The very first pram we ever owned was the Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle. It was beautiful, if a pram can be beautiful! A gorgeous vibrant red with clean lines and a wonderfully intuitive design. I fell in love instantly. It took just minutes to assemble and even being a first time pram owner I did not need to refer to the manual to figure it out.
The seat is well designed and seems to be very comfortable. The seat is on a slight recline rather than flat so Felix's bum stayed snug into it. The backrest reclines to almost flat so you can use it from newborn but even at its most upright it is not straight which was unfortunate as Felix loved siting poker straight rather than relaxed back. To recline the backrest and return it to upright is easy peasy, though you do need both hands. It's just like adjusting the shoulder straps on a backpack - so clever!
The 5 point harness with shoulder pads is comfortable and the buckle is well thought out. The only negative would be what a pain in the arse it is to adjust the shoulder height of the straps. Mountain Buggy have addressed this in the newer models so I doubt this is an issue anymore. The "follow the sun" sun hood is huge, I actually never bothered buying the sun cover with this pram. There is a nice viewing window on top of the hood that closes or stays open with velcro. You can also move the sun hood up the pram to make more headroom for an older child.
The handlebar is very clever. With a simple push on the buttons either side you can move it up or down to suit the individuals height. It is great to be able to adjust it if you're pushing up or down a very steep hill. The rubber grip is comfortable to hold and the buttons coped well with my constant adjusting, just because I could.
The suspension and wheels on this pram are fantastic. The picture above was taken about a 15 minute uphill walk from where I live. That's the kind of terrain our pram faces every day (who am I kidding, maybe a few times a week if the dog is lucky!!). But yes, this pram was pushed through foot high tussock, through pine forests, snow, rock beaches, dirt paths and even some farm visits. Not a single problem. This pram laughs in the face of extreme terrain. And Felix remained happy, he was jiggled and bounced about a bit but he was always happy and comfortable and he slept brilliantly in it.
The brakes work perfectly, even on particularly steep inclines with a full load we never had an issue. I like that you can lock and unlock the brakes with either foot though it is a little more difficult in jandals. The gear tray is immense, it's amazing how much you can fit in here. I love that there are little mesh pockets in the gear tray and a zip pocket; great for throwing in the house keys, dog poo bags, phone and other items that you want easily accessable and not at the bottom of a nappy bag. It even comes with an insulated water bottle holder up near the handle which is the best idea ever as I am notoriously bad at remembering to drink enough water.
The Urban Jungle is a breeze to fold and unfold. It's not to heavy either. I could easily get it in and out of the car boot up to when I sold it at 8 months pregnant. The rear wheels come off easily and the handle folds down if you have a particularly small boot but really, if you've got kids, I hope your boot's not that small!
Overall I adored this pram and only sold it because we were having our second baby. We owned ours from January 2011 through to November 2011 when we sold it in order to upgrade to the Mountain Buggy +one. I would love to hear from anyone else who has or has had this pram. Do you also love it?
