Bugaboo Fox 5 Review

Claims of being the ultimate all-terrain pushchair certainly set the bar high, so we're testing out the newest version of the iconic Bugaboo Fox, the Fox 5, to take a look at these exciting updates and see if it really can do it all.

Quick Summary: Any negatives from the Bugaboo Fox 3 have been completely removed with the Fox 5. You can never have too many hands as a parent, so the fact that everything can now be adjusted or done with one hand makes it a super easy pushchair to use and it really will make a big difference for any parent using it to transport their little one.This is a pushchair that can take you on any adventure, whether you’re strolling around the shops in your town centre, or walking the dog on the river bank. The push is light, smoother than smooth and has great suspension to make it comfortable for your little one.We LOVE the extendable seat unit! We see lots of toddlers that outgrow their seat units before they’re ready to walk or before they reach the weight limits, so it’s amazing that you can give them extra head room and the length for longer legs.The Fox 5 is a completely customisable pushchair, and we are sure that parents will be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing one of the 34 colour options, as well as all of the accessories too. The updates to the design of the chassis have taken away some of the industrial look, to give us a more premium and balanced looking pushchair.

Whats good?

• One-handed adjustment for everything
• including fold
• Huge basket carrying 10kg
• Extendable seat unit
• XL Canopy
• Customisable

Whats not so good?

• Footrest doesn’t change angle
• Carrycot stand needed for overnight sleep

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Being able to fully customise your pushchair is something that Bugaboo have always done so well, and it’s no different with the Fox 5. You can purchase the four complete colours which are put together for you, or go for a ‘styled by you’ option to completely personalise your pushchair and choose from 34 colour combinations! Black or Grey Melange as your base colour and then choosing your canopy colour will be the difficult one, with eight options. Midnight Black, Forest Green, Grey Melange, Stormy Blue, Morning Pink, Misty White, Sunrise Red and new and exclusive to the Fox 5, Astro Purple!

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New design chassis

 

The first thing we noticed about the frame of the Fox 5 is less of the familiar white buttons! The frame is now seamless and sleek, really streamlined whether you opt for the Black or Graphite chassis. They still remain where needed though, to highlight the handlebar adjustment button, the recline button and the side buttons to remove the seat or carrycot.The actual shape of the chassis has also had a redesign, with the central hinge and point of gravity moved backwards, to give you better manoeuvrability. As the seat/carrycot sits directly over this joint, it does make the front of the frame look quite long and gives you better access to the basket. The front bridge design is also different, with the Bugaboo logo embossed into the frame.These big changes to the chassis also mean that you can now operate it with just one hand, which new parents will certainly appreciate! One thing that we didn’t love about the Fox 3 was having to adjust the handle with the catches at the side, using two hands, which also made the fold a bit fiddly.

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Adjustable handlebar and Brake

The handlebar now features two white buttons in the centre. Just press the one at the front to move the height up and down, for any parent to push. The range goes from 92-108cm, which is great for the majority of parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles. Covered in stitched black leatherette, the handlebar also has a raised centre, to protect it when in the free-standing, folded position. It’s also a nice thickness, which is comfortable to hold. Thanks to the angle and height of the handlebar, we found there was lots of walking room for longer legs in between.

Hanging from the centre of the handlebar is a wrist strap. Though not a legal requirement in the UK, this is a handy safety feature to keep your pushchair close by and also attached to you when operating two wheel mode. We love the white stitching of ‘fox 5’ to finish it off.A white button on the left hand side of the rear axle can be pressed on to engage the brake and pressed again to release it. Definitely flip-flop friendly and there’s a red indicator to show you when it’s on.

 

Shopping time

The shopping basket of the Fox 5 is a great size and can carry a whopping 10kg of shopping or baby essentials. We’ve loaded it up with everything we need for a day out, with plenty of space for coats and bags. Flaps at the front and back can be tucked in or pulled out to give you extra room and a bit of support for a full basket. The pocket at the front of the basket is really handy to store your raincover and adaptors, but you could also fit lots of other things in there too to keep them secure.

Built into the back of the chassis are attachment points for their Comfort Wheeled Board. Bugaboo have moved these by 2.5cm, to give you more leg room when pushing with a wheeled board attached. Great idea, as this can be an issue when using some ride-on boards. Being able to add a board is good for future proofing your pushchair, either for an older child you already have, or for your baby to move to as they grow, when they need to make way for a new baby.

You can purchase car seat adaptors, which will convert your Fox 5 into a full travel system and enable you to add the Turtle Air by Nuna infant carrier to the frame. They can also be used with other brands too. The adaptors are removed the same way as the carrycot and seat frame.

