Bugaboo Lynx pushchair review

Tested by

Hollie Bond is mum to 3-year-old Rowan and 9-week-old Margot. She lives in a rural village outside Cambridge and tested the Bugaboo Lynx with newborn Margot on bumpy countryside walks, around the village’s uneven pavements going up and down kerbs and shopping in town.

What were your first impressions of the Bugaboo Lynx?

The Bugaboo Lynx arrived in a pretty compact box considering it contained both a carrycot and pushchair seat, but my first impressions were of an awful lot of packaging considering there was a large statement about recycling on the box.

There also appeared to be a lot of individual pieces that needed fixing together, but all the pieces felt like excellent quality.

How easy is it to build?

I built the Bugaboo Lynx with the carrycot really easily in about 40 minutes, while looking after a newborn baby and a demanding 3-year-old. So, yes it’s very easy to assemble even though there are quite a few parts to put together.

The manual was really clear with pictorial instructions too. There was only one point where I needed my husband to help attach a clip to the front of the carrycot to secure it because I wasn’t strong enough.

How comfortable and spacious is the carrycot?

I was really impressed with the size of the carrycot. Margot is a long baby and I can see that this carrycot will last her for many months. My son, who is also really tall, grew out of his pram (not a Bugaboo Lynx) well before 6 months as the bassinet was much shorter. The long carrycot on the Lynx is a brilliant feature for any mums of larger babies who are looking for longevity and value for money when it comes to their pram.

One downside is that when the carry bar is fully attached, I can't see my baby’s face. It sits exactly in front of her face, so is good if you want to attach toys to it for your baby to see, but is in a really bad place for admiring your baby while they are in the pram. You can easily click one side off and have the bar placed to the side of the carrycot though, which I often did when walking with Margot.

The mattress of the carrycot is really lovely quality and very breathable. It has a fleecy feel and was very soft against Margot’s skin. The only slight problem is that it’s perhaps too soft and silky - when I went up and down kerbs or steps when she was only a few weeks old she slid down the carrycot to the bottom so I had to pull her up again. This was easily fixed by adding a sheepskin or blanket underneath her and was only a problem when she was tiny.

Overall the carrycot is excellent quality and the only area that feels a little flimsy is the hood. When I tried to pull it over using one hand, the sides moved independently from one another and didn’t feel as sturdy as the rest of the pram. However, the hood does feature Bugaboo’s excellent sun canopy. You unzip the hood at the base and it extends right over your baby’s face so they don’t get any sun on them. It’s a really useful feature that I used constantly with my spring baby. The hood also has the peekaboo window that lots of parents have loved in other Bugaboo models.

How easy is the carrycot to add on/take off the pushchair?

It is so easy to take off the base. You simply press the grey buttons at the side (they are memory buttons so you can do them separately which is brilliant as it’s a fairly wide carrycot) and then you lift the carrycot off using the bar. The Lynx carrycot isn’t suitable for overnight sleeping though, so I just used it for daytime naps.

You can even lift it on and off the base with one hand thanks to the bumper bar. The carrycot also has little feet on the bottom so it’s really sturdy and doesn’t wobble when you take it off and use it inside the house.

How easy is it to fold the Bugaboo Lynx?

I found the chassis a bit difficult to fold, but after a couple of weeks got used to it. You have to press two little buttons at the side and they in turn have little safety buttons on top, which makes it a little awkward. You need two hands to fold it and Bugaboo says that it’s easy to fold with the seat attached, but I preferred to do it once the seat was off.

The folding of the Lynx was probably my least favourite part of the pushchair as it just didn’t feel as well thought out as the rest of the buggy, which is generally really user friendly and instinctive.

How compact is the buggy when folded?

The buggy is quite compact when it is folded, with the option for a more compact two-piece fold (87.5cm x 53cm x 31cm) or a self-standing one-piece fold (60cm x 60cm x 88cm). It is still fairly wide when folded though and if you fold it completely flat (not the self standing fold) it’s quite difficult to access the buttons to unfold again.

How much space did the Bugaboo Lynx take up in your car boot?

It’s really easy to lift into a car boot as it’s so light though. With the carrycot it took up quite a lot of space in my Mini Countryman with little room for anything else but without the toddler seat this isn’t a problem. In my larger car (Land Rover Discovery) there was plenty of room for shopping in the boot as well as the buggy.

How easy is it to push and steer?

One of my favourite things about the Bugaboo Lynx is the manoeuvrability thanks to the multi-terrain wheels. It turns on a sixpence and is so smooth on a whole host of different surfaces. It feels really light to push but somehow sturdy too, which is no mean feat.

It felt like I was pushing it across glass when I used it on pavement and glided nicely across the short grass in the park. I was also really surprised how well it managed the bumpy, muddy country paths in my village. If I came across any tree roots or holes in the path I could easily get myself over them.

Kerbs were a breeze - both small and big thanks to the large wheels. I also have lots of steps around my house and garden and I felt comfortable going up and down these with Margot in the pram as it was so smooth.

The Lynx is also really quiet when you push it, which makes it ideal for babies who wake easily. It’s also easy to get yourself out of tight situations, like small shops and I imagine public transport as it turns around on itself completely.

How do the wheels perform on the Bugaboo Lynx?

I was really impressed with the wheels on the Bugaboo Lynx. They’re the perfect size (7-inch front wheels and 11-inch rear wheels) - big enough to have excellent suspension and to navigate country paths smoothly but not too big that they take up loads of space in the car or make the fold too wide.

