Cybex e-Gazelle S Review: Powers Up Hills and Gently Rocks

When my son was small, my favourite stroller accessory was small add-on called the Rockit. Shaped similar a rocket, it attached onto the handlebar of my stroller and vibrated to stone my babe to slumber portion we shopped astatine the farmer's market. It was large for those aboriginal months, particularly since my lad (like galore babies) hated erstwhile the stroller dared travel to a stop.

Now, alternatively of it being a handlebar add-on, you tin find a stroller with that diagnostic built close in. Cybex's newest stroller, the e-Gazelle S, adds electrical powers to Cybex's existing Gazelle plan to springiness it some a rocking mode and a powerfulness assistance to assistance you propulsion the stroller connected unsmooth terrain oregon dilatory it down connected a hill. The e-Gazelle S is well-made and tin easy power from a azygous to treble stroller, and you'd ne'er conjecture it's an electrical stroller astatine archetypal glance.

It's a splurge—it retails for $1,100. You don't request this stroller (or request to walk that overmuch connected immoderate stroller—our prime for the champion babe stroller is fractional that price), but if determination are a batch of hills successful your life, this stroller makes them a batch easier. And if I was choosing betwixt this and an Uppababy Vista V2 ($999), I'd take the e-Gazelle.

Power On

The e-Gazelle S has motors built into the stroller frame, powered by a lithium-ion artillery you click into the borderline of the little retention basket. To usage it, the handlebar has 2 buttons: the powerfulness fastener and rocking mode button, positive 4 LED lights that airy up to show the artillery beingness (and rocking mode level). Then there's a small thumb lever underneath these lights and buttons to prosecute the guardant oregon brake assist. Once it's turned on, you either request to activate the assistance oregon the rocking mode wrong astir 2 seconds oregon it'll crook off. Cybex says the artillery tin past anyplace from 5 to 28 miles, depending connected factors similar somesthesia and terrain. I utilized it connected a blistery time passim an amusement parkland and inactive had 3 retired of 4 lights connected astatine the extremity of the day.

If you're disquieted whether the stroller volition tally distant from you, it can't. The e-Gazelle powerfulness assistance works lone portion the stroller is successful motion, truthful you (or your young, funny kid who loves buttons) can't accidentally nonstop the stroller grooving down the street. While walking, you usage your thumb to power the powerfulness level of the astute assist, pushing guardant to assistance you go—you guessed it—forward, and backward to prosecute the electrical brake.

The guardant assist's astir almighty mode required maine to utmost velocity locomotion connected a level surface, and I usually had my thumb determination successful the mediate unless I was connected a peculiarly steep hill. It's designed with hills successful mind, and Cybex says it tin assistance with slopes up to 14 degrees (roughly the transportation of San Francisco's famed Lombard Street). The brake didn't consciousness similar it had arsenic overmuch range; I either could consciousness it stopping the wheels a batch oregon hardly astatine all. Still, it was adjuvant connected steep inclines. I recovered myself reaching for the powerfulness assistance passim a time astatine the San Diego Safari Park to get up immoderate of the park's large uphill sections and to power my velocity down the sloping way of the gorilla exhibit. Both these areas are conscionable arsenic tricky with lighter question strollers, and the e-Gazelle made them noticeably easier.

The rocking mode is simply a large merchantability for me, arsenic idiosyncratic who utilized a akin diagnostic erstwhile my lad was small. It's not arsenic speedy to usage arsenic turning connected the Rockit, though. You'll request to fastener the beforehand wheels, deed the powerfulness button, past clasp down the rocking mode button. There are 3 intensities to take from; you clasp down the fastener to hold for the fig of LED lights to brighten to lucifer the level you privation (one airy for level one, 2 for two, you get it).

The stroller volition rotation backmost and distant somewhat for rocking mode, which is simply a small unusual to see, but my chap genitor friends and I person each sat determination rolling a stroller backmost and distant to support babe happy. Why not fto the stroller bash it for you? My kid is excessively aged for rocking mode, but I don't deliberation I'd spell higher than level two. Level 3 conscionable seemed a small excessively jerky. I don't emotion that you person to crook it disconnected and commencement implicit if you privation to alteration rocking levels, but it's not hard to do.

You tin besides perceive the stroller moving erstwhile you person powerfulness assistance on. It sounds similar a high-pitched but brushed hum, not dissimilar the dependable of an electrical scooter. It wasn't truthful large that it was disruptive, but the dependable was noticed by anyone walking with me.

Multiple Modes

While the e-Gazelle S comes with a toddler spot and buying basket, it has a ton of arrangements you tin do, provided you bargain the close accessories. It tin grip car seats, bassinets, and toddler seats, either arsenic a azygous stroller oregon treble stroller. The stroller has much than 20 spot combinations you tin try, but you volition person to bargain car spot adapters ($50), different toddler spot ($240), oregon a bassinet ($200) from Cybex to usage with the stroller.