Bugaboo Donkey Review by Leah

With all the hype surrounding the Bugaboo Donkey I was very skeptical on its performance in the real world with real children.

Were the seat units really tiny as I suspected?  Was it going to be a bit wobbly with all those extensions?

Well when I saw the Donkey in the flesh at Harrogate I was pleasantly suprised!

It really is a pretty pram.  I can see why people love Bugaboo’s so much.  Such a variety of fabrics you can make the pram as individual as you are.

I wasnt really sold on the whole ‘mini shopping basket on the side of the seat’ thing, but you know, it really could grow on you.  Even if it was simply for a handful of toys, some juice and a nappy pouch, it could be very useful.

The thing that struck me was in mono it was just the same width as the Chameleon!!  Although if I was buying a donkey I would never buy it to use as a single full time.

However in Duo and Twin mode is where this thing really shows off!

The frame is pretty solid although as Jussy says there is some give in the handle when you lean down on it.  I guess it really depends on your style of pushing.

It has great suspension, air tyres which i love! and a pretty nifty small turning circle.

The carrycots are great!  Not only do they look really cute side by side, they are pretty roomy being virtually the same size as the Chameleon cots.  A nice touch here is you can choose your custom fabrics for each cot/seat so you can really mix it up.

The seat units are just like those on the Chameleon however they dont seem all that roomy to me. It is a little deceptive as the measurements say they are on a par with most other pushchairs we have seen.  Im going to say 3 yrs max- but thats just my opinion based on my own 2yr old twins sizes.

We also saw demo’s of the Donkey in 2 seat mode, and mixed cot and seat modes all of which look useable and comfortable.

Then we came to 2 car seats.  I already knew maxi cosi cabriofix cars eats are 44cms wide each so I knew they were going to overhang the frame.  But to be honest, they sit well on the frame- quite high up near the handle.  The big downside is this increases the overall width to 96cms!!!  Average doorway being 75/76 cms that could cause some problems but round the shopping centres you would probably be ok.

I would suspect most would use it in 2 cot mode for 2 newborns anyway- I know I would.  Its handy to have the option of the cars seats even if you rarely use them.

The shopping basket is pretty nifty- it extends along with the frame and has some handy pockets for bits n pieces plus a large front access basket for larger items.

The big downer for me was the fold.  Its pretty huge to say the least, however it will fold with any seats or cots attached which is useful.

You will need an estate or large boot to accomodate this pushchair.

Overall it is a real head turner of a pushchair.  Very pretty, smart and well  laid out.  Though, the Bugaboo Donkey is expensive for what it is.  My opinion is most of that is paying for the brand name but I guess the same can be said for the icandy’s and such like..