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out of 571,544,897 reviews
★★★★★
The difference between the newer model and older model by someone who has actually tested both, nothing to do with steering !
The truth about the actual difference between the older model city mini stroller and this one, unbiased and not as a preferred Vine customer !! I was so confused when ordering the City Mini on amazon, I could see the 2016 version was $60 more expensive than the older which I was happy to pay if there was any significant improvements but having called baby jogger and spoken to a sales rep everyone was unclear about any significant improvements and then I saw the Vine customer review for this product stating there was a real improvement in the newer one with one-hand use steering and overall use, which to be honest was still a bit vague for my liking - what is one-hand steering? But it was enough to make me want to order both strollers and test them out. FIRST THING TO BE AWARE OF: this may state 2016 model but it was manufactured in 2015, the older model that you can see as a cheaper price on Amazon ( around $200) is manufactured in 2014 so they are a year apart.
Now for the actual differences between the 2 models: the newer model has a slightly longer handlebar, literally probably by an inch which could be handy for a taller person, (I'm 5"7 and my husband 6" and it didn't make any difference to us), secondly the underneath basket hangs ever so slightly lower on the newer model creating a bit more space when the seat is in full recline for you to bend down and put your stuff in, again this is so slight that it did not make a difference to me- actually I preferred the older model as felt that if I have any valuables down there there is less of a gap to fall out or for anyone to snatch. Thirdly, there is the smallest difference in the front design fabric of the stroller where a larger kid would have his/ her feet hanging the fabric is pulled taut on the newer version where as it has a slight dimple for resting in the older stroller, I don't know if this makes any difference to the use of the stroller or if it is simply the design. Lastly, in the older design the material that covers the back window ( where babies head is parallel to) is attached to the umbrella canopy on the older version, in the newer it is attached to the stroller, again not even sure why this was changed but makes no difference...
No difference was noted in steering at all or overall ease of use, no illusionary one-hand steering that I could notice !! The pull collapse mechanism is exactly the same on both strollers, for me the decision was clear to keep the 2014 version as there really was no significant difference. The only reason for writing such a detailed review is that it took me quite a long time to compare these strollers and the Vine review on Amazon for this product confused me further with its comparison encouraging to buy the newer product which for someone that received the product for free in exchange for a review is disappointing as a customer paying full price and comparing the two strollers the differences were clear but not related to ease of use at all.
So my opinion is to save your money and go for the older version as there are not any significant differences, an additional little tip for getting a 15% discount, if you are a prime member you can set-up a baby registry and upon completion you will get a 15% discount on any products on your registry which brought down the cost again for me on the older model, if it doesn't show as eligible for a discount wait a week as it changed to eligible after a week for me.
Just to be clear I did not receive this product for a discount or for free in exchange for a review, I just wanted to help anyone else in my position not to waste time like I did, [...]
July 2016 · Baby Products · verified purchase