Bugaboo Fox Review -With Video Review

Bugaboo have JUST released their latest pram!

The Bugaboo Fox

UPDATE: So since reviewing the Bugaboo Fox in store I’ve had the opportunity to do a thoroughly review the Bugaboo Fox at home (including a video review!) I’ll leave my initial review below especially for those wanting a to see the Bugaboo Fox vs Cameleon.

 

Bugaboo Fox In The Wild

bugaboo fox mulch

 

So I took the Bugaboo Fox for a spin through the usual suburban terrain – hilly footpaths, grass, playground mulch – fully loaded with a friend’s 3 year old and it handled really well. It’s super smooth and easy to push. It did catch a little bit on some of the bigger bumps in the grass, so that’s something to be mindful of. If you’re doing serious “off roading” then you’d likely need to lock the front wheels into the forward position so it rolls more smoothly. So with any pram when you lock the front wheels you’ll lose some maneuverability. But otherwise it rolled easily over mulch even with a big kid in the seat.

Overall the adaptability of the Bugaboo Fox is impressive. The Bugaboo Fox is a great city and suburban pram, with some all terrain capability.

Super Adjustable Shoulder Straps

six year old in the seat

Speaking of big kids I also put my six year old daughter in the seat and while she’s significantly too tall for hood (which is perfectly fine, I don’t expect a tall six year old to fit into many prams) I was able to secure her into the pram with the shoulder straps. So the shoulder straps have a very broad height range! And the shoulder straps are SUPER easy to adjust. No need to re-thread, just pull them up and down. (Watch how it adjusts in the video above from 1:04 onward.)

So the Bugaboo Fox could easily be adjustibled between different aged siblings really easily as well. So while you may not have your older child in the pram all the time, it’s potentially an option to have them rest their feet for short periods of time knowing they can still be safely secured into the pram with the shoulder straps.

The Fox Is A Unicorn – It’s Big AND Compact

When people ask me to recommend them a pram I often get people describing features that don’t really match. They want big wheels, big seat, big basket, big hood, big weight limit. As well as all those full sized pram features like a parent facing seat, one-handed recline, optional bassinet, all-terrain etc. But they also want it to be light, compact, easy to fold, and easy to lift.

The Bugaboo Fox ticks all of those boxes, and even though it does lean towards the bigger side, it’s still pretty compact and lightweight, especially given its size. It is (just) under 10kgs – which is light for a full size, full featured, pram. It can fold with the seat attached. And can even fold with the bassinet attached!

And I was able to fit it into my Kia Rio (small car) with a little bit of space left for some gear. Though did need to take the seat off the frame to give it a more compact fit.

boot

In Store Review Of The Bugaboo Fox

I had the opportunity to pop in to my local Baby Train store for a quick little play in store and I’ll be sent a Bugaboo Fox to borrow soon for a more thorough video review – so watch this space for the update!

bugaboo fox review

I have to admit that while I’ve admired Bugaboo as a brand I’ve never really felt like any of their prams were for me. None of them have quite ticked my boxes – which is fine, not everything has be to exactly what I want. But The Bugaboo Fox is the first Bugaboo I really feel like I can get behind. Literally.

How Is The Bugaboo Fox Different To The Bugaboo Cameleon?

bugaboo fox review
Left: Bugaboo Fox in Red Right: Bugaboo Cameleon in Blue

I decided to compare the Bugaboo Fox to the Cameleon partly because the Cameleon is Bugaboo’s most popular and iconic pram – and also because the Fox is essentially replacing the Bugaboo Buffalo – so once the Buffalo has sold out the Fox and the Cameleon will be being sold side by side. So you’ll need to know which of the two most suits your needs.

Firstly it’s worth pointing out that the Bugaboo Fox is coming in at a higher price point than the Cameleon, so you are paying for all these upgraded features.

