This article was written by Holly Baxter on behalf of The Independent UK.

You can’t turn around in Brooklyn’s trendier areas without bumping elbows with either an UPPAbaby Vista or Cruz these days, so my husband started chasing people down and asking if they were actually worth it. Eight months pregnant, I limped behind while my extroverted life partner asked the opinions of people who were just trying to go about their day.

“DO YOU LIKE YOUR STROLLER?” he’d yell at them as they walked past on their way to a bakery or a farmers’ market. “DON’T WORRY — MY WIFE IS ABOUT TO HAVE A BABY!”

The resounding opinion of people we asked around Prospect Park was: Yes, the UPPAbaby is worth it. A lot of people liked their Cruz strollers, which are slightly more compact versions of the Vista, because they’re easier to navigate through doors. But some Cruz owners said they wished they’d gone for the Vista — especially because the Vista can be easily turned into a double stroller or even a triple vehicle if you add in the toddler board.

The UPPAbaby Vista

We decided it was paramount to try out the Vista V2 (in the tasteful green known as “Gwen” if you’re interested), and we were glad we did. It has a carbon frame with leather touches, and the setup is minimal: The frame arrives ready to be clicked out, and the seats are complete. No struggling to pull material taut across a separate frame for the lucky Uppababy purchaser (trust me, this will matter.) The Vista V2 retails for just under $1,000 and includes both the bassinet and the toddler seat, meaning it should last you from birth all the way up to pre-K.

We started out with the bassinet, of course — which has a very comfortable mattress included and a long weatherproof canopy perfect for protecting our summer baby from extreme July temperatures in New York — and moved on to the toddler seat when he was three months old. With the addition of the infant insert (sold separately), you can start using the toddler seat in its most reclined position that young — and this was a game-changer for us because we had a curious, reflux baby who wanted to see out. When he got even more demanding about being shown the world at seven months, we were able to literally take him out the stroller at the park, flip the seat around so it was facing outwards, click it in, and stop him crying immediately. It really was that simple.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention the huge basket at the bottom of the Vista. It can carry 30 pounds of items, which for me translated into a diaper bag filled with wipes, diapers, pacifiers, and spare clothes; two bottles of wine; a bag of groceries; two extra blankets; a pair of shoes; and a handful of toys.

There’s no getting around it, though: The Vista V2 is a bruiser. Its “true weight” — the frame and seat combined — is 27 pounds. Those big wheels that protect Baby from every bump in the road and that sturdy frame that gives you reassurance while you traverse the neighborhood translate into something that folds into a monster. The good news is that it folds easily; the bad news is that you’re going to need an Uber XL to take it anywhere. We considered this a price worth paying. And for what it’s worth, we did manage to fit the frame inside the trunk of a standard Uber — but it took up every inch of space in there, leaving us to carry diaper bags and other assorted baby paraphernalia on our laps for the journey.

It’s worth noting that Uppababy customer service is first class, and again, that really does matter. Delivery is incredibly quick and Uppababy showrooms double as “service centers” where you can take your products and get them diagnosed or fixed (the Brooklyn one is in Cobble Hill.) They also offer virtual appointments, video calls and text message services if you have a problem with a product. I spoke to people whose strollers had been damaged by rough handling at airports and they invariably told me Uppababy replaced them for free.

Another aspect of the Uppababy customer service that I personally like is the honesty. Remember that “true weight” I mentioned? Specifications on the website are accurate like that, whereas some manufacturers will try and make their product sound like it’s lighter by giving the weight of the frame alone. Likewise, they’re upfront with their (often admittedly high) prices. You don’t have to dig through jargon or deal with a load of hidden extra fees.

The Uppababy Mesa V2/i-Size

The UPPAbaby Mesa infant car seat won out. It comes in a variety of colors, it has a best-in-class safety rating, it can be attached with just a seatbelt if you’re Ubering/Lyfting around a city, and it can be installed with a base if you have your own car. As a non-car owner, I found it important to have a seat that could easily be attached with the seatbelt in a “European routing” style, and that had instructions printed on the side in case I forgot while I was loading my baby into a taxi. UPPAbaby is also such a popular brand that the car seat can be attached either directly to the stroller or with adapters.

I went around the city with this infant car seat, and it’s still strong. I used the Mesa V2 inside the US, and when we traveled to Europe, we took the Mesa i-Size, which has international safety certifications.

Read Holly’s full article on The Independent UK here to learn more about other must-haves she recommends for parents!

Browse and shop our full line of UPPAbaby products and accessories online or at one of our Hub Service Center & Showrooms, so you can test and try before you buy!