Maxi Cosi Noa Review – Opening the Box & First Impressions

I only write an opening the box review when a pushchair has instantly impressed me and the Maxi Cosi Noa is certainly impressing me!

The Maxi Cosi Noa arrived in a relatively tiny box for a pushchair. Mr BB didn’t believe a pushchair was inside! After removing the wheels, the Noa easily slid out of the box, the wheels clicked into place and the Noa was ready to go.
To unfold you push the button on the end of the right hand handle and pull the pushchair open and finally pull the bar up between the handle bars to lock. A three step but definitely one handed open. Quick and easy! The Noa is very smart looking with it’s straight lines, quality fabrics, attached hood, sleek calf support and neat footrest.

I like the fact the Maxi Cosi Noa has four wheels. They are not as small as I expected for it’s size (still small though) and the double wheels make the Noa feel quite buggy like. They lock or swivel. However they are hard plastic so I do wonder how noisy they are on pavements?
The Noa handle bars lean inwards. They are probably at just about the right height for me at 5ft 6ins – slightly taller than the Quinny Zapp handles. They are hard plastic though so I wonder how comfy they are after a while.
The Noa fabrics look like great quality. The seat width and depth seem a good size. My large 2.9 year old looks very comfortable in the seat and with her feet on the neat footrest. I like the fact the calf support is flat so it won’t rub a baby’s ankles. There is a zip recline on the Maxi Cosi Noa which is fab when you have an over six month old baby who still naps. I also like the way the excess fabric for the recline forms a link of support to cradle the child’s head when upright. There is a good harness with chunky buckle and two fairly decent shoulder pads. The hood is a decent size – not the largest but better than some! It feels a little wobbly but then again it’s designed to be compactly folded without the need to remove it. I like the extra drape to cover a reclined child which velcros at the back. The hood fabric is beautifully soft.

The basket is great…it’s restricted somewhat by the X centre of the chassis, but I bet you could wedge a changing bag in the very back with smaller items tucked around the front and underneath the X. What I really love is the cup / bottle holder on the back. Well done Maxi Cosi for thinking of something so useful that is so simple to incorporate. All mums end up juggling either a drink for themselves or their child. Very useful!
I see that you are apparently able to put a bag of up to 2kgs weight on the back around the handles!
The brake uses two step on buttons by the back wheels – one for on, and one for off.
The fabrics seem easy to remove to wash and run along grooves in the chassis in the same way the Quinny Zapp does.

My only niggle as a first impression is that due to the way the Maxi Cosi Noa folds down the midline, the pushchair does have a bit of flex in it. It could be argued that it is the suspension but it feels a bit wobbly to me. But it’s the compromise for having something that folds so neatly. I think the Quinny Zapp feels more sturdy but the Noa chassis doesn’t feel as chunky as the Zapp. Equally my daughter at 2.9 years old is near the upper limits for this pushchair.
To fold the Maxi Cosi Noa, simply squeeze the button on the bar between the handle bars and push in. Press in the button on the top of the handlebar and fold forwards until the Noa locks. The Noa will then freestand beautifully.
As an added bonus there is a telescopic pull along handle. However having had one of these on my Leebruss Takeoff, I am not convinced it’s really useful unless you are doing a nursery drop off and don’t want to walk home with an empty pushchair, or you are on an all day trip out and want to haul the Noa along just in case your child tires. The Noa is light enough to pick up with one hand and carry so I can’t really see when else it would be useful. The pull along handle on this particular Noa doesn’t go back down easily. It needed a good push into its housing!
Included is a raincover and parasol clip.

Bearing in mind I have seen a lot of pushchairs, I think the Maxi Cosi Noa promises be an excellent lightweight, neat to fold stroller and I cant wait to get it on the road and try it out!

*EDIT* By the time I had finished writing this, my 12 month old was asleep on my knee. I picked him up, picked the Noa up with the other hand, walked across the room with both and opened the Noa up no problem with one hand, and then managed to let down the recline and strap him in. What I liked is that the shoulder pads appear to be attached to the top of the straps (sliding shoulder straps annoy me loads!!) and it was really simple, even one handed, to adjust the straps. I now have a baby sleeping happily in the Noa