At A Glance

bugaboo fox review

So the obvious upgrades that just jump out at me are:

  • The One Handed Recline! – I’m a little obsessed with one handed reclines – if you’ve read my pram reviews you might have picked that up.
  • Step Brake – Rather than the hand-brake on the Cameleon. And it’s step to engage and release. So your pedicure is safe even if you’re wearing open toed shoes.
  • Folds With The Seat Attached – Another feature that always wins brownie points with me.
  • Huge basket – Easily accessible with a massive 10kgs capacity!

bugaboo fox review

  • Easy to Adjust Harness – Just slide into position. No fiddling. No re-threading.
  • Leather Handlebar and Belly Bar – Which is a very fashionable detail lately.
  • Absolutely enormous Sun Canopy

bugaboo fox

Size Comparison Between Bugaboo Fox and Cameleon

bugaboo fox

 

The Fox is an all round bigger pram EXCEPT when it’s folded! Despite the fact it boasts a larger – and higher – seat, bigger basket, and is fractionally heavier (Bugaboo Fox is 9.9kgs and Cameleon is 9.6kgs) the fold is more compact with the Bugaboo fox when the seat is detached.

That said unlike the Cameleon the Bugaboo Fox can also be folded with the seat attached, facing in either direction.

bugaboo fox review

And you can even fold it with the bassinet attached!

bugaboo fox review

 

Though obviously these are a more bulky fold. And also there is still no automatic lock and the manual fold lock is a bit hidden (I missed it entirely when doing this review. Whoops!) So I think you’ll find you mostly won’t be using the lock. So you’ll just need to be careful when you’re lifting it up into the car to keep it all together so it doesn’t pop open on you as you load it into the boot. The benefit of not using the fold lock is that it does spring open easily when you are unfolding. Rather than having to fiddle and unlatch a locking mechanism. So that is something to consider.

The Adjustable Telescopic Handlebar

bugaboo fox review

The telescopic handlebar on the Bugaboo Fox has a much lower setting than the lowest on the Cameleon, so it’ll cater to even the shortest of parents.

bugaboo fox review

And the angle of the handlebar is slightly lower compared to the Cameleon. So on the highest position it’s also further away from the pram – to allow for the longer stride of taller parents. There are also 10 height positions in total so you’re sure to find the perfect spot for you.

Bugaboo Are All About Function and Fashion

bugaboo fox review

 

So Bugaboo are very much a fashion focused brand. One of the reasons that they are so popular is you can customise and change the look of your pram to suit your own unique style. The Bugaboo Fox allows you to mix and match the colours from top to bottom. From the wheel colours to the hood and everything in between.

You’ll get to choose the colour of the chassis, seat fabric, sun canopy, handlebar, wheel caps, and the bassinet fabric (and the bassinet is included). As well as then being able to add the usual Bugaboo accessories, like a cute little parasol.

Final Thoughts

bugaboo fox review

Ultimately the Bugaboo Fox still retains a lot of the expected features and performance of the Bugaboo brand. And even though this model is fresh to the market it is still easily recognisable at a glance as a Bugaboo. They have such an iconic style.

I feel like Bugaboo are also great at listening to their customers and following trends. Basically just providing people with what they want. So this new pram just reflects what the market – and especially Bugaboo buyers – want.

I’d still appreciate a simpler folding process. I love a more intuitive folding mechanism, whereas the Bugaboo Fox does take some practise (as does the fold on the Cameleon). But you definitely get the hang of it!

For more pram reviews check out Best Prams 2018

Rachel Stewart

Rachel is the founder of Parenting Central. She is raising two children, boy and girl, with her partner. Rachel is obsessed prams, car seats, carriers and all things baby. She has worked in the baby industry for several years, for both suppliers and also in a retail setting and has developed a passion for connecting parents with the right products to make their lives easier. When Rachel isn't playing with prams she's enjoys crocheting, drinking coffee (sometimes wine) and spending a little too much time on Facebook.

53 Comments

  1. ? love the look of the fox. We brought a cameleon for our daughter 2 years ago and is still perfect but this tempts me for sure to get a new one for baby 2. Bugaboo is an amazing brand!

  2. I’m about to have my fourth baby. I have a bugaboo donkey which I have had since my twin were born in 2014, I had three under two at one stage, my girls didn’t sit in the pram so it was great that I could have the donkey as a smaller pram. But the thing is, it doesn’t for in my 7seater car, with my twins in the third row. So this would be ideal because of the one click fold….I haven’t used my pram for my little guy for a very long time he isn’t even 2 yet, and yeah it’s pretty much because it doesn’t fit in my car comfortably. So this is something I would be looking for, as it may be a good fit and easy to pull out quickly with four kids in tow. But it’s a lot to justify!

    Which stores have this pram to view? I’m in the Sutherland Shire.

Related Articles