Bugaboo Fox 5 Renew vs Cybex Gazelle S Travel System: Only One Turns Into a Double

COMPARISON · ON THE GO

Put these two travel systems side by side on a retailer page and they look like the same purchase. Both cost a little over £1,100 without an ISOFIX base and a little over £1,200 with one. Both pair a premium pushchair with a rotating Cybex infant car seat that lies flat on the frame. Both push a newborn and then a four-year-old. The gap in price is about £50, and which one is cheaper depends on whether you buy the base.

The real difference is something you will not need on day one. The Bugaboo Fox 5 Renew is a single pushchair and always will be. The Cybex Gazelle S takes a second seat, a second carrycot or a second car seat, so the pushchair you buy now becomes a double if another baby comes along in the next couple of years. That one feature changes who each pram is for, and it costs the Gazelle S something in ride, width and finish.

We compared the two using the published specs from both brands, current UK retailer listings, and what parents tell us after months of school runs, park paths and car boots. No brand paid to be included, and neither product has been featured on BubsNest before.

Lil' Bubba's verdicts

• Best single pushchair: Bugaboo Fox 5 Renew + Cybex Cloud T · 8.5/10 - smoother on rough ground, folds as one piece and comes with a proper bassinet
• Best if you plan a second baby: Cybex Gazelle S + Cloud G3 · 8.0/10 - converts from single to double with a 23 kg combined shopping capacity

Quick comparison

	Bugaboo Fox 5 Renew + Cloud T	Cybex Gazelle S + Cloud G3
Our rating
Price (no base)	From £1,120	From £1,169.98
Price (with base)	From £1,275 (Base T)	From £1,239.95 (Base G)
Pushchair weight	About 12.3 kg with seat, 13.3 kg with bassinet	About 12.6 kg with seat (listings range 12 to 14 kg by setup)
Infant car seat	Cloud T i-Size, 45 to 87 cm, rotates on Base T	Cloud G i-Size, 40 to 87 cm, rotates on Base G
Shopping capacity	About 10 kg basket	12 kg basket plus detachable shopper, 23 kg combined
Fold	One piece, self-standing, seat attached	One hand, seat attached either way round
Wheels	22 cm front, 30 cm rear, all-wheel suspension	18 cm front, 28 cm rear, puncture-proof foam-filled
Seat limit	22 kg (about 4 years)	22 kg per seat
Single to double	No	Yes, 20+ configurations

How we picked these two

We started with the travel systems parents add to their BubsNest registries most often and filtered to bundles that include both the pushchair and an i-Size infant carrier, sold by UK retailers in our programme and in stock today. Then we looked for a pair at the same price where the choice is genuinely hard.

The Fox 5 Renew and the Gazelle S fit that exactly: same price band, same car seat brand, same age range, and one big difference in what they become later. We scored each on ride and handling, fold and storage, newborn setup, long-term value, and the honest complaints we hear most.

What to look for in a travel system

The car seat matters as much as the pram. You will carry it more than you think. Check the height range (i-Size seats are rated by length, not age), whether it lies flat when clicked onto the pushchair, and whether you need the ISOFIX base. A rotating base makes lifting a sleeping baby in and out far easier on your back, but it adds £100 to £150 to the bill.

Newborns need to lie flat. Either a bassinet (carrycot) or a seat unit that reclines fully flat and is approved from birth. A bassinet is warmer and more enclosed for winter babies and short naps on walks; a lie-flat seat saves money and boot space.

Measure your boot and your front door. Folded dimensions matter more than weight for most families. Pushchairs with big rear wheels ride better on gravel and kerbs but take up more room. Open width matters if you have a narrow hallway or terraced-house doorway, so check it against a tape measure.

Think two years ahead. If a second baby is likely within two or three years, a single-to-double pushchair can save you buying a second pram. If not, you are paying for flexibility you will never use, usually in the form of a narrower seat, smaller wheels or a less refined ride.

Basket size is a daily quality-of-life issue. A basket you can reach when the seat is reclined, that takes a changing bag plus shopping, will matter more than almost any other spec once you are out every day.

1. Bugaboo Fox 5 Renew + Cybex Cloud T / 10 · Best single pushchair

The Fox 5 Renew is the latest update to Bugaboo's all-terrain pushchair. The chassis, suspension and wheels carry over from the Fox 5, which is a good thing: big 30 cm rear wheels and suspension on all four corners give it one of the smoothest pushes in its class on broken pavements, towpaths and park gravel. The Renew changes are mostly materials, with recycled fabrics and bio-based parts, plus a breathable PureBreeze mattress and a longer apron on the bassinet.

This bundle pairs it with the Cybex Cloud T, a rotating i-Size infant carrier for babies from 45 to 87 cm (up to around 13 kg) that reclines flat when clicked onto the frame. The bassinet takes your baby to about six months or 9 kg, then the reversible seat runs to 22 kg, which is roughly four years. From £1,120 without a base, or about £1,275 with Base T.

