents and carers there is lots of fun to be had discovering all the extras – like the zipped pocket on the back of the hood that can be used to stow soft items, the top of the hood which unzips to reveal an extra mesh portion that can be used to increase the spread of the already generous hood and to provide added ventilation and the fact that the back of the hood unzips to reveal a mesh again to ventilate in very hot weather. There's also a useful peek-a-boo flap at the top of the hood to allow you to check on occupants.
Britax B–Agile Double is also the easiest buggy to put up and stow away that I’ve come across. To open all you need to do is unclip the side and "yank". I keep checking to see if it is fully up because it is so easy but it always opens up securely. To close there is a button on the side which you press in and you then use two hands to pull the handles located on the seat. Again this is all done in one movement. Once folded the buggy is quite bulky. You need a decent sized car boot to fit it but, unlike many other buggy options for two children, nothing needs to be dismantled which cuts out a lot of hassle.
The storage basket is reasonably sized, items can be put in from the back and even from the front by unzipping the fabric of the footrest – this can be useful if the back is lowered for sleeping children.
There are, however, some drawbacks to the B-Agile. It reclines fully for newborns but it can only take one car seat fitted with the mount which is included with the buggy. This perhaps makes it a better option for a toddler and newborn or older twins.
I don’t like the adjustment of the seat back which is done by some pull straps on the back of the seat. I found this awkward to do with the twins in the buggy. Also the seat doesn’t allow for a fully upright position, there is still a little bit of a recline. However, I liked the straps on the harness and these are easy to adjust and the fastening is easy and secure.
Another drawback is the footrest; it cannot be adjusted and so even when the child is asleep and in the fully recline position his or her legs dangle down. I also wonder how accommodating it would be for larger children. My twins are on the small side yet still almost reach the hood line when it is folded down.
However, my biggest disappointment came when I tried to exit the grandparents’ house. My parents’ front door is a standard size. Britax boasts, "‘it fits through a standard doorway with ease ". It didn’t. Not such a problem when you are going out in the car with buggy folded but when we returned from a walk with twins asleep it meant careful extrication of babies with fingers crossed that they wouldn’t wake.
To sum up, I love the look and ease of use of the B-Agile but I can’t give it full marks for the reasons outlined above.
PWT rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
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