Bugaboo Donkey5 Review

Bugaboo began twenty years ago with a sleek new stroller engineered to feel uncomplicated and purpose-driven. They are committed to the details so parents and babies are comfortable. Bugaboo is also committed to respecting the planet for future generations by responsibly sourcing materials and providing healthy working conditions. Bugaboo makes strollers, a high chair, and play yards.

Performance Comparison

Ease of Use

The Bugaboo Donkey5 isn't very easy to use and performed worse than much of the competition.

Fold and Unfold

The Donkey requires two hands to fold and multiple steps that make it more complex than the competition. The fold is not much smaller than it is when open, and there is no locking mechanism to keep it closed. It only has a magnet hold that doesn't work that well; even a light bump causes it to come apart. It only requires one hand to unfold, but you have to pull up on the handle behind the canopies on the ground. We had to jam our hands into the canopy, hitting the rigid sunshade cage to reach the handle.

Storage

The Donkey has multiple opportunities for storage, including a bin under the seats and an optional bin if you use only one seat.

The optional bin is easy to access and really useful, but it can only be used with one seat attached to the stroller.

The under-seat storage bin is wide open and fairly easy to access but can be somewhat limited if the seats are reclined. This bin has a maximum capacity of 22 lbs, which is on the higher side for the group, but not the highest. The bin has a bar across the bottom that limits what you can put inside, and the handlebar can also get in the way if it is adjusted to its longest length. You can also access the bin from the front if the seats are reclined enough, and there are mesh pockets in the front of the bin, perhaps intended for use mostly with bassinets or car seats. Because the bin is essentially a hanging bag without an internal structure, it also occasionally collapsed as we tried to put large items inside.

Harness

The harnesses on the Donkey 5 are 5 points with padded shoulder straps. The straps have a smooth adjustment for tightening and loosening, but tightening is easier if you angle the strap to prevent the webbing from getting caught in the teeth of the adjustment clasp if you need to slide the strap through. Adjustments require pulling the straps toward you instead of pushing them toward the child. Each of the four straps has its own entry point for the buckle. We had no problem lining up the straps, and you can hear the click when the components are securely in place. Pressing the buckle in the center is the best way to release the straps, but it can also work if you are off-center.

Brakes

The brakes are easy single-action brakes that are pressed to set and lift to release. The brake pedal is on the left side instead of the center because this stroller telescopes in width depending on your seating configuration. It is situated kind of close to the wheel, and testing showed we regularly rubbed the wheels when pressing it. You can hear it click into place. Releasing is a lift using the top of your foot, and it wasn't significant pressure, so it was foot and shoe friendly.

Maneuverability

We kind of liked the maneuverability of this side-by-side despite typically struggling with four-wheeled doubles. This is a big stroller, and the sunshade is wider than the stroller itself. During testing, it tended to hit the doorways in our standard 32-inch test. It is relatively smooth on flat surfaces, and the handlebar telescope for height adjustment.

It can make tight turns on flat surfaces, which is impressive. The suspension helped absorb bumps and minor obstacles in the path, and we were surprised it handles as well as it does, given its size. We were even able to push it with one hand at times.

Once we move off flat surfaces, like carpet and grass, it grows infinitely more of a workout. We even had trouble turning it on the carpet! If you need to make micro-adjustments when turning or navigating doorways, we had to back up the stroller to get the front wheels positioned to make the small adjustment.

The handle is thin and harder to grasp, which is a disappointment given the heft of a full stroller like this. It was a poor performer off-road, taking a lot more effort than the competition. It is somewhat easier with the front wheels locked to prevent them from swiveling on uneven terrain.

Transporting and Storing

While all double strollers are big, some are bigger than others, and the Donkey5 is one of the bigger options.

Load and Unload

We had significant trouble putting this stroller in our test trunk in one piece. If you need to put it in a smaller location, you'll have to remove both seats and sort of stack them on top of each other. In our tests, we also had to remove the wheels, so this is five components to keep track of and stow. Yikes!

Weight and Folded Size

This is one of the heaviest strollers in the group, with a measured weight of 40.2 lbs with two toddler seats in place. The manufacturer-listed weight is 32.8, and we aren't sure what their configuration is for measurement, but perhaps this is only one toddler seat in place.

The folded size measurement is 27,885 cubic inches. This measurement is one of the biggest in the group and prevented us from being able to fit it in our test trunk in one piece.

Kid Ride

The toddler seats on this stroller are some of the nicest features on it, but they aren't as adjustable as some competitors.

