Baby Jogger City Tour Stroller Review

More and more stroller brands are recognizing the needs of modern parents to have a travel-friendly stroller that can be stashed in the overhead compartment on an airplane. Baby Jogger jumped on board the travel stroller trend in the Fall of 2016 when they released the City Tour stroller. 

First Impression 

The City Tour is a dainty, yet durable stroller that resembles a scaled down City Mini. This stroller was added to the Baby Jogger lineup with travel in mind, and so it's lightweight and compact. 

Out of the box, the stroller requires minimum assembly and comes with a travel bag included. If you haven't yet done so, check out my City Tour Unboxing post.

This stroller is pretty affordable, especially compared to the competition ( Babyzen YoYo, Mountain Buggy Nano, GB Qbit ). It retails for $199.99 and is available in 5 colors: Onyx, Garnet, Juniper, Violet and Cobalt. 

With the help of Ben and Abby, we've put the City Tour to the test and I'm here to tell you all about it. 

Dimensions & Weight 

• Stroller Weight - 14.2 lbs
• Stroller Width - 18"
• Stroller Length - 35.8"
• Folded dimensions - 22.0 x 9.0 x 17.7
• Handlebar height - 38"
• Seat width - 11.5"
• Seat depth - 8"
• Seat back height - 17.5"
• Seat edge to footwell - 9"
• Footwell depth in center - 2.75"
• Suitable for 6 months to 45 lbs

Seat

The seat on the City Tour is not the roomiest that I've seen. Two year old, Abby has plenty of room in the width, but not enough in the seat back length. Already, her head is above the seat edge. There is still plenty of room under the canopy however.

The seat is also rather shallow. The footwell is also shallow and doesn't really support Little Missy's feet. Probably a younger child would be much more comfortable in the seat, but it seems that 2 year old Little Missy has outgrown this stroller.

The seat has an infinite strap recline and while it doesn't recline all the way to a flat position, it's deep enough for a child to nap. Because the stroller only has a partial recline, it's only suitable for babies 6 month+.

Unfortunately, this stroller cannot be used as a travel system with a car seat.

Canopy 

For a compact, affordable stroller, the canopy on the City Tour is very generous. It has three panes and a flip out sun visor. The mesh peek-a-boo window allows you to check up on your baby.
The canopy is rated UV 50+.

Textiles/Quality 

While the seat fabric is hard wearing and easy to clean, I'm not a fan of it's nylony feel and lack of breathability. This is the kind of squeaky fabric that makes kids sweat in the Summer.  It's also slippery and actually makes Little Missy slide down in the seat. When sitting in the stroller, she puts one leg up on the seat to prevent herself from sliding. This is unfortunate, because, as much as I like all other features on this stroller, the child's comfort in the seat is of the utmost importance.

Perhaps if I had the bumper bar accessory, and didn't buckle the upper harness, Little Missy would be able to keep herself more upright and lean forward in the stroller.

Harness 

City Tour has a breakaway harness, which can be used as a 5 point or 3 point, leaving out the shoulder straps. It's not the easiest or hardest to adjust, but rather average. The harness pads are not attached and constantly slide down.

Push/Steering

Despite the small wheels, City Tour is a pleasure to push. The stroller is agile and easy to maneuver with one hand. The front wheel suspension absorbs small bumps in the pavement. Obviously, this stroller was intended for urban use, so don't expect miracles. It does perfectly well on pavement and can handle a bit of short grass.

The stroller has a great curb pop, but it comes at a price. Pressing down on the handlebar will effortlessly raise the front wheels, but this also makes the stroller prone to tipping if weight distribution is shifted towards the back. There's even a warning printed on the back of the canopy, stating that nothing should be suspended off the handlebar. You know what that means. You can forget about hanging your stuffed diaper bag on the handlebar.

Handlebar 

The handlebar is 38" from the ground, a comfortable height of average parents. It is covered in rubber with a grip texture, like all other Baby Jogger strollers. In the center of the handlebar is a pretty prominent fold button.

The handlebar is not adjustable, which is not surprising on a compact stroller in this price range.

Wheels/Break 

City Tour rolls along on four EVA wheels, 5" in the front and 6" in the rear. The stroller is equipped with front wheel suspension. The front wheels can also be locked from swiveling, to help with a bit of uneven terrain like grass.

The small pedal break is located at the right wheel. It makes a loud, reassuring click when engaged.

Storage

There is a mesh pocket in the back of the seat, convenient for storing small essential that you'd like to keep close at hand.

