The Chicco Cortina Travel System covers many baby gear bases: It's a stroller, infant car seat and car seat base. It doesn't have the same innovative features as Chicco's pricier top-of-the-line Ct0.1 Travel System, but it also costs about $100 less.

The stroller that comes with the Chicco Cortina Travel System has several flashy features, including a multi-position "memory recline." This means that the stroller seat remembers the last position it was in before the stroller was folded. Though not a necessity, this is a neat extra. We also like the stroller's handy extras, such as a three-position leg rest and an easy-to-use one-hand folding mechanism. The stroller features rear brakes, and while we would have liked to see larger wheels on this unit, it does have an all-wheel suspension that offers a comfortable ride. A few other extras set this stroller apart: It has a reversible canopy that we love for its sun-shading and wind-breaking effectiveness, a parent and child cup holders and a storage basket that can actually be reached when the seat is fully reclined.

Chicco's KeyFit Infant Car Seat locks into the Cortina stroller and has safety appeal, including an interior lined with energy-absorbing foam for greater protection during side impacts. It can hold infants up to 22 pounds, rather than the standard 18 to 20 pounds. And, unlike some infant car seats, it can be used with smaller or premature infants weighing as little as four pounds and has a full-body newborn insert for fitted support. The five-point harness has one-hand adjustment, thanks to the pull of a central strap. Our testers like the luxury of the car seat's plush Italian fabric-covered lining, but we worry it will be difficult to keep clean or to remove for cleaning. Still, we are impressed by the car seat's bells and whistles, like the more-generous-than-average canopy and easy one-hand removal from both the Cortina stroller and KeyFit base.

The Chicco Cortina Travel System also comes with a base that can be installed into a vehicle. The Chicco KeyFit Infant Car Seat simply snaps into the base, and can be removed with one hand. This base has several innovative features we like: two bubble levels on both the left and right side of the base to verify correct positioning, a spring-assist leveling mechanism that can be adjusted from either side of a vehicle, and a smooth underside that won't damage a vehicle's seats. And since separate seat belt locking clips are so easy to lose, we like the built-in auto belt lock-offs that secure seat belts in place.


Pros: Comes with stroller, infant car seat and car seat base that presents an attractive package and offers top-of-the-line performance
Cons: The fabric, though high quality, is hard to keep clean