At a glance:
A double buggy with a slim design, the seats can be moved into a number of different configurations to suit your needs. Our panel of mum testers loved how easy it was to change the seats and the huge shopping basket underneath, however a few were put off at the length of the pram.
What they say:
“The joy at the birth of twins or of a little brother or sister is simply indescribable. But the double bundle of joy holds new challenges. The role of the pushchair in family life becomes more important than ever. The Zoom allows you to keep the freedom and flexibility which you cherish. The seat, carrycot and car seat can be combined in any way depending on age. The Zoom is easy to manoeuvre with its swivel wheels, and its compact design is a boon in confined spaces. It can be converted to a travel system in just a few clicks and folded way to a minimum.”
Tested by mum Ann-Marie Davidson for the Mother & Baby awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
This stylish and high-quality travel system boasts many impressive features which mums would find attractive. Its slim design means doorways, buses and shop floors are more easily manoeuvrable than with some side by side doubles. The excellent suspension means that getting up and down curbs is less of a challenge than with other inline prams, and the number of configurations means there will always be something that works for both mum and her children. I loved the extra deep sun shade, the stylish design with leather bars, the huge shopping basket and the easy recline seats.
How has this product made your life easier?
I think this pram would make life easier for anyone living inner city. The slim line design means that narrow pavements, shops and buses would be easily accessible with this pram. The fact that the carrycots, car seats and pram seats all click in and out of the frame makes life easier when getting in and out of the car, as does the swift motion with which the chassis so easily collapses. My only complaint here is that the car seat adaptors require you to press a button on each side, meaning you have to unclip one side and then the other, whereas other systems on the market allow you to disengage the car seat in one movement.
Would you choose this product to win?
Sadly, this would not be the pram for me. Whilst is has many excellent features and has a stylish and elegant appearance, I was simply put off by the length of the pram which resulted in difficulty steering and manoeuvring my way through crowded places. Also, as I have an older toddler as well, I need a pram which can be easily steered with one hand (so I can hold his hand in shops or crossing the road), which this cannot. It was not possible to fully recline both seats fully in any configuration, as feet, legs or sunshades got tangled. If both children are facing the same way, one child can easily kick the back of the seat in front – a problem for squabbling siblings! Finally, I found the chassis itself to be too heavy – meaning lifting it in and out of the car boot was a challenge. There are a number of prams on the market that collapse as one piece and still weigh less.
What changes would you make to this product?
The length! It is a very long pram and this provides some challenges. If you have a carrycot or seat facing you in the first seat (closest to you), then you cannot see the child in the far seat. I found this to be a problem – and would be even more so if I had twins rather than an older child in the far seat. Also having a carrycot in the first seat means that the toddler has to sit at the very front and therefore steering and mounting curbs become more difficult as the heavier child is further away from you. I personally would not like to put the carrycot at the front as you cannot see the baby over the top of the toddler seat. I also found the length to be an issue when trying to cross the road – trying to peer around parked cars to see the traffic was tricky without pushing the pram out too far into the road.
Tested by mum Jutta Morford for the Mother & Baby awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
If you have identical twins that you love dressing in matching clothing and a love of ridiculously oversized vehicles, this is the tandem pushchair for you! However, if you would like to enter a room at the same time as your children (not half an hour later) and have an ounce of street cred, I would give this pushchair a second thought. I personally found it far too big, lacking quality finishes and a pain to manoeuvre. That said, the colour and faux leather details are pleasing to the eye. It is also a novelty and nice for two children to be able to look at one another whilst being pushed around – something that I am not sure other tandem pushchairs offer.
How has this product made your life easier?
Because of the size of the ABC Zoom 2017’s shopping basket, I can imagine you can carry a weekly shop and have two children in two that are comfortable with the ample space the pushchair allows. That’s convenient. Also, if you are not pushed for space and comfort for your children is paramount, the ABC Zoom 2017 allows may different seating options using a car seat, carrycot or seat. It was surprisingly easy to assemble and fold away, but you’d need a great deal of space to store it and a very large car.