Carrycot – bed for baby

As a first bed for baby, you need a carrycot that has a firm and flat base that can keep your newborn comfortable. The Fox 5 carrycot is spacious and cocooning, with an XL canopy to keep them protected from the wind and sun.

The canopy is UPF 50+ rated and can be extended right down – it’s probably one of the best that we’ve seen.

For warmer weather, or as baby gets older, the breezy panel in the bottom of the carrycot can be folded down for ventilation and give them a better view. A panel in the canopy can also be opened up for maximum air flow. This panel folds back neatly, with a logo on the other side too.

The thickly padded apron that sits on top is secured with a double-sided zip, to enable you to get to baby from either side. The visor that pops up will help to keep out the drafts and stayed upright in place during testing.

Both the carrycot and seat unit now sit slightly higher on the chassis, making it easier to interact with your small person.

It may not be your first thought, but the mattress of your carrycot has an important job. The Fox 5 mattress is different to others on the market, as it is in two separate layers. Inside the provided soft and fleecy cover, you have a 3D mesh layer which is aerated for temperature control. This can be popped in the washing machine with the cover for easy cleaning. The other layer is a padded waterproof piece of mattress that can be wiped clean.

New for Bugaboo – stand for overnight sleep

Something new for Bugaboo is the fact that you can use the carrycot of your Fox 5 for overnight sleep when paired with the Carrycot Stand. This is a brilliant idea for parents to get full use out of their carrycot, as you only use it for six months. It also means that you don’t need to purchase a travel cot for weekends away.

You do have to use it with their carrycot stand though, for maximum airflow. This is relatively expensive, at £124.95 for the stand and another £24.95 for the adaptors to attach it, so will be dependent on wanting to pay the extra. The carrycot is easy to add onto the stand though, and you use the same two white memory buttons as you do to remove it from the pushchair chassis. When not in use, the stand folds really small and can be stored in a bag.

The bumper bar becomes your handle bar on the carrycot, making it nice and easy to transport. Bugaboo have added their logo stitched into the leatherette, which adds a premium finish. Although not the lightest, it’s not too heavy to carry.

Once baby outgrows their carrycot around six months old, there is a bit of work to do yourself as the carrycot and seat fabrics use the same frame, bumper bar and canopy. You need to remove your carrycot fabrics to then build your seat unit. This is great for storage, as you only need to store your carrycot fabrics, rather than a whole carrycot. Bugaboo have a really handy video to talk you through the process if you need some help.

The seat unit

Suitable from around six months old, or when they can sit unaided, up to 22kg, the seat unit of the Fox 5 is a good size for your growing toddler.

You can pop it on the chassis either parent or world facing, to suit your passenger (or the parent). As it’s the same frame as your carrycot, it’s the white memory buttons to press in to remove and switch round.

Although it looks similar to what we have seen before with a Bugaboo seat, we were thrilled to find two new additions on the Fox 5. Not only does the back height measure a good 50cm, but you can also extend it in two different places to give an extra 10cm!

Firstly you can push the canopy up by 5cm to click into a higher position.

Secondly, the footrest has a button at the bottom to extend the leg rest down for longer legs, which we love! Honestly, we do still miss the fact that you don’t get a leg rest that can be adjusted in the angle, but this is a fab way to extend the seat and give it even better longevity to grow with your family.

Again, Bugaboo have worked hard to make sure that everything is simple to use, and both of these are done with one hand.

Harness and hood

The five point harness is padded and stays open, making it easier to place your wriggly child in their seat. The shoulder and waist straps all clip separately into the large round buckle. This can take slightly longer to fasten, but you don’t have to fiddle while clipping the sides together. Releasing again is done with the central button.

To adjust the height of the shoulder straps, just pull up or down. This is much easier than rethreading, but it is quite noisy to slide. We doubt that you’d be doing this at nap time though! It’s just as easy to lengthen the straps, lift the buckle and pull.

Guess how many hands it takes to recline the seat? That’s right, one. Lift the lever at the top of the seat and move to one of three positions. As the seat tilts on the chassis, rather than opens flat, it is a bucket seat that can only be used once baby reaches around six months old or can sit up by themselves.

The same bumper bar as the carrycot sits over the child and provides extra security and somewhere for little one to hold. It’s gate opening from either side, by pressing the small white buttons and swivelling open.

Again, it’s the same canopy as we’ve looked at on the carrycot, so you know how big it is! The zip extension brings it right down to your toddlers knees, to protect from the wind, sun, rain, or snow! You do also get a rain cover though for those wetter days, but the canopy will allow you to at least head into the shops before getting soaked.