Seat

The real downside here is the leg rest is not adjustable. Much of the competition outside of joggers offers both an angle and length adjustment of the leg rest area. This can be really helpful so little ones have the footrest to put their feet on, and their legs don't have to dangle. The footrest is also fairly narrow, so toddlers with bigger feet might end up with a dangling foot.

The seat backs can recline horizontally for cozy napping and younger babies, but moving them is tight since they are so close together and can interfere with the handlebar depending on how things are adjusted. The shades have problems once again rubbing and getting caught when moving both seats into a recline position or back up again. The sling-style seats are comfy enough, and the Donkey's suspension makes for an overall comfortable experience for passengers.

Sunshade

The sunshades are large but are wider than the stroller frame, making them a hindrance to moving where you may want to. There is no listed UPF rating, but the can extend to cover the knees of most passengers.

The shades are the same, and each has a mesh peek-a-boo window. The mesh requires being fairly close to it to see through to the passenger. The window cover remains in place with friction and doesn't use Velcro or magnets. The shades have an extension that creates an even bigger canopy that you access with side zippers. When you use the zippered panel, it moves the peek-a-boo window so you can no longer see inside when standing behind the stroller. It seems like a design flaw that could have been easily remedied by placing the extension panel further forward.

Quality

While the Donkey 5 is great quality, it isn't as good as some of the lower-priced competition. We feel if you are coming to play with the biggest price tag, you better show up, knocking the competition out of the water, and the Donkey just didn't do that.

The Donkey's overall fit and finish is eye-pleasing, even if some of it doesn't work as well as it should. The canopies are smooth moving and are made with higher quality fabric than competitors, but the wide design means they bump doorways and each other, which feels like a design flaw.

The Donkey frame has no weld points and is primarily rivets you cannot tighten, and we sort of felt they needed to be on our stroller. It feels a bit wobbly compared to the competition, and the telescoping, adjustable frame just creates more opportunities for components to misalign or shift together.

The fabric fits well, but in places, the stitching looks off because it is too tight to the frame. It has a fancy, leather-wrapped handlebar and leather handles for the kids. The seat fabric is soft but wipable, and there is a subtle fabric shift to something that feels more durable on the leg rest and footrest areas. The wheels are foam-filled plastic, and rubber would have been an upgrade we'd love to see at this price.

Car Seat Compatibility

The Bugaboo Donkey5 works with two infant car seats simultaneously from the following brands (details can be found in the comparison chart in the main review): Nuna, Maxi-Cosi, and Chicco.

Ease of Setup

The Donkey took about 40 minutes to assemble and was one of the more convoluted in the group, with lots of components and three boxes for all the parts. The documentation is not the best, and we found it confusing with pictures of parts that didn't match what came in our boxes.

With steps that didn't work on the assembly, we had to use some deductive reasoning to get things sorted. It is kind of a disappointment for a stroller in this price category not to focus more on documentation to make assembly easier. There are two different ways to build seats using the same frame, a bassinet or a toddler seat. The bassinet has 13 Velcro straps which are easy but tedious. There are no instructions for assembling the sunshades for the standard seats.

Twins

The Donkey would work well for twin infants and beyond with the inclusion of bassinets for newborns (2 if you purchase the twin version), car seat compatibility, and similar seating styles for older babies and toddlers. The standard seats have the same features and functionality, limiting the reasons for little ones to fight over who sits where. In addition, the storage bin is large enough for supplies for two and easy to access with two seats in place, upright or reclined.

Should You Buy the Bugaboo Donkey5?

The Donkey 5 is an expensive and cumbersome stroller with lots of adjustments, and nothing truly standout to show for itself. It is heavy, large when folded, and not as easy to use as some of the competition. While we see the appeal of the quality and ability to adjust the width for single vs. double riders, it was a disappointing stroller overall, and we think there are multiple better options in this review, no matter what you are looking for.

What Other Double Stroller Should You Consider?

Depending on your goals, almost any other high-ranking or award-winning option will be better. If side-by-side seating is your goal, we like the Thule Urban Glide 2 Double. This Jogging stroller double works great as an everyday stroller and can go off-road for hiking, park fun, or running. It is a bible stroller with tight turns that can traverse any surface. It also features a quick and easy fold with high-quality parts and construction for a lower price than the Donkey. If you think you might prefer an inline option or one that looks more sleek and stylish and not as utilitarian as the Thule, we love the UPPAbaby Vista v2 Double. This high-quality option is significantly lighter and smaller than the Donkey when folded. It has similar seat styles with multiple configuration options, and the stroller can be used with 1-3 children, including an optional bassinet and compatibility with a range of infant car seats. The Vista is easier to push, use, and assemble, with a lower price than the Donkey.

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