Review: The Silver Cross Special Edition Surf 2 - City Living at its Finest!

For the last four weeks we’ve been test driving the stunning Silver Cross Special Edition Surf 2 in Eton Grey, retailing at £800 and boasting it’s Best of British styling it’s certainly one to consider when choosing your next set of wheels.

Before becoming a mum I didn’t realise how important my choice of pram would be. Every mum I spoke to during my pregnancy wanted to know which pram we were getting, what brand, would we have a carrycot, does it have a matching bag?

I soon learnt that for some, the wheels you choose to chauffeur your tot in are VERY important, not just in terms of functionality but also style.

 

What’s in the box?

The Special Edition Surf 2 comes in a fairly hefty box, but as this is already set to be a very picture heavy post I think you can vision a box for yourself. Inside the box you’ll find the following –

☆ Special Edition Surf 2 Chassis☆ Seat Unit ☆ Carrycot ☆ Basket ☆ Bumper Bar ☆ Eton Grey Fabrics Set ☆ 4 Wheels ☆ Car Seat Adaptors ☆ Rain Cover ☆ Cup Holder ☆ Special Edition Faux Fur Liner ☆ Special Edition Matching Changing Bag ☆
Was it easy to build?

Building the Special Edition Surf 2 was a doddle, as the chassis is pre-built you simply have to pop the wheels on and click in either the carrycot or seat unit. The carrycot comes flatpack and flips up which I thought was brilliant as you can flatten it down for storage once baby has moved into the seat unit. No clunky carrycots taking up more cupboard space than is necessary!

Initial thoughts

Having put together the Special Edition Surf 2 my first thoughts were how beautiful it looked, I really love the quilted Eton Grey fabrics and glossy black chassis.

Is it comfortable?

I think Taylor seemed very comfortable in both the carrycot and seat unit.
My only issue is with him being a bit small I often found it difficult to see him when he was in the carrycot, the cover wraps over the bumper bar making it quite high when combined with the high chassis, and my dot of a baby. He does however sleep as snug as a bug in their and has so much room to shuffle around, he loves it.

The carrycot itself is rather big when compared to others I have used which would be a positive for most as many babies outgrow the carrycot attachments very quickly, I think this one will last a lot longer than most. At the rate Taylor isn’t growing he’ll be in this for quiet some time.

I’ve also taken a couple of short outings using the seat unit, I initially thought he may be too small or young to try this yet, he’s 3 months, but I found it far easier to see him in the seat unit. It also lies back so he can still lie on his back and doesn’t need to support his head for long periods of time. He appeared to be really happy in the unit on the cosy faux fur liner and loved being able to look around after months of staring at carrycot hoods, it must have been rather exciting!

What’s it like for functionality, manoeuvrability and ease of use?

The Special Edition Surf 2 is very smooth and glides up curbs like a springy marshmallow, it’s super bouncy with air-sprung suspension and foam filled tyres.

The handle bar is height adjustable and can be done with one hand, the height is fantastic if you’re tall so it’s perfect for Dads who can often struggle with low pram heights. You can also fold it with one hand, although the technique is one to be practiced and mastered at home first.

We’ve put the Special Edition Surf 2 to test in the park, the city, the supermarket and on numerous everyday outings.

Prepare to be stopped my many mums asking where they can get this stunning set of wheels from, it really is a showstopper!

I was amazed by how it handles the dirt paths in the nature park, we would usually avoid this area as it is far to bumpy and difficult to navigate with a pram, but the Surf 2 took it like a boss! The large back wheels coupled with the suspension make bumpy surfaces a doddle.

We’ve been over grass, concrete, dirt tracks, up curbs, down curbs, in lifts, you name it (within reason) we’ve most likely done it, and this pram has handled it all with ease.

One of my favourite features, probably not what you’d expect, the cup holder! I’ve never had a cup holder and I’ve grown rather fond of it, I now take my bottle of water everywhere, I may have knocked items off of shop shelves with it but I do love it.

Can I shop til I drop with the basket space?

I’ve taken the Special Edition Surf 2 on numerous shopping trips, and I must admit (It wouldn’t be an honest review otherwise) the basket is on the small side, when using the carrycot attachment it’s also very hard to access. If using the seat unit you can gain access to the basket with ease, but don’t expect to be stuffing more than your daily essentials and a few bits from the local shop in their.

Can it handle public transport?

As I am yet to finish my driving lessons, I’ve taken this pram on all forms of public transport in Greater Manchester, we’ve been on trams, trains and buses. How did it fare?

On the tram their is plenty of space to have a pram with you and level platforms to get on and off so this was by far my favourite mode of transport to take the Surf 2 on, trains were a little harder to navigate as their isn’t a level platform and not much room for prams.

When taking the Surf 2 on the bus I found it to be a little large using the carrycot attachment and removed my bag from the handle so people could pass it easily, however when using the seat attachment it fared well, taking up much less space than our previous journeys with the carrycot.

The air suspension makes getting on and off of public transport a lot easier than I’ve found it with other prams, although you should still make sure the driver lowers the bus level to the path for getting off. We did get stuck between the bus and a curb on one occasion which was a little frightening, but also down to the driver not lowering the bus enough and nothing to do with the pram itself.

Does it require a lot of boot space?

In comparison to some other prams I’ve used the Surf 2 chassis can be bulky when folded down simply due to the large wheels, and will need more space if using the carrycot attachment, I’ve had it in the boot of both saloon cars and hatchbacks so it will fit, just don’t expect to have a lot of space left over if your boot is on the small side.

So, what did we think?

Overall I’ve found the Surf 2 to be a fantastic pram, we’ve been stopped on numerous occasions by mums wanting to know where they can get it from and asking questions about it. I’ve loved how easy it is to control and bounces its way up and down curbs with no effort whatsoever. It meets my expectations of a pram that is both practical, easy to use and stylish without a doubt. I think Tails loves it too!

Follow our instagram snaps of moments with the Surf 2 using the tag #TaylorTries

I’ll be sharing more on what the ‘Special Edition’ aspect of this particular Surf 2 involves next month!

What do you look for most when choosing a pram?

If you would like more info or to purchase, the Special Edition Surf 2 retails at a RRP of £800 and can be found here – We were sent the Surf 2 in exchange for a honest review, all opinions are my own –