Customer Reviews

Bugaboo Cameleon Stroller - Dark Grey Base/Orange Canvas Tailored Fabric Set

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Before anyone purchases this stroller, I think they need to seriously consider how the stroller will be used. If you live in an urban area and always keep this stroller assembled...it would be a great stroller. If you live in a suburb, or your primary form of transportation is a vehicle, this stroller is a very poor choice. It breaks down into three pieces, and does not do so easily. There is nothing one-handed, or quick about the break down for transport. So, before you buy this stroller because it is the cool one, or the luxury one the celebs have, be honest about its limitations.

A few other Pros & Cons...

Pros
- Incredible ride & suspension
- Bassinet option allows you to use it for an infant
- Frame can be used with a Graco Carset...with the purchase of an additional adaptor
- Adjustable seat - child can be completely reclined, semi-upright or fully upright...and you can face them forward or backwards
- Adjustable handle - very important if you are taller
- Excellent break. When its on, the stroller does not move at all
- Very well-made & sturdy

Cons
- Price - for the unit & every accessory is an additional cost
- Dis-assembly...I cannot underscore this enough!! It is not easy or quick. Nor can you do it one handed. If you are trying to do so while wrangling a child, it is impossible.
- It breaks down into 3 pieces...the wheeled base, the overall seat base or bassinet, & the padded cresent-shaped bar/handle. This would make it impossible for airplane travel. Unless, of course, you purchase the $150 carrying bag.
- Fully-Assembled Size...this is a big stroller, especially when you use the bassinet
- Folded Size - it is NOT compact
- Every accessory is sold separately - even the cup holder
- Bassinet has limited use, and then requires a lot of storage space after you switch to the seat
- Shoulder straps are rather flimsy and really long. At the absolute shortest, they are huge on my 10-mo. old
- Bottom storage basket is difficult to get things in & out of, especially if you close it with the drawstring cord
- Canopy is too big for the upright seat - if you want your child to see anything, you have to have the canopy half closed
- Weight limit of 40 lbs, which is less than a lot of strollers

Once this stroller is assembled, it is a great stroller and rides incredibly well. It turns well and my son seems very comfortable in it. However, we are suburbanites and the constant break down is a PAIN! After struggling with this stroller for 10 months and cursing it each and every time I have to get it in & out of my car, I bought a smaller stroller to have in the car for quick errands & travel. The Bugaboo still gets a ton of use around our neighborhood and for bigger outings, but I make sure the breakdown is worth it.

The stroller definitely has some major Pros, but be sure the way you will use the stroller is in synch with those Pros!

TEST DRIVE IT! Go to [...] to find a retailer where you can test drive it (then come back here to make the purchase where you have more choices in color) at which point, my rave review will be moot. You'll be sold.

Until then:

Lets get the price out of the way, expensive for a single stroller?... perhaps... but the Cameleon is more than that (therefore its name). Its flexibility, its perks and ease of use mean that this is IT for you... no more stroller purchases, no regrets. Every parent I talked to before my purchase had been through multiple strollers: travel systems, joggers, compact, bulky... But a bugaboo is for life (ok, 4 years give or take, but you get my drift).

As for size, I drive a compact car and find the frame fits easily in my trunk. The bassinet and the seat fit easily in the trunk as well, but during the holidays I found that keeping the seat (or bassinet) in my back seat (next to car seat) allowed me to make better use of my trunk for shopping.

It doesnt feel bulky to me at all, nor do I find it burdonesome to fold (see lexus drivers review) though it took me a bit to get the hang of it. Indeed, the cameleon folds flatter and is 10 lbs lighter than comparable strollers (it weighs 20 lbs).

Not to mention: an incredibly smooth ride, turning on a dime with one hand, a "handy" hand break (soooo nice), shock absorbers!, a telescopic handle which flips over the carriage so you can change the direction your child faces or down to the ground so you can slide the stroller up to a cafe table like a highchair!

It looks great and its like driving a porsche--passers by stop you and other owners greet you as a member of the club.