The under-seat basket is not very roomy, but that's understandable, considering the size of the stroller. In the picture, I have my shoulder bag in the basket and it pretty much occupies most of the room. You will not be able to fit a diaper bag into this basket. On positive side, the basket has a nifty zipper compartment, so you can keep some items separate. I actually wish every stroller basket came with a pocket like this!

Fold 

In order to qualify for carry-on luggage size, the City Tour has a tri-fold. The fold requires two steps, but can be done with one hand. First, you need to press the button located on the handlebar and collapse forward the upper portion of the stroller. Then, you grab the fold strap located on the seat and pull up. This collapses the lower portion of the stroller. The stroller has an auto fold lock.

Included with the City Tour is a knapsack-like carrying case to stash your folded stroller in when traveling. If for whatever reason you decide to carry the stroller without the carrying case, this will be rather awkward, since only the lower portion of the stroller is held closed by the fold lock. If you tried picking up the folded stroller by the handlebar, the upper portion will unfold. A bit of an oversight, in my opinion. As much as I like having a carrying case, not every situation calls for one.

The trick to preventing the City Tour from unfolding when picking it up without a carrying case, is to grab the handlebar and the quick-fold strap simultaneously. Aquard, but doable.

  

Accessories

While a carrying case is included with the stroller, other accessories are sold separately.
You can add a bumper bar, which is always great to have on any stroller, a rain cover and a parent cup holder.

Conclusion & Rating

While I really like the concept of this stroller, I would not use it for every day (unless maybe to run a short errand), due to a small seat and lack of storage. I think it's primary strength is in the compact, travel-friendly fold. The City Tour is more affordable than other similar options and so it would be a serious contender specifically for travel purposes.

Sadly, lack of car seat compatibility and a seat that can only be used from 6 months, narrows the potential customer base for this stroller. Since Baby Jogger has many other strollers in their lineup, they wanted it to be very clear exactly what this stroller was intended for.

 Pros:

1. Compact fold
2. Lightweight
3. Great push and steering
4. Large UV 50+ canopy with peek-a-boo window
5. Storage pockets
6. Front-wheel suspension

Cons:

1. Non-breathable seat fabric
2. Shallow seat
3. Shallow footwell
4. Small under-seat storage
5. Cannot be used as a travel system with car seat
6. Fold lock only keeps bottom portion locked

Weighting out the City Tour's pros and cons and based on our experience with this stroller, I've decided to give it a 3.5 out of 5 star rating. The stroller would be much improved if it was made to be suitable from birth and with a roomier seat.

I'd like to thank Baby's Den for providing a stroller for this review! As always, all the opinions are entirely my own. Baby's Den is currently running a 10% Off promotion on full priced merchandise, plus free shipping and no tax. Use code HOLIDAYS at checkout. 

Baby Jogger City Tour Unboxing

The new Baby Jogger City Tour is here! Can you believe a stroller fits into that small box? It's magic, I tell you! 

Little Missy couldn't wait get everything out of the box and assembled. Apparently, the new stroller excitement I always feel is contagious.

Lucking, assembly took only 2 minutes! It was as easy as unfolding the frame, and popping in the wheels.

Included in the box with the stroller was a neat carrying case for traveling.

First impression was very good. The stroller is agile and maneuvers amazingly well in tight spaces. Little Missy climbed right in and was even able to buckle herself (yes, we are talented when it comes to buckles). 

We will take a little time to get to know this petite stroller and I will be posting a full review soon. Please stay tuned!

I'd like to thank Baby's Den for providing this stroller for a review! As always, all the opinions are entirely my own.

Mutsy Nexo Stroller Review

I've been admiring Mutsy strollers for quite some time. The Dutch brand that's been designing strollers since 1937, has recently released a new compact stroller, the Nexo. As you may well know, I adore small strollers, and so I was really looking forward getting my hands on this beauty!

First Impression

The Mutsy Nexo is a smaller brother of the Evo and Igo, and has the distinct, refined Mutsy look. Nexo is a fashionable, petite, stroller with a forward facing seat, small footprint and a super compact fold. It has all the conveniences of a compact stroller, with the adjustability and some extra features typically found on full size strollers.

The Nexo can be used as a travel system with car seat adapters, which are sold separately.

This is a very affordable stroller, retailing for $299. It is available in two beautiful colors; Blue melange and Grey melange. Both colors are accented by cognac color leatherette.

We've been using the Nexo for the past two months and have gotten to know it quite well.
If you haven't done so yet, you can check out my "Nexo Unboxing" and "Out and About With Nexo", picture-full post, before proceeding to the full review.