A sustainable brand

More and more parents are looking for brands that they can invest in to be more sustainable. Bugaboo have made a big effort to become an eco-friendly brand to create a more sustainable future. They have designed their products to last so that they use less and produce less CO2. Their ‘Push to zero’ journey sees them pushing down CO2 emissions to net zero by 2035. They are also mindfully using bio-based materials, rather than plastics, which alone reduces CO2 by 20%. Each product can be fully recycled too.

As a brand, another thing to reassure parents is that Bugaboo pushchairs are test driven 7000km over rough terrain, to ensure great reliability. This is even further than walking from London to Dubai! You have a two year standard warranty on all parts, plus an extra two years when you register!

If you like an accessory, there are lots available from Bugaboo! From footmuffs, cup holders, blankets, organisers, changing bags, parasols, seat liners and snack trays. All available in beautiful colours to fully co-ordinate. Integrated accessory points have been added to the chassis, so there’s no need for any additional clips or adaptors! There is also the option of buying additional canopies to have a different colour every day of the week, or to switch it up for a new baby.

Manoeuvrability and wheels

As an all-terrain pushchair, the wheels are an important part of how it handles. The Fox 5 has two 22cm wheels on the front and larger 30cm wheels on the back. These large, puncture proof wheels with rubber tyres are designed to take you smoothly over any ground that you might find on your family adventures. The front wheels can be locked off by pressing the white lever at the back, keeping you in a straight line.

We have rolled the Fox 5 down country paths, over grassy parks and in smooth shopping centres. There’s a noticeable difference in the super-light push, thanks to the new chassis design and its seamless steering system. Pushing with one hand is easy to do, even when holding the hand of your toddler. Having a relatively short wheelbase also helps to make turning corners a breeze.

The suspension built into the central joint, as well as special spring suspension on the front wheels, helps to soak up any bumps you might encounter and give a smoother ride for baby.

There is an aesthetic change to the wheels too, there are no more white wheel caps, with the only option now being black. This does make it easier to keep clean, as the white caps did mark up easily.

Two-wheeled mode

Just like the Fox 3, the Fox 5 has the ability to go into two-wheel mode. This is a brilliant feature if you’re crossing rougher terrain, like sand, snow, muddy fields or cobblestones. Make sure that the seat unit is always parent-facing and you use the wrist strap for security, then press both buttons on the handlebar, while holding the side of the chassis, and push the rear axle in with your foot. The chassis is now part-folded and just on the rear wheels for you to pull around backwards! The basket is also folded now too, so make sure you empty it first.

Going up and down kerbs is really easy and there’s very little pressure needed on the handlebar to put the front wheels up. It almost feels like it’s doing all the work for you.

One-hand fold

The fold of the Fox 3 was a bit tricky, so we were hoping for an improvement with the Fox 5. Bugaboo has certainly delivered and we are pleased to report that the fold is much better and so intuitive in comparison.

It’s now possible to fold the pushchair with one hand AND while the carrycot or seat unit is still attached to the frame. This makes it convenient to fold the pushchair in various situations, such as in a crowded cafe or when placing it in the car boot. The new front bridge design of the chassis gives you a step to lean on for a self-standing fold.If you are doing the fold with your seat unit in the parent facing position, drop the recline position as far back as it will go and then use the two buttons on the handlebar to fully lower the handlebar. Then just lift up from the central bar until the front wheels fold in. When world facing, the seat frame just needs to be reclined enough to be level with the pushchair frame.

It’s exactly the same with the carrycot, without adding much more to the overall fold size!

For the times where you really need the smallest possible fold, it’s best to fold in two pieces and completely remove your wheels.

There’s no lock on this pushchair fold, so it’s just a case of lifting the handle and pushing the front wheels back out to unfold. If you hold the central bar to lift when folded, it does all stay together.

Our verdict

Any negatives from the Bugaboo Fox 3 have been completely removed with the Fox 5. You can never have too many hands as a parent, so the fact that everything can now be adjusted or done with one hand makes it a super easy pushchair to use and it really will make a big difference for any parent using it to transport their little one.

This is a pushchair that can take you on any adventure, whether you’re strolling around the shops in your town centre, or walking the dog on the river bank. The push is light, smoother than smooth and has great suspension to make it comfortable for your little one.

We LOVE the extendable seat unit! We see lots of toddlers that outgrow their seat units before they’re ready to walk or before they reach the weight limits, so it’s amazing that you can give them extra head room and the length for longer legs.

The Fox 5 is a completely customisable pushchair, and we are sure that parents