What parents love

• The ride. We hear repeatedly from parents that the Fox pushes light even with a heavy toddler on board, and that kerbs and rough paths barely register. One parent told us: 'It goes over tree roots like they aren't there, and I can steer it one-handed with a coffee.'
• A one-piece fold that stands up. It folds with the seat attached and stands on its own, so you are not juggling parts at the car or holding a pram up in the hallway.
• A real bassinet in the box. Newborns get a proper carrycot with a breathable mattress, which is warmer and cosier for winter babies than a reclined seat.
• Long life as a single. The seat runs to 22 kg, so for one child it can be the only pushchair you buy.

What to know before you buy

• It is a single, full stop. There is no second-seat option. If a sibling arrives while your first is still in a pram, you will be buying again.
• Bulky in the boot. The big wheels that make the ride so good also take space when folded. The one-piece fold is about 44 x 60 x 90 cm; the two-piece fold is flatter but means lifting the seat off.
• Smaller basket than the Gazelle. Roughly 10 kg against the Gazelle's 23 kg combined. Fine for a changing bag and a few bits, tight for a big shop.

Best for

• Families planning one child, or a big age gap before the next
• Parents who walk a lot on parks, towpaths, cobbles or rough pavements
• Winter babies who will nap in a bassinet on walks
• Anyone who wants one pushchair from birth to about four years

2. Cybex Gazelle S + Cloud G3 / 10 · Best if you plan a second baby

The Gazelle S is Cybex's single-to-double pushchair. Out of the box it is a one-seat pram with a reversible seat that reclines flat from birth; add a second seat, a Cot S carrycot or a second infant car seat and it carries two, in more than 20 combinations. That makes it one of the most flexible pushchairs at this price, and the frame does not change, so you are not paying twice when a sibling arrives.

This bundle adds the Cloud G i-Size (sold here as Cloud G3), Cybex's rotating infant carrier for babies from 40 to 87 cm that lies flat on the frame. It costs £1,169.98 without a base or £1,239.95 with Base G. You will also see the Gazelle S pushchair on its own from about £599 if you already have a car seat. Accessories such as the carrycot and second seat are sold separately, so check what your chosen bundle includes.

What parents love

• It grows with the family. The second seat or carrycot clips onto the same frame. For a close age gap, this is the reason to buy it.
• Huge shopping capacity. A 12 kg basket plus a detachable shopper takes it to 23 kg combined, the most of any pushchair we have compared at this price. A parent shared: 'I do the whole weekly shop with it. The side bag comes off and goes straight into the trolley.'
• Easy to push as a single. One parent told us: 'It handles really well and feels light when you are pushing it,' which surprises people given its size.
• Puncture-proof wheels. Foam-filled tyres mean no flats, ever.

What to know before you buy

• Heavy to lift and wide. Listings put it between 12 and 14 kg depending on setup, and it is about 65 cm wide when open. We hear repeatedly that it is awkward up steps and onto buses. Measure narrow doorways before you buy.
• Smaller wheels, firmer ride. 18 cm front and 28 cm rear wheels are fine on pavements but feel less settled than the Fox on gravel and grass.
• Seats are a bit narrow and open. Some parents find the seat units snug for bigger toddlers and wish the canopies adjusted in height. In double mode the two seats are not fully interchangeable between top and bottom.

Best for

• Parents who expect a second baby within two or three years
• Families who do the weekly shop on foot
• Mostly urban and pavement walking rather than rough paths
• Anyone who wants to buy one frame and add to it rather than replace it

What about the UPPAbaby Vista V3?

The UPPAbaby Vista V3 is the other big-name single-to-double pushchair. It costs more than either of these once you add the car seat, and it is longer and heavier than the Gazelle S, but it has a bigger basket and a more padded seat. We covered it recently in our travel systems buyer's guide, so we have kept it out of this head-to-head.

How to choose

Choose the Bugaboo Fox 5 Renew + Cloud T if you are planning one child, or a gap of three years or more before the next. It is the better single pushchair: a smoother ride, a bassinet in the box, and a fold that stands up on its own. You give up the option of a double and some basket space.

Choose the Cybex Gazelle S + Cloud G3 if a second baby is likely while your first still needs a pram. You get a frame that becomes a double without starting again, plus the biggest shopping capacity at this price. You give up some smoothness on rough ground and accept a wider, heavier pushchair.

On price it is close to a draw: the Fox is about £50 cheaper without a base, the Gazelle about £35 cheaper with one. Decide on how many children you are likely to push, not on price.

Add it to your Nest

Still deciding? Add both to your free BubsNest registry so family can see exactly which travel system you want, compare prices across UK retailers, and chip in towards it together.