Baby Jogger City Premier 2017 Stroller Review

The new Baby Jogger City Premier (it was called City Metro at the ABC Kids Expo) is a single version of the popular City Select model and an upgraded version of the City Versa. This new model took all the best features form Select and Versa creating serious competition for full size reversible seat strollers like Nuna Mixx, Nuna IVVI,  Armadillo Flip XT, and Britax Affinity.

It has a reversible seat with a deep recline suitable for a newborn. The seat can accommodate a child up to 50 lbs. The adjustable leg rest goes up and down and also extends to provide more stretching room.

The adjustable handle bar telescopes out giving tall parents more leg room. The large canopy goes down almost to the bumper bar and has two peekaboo window with magnetic closures. The hand brake is super flip-flop-friendly! LOL.

You will also like the large easy-to-access basket underneath the seat. The foam-filled wheels are a great size (12″ and 8″) and will never go flat. Unlike City Select, Premier has a VERY compact fold with the seat folding in-half. I would say this is as compact as reversible-seat strollers get.

There is also an automatic lock. What makes Premier really attractive is the combination of large wheels almost all-terrain, roomy reversible seat, and at the same time very compact fold. You can also turn it into a travel system or a pram with a purchase of the bassinet.

I gave it 4 out of 5 stars because although it sounds perfect on paper there are a few drawbacks. The biggest problem is a heavy weight of 28 lbs. Since there is no standing fold, you have to put it on the ground which results in some wear and tear of the fabric. Because this model does not convert into a double, it should be no more than 25 lbs really. BTW, the heavy weight is one of the biggest complaints from parents. So, I wonder why would anybody buy City Premier at all if City Select also weighs 28 lbs and can convert into double?

I also didn’t like that the seat is slightly reclined in the most upright position. Many parents prefer more upright position. The unfolding is a little awkward because you have to hold it and unlock it at the same time. The automatic lock catches the frame after unlocking sometimes so you have to bend down again to unlock it again. Basically, it’s a little challenging especially if you have a back problems like me.

Another thing that EVERYBODY complained about is the canopy not staying in place when you bring it down. What’s up with that? Your child can easily push it back. Right when they’ve released Premier there was almost no accessories available. They did fix that. Other complaints from parents were: noisy wheels, broken handle bar, wobbly seat, difficult fold/unfold, lack of accessories, and bulkiness.

I just don’t understand why we need Premier model when we have Select that has been tested by everybody for years and doesn’t have any of these little problems.

The City Premier retails for around $299 and come in dark blue and black. The fabrics and frame color combinations are on the boring side. I would like to see more fun colors and maybe a seat-liner with a cute pattern.

Buy Baby Jogger City Premier Stroller »

Features

-Large canopy. It has a large thee-panel canopy that goes all the way down to the bumper bar. There are two large peekaboo windows with magnetic closures. The windows are made out of clear plastic. I would like to see a dark mesh instead for better air circulation and sun shade. While I think the size of the canopy is great, it does NOT lock in place when you bring it down. This has been one of the complaints from the parents.

-Adjustable handle bar. The telescoping handle bar has rubber cover and extends out from 40″ all the way up to 42″. Great for shorter and taller parents.

-Reversible seat. The seat is 13″ wide with 22″ seat back and a measurement of 25″ from the bottom of the seat to the top of the canopy. The seat back is very tall comparing to the average height of 18″.  The canopy height is also higher than on most reversible seat strollers that average at about 22″. The seat can accommodate a child up to 50 lbs (very high weight limit). Perfect for a taller toddler!

-Deep recline. It has one-hand lever recline that reclines the whole seat (not only the back of the seat), so the seat keeps it’s ‘V’ shape. If you’ve been reading my reviews, you know that I prefer to have flat recline instead where only the back of the seat reclines.