The wheels on the Lynx are smaller than on the Fox 2 but it’s barely noticeable. The Lynx has front-wheel-only suspension unlike heavier Bugaboo models that have shock absorbing suspension built into all 4 wheels as well as the frame. I didn’t feel this impacted the smoothness of the ride for my baby though.

The wheels on the Lynx are also advertised as being puncture proof, which is something that I really value in a pram after having a few very annoying punctures in a previous pram (not ideal when you’re halfway round a long country walk!). The wheels were also really easy to fix on and come off easily too.

How well does it work on public transport?

I didn’t use the Lynx on public transport due to lockdown, but I would be more than happy to take it on a bus or train as it's fairly lightweight. It would also fit nicely in any corners or tight spaces as it moves so beautifully.

How sturdy is the chassis?

The frame of the chassis feels really strong and durable even though it’s light and compact. The frame on mine is a matte black metal and it did scratch quite easily. I noticed a few scratches after just a couple of uses. I think the chassis design looks really smart though.

How adjustable is the handlebar on the Bugaboo Lynx? Is it comfortable?

The leather handle is really comfortable to hold and feels quite spongy to the touch. It also has a safety harness that I used when the pavements were uneven or on a hill and that made me feel really secure. The buggy is really easy to use with one hand too.

I’m 5' 5" and my husband is 6' 4" so it’s really important to us to have a handle that extends a lot and the Lynx didn’t disappoint - it extends from 99cm to 110cm. You just have to un-click 2 clips on each side and slide the handle up and down. The only slight problem is that you have to have the handle exactly aligned before the clips will click back in and a few times I had to jiggle the handle up and down to get it in place. It’ not possible to adjust the handle with one hand either.

How much coverage does the hood provide?

The hood material is nice quality and definitely doesn’t let any light through. The best bit about the hood is the sun shade. It has a zip, which is really easy to use, that extends the hood by about half again and then you can pull the hood right forward to stop any sun getting in your baby's eyes. I used this sun shade a lot with Margot as it was springtime and the sun kept going in and out so I could quickly and easily shield her from it. It’s the best hood I’ve seen or used in terms of shielding your baby from the sun.

The hood also has a peephole window so you can check if your baby is sleeping without disturbing them. I did find the hood structure a little flimsy though, as when you pull it forward the 2 sides don’t move simultaneously.

The model I used with Margot was completely black though and I felt it was a bit oppressive for her to be surrounded by all that darkness. She much preferred the hood to be down so she could look at the trees going by. I think it would be much nicer for the baby if the inside of the hood was a lighter colour or had some sort of pattern.

How easy are the brakes to use?

The brake is applied using your foot and it’s really obvious where it is thanks to the fact that it is a light grey colour that contrasts really clearly with the black frame. It’s a really smooth and easy brake to use; I didn’t have to kick it or hurt my foot to get it off and it held the buggy really securely when it was on.

How spacious is the basket on the Bugaboo Lynx?

The basket is nice and deep and fits a lot inside. Bugaboo has increased the basket size, compared to its other models, on the Lynx to take 10kg and I think it’s a really good improvement. I didn’t worry that anything would fall out.

With the carrycot on the frame it’s a little difficult to put anything bulky like a changing bag in from the back of the buggy, but if you walk round to front there’s a lot more space.

What’s in the box?

• Chassis with wheels and base frame
• Base seat fabric
• Base carrycot fabric with carrycot apron
• Carry handle
• Underseat basket
• Wheel caps set
• Handlebar and carry handle grips
• Sun canopy
• Rain cover

What are the additional accessories that you can buy?

You can buy various accessories to go with the Lynx including:

• Organiser - £44.95
• Footmuff - £114.95
• Wheeled board for siblings - £90
• Newborn insert - £79.95
• Parasol - £39.95

Is this pushchair worth the money?

Yes, the Lynx is worth the £795 price because it manages to combine a luxurious design and feel whilst being lightweight. Having struggled to lift heavy prams into my car and up and down steps in the past, I would definitely be happy to purchase this buggy for the ease of lifting it, especially at the newborn stage when I was exhausted.

The buggy also works for both visits into town or for daily countryside walks so it’s a brilliant everyday option.

Finally the carrycot is nice and long, so I know it’ll last my baby for many months unlike some other brands which long babies grow out of so quickly.

What are the differences between the Bugaboo Lynx and the Bugaboo Fox2?

The Lynx is very similar in look and feel to the Bugaboo Fox2 that came onto the market in 2020, but has some key differences:

How does the Bugaboo Lynx compare to other similar pushchairs?

Where can I buy the Bugaboo Lynx?

It's available from Bugaboo, Mamas & Papas and John Lewis.

MadeForMums verdict:

A luxury lightweight buggy that manoeuvres like a dream and is a brilliant everyday option. The Bugaboo Lynx is best for parents who are on the move a lot and want a buggy that is really easy to lift in and out of the car on a daily basis. It’s also a really good option for parents who want to invest in a luxury brand but at a more attainable price than previous models.

It’s also a fantastic pushchair for parents who spend time in both the city and countryside, as the buggy handles really well across different terrains. It is really enjoyable to push, manoeuvres brilliantly in tight spaces and you can easily lift it up over kerbs or bumps. The large basket is great for shopping trips and days out too.

The only downside is a slightly disingenuous folding mechanism and I found the all over black material a little dark and oppressive for my newborn.

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