December 3, 2015 Evey Golden

Meet the UPPAbaby Family: the UPPAbaby Vista vs. the UPPAbaby Cruz

As a Beanster and a Mom living on the South Shore, I share in the love that many have for the UPPAbaby stroller family. For starters, our Norwell store is located just around the corner from the UPPAbaby Headquarters, and they’re great neighbors – we see UPPA employees at our store all the time, and an UPPAbaby employee even gave me my chicken coop! But of course, ultimately, it’s all about the strollers. Let’s start with the Vista!

The UPPAbaby Vista is a multi-terrain stroller with large tires, great for walks around the neighborhood, regardless of whether it is a beautiful day or inclement weather. The foam core wheels are very durable, offering superior shock absorption in the front and the rear.

I love the reversible seat with multiple points of recline, allowing your child to bond with you or look out on the busy world around her. It also reclines fully, so when it’s totally flat, infants can ride safely. The Vista holds up to 50 pounds, making it a great choice for big kids too!

With the Rumble Seat and the Piggyback Rider Board, the Vista can carry three kids!

The Vista weighs in at only 27.5 pounds, reasonable for a stroller with this many great features. The set comes with handy belly bar and great sunshade that extends with the SPF 50+ lining. And, being a fellow Mom with lots of stuff to carry, I know you’ll love the huge under-seat basket as much as I do.

The Vista also comes with a universal bassinet. This multi-purpose wonder has a perforated mattress pad, and a vented base and canopy, allowing your baby a safe night/nap sleep. The bassinet clicks in easily to the stroller frame – no fuss, no problem. Important tip: don’t forget to get a second mattress cover for the bassinet, one for now and one for the wash! Babies are messy.

Another thing that sets the Vista apart from other strollers is the amazing Rumble Seat! Thanks to this accessory, when you expand your family, there is no need to purchase a new stroller – just pop on the adapters and the Rumble Seat, and you’ve got a double.

Although the Rumble seat resembles the Stroller seat, they are slightly different. The Rumble Seat has a weight capacity of 35 pounds (compared to the regular Toddler Seat, which can hold up to 50 pounds). However, it still has a recline and sun shield like the stroller seat, and the Vista offers multiple positioning options, allowing the seats to face each other, face away from each other, or face in the same direction, depending on how much your kids want to interact!

On to the Cruz: if UPPAbaby is a family of strollers, then the UPPAbaby Cruz Stroller is the Vista’s little sister! There’s a definite family resemblance: both strollers have a belly bar, a canopy with an extendable sunshade of SPF 50+, and an adjustable handlebar. Both can fold with the seat on if it’s facing forward (although you have to remove it to fold if it’s facing backwards), and both strollers can stand on their own when folded if the handlebar is fully extended. You can also purchase a variety of great accessories for both, including cup holders, parent consoles, and rider boards.

Evey is a professional Stroller Geek at our Norwell store. See? It's right on her shirt!

Evey is one of our stroller pros at Magic Beans Norwell – stop in, say hi, and get some expert stroller advice!

Finally, both strollers can carry the UPPAbaby Mesa Infant Car Seat without any additional purchases, forming a really high-quality travel system to make transfers from the car to the stroller so much easier!

The big difference is the size and weight: the Cruz is 21.5 pounds, and has smaller wheels, making it a more car-friendly version of the Vista (great for suburban parents who are in and out of the car constantly). The Cruz also doesn’t come with a bassinet (although you can purchase the UPPAbaby Universal Stroller Bassinet separately), and it doesn’t adapt to become a double stroller.

UPPAbaby has done a fantastic job with both the Vista and the Cruz in the 2015 line. Both strollers have so much to offer, and I would personally recommend any stroller from UPPAbaby, since along with their great products, they have great customer service and attention to detail. Want to give one a try? Come to any Magic Beans store and see for yourself!