The ability to recline the back of the seat and to lift up the leg rest creates bed-like environment providing your child with plenty of flat surface to stretch. It’s also more convenient when you need to quickly change a diaper. But, it’s not the end of the world. Many reversible seat strollers have ‘V’ shape. BTW, it’s NOT very upright seat in the most upright position. Still has slight recline.

-Adjustable leg rest. The leg rest not only adjusts up and down but also extends out to provide your child with more leg room. Great feature that most strollers don’t have.

-Adjustable 5-point harness. It has an adjustable padded 5-point harness with a center release button. What I like about it is that the shoulder straps and waist straps are connected and not going to disconnect after you unlock the buckle. So, no puzzle pieces to put together.

-Mesh pocket. There is a large mesh pocket in the back of the seat where you can store small items like your phone, keys or a toy.

-Huge basket. You can easily get your large diaper bag plus more stuff. It’s really big and easy to access not only from the back but also from both sides. You can also easily access it from the front if the seat is reversed or reclined.

-Hand brake. There is a hand brake on the side of the frame. Super flip-flop-friendly! LOL.

-Never-flat wheels. It rolls on four foam filled wheels with 12″ wheels in the back and 8″ in the front. The front wheels are swivel but can be locked straight. Although it’s not an all-terrain stroller, it is very close being all-terrain because the back wheels are pretty large and can tackle a lot of terrain. Another great thing is that because they are foam-filled they will never go flat. So, you don’t need to buy a tire pump and worry about always having it with you in case you get a flat.

 

-All-wheel suspension. It helps to absorb some of the bumps making the ride smoother. Keep in mind, this is NOT a jogging stroller despite having “Baby Jogger” as part of its name. “Baby Jogger” is just the name of the company. You can NOT jog with this stroller.

-Compact fold. I was surprised to see a pretty compact package once folded. The seat folds forward in-half and than you also fold the frame in-half. It does have an automatic lock, but there is no standing fold unfortunately. Since this baby weighs whooping 28 lbs, once you fold it you better put somewhere fast. The folded dimension are 13.6″H x 32.1″L x 25″W which is not bad for reversible seat stroller. One thing I want to mention is that unfolding is not very intuitive.

-Bassinet option. You can turn your stroller into a pram by getting a bassinet.

-Glider board option. Great for an older child.

-Travel system option. You can turn it into a travel system by getting adapters. Works with most popular brands.

Cons

–Seat. The seat is not very upright in the most upright position. Might be not a big deal but I want to mention it here. Also some parents said it was a little wobbly.

-Fold. The unfolding is a little awkward. The automatic lock sometimes catches one of the frame so you have to unlock it again all while holding 28 lbs stroller.

-Heavy weight. As I’ve mentioned above this baby is very heavy at 28 lbs. If you are petite or have back problems, test it first.

-Canopy. The canopy is a great size, but it doesn’t stay in place once you bring it down.

-Noisy wheels. I am surprised some parents complained about wheels being noisy and not as smooth as they expected. My models was ok.

Video Review

Baby Gizmo has detailed video overview. I might be wrong, but it doesn’t look like they’ve tested it.

;

Specs

Stroller weight: 28 lbs
Weight limit: 50 lbs
Folded dimensions: 13.6″H x 32.1″L x 25″W
Handle bar height: 40″ – 41″
Seat to canopy height: 25″
Front wheels: 8″
Rear wheels: 12″
Overall length: 41″
Overall width: 25″

Warranty

Baby Jogger gives a lifetime warranty on the frame of the stroller and 1 year on small parts and fabric. Here is more information on the warranty.

Available colors

The City Premier is available in two colors: indigo and black/teal.

Where to buy it

My favorite place to buy strollers and a lot of other baby items is Amazon. It usually has the lowest prices, free shipping, free returns and no sales tax. How great is that? You can get City Premier in one of the two beautiful colors for around $299 on Amazon (free shipping/free returns).

Buy Baby Jogger City Premier Stroller »

~Susan Brian

P.S. If you have any questions, leave me a comment below and I do my best to answer them as soon as I can.