Dimensions & Weight

• Stroller Weight - 19.18 lbs
• Stroller Width - 20" inches
• Stroller Length - 39.8" inches
• Folded dimensions - 17.3" x 20" x 25"
• Handlebar height - 36" to 40"
• Seat width - 12"
• Seat depth - 9" (14" with extended leg rest)
• Seat back height - 20" (24" to canopy)
• Seat edge to foot rest - 9"

Seat

For a compact stroller, the seat on the Nexo is quite roomy. The width and depth of the seat are perfectly comfortable for both Ben, age 3.5 and Abby, age 20 months. The backrest measures 20" and this is where Ben is close to outgrowing the stroller. While he still fits in the seat, the canopy feels too close to his head.

The seat has a one-hand recline lever which regulates the  strap recline. While the recline is advertised as being a "true flat recline", in actuality it is not completely flat. It is low enough for a newborn, but I just wanted to mention this point for the sake of accuracy.

In the most upright position, the backrest is not completely upright, which sometimes annoys my kids, who usually like to sit up straight, or even lean forward in the stroller. Little Missy hated being strapped in with the shoulder harness because it pulled her back into a semi-reclined position. She tantrumed until I gave up and let her be buckled only with the lower harness straps.

The seat has a leg rest, which adjusts to two positions  and allows kids to stretch out comfortable for a nap. I absolutely love the design of the Nexo leg rest! To pick it up, all you have to do is lift it with your hand and it locks into place. Lowering the leg rest can be done with one hand, by squeezing a metal bar located underneath. This is pretty innovative, as most strollers have two buttons on either side that need to be pressed simultaneously in order to adjust the leg rest.

Another nifty feature is a hidden zipper compartment inside the leg rest. The compartment holds stiff fabric borders, which can be snapped into the inner sides of the stroller, turning the seat into a cozy bassinet of sorts. This extra feature is a really nice addition to the stroller, but of course, even in the bassinet mode, parents need to buckle in their infants in the seat.

The seat also has a beautiful, cognac color, leatherette covered bumper bar with gate opening on both sides. The bumper bar can be removed entirely if necessary. Again, an extra bonus on a compact, affordable stroller.

Some Nexo users complained of the recline lever occasionally popping out of it's bracket. This does not happen on all Nexo strollers, but if you experience it, don't panic. It does not mean that the recline mechanism is broken. All you need to do is slide the toggle back into place.

The straps responsible for supporting the backrest puzzle me. They seem rather flimsy, with one end simply stitched into the side of the seat. I feel that Mutsy could have done better in this area.

Update 10/9/16: Since posting the original review, I've learned that Mutsy has worked on reinforcing the recline straps in the later Nexo productions, making the stitching extra strong. I'm glad!

Canopy

The Nexo has a gorgeous, extendable canopy with a sun visor. There is leatherette detail on the visor, which adds to the posh look of the stroller. The canopy unzips to reveal an extra panel, and when fully extended, provides ample protection from the elements. I really appreciate how the canopy fabric remains well stretched when the hood is open.

The canopy is lined in some sort of a rubberized material, which I'm assuming makes it water-proof, but detracts somewhat from the overall high-end Mutsy look. I also wonder if the rubberized lining makes the canopy less breathable and without any ventilation openings, this may be a concern in hot climates. The back of the canopy is attached to the stroller with a bunch on snaps. I suppose, those can be unsnapped on a hot day if really necessary, but there's no place to attach the extra fabric to keep it out of the way. Plus the snaps are very tight and a pain to open and close. I don't think Mutsy really intended us to do that.

Unfortunately, there's no peek-a-boo window on the canopy. While it's not a huge deal for toddlers, I imagine the lack of peek-a-boo window being disappointing for parents of infants, who'd want to be checking up on their precious bundle.

Textiles/Quality

The seat and canopy textiles looks and feels luxurious.The fabric on the seat is soft and pleasant to the touch, however, it is not as durable as I had hoped. The seat fabric snags easily, so you have to be cautious. I'd recommend using a stroller liner to protect the seat.

The fabric must be spot cleaned, since it's attached to the frame and there's no way to remove it for cleaning.

Harness

Nexo has a 5 point harness that can also be separated into a 3-point for older toddlers. There are 3 shoulder strap height slots and two crotch strap slots. The shoulder strap pads are attached, so they don't slide down. The harness is tag-less, meaning no extra straps hanging down.

The buckle is rather disappointing, as it's very hard to undo. It takes me a few presses and a few good tugs to release both sides of the clip.

Push/Steering

The push on the Nexo is fantastic! On pavement, the stroller is extremely agile and steers effortlessly with one hand. Nexo is equipped with all-wheel suspension which you can feel cushioning the ride and absorbing bumps. Ben, who at age 3.5 never sleeps in strollers anymore, actually passed out in the Nexo, which is a testament to this stroller's soft ride and comfortable seat.

