Review: Cybex e-Gazelle S

When my son was small, my favorite stroller accessory was little add-on called the Rockit. Shaped like a rocket, it attached onto the handlebar of my stroller and vibrated to rock my baby to sleep while we shopped at the farmer’s market. It was great for those early months, especially since my son (like many babies) hated when the stroller dared come to a stop.

Now, instead of it being a handlebar add-on, you can find a stroller with that feature built right in. Cybex’s newest stroller, the e-Gazelle S, adds electric powers to Cybex’s existing Gazelle design to give it both a rocking mode and a power assist to help you push the stroller on rough terrain or slow it down on a hill. The e-Gazelle S is well-made and can easily switch from a single to double stroller, and you’d never guess it’s an electric stroller at first glance.

It’s a splurge—it retails for $1,100. You don’t need this stroller (or need to spend that much on any stroller—our pick for the best baby stroller is half that price), but if there are a lot of hills in your life, this stroller makes them a lot easier. And if I was choosing between this and an Uppababy Vista V2 ($999), I’d choose the e-Gazelle.

Power On

The e-Gazelle S has motors built into the stroller frame, powered by a lithium-ion battery you click into the edge of the lower storage basket. To use it, the handlebar has two buttons: the power button and rocking mode button, plus four LED lights that light up to display the battery life (and rocking mode level). Then there’s a little thumb lever underneath these lights and buttons to engage the forward or brake assist. Once it’s turned on, you either need to activate the assist or the rocking mode within about two seconds or it’ll turn off. Cybex says the battery can last anywhere from five to 28 miles, depending on factors like temperature and terrain. I used it on a hot day throughout an amusement park and still had three out of four lights on at the end of the day.

If you’re worried whether the stroller will run away from you, it can’t. The e-Gazelle power assist works only while the stroller is in motion, so you (or your young, curious child who loves buttons) can’t accidentally send the stroller grooving down the street. While walking, you use your thumb to control the power level of the smart assist, pushing forward to help you go—you guessed it—forward, and backward to engage the