This is the third time purchasing a Graco Travel System - thankfully they seem to be improving.
See this product in action at the bottom of this post!
At 9 months pregnant, amidst a major nesting spree, we purchased the Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe Travel System for our soon to be born, baby girl. When it arrived in its ginormous box, I was up for the challenge of putting it together - by myself. Nevermind that I couldn't get my shoes on by myself or sit in any one position for more than 5 minutes -- I thought it would be...fun (ahh the joys of nesting).
Thankfully, the majority of the pieces come put together already. You are left to do things like put the wheels together, snap plastic pieces into place and thread the nylon straps through the holes in the back of the carseat. However, believe it or not, I managed to put everything together myself.
The first thing I noticed about the stroller is how big it is. 
I am no stranger to Graco travel systems either, because I've had 3 of them now. This one however, just seems bigger and heavier than the others I've had; but on the flip side, it also seems much sturdier. I do like that the basket at the bottom is a bit larger than the others we've had because I have 3 other kids who inevitably need to put sweaters and other misc. stuff in the stroller when they are tired of carrying it.
When we were bringing our daughter home from the hospital, the first thing I noticed is that the Snugride 32's head support does anything but support a newborn's head. Her little head was slumped forward all the time. Soon after bringing her home, I read a report about babies suffocating while in their car seat because they are so slumped over that their airway closes off - so, in the coming months I would worry about her all the time when I drove around. I placed a mirror in the back of our car so I could see her while driving and would have to pull off the road to hop out and adjust her head while she slept. I'm not sure what was more dangerous, me pulling off the freeway with cars going 80 MPH whizzing past or my newborn baby sleeping slumped forward in her carseat.
As our daughter grew, we soon needed to adjust the straps on the carseat and as difficult as it is, it's far easier to adjust the straps on the snugride 32 than any of the previous Graco carseats we've owned. The most difficult part of adjusting the height straps is threading the straps back trough those tiny little holes in the seat and the cover. Also, be forewarned, you will likely need the instruction book the first time you do this, because it looks more confusing than it actually is.
Another nice thing about the straps on the carseat is that they are easy to loosen and tighten. There's an really simple mechanism built into the seat that allows you to press and loosen the harness. When you need to tighten it, you just pull the strap at the bottom to easily make the harness nice and snug against the baby's body. I have always hated having to practically disassemble a carseat each time just to adjust the harness - so this feature was a huge bonus to me!
It is also worth mentioning that while the carseat says it can hold a baby over 30lbs. it seems to me that it would be impossible unless your baby is the kin of jabba the hut (short and round).
Now that our daughter is 10 months old...
We purchased a new car seat because she was getting too long for the Graco Snugride 32. As she grew, I realized also, that she didn't like being so reclined and would force her head forward trying to see out. I wish there was some way to adjust the incline on the carseat, but there isn't. It was somewhat a challenge just to get the level on the carseat to sit at the right angle in our SUV. Once it was level, we didn't want to mess with it!
Now, with regard to the stroller in the travel system, I will say again - It's ginormous! It takes up half of the back end of our SUV no matter which way we try and put it in there. It is also pretty heavy, but not any moreso than I would expect for its size. I do like the fact that there's alot of room in it for my tall baby and all the junk I tote around with us. I also love that it's sturdy (a BIG plus for me). The frame of the stroller is pretty much all metal, unlike all of the strollers we've had in the past. This one seems like it can take a lickin' and keep on ...umm rolling?
I've actually gone for walks on dirt roads that are really uneven with the stroller and even though it wasn't easy keeping it rolling in a straight line, it kept rolling and didn't get stuck on anything (to my surprise). I've probably walked 50 miles with my daughter in this stroller on paved roads and sidewalks with no problems at all. I really like the clips that are on the stroller to keep the carseat safely in place as well. The last thing I want is for the carseat to fall out of the stroller if I hit a bump or something.
The stroller also has a much better tray design than previous Graco models we've had. The carseat fits into it snugly and when baby is in the stroller without the carseat, the tray pops off on one side so you can let your little one out without struggling to get the tray off or out of the way. The only thing I don't like about the tray is that when you fold the stroller down, sometimes the shade gets stuck on the tray and you have to fiddle with it to get it to open correctly. It's not a big deal, but it is a bit annoying.
Overall, I've been really happy with my purchase. It was more expensive than the others we've purchased in the past, but I feel like that is justified in the overall quality of the build and the materials.
Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe Travel System with SnugRide 32 Benefits:
- Super easy to adjust carseat harness
- Lots of room at the bottom of the stroller to carry stuff
- Stroller has a sturdy metal frame construction
- Stroller is a bit taller than other strollers (Graco brand and others)
- Stroller rides very smooth and seems pretty rugged (in my own testing on dirt roads/gravel etc.)
- Stroller is large enough for tall babies to be comfy
- The stroller has a really easy to setup infant sleeping area
- Love the pattern we bought (Townsend) because it could work for either a boy or girl
- The material is very soft and plush with a velvet feel
- The carseat clips into the stroller to keep it more secure
Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe Travel System with SnugRide 32 Drawbacks:
- Stroller is heavy and large (if your car is small, this sucker will take up a good part of your trunk) likely due to the fact that metal is used in the construction
- Carrier is heavy and handle is a bit awkward in comparison to some of the other brands (but this isn't new to only this model of carrier)
- Carseat caused my baby to lean forward frequently and fall asleep slumped forward
The Mrs. gives Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe Travel System with SnugRide 32 4/5
There are only a couple of things that I don't love about this travel system - one of them is pretty important: my baby's comfort and safety. I can live with a large, heavy stroller, but the fact that my newborn was slumped forward alot of the time really worried me -- however, to be completely honest, I don't know if any other carseat would alleviate that problem.
I really love this system otherwise. I love that it's really easy to use and to adjust as my daughter grows (which is WAY too fast). It's nice that the stroller will last my little one for quite sometime and I seriously doubt it will fall apart like the last one we had (that's another story).
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US $105.00
Photos of the Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe Travel System
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