Graco Quattro Tour Travel System Review

The Graco Quattro Tour travel system is one of the most popular styles, thanks to the big basket, one-hand fold and nice parent tray. There are some downsides to this travel system, though. Most notably, the Quattro Tour stroller is big, whether folded or unfolded, and it's heavy to boot. Whether you choose the regular version or the Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe travel system, the included infant car seat will be a winner. Paying extra for the Deluxe buys you a higher weight range on the car seat, which means a longer useful time, but again, adds weight to the whole system.

The foundation of the Graco Quattro Tour travel system is the Quattro Tour stroller, a full-size model with an aluminum frame. It also has one-hand folding, a multi-position reclining seat (including fully reclined for infants), a drop-down basket that can be accessed even while the seat is reclined, and a sunshade that rotates to cover nearly any angle you need. The parent tray has two cupholders. The front tray also has a cupholder for baby, and it swings open for easier access with bigger toddlers.

The regular version of the Graco Quattro Tour travel system comes with a Graco SnugRide infant car seat, which holds babies up to 22 lbs. and less than 29 inches. The Quattro Tour Deluxe travel system comes with a SnugRide 32, which holds babies up to 32 lbs. and 32 inches. The difference in car seats is the only real difference between the regular and deluxe versions of this travel system.

Of the infant car seats that come with travel systems today, both the Graco SnugRide and the SnugRide 32 are good choices. These car seats are fairly easy to use, and they install pretty easily in most vehicles. Some of Graco's less expensive travel systems include a SnugRide with a back-adjust harness, but the car seats included with the Quattro Tour travel systems are a front-adjust version, which is much easier to use properly. You can use both SnugRide seats without their bases, as well, which is a plus.

The Quattro Tour stroller feels sturdy out of the box and has a respectable 50 lb. weight limit. The steering is OK for a stroller of its size and price - better than average for full-size travel system strollers.

The one-hand fold on the Quattro Tour stroller works well. You just have to twist the middle of the handle and let gravity help the stroller fold itself. Since you have to deliberately twist the handle, though, there's not much chance of the stroller collapsing accidentally as there would be if you just needed to push a button or lever.

The basket on the Quattro Tour stroller is big enough to fit a large purse or diaper bag. It also has a nifty drop-down feature so you can get into the basket even if the stroller seat is fully reclined (a common problem on full-size strollers).

The canopy is good-sized and rotates around to cover almost any position needed. It's easy to put the seat into the fully upright position, and I like that it reclines all the way, in case you don't want to use the infant car seat in the stroller all the time.

The Quattro Tour stroller is heavy. At more than 26 lbs., you may get pretty tired, literally, of lifting this stroller in and out of your trunk after a few weeks. It's not small in terms of dimensions, either. When the stroller is open, it's just over 24 inches wide, which doesn't leave a lot of clearance for narrower doorways. Some parents complain that the wheels, which stick out a bit from the frame, are easily caught on things in stores or in other tight spaces. When the Quattro Tour stroller is folded, it's smaller, but not by a lot. It measures nearly a foot and a half thick and about two feet by three feet, which means it will pretty well fill the trunk of the smallest cars.

Though the steering is better than most full-size, lower-priced travel system strollers, it's still not great. Once you've added a heavy toddler (or a bigger infant plus the infant car seat and a diaper bag), the steering can be a bit balky.

While the folding mechanism is sleek, unfolding the stroller is awkward. Similarly, while the seat is easy to move up, it's harder to recline.

The biggest problem with the Graco Quattro Tour stroller is durability. While this model seems to have a better track record than many of Graco's travel system strollers, there are still plenty of parents who complain that their Quattro Tour stroller is creaking and wobbly after a year or so of constant use. This is probably not a stroller that will last through multiple children, and you likely will not recoup much money by reselling it later on.

The Graco Quattro Tour travel system is not a bad choice if you're set on a travel system already. Many of its downsides won't be answered by choosing another brand or even another of Graco's travel systems. If you have realistic expectations about a travel system in general, you may be very happy with the Graco Quattro Tour.

The infant car seat is the most important part of the travel system, and you can't go wrong with the front-adjust SnugRide or the SnugRide 32. You should try out the car seat in your vehicle before you buy the travel system, if at all possible, just to be sure it's a good fit. If the car seat doesn't fit your vehicle, that would be one reason to choose a different travel system.

In the whole of the stroller world, the Quattro Tour stroller wouldn't be one of my first choices since it's heavy, bulky whether folded or unfolded, and doesn't have a great track record for durability. However, as far as travel system strollers go, those things are to be expected. The Quattro Tour stroller is above average on a few convenience features, though, so combined with the decent car seat, it's among the better ready-made travel systems available.

• Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe Stroller Reviews at Consumer Search
• Graco Quattro Tour Sport Stroller Reviews at Consumer Search
• Graco Quattro Tour Stroller Reviews at Consumer Search
• Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat Reviews at Consumer Search