There's a reviewer here who called it tipsy... I'm baffled, and tempted to impugn his/her reputation--or equilibrium, at least. I can push the Cameleon and make hairpin turns with 2 fingers (not recommended, however)!

At the corner coffee shop, I watch other strollers aghast: Parents with the joggers tip their strollers all the way back to make the right angle turn into the shop. Parents with the more common tiny, double-wheeled strollers fight with them like creaky shopping carts, lifting and shaking the stroller (and, therefore, CHILD) every few feet to get the wheels all pointing the same direction.

We bought this stroller because of the good look. It is incredibly easy to push around, which is a big plus. However, my baby girl is 7 months old (26 in long) and the canopy is touching her head already. I am not sure she will fit in the next couple of months. The seat needs to be made LONGER, so that we can get better use of this, as this is not a cheap stroller.

We purchased the orange and black Bugaboo Cameleon when living abroad in a very pedestrian friendly environment and were immensely satisfied with our choice. It suited us perfectly from infancy through the first year and a half. We had to sell it because we moved to a country where we are not able to use a stroller very often so we use a Maclaren Triumph for short outings and traveling.

Along with all the wonderful comments others have shared about this buggy, I would like to suggest investment in a Bugaboo Transport Bag to protect your stroller if traveling via air. We didn't and were so disappointed when returning home after visiting the U.S. The U.S. partner carrier did not have a plastic bag large enough so we really struggled to get the Chameleon in the bag, and it wasn't strong enough to transport our checked Bugaboo resulting in cosmetic damage and a slightly bent frame (surprisingly easy to correct). The experience could have been worse.

European carriers have giant (collapsible pram size) heavy-duty plastic bags for sale so if you don't purchase the transport bag, if traveling from a European country, buy an extra plastic bag and place it in the basket for the return trip before you check the bagged stroller. By the way, most foreign carriers allow a collapsible stroller and a small bag for baby to be checked for no additional fee with the "purchase" of an infant (lap child) ticket.

One more comment. The undercarriage bag had to be replaced once, and with the warranty it was a painless process. It wasn't the prettiest Bugaboo on the playground with safety pins holding it together until the new bag arrived, but that was only temporary!

So my wife had ordered the Bugaboo which cost something like $900 and when we got it I was already a little ticked. I put it together and while it was light (for a stroller) and the frame and wheels were of great quality, the fabric and storage area (if you could call it that) were cheap and help on by velcro that didn't really keep anything tight. I convinced her to return it and we bought the Uppababy Vista. When I got it it was super easy to put together (almost totally set up out of the box) and much more space in it. I would say that the wheels aren't as good and the frame is a little heavier but even if it was the same price as the Bugadon't I would go with this one. The storage space is much bigger (my wife puts our little dog down there) and can actually be used when the crib-thingy is attached. I am now recommending this stroller to all my friends!

What I like:
This is a practical stroller for people who live in urban areas. I have found it to be really useful; especially when we are in the city (NYC) and there is no changing table in the area. This stroller can lie flat so that I can change my daughter's diaper on the stroller. Not the best situation, but super helpful when you have no place to change a diaper. It's also very smooth.

A few problems:
- quite bulky; you need a decent-sized trunk to fit it
- Not the best stroller when your main way of getting to places is via car.
- release and break buttons are hard to push

I bought my stroller in 2008 after thorough research that lead to Excel spreadsheet. Bugaboo was a clear winner for our needs despite the price and the fact that I wanted to be different and find a less popular stroller.

Super easy to steer, light for a full size stroller, has a bassinet for a newborn that can be used during the night. The fact that baby is facing you is priceless - you can talk to him/her, they feel secure because they see you. The canopy is very good size (e.g. Phil&Teds is a joke). We have traveled with it on the plane without a bag, but it would be smart to protect it. Spirit airline got our car seat soaking wet twice.

It's fantastic for the city but I would not recommend it for someone living in suburbs because disembling and lifting 2 pieces in and out of the trunk can get old fast, especially in winter.