Baby Jogger 2016 City Mini Gt Single Stroller

Price: $360 List

Pros: Easy to push and turn, relatively light and small

Cons: Serious tipping safety concern, harder to use

Manufacturer: Baby Jogger

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• Ease Of Use - 35% 5

• Maneuverability - 30% 8

• Weight/Folded Size - 25% 8

• Quality - 10% 6

City Mini GT vs. City Mini GT 2

The new City Mini GT2 (below left) has "forever air" rubber tires and all-wheel suspension. Unlike the original version (below right), it also has adjustable calf support for added comfort and passenger convenience. The manufacturer also claims the newer version is a full pound lighter than the older model, but it is larger when folded.

Hands on Review

The Baby Jogger company began in 1984 by parents who desired jogging with their babies. To solve this issue, they designed the first stroller meant specifically for jogging. Since the beginning, Baby Jogger has designed several strollers for lots of activities. In 2015, Baby Jogger was purchased by Newell Rubbermaid, and together they have continued to create strollers popular with many parents.

Performance Comparison

One of the most popular features of the Baby Jogger strollers is the quick pull fold, as seen here on the seat of the City Mini GT.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Use

The GT isn't as easy to use as most of the competition.

The City Mini GT has an auto-lock that works well and keeps the stroller closed for easier transport and storing.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Fold and Unfold

The GT has a one-handed fold, auto-locks, and comes with a carry strap. It doesn't have a self-standing capability, which makes it tougher to manage once folded. The fold is easy with three steps if you don't count unsnapping the safety straps that prevent accidental folding. We suspect that many people won't use the straps, which is a safety concern. It takes two steps to unfold, and the strap attachment (which you should do).

The GT is one of the few non-jogging options with a handbrake. This handbrake works well and has a feature that prevents accidental brake releasing.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Brakes

The brakes on the City Mini are single-action operated via a handbrake on the handlebar. They are easy to set, release, and are sandal foot-friendly. This handbrake has a locking switch to keep it from releasing by accident.

The storage on the Baby Jogger City Mini GT is large, but the lower seat and a cross bar make it difficult to access and limit what can be put inside.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Storage

The storage basket is large and holds up to 20 lbs, but we could only fit our medium diaper bag inside because of poor accessibility. The lower seat design and frame bar that goes across the back makes it a tight fit. This seat has a seat back pocket that is large and good for convenience items such as car keys or a cell phone. The pouch cannot conceal items and is not weatherproof.

The canopy on the City Mini GT has two peek-a-boo windows that make spying on baby easy. We wish they had magnetic closure instead of hook and loop, but it is still a better canopy than much of the competition.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Sunshade

The GT has a large sunshade with a UV rating of 50+. The canopy has two medium-sized peek-a-boo windows made of vinyl that make viewing baby easy. The window covers close with Velcro and would be nicer if they were magnetic. There is no ventilation on this canopy or the seat back.

The harness on the City Mini GT is not the easiest one to use with a weird knob on the back of the buckle that prevents releasing the buckle if pressed.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Harness

The 5-point harness on the GT is relatively easy to get on, and a little harder to take off with hard to adjustable shoulder height straps. The buckle snaps together easily, but it has a knob on the back that prevents release when you press it at the same time as the front button.

The Baby Jogger City Mini GT has a one-handed recline pull that works well but is a little stiff and harder to raise.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Seat

The leg rest on this stroller is padded and feels comfortable, but is not adjustable. It has a full footrest covered in a durable fabric that wipes clean. The GT has a one-handed recline with adjustable straps on either side that are held together with a pull. The process isn't as easy as it should be and raising the seat requires two hands.

The GT is compatible with several different brand infant car seats, including the Chicco as seen here with the Keyfit 30.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Car Seat Compatibility

The City Mini GT is not compatible with any infant car seat without the purchase of accessory adapters. You can buy adapter frames for models of the Britax/BOB, Peg Perego, Chicco, Cybex, Maxi Cosi, Nuna Pipa, Graco, and UPPAbaby infant car seats. These adapters will work with the award-winning Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35, and the Chicco KeyFit 30. To use the adapter parents will need to assemble the frame and remove the canopy on the stroller.