Because Nexo is very narrow and has a small foot-print, it's a pleasure to maneuver in tight spaces. Think small shops, public transportation, post office, etc.

The stroller has good curb pop. Pressing on the handlebar, will raise the front wheels. Actually the curb-pop is a little too good. You don't want to suspend anything heavier than a diaper bag from the handlebar, especially when the seat is reclined, because the Nexo is prone to tipping over when the weight distribution is shifted backwards.

Handlebar

Nexo has a telescopic, leatherette covered handlebar, which can be adjusted to 4 height positions, from 36 inches from the ground to 40 inches. Again , such a range of adjustability is rare on a compact stroller in this price range.

The thread that was used to hand-stitch the leatherette cover is somewhat rough as compared to other strollers that I own with similar stitching.

Wheels/Break

The wheels are made of low maintenance EVA plastic and perform best on city pavement. The front wheels measure 6.5" and the rear wheels are 8".  The front swivel wheels can be locked in a forward only mode, by turning the plastic knob at the joint. In the swiveling mode, the front wheels are quite loose and rattle when going over bumps and cracks in the pavement. This is pretty common, but of course not the ideal scenario.

The wheels are "quick-release" and can be popped off for even more compact storage.

Nexo has a small pedal break on the right side, which locks the rear wheels. The break makes and audible click when engaged.

Under-seat Storage

Due to Mutsy's unique, < shape frame, the under-seat basket is very easy to access on all Mutsy strollers, Nexo included.

Because the Nexo is a compact stroller, the basket is not huge, but it's certainly larger than on your typical umbrella stroller. The basket has a reinforced, hard bottom and can handle a reasonable amount of stuff. I've read some reviews where Nexo owners complained about the durability of the basket, but I think they've underestimated it's full potential. I wouldn't abuse the basket, but I did manage to bring a large box of diapers home in it.

Fold

Nexo has a 2 step fold. It needs to be done with both hands and feels a little awkward at first, but becomes very intuitive with practice. The folded stroller is super compact, making the extra folding step worthwhile. There's a fold lock, but it doesn't always catch, so you need to check up on it and squeeze it into place, before lifting the folded stroller.

The stroller stands on it's wheels when folded and can be rolled along that way as well.

To unfold, you need to locate your fold lock, which is tucked away between the handlebar and the side of the stroller, release the lock, pull out the handlebar and shake the stroller open. You will hear a click when the frame locks into place.

Conclusion & Rating

The Nexo is a gorgeous little stroller that's made with many convenient features. This is a great stroller to use around the city and to take along on trips. The seat, with it's deep recline and adjustable leg rest, is very comfortable for infants and toddlers alike. The compact fold means the stroller doesn't take up too much room in your car trunk. I absolutely love the all-wheel suspension and the superb maneuverability! This stroller really has a lot to offer, considering it's price and it's compact size.


Pros:
1. Small footprint
2. Compact fold
3. Large canopy
4. Roomy seat
5. Almost flat recline
6. Car seat compatible
7. Bassinet-like enclosure stored in leg rest
8. Attractive design with leatherette accents
9. Adjustable leg rest
10. Swing-away bumper bar
11. Adjustable handle bar with 4 height positions
12. Easy to access under-seat basket
13. Great, one hand steering and maneuverability
14. All-wheel suspension

Cons:
1. Flimsy recline mechanism
2. Fabrics are not hard wearing
3. No peek-a-boo window on canopy
4. No ventilation opening
5. Front wheel joints rattle on bumpy pavement
6. Buckle is hard to undo

As you can see, Nexo's great features certainly outweigh the few cons. This could have been a perfect urban stroller, if it didn't come just a tad short in the quality department. I would love to see the Nexo updated in the future with a more robust recline mechanism, a better harness buckle and more durable fabrics.
I decided to give Mutsy Nexo a 4 out of 5 stars rating. Please keep in mind that I have very high standards and only review strollers that I would want to use with my own kids, a category which Nexo surely fits into.

Update 10/9/16:
I'm happy to report that since posting this review, I've learned that Mutsy has fixed most of the quality issues in the Nexo. It seems that my stroller is from the first or second production and Mutsy has already addressed the glitches I've mentioned in the review.

Throughout the year, Mutsy will continue to make improvements to the Nexo, based on consumer feedback. As of now, the play on the wheels, and hence the sound, has been greatly reduced. The buckle release will be improved as well. The recline straps have already been strengthened.

This is really great news and shows that Mutsy as a company stands behind their products

I'd like to thank Mutsy for sending the Nexo for this review. As always, all the opinions are entirely my own.