In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician
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The Bugaboo Donkey 5 is a big burly lug of a double stroller. It comes with two bassinets and two toddler seats, making into one of the only options in our review designed with twins in mind. It is adjustable for 1-2 seats and one seat with a storage bin. We think it maneuvers well and has tight turns for such a wide ride, and we enjoyed the large sunshades and deep recline seats. However, this stroller has a bulky fold with no fold lock, and we don't think it will fit in everyone's car without dismantling it. So it might be a no-go if you need to drive to where you plan to use it. Overall, we get why people are drawn to this cool-looking, high-quality stroller, but it struggles to be truly useable for most parents, and we think the size alone can make it a struggle for parents of multiple children. Compared to the top-ranked strollers, it simply failed to perform as well.
REASONS TO BUY
High-quality
Large storage
Tight turning
Big canopies
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Hefty
Bulky fold
Hard to stow
No fold lock
Linking to Single Stroller
We are currently linking to the single-stroller version of the Donkey 5, and you can purchase the Bugaboo Donkey 5 Bassinet or the Bugaboo Donkey 5 Duo Extension Set separately.
Editor's Note: The Donkey was added to the double stroller review on April 20, 2023, as a result of the testing and adding five new strollers to the lineup.
Nuna
Bugaboo Turtle One, Bugaboo Turtle Air, Pipa, Pipa Lite, Pipa Lite LX Maxi-Cosi
Mico 30 Chicco
KeyFit, KeyFit 30
UPPAbaby
Mesa Chicco
KeyFit 30, KeyFit 30 Zip, KeyFit 30 Zip Air, Fit2, Fit2 LE, Fit2 Air Maxi-Cosi
Mico Max 30, Mico NXT, Mico AP & Micro Max Plus, Nuna
PIPA™, PIPA lite, PIPA lite lx, PIPA lite r & PIPA lite rx Cybex
Aton, Aton 2, Aton Q & Aton M
BeSafe
Izi GO Mod, Izi GO X1 Chicco
KeyFit, KeyFit 30 Cybex
Aton, Aton 2, Aton 4, Aton 5 Maxi-Cosi
CabrioFix, Citi, Mico 30, Mico Max 30, Mico NXT, Pebble, Pebble Plus Nuna
Pipa
Wrist Tether Strap, Side Luggage Basket, Two Bassinets, Rain Cover
Rain Shield, Bug Shield
None
None
MP3 Speakers
Average Setup Time
35-40 min
5-10 min
5-10 min
10-15 min
10-15 min
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Our Analysis and Test Results
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
The Donkey could be easier to use and struggled somewhat compared to the competition.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Ease of Use
The Bugaboo Donkey5 isn't very easy to use and performed worse than much of the competition.
The Donkey 5 is a big lug of a double stroller even when folded.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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.
The storage bin is a hanging bag that makes putting larger items inside harder, and the bar across the top further impedes using the bin.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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 Donkey comes with a side placement storage bin if you use it with a single seat.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The optional bin is easy to access and really useful, but it can only be used with one seat attached to the stroller.
The Donkey storage bin is like a hanging bag with little structure, which makes it more difficult to put large items inside as it tends to collapse as you try.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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.
The buckle on the Donkey works best when pressed from the middle, and the shoulder and hip straps all attach individually one at a time into the buckle.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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.
The wheels on the Donkey are foam-filled plastic, and the brake pedal sits very close to the wheel.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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.
The Donkey's front wheels can lock in a forward position to prevent them from spinning when moving over uneven terrain.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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.
The handlebar on the Donkey is height adjustable by telescoping in and out. This method is our preferred method as it puts taller users further from the axle to avoid kicking it.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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 Donkey5 can make tight turns on some surfaces, but overall, testers felt it was a chore to push on non-flat surfaces.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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.
No matter how we tried to get the Donkey 5 into our test trunk, we couldn't manage it without removing the seats and the wheels.
With wheels and seats in place, the Donkey can't even think about fitting in the sedan trunk.
Transporting and Storing
While all double strollers are big, some are bigger than others, and the Donkey5 is one of the bigger options.
After taking off the seats and wheels, we were about to stack the 5 parts into the test sedan's trunk.
Credit: Jessica Riconscente
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.
The Donkey seats are relatively comfortable, but the leg rests are not adjustable.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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.
The belly bar on the Donkey flips open to the side so you can get children in and out without ease.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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.
The Donkey has ample canopies but the peek-a-boo window is oddly placed and not useable when the extension is in place.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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 mesh peek-a-boo window is somewhat hard to see through on the Donkey 5.
The peek-a-boo window cover on the Donkey is held in place by tension and no closure.
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.
The Donkey is of higher quality, but for the price, we still expected more.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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.
Some strollers, like the Bugaboo Donkey 5, offer various seating arrangements like the toddler seat and bassinet shown here.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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 handlebar and the belly bar on the Donkey 5 are both leather-wrapped.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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 Donkey has a sleek and stylish look, but details like plastic wheels are disappointing on a stroller priced this high.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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.
While the Donkey has some unique and potentially useful features, we think it is overpriced and cumbersome compared to the competition.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
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.