The infant seat attaches using a click-in and strap method that we think is more complicated and could potentially lead to mistakes. We imagine many parents will feel the click is sufficient and might skip the strap part, this could result in a potential safety issue, which is why we prefer the click only installation method.

Ease of Setup

This Baby Jogger took us about 6:30 minutes to set up. The documentation is average, and the instructions would be easier to follow if the three languages were in different sections instead of the same page. There are no tools required.

The City Mini GT is marketed as an "all-terrain" stroller, and while it is better off-road than the other Baby Jogger options we tested, we still wouldn't consider it a great choice for long-term off-road strolling.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Maneuverability

The GT is one of the easier to maneuver options of the non-jogging competitors.

The City Mini GT has suspension, but it isn't as good as the adjustable suspension on the BOB Revolution Flex.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

This stroller has a sportier feel than the other Baby Joggers and is easy to maneuver even in tight spaces. The wheels roll smoothly and you can push it with one hand. For off-road, this stroller is equally up to the challenge as it is on flat surfaces. The GT rolled over pretty much everything without too much trouble. It is a little stiff to turn on grass, but it managed the better than some of the competition and parents will find they can make it over most terrains without cursing.

The City Mini GT has an adjustable handlebar that rotates on a pivot point. This feature is useful for parents of different heights, but it puts taller users closer to the rear axle making it more likely they will kick the back of the stroller while moving.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

The wheels are where the GT diverge from the City Mini with foam-filled rubber instead of foam-filled plastic. The form and function of the GT's wheels are far better than its sibling. The GT has an adjustable handlebar and is about average for comfort. This stroller has two-wheel suspension, but it does offer more padding on a sling-style seat. The rubber tires combined with the padding make for a comfortable experience.

The City Mini GT is neither large nor heavy, but there are smaller and lighter strollers in this review.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Weight and Folded Size

The GT weighs 21.6 lbs, which is below the average for the group, making it a good choice for a lighter stroller. The GT is a nice size at 6,840 cubic inches making it one of the smallest in the group.

The Baby Jogger GT is a little nicer than the average product in this review for quality.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Quality

The GT is average for quality with nothing that stands out as great design. The fabric is slick, finely woven canvas. It is smooth and wipes easily, but probably isn't breathable. The material is continuous on the entire stroller and wraps around the frame, seat, and canopy in virtually one piece. The material on the footrest is durable, but not as easy to clean as some of the competition.

The plastic components and bunched fabric impacted the quality score for the City Mini GT.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

The frame on the GT is simple and sturdy with an overall fit and finish that are not as sleek and appealing as some of the competition.

Safety Concerns

We found what we believe is a significant safety concern for the City Mini GT that is not present on the other Baby Jogger strollers we tested. In our tests, and described by users, this stroller easily tips backward when the seatback is in the full recline position. Even without added weight on the handlebar (which you shouldn't do with any stroller) this stroller tips when baby moves up the seat back. Frighteningly, in the event of a back tip, there is a risk that the baby's head will hit the ground potentially causing serious injury. We found this safety concern in our stroller review from 2013 and 2015 and hoped that Baby Jogger would fix this design flaw in the 2017 GT, but our testing shows it is still a concern. Part of the problem is the center of gravity is further toward the front, which happens because the seat back length on the GT is longer than the other Baby Joggers we tested.

In our culmination of testing that includes our backward tip-over test as well as comparing the GT to other strollers, it has the most severe back tip issue. The problem is so significant, that we do not recommend using the seat fully reclined.

Manufacturer Video

Baby Jogger 2016 City Mini Gt Single Stroller

Source: https://www.babygearlab.com/reviews/getting-around/full-size-stroller/baby-jogger-city-mini-gt

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