Would you choose this product to win?
No I wouldn’t and I don’t think this pushchair should win. I believe there are just as comfortable, smaller and compact tandem pushchairs available on the market that offer the same amount of seating options and for the same price, if not, less. The only features going for the ABC Zoom 2017 are it’s incredibly large shopping basket and the ability to have two children facing one another.
What changes would you make to this product?
It would have to be its size. The Zoom made me feel incredibly self-conscious when out and about at the shops and in the park due to its length and size. The length also effected its manoeuvrability, making it very tricky to steer in small spaces. I really struggle to think what family would benefit from such a pushchair.
Tested by mum Clare Otridge for the Mother & Baby awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
Even though it is dauntingly big when you set it up, this pushchair behaves more like a single buggy. The only time you really notice it is when there is a heavier child in the front and it gets a bit more difficult to manoeuvre on the turns. The design is really well thought through, which you can see from the fact that it folds so well and all of the elements are so light. However, the back wheels don't come off which would have made it even easier to get into a tight boot space. The fabric is of great quality – I love that there is UV protection in the sun hood and that the foot rests are wipe clean which will be great for the winter now that my little one is walking. It's also really easy to take the seats/carrycots off the chassis, and unlike with other pushchairs, I don't break fingernails doing it.
How has this product made your life easier?
Compared to the majority of double or tandem buggies that are on the market, this one is great because it has so much flexibility in terms of the numerous configurations. Unlike others, it has the option to have both children facing each other, allowing them to interact so much more than one on top of the other or side by side. It also has the added benefit of keeping them amused for longer and catching anything they throw at each other in the basket underneath!
Would you choose this product to win?
Unless I had twins I still don't think I would choose this as a double option. I felt quite self-conscious and my friends called it the limousine. When my daughter was on the front seat, I felt a bit anxious at the fact she was going through doorways before me and I wasn’t sure who I was driving her into, especially when the hoods were up and I couldn't really see where the front was.
What changes would you make to this product?
I would take a few inches off the length of the pram – it’s about half a foot too long to be practical. Some of the fittings don't seem to have been entirely thought through; for example, there are plastic caps on some of the outer screws and these were knocked off during normal use, leaving quite sharp screws. The hoods were also quite stiff and noisy to pull up and push back and shook the pram, which would definitely wake a baby.
Tested by mum Harriet Ainsworth for the Mother & Baby awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
There are lots of features about this pram which are great, and overall it has a very high-quality feel to it. The ability to have one chassis that fits both car seats, carry cots and seats is really convenient. The carry cots fold up amazingly flat, which is great for storage. It is easy to steer around even with both children in, and the foot break is easy to use.
How has this product made your life easier?
Once you have removed the seats the pram chassis folds up surprisingly small, which is great for fitting it in the car. The extendable sun shields are really good and mean you don't need any extra sun umbrellas. Having both children facing each other was the major bonus for me, as this is quite a unique design and will be great once they're a bit older.
Would you choose this product to win?
If I had twins then yes, I would seriously consider it as it really is a nice high quality product and the overall finish is excellent. I also prefer this sort of design to a side by side. The sun shades on the seats were really big (and can extend) which is fantastic. That said, having to depress buttons either side to recline the seats (instead of having a handle on the seat back which you can operate one handed) and the two-handed system to remove them are big design flaws. Plus, the car seat connectors were flimsy and needed two hands to align with the seat - impossible when one hand is already holding the car seat! For two children of different ages the pram does have a few drawbacks compared with competitor products which is a real shame - a key one being that they can kick each other so easily. It was great having the ability to face each other though - they really loved that.
What changes would you make to this product?
I would prefer to have the seat nearest the handlebar higher up - that way when the children are facing each other you'd still be able to access the basket underneath (it's a big basket but if you can't get to it there's no point to it), plus it would mean they couldn't kick each other. Also, this would hopefully make the pram a bit shorter in length as it really is too long to manoeuvre around a high street, and the front child is so far away from you it doesn't feel safe.