Baby Jogger City Tour 2 Single Review
Our Verdict
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This Product
Baby Jogger City Tour 2 Single | |||||
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Awards | Best Budget Travel Stroller | ||||
Price | $260 List $259.97 at Amazon | $249 List | $200 List $199.99 at Amazon | $80 List $79.99 at Amazon | $100 List $99.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score | |||||
Star Rating | |||||
Bottom Line | A nicer travel choice that hits the mark and is sure to please, but pops open easily when folded | Better performance and a durable design make this budget option an impressive contender | A longer fold makes it less packable, but otherwise, above-average features make it easy to use | Tight budget choice with below-average performance in most metrics but is very lightweight | Disappointing budget option that did not perform well in our comparison tests |
Rating Categories | Baby Jogger City To... | Zoe Traveler | UPPAbaby G-Luxe | Kolcraft Cloud Plus | Summer Infant 3D lite |
Transport/Storing (30%) | |||||
Ease of Use (30%) | |||||
Maneuverability (20%) | |||||
Quality (10%) | |||||
Kid Comfort (10%) | |||||
Specs | Baby Jogger City To... | Zoe Traveler | UPPAbaby G-Luxe | Kolcraft Cloud Plus | Summer Infant 3D lite |
Capacity Limits | Minimum: Birth Maximum: 45 lbs |
Minimum: 3 months Maximum: 45 lbs |
Minimum: 3 months Maximum: 55 lbs |
Minimum: Not specified Maximum: 50 lbs |
Minimum: 6 months Maximum: 24 months/50 lbs & 43" |
Measured Weight | 14.1 lbs | 13.2 lbs | 16.1 lbs | 10.1 lbs | 13.0 lbs |
Measured Folded Dimensions | 19.4"W x 8.1"H x 23.1"L | 18.6"W x 10.3"H x 23"L | 11.7"W x 10.3"H x 41"L | 19"W x 10.3"H x 33.3"L | 12"W x 10.3"H x 42.3"L |
Folded Volume | 3,630 cu in | 5,134 cu in | 9,834 cu in | 6,327 cu in | 4,822 cu in |
Handlebar Height Min/Max | 40 in | 40 in | 43 in | 38 in | 43 in |
Mfr. Max Allowable Total Storage Weight | 15 lbs | Not specified | 10 lbs | Not specified | 10 lbs |
Car Seat Compatibility | Baby Jogger | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Wheel Type | Foam | Foam | Foam | Foam | Foam |
Brake Type | Single | Double | Single | Double | Double |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Baby Jogger, Part of Newell Rubbermaid since 2015, started in 1984. Launched by parents looking for a jogging stroller, they decided to create what they couldn't find. Baby Jogger continues to make a variety of strollers, car seats, and other products for babies.
Performance Comparison
Transporting and Storing
The City Tour 2 earned a slightly above-average score for transporting and storing.
The City Tour 2 weighed in at 14.1 lbs in our tests. This is about average for the group, with several favored options weighing closer to 13 but several weighing more than 17.
Folded, the Baby Jogger measures 19.4"W x 8.1"H x 23.1"L or 3,630 in^3. This makes it one of the smaller folded options.
The carry handle is the fold pull and it doesn't self-stand. We had trouble accidentally grabbing the handlebar where the unfold button resides and frequently partially deployed the stroller when we didn't intend to.
Ease of Use
The City Tour 2 earned a slightly below-average result for ease of use. While it isn't challenging to use, it didn't perform as well as competitors.
Fold and Unfold
The fold is a one-hand operation that auto-locks but doesn't self-stand. - unfolds very well. The lock must be unlatched before you can unfold it. It has a sort of push-down fold that divides the stroller into thirds. We consistently had trouble getting the last portion to snap into place, but it wasn't a deal breaker.
Storage
The storage bin has unique front access with the lifting leg rest, but it isn't as wide as the back. We still think this is useful and appreciate the thoughtful design. The bin easily held our medium-sized diaper bag, and we could cram the larger bag with some effort but no extra space. It has a maximum weight capacity of 15 lbs, making it one of the best in the bunch and on par with many full-size options.
Harness
The Baby Jogger harness webbing is mid-grade without being a standout for softness or discomfort. The straps are easy to adjust, with a wide size variation. The buckle is average and requires 20-25 lbs of pressure to release, which is more than the average buckle.
Brakes
The brakes are single-action with a pedal near the right side rear wheel. It is a press-to-set and lift-to-release design. While it isn't as nice as those that do not require underside lifting, this one was not hard and didn't hurt sandaled feet.
Ease of Setup
The Baby Jogger comes almost fully assembled and requires no tools. It only needed the wheels to be clicked into place, and it took us around 4 minutes to unpack and get ready to roll. Our only complaint is that the manual is inside the packed stroller, which makes it harder to access.
Car Seat Compatiblity
This stroller is compatible with infant car seats made by Baby Jogger. Check your manual and the Baby Jogger website for specific details, as compatibility often changes over time.
Maneuverability
The City Tour 2 is neither impressive nor disappointing for maneuverability, with a score slightly above the average. The Baby Jogger has locking swivel front wheels for help over uneven terrain. The wheels are small, but that is common in this category.
This stroller has a rigid frame that helps it easily move smoothly over flat surfaces. The small wheelbase has more potential for tipping, but all the travel strollers had this issue. The rigid frame also comes to the rescue in thicker grass, making it manageable in the grass, but the small wheels thwart any real love of uneven terrain.
Quality
The Baby Jogger is a nice quality option for the price range, but it doesn't match the upper echelon of the options in our review. That said, we don't think most parents will be disappointed with what you get.
The wheels on the Baby Jogger are small and dense with plastic spokes. It is 5 inches in diameter and has a cheap foam-filled plastic design. They do not feel durable and are only 71 HA for Shore A hardness testing.
The City Tour 2 has durable and soft-feeling fabric. It is relatively thick and feels higher quality than many competitors. The frame is sturdy with very little flex for a travel stroller. The overall fit and finish are a nice matte black finish with clean joints and nice rounded edges.
Kid's Comfort
The City Tour 2 performed well in our tests for kids' comfort with a roomy seat, padded leg rest, and more.
Seat
The City Tour 2 has a deep reclining seat back with a plastic toggle adjustment that requires one hand to lower and two to raise. The leg rest is padded and has two positions.
It is sufficiently rigid and requires only one hand to adjust. The adjustment could be better, and might be hard with a child in the seat. The footrest is sturdy, but curved and wider shoes might be uncomfortable with the side curves.
Sunshade
The Baby Jogger sunshade is UPF 50+. It is an average size with a pop-out visor and has a smallish mesh peek-a-boo window. The cover for the window is Velcro (which is not our favorite since it is loud) and is held open with a toggle and loop. It's better than average, but not as big as others.
Should You Buy the Baby Jogger City Tour 2 Single?
The answer is maybe. This stroller missed being an award winner by a narrow margin, largely related to our repeated accidental deploying when folded. It offers just enough to keep kids comfortable and parents pleased, and we think many will find it to be a great option in their baby gear lineup. It is compatible with Baby Jogger infant car seats, which could be a selling point if you already own one. We don't think you'll be frustrated or disappointed in the City Tour 2, but we think there are similarly priced options that can also please.
What Other Travel Strollers Should You Consider?
The Zoe Traveler is a similarly priced option with an equal score. It performed slightly better and slightly worse depending on the metric, but we gave it an award because it never accidentally opened when folded, which happened with the Baby Jogger. The Zoe is a durable stroller that folds small, has enough features for travel, and is one of the largest sunshades in the group. If given the choice between the two, we would choose and did choose the Zoe over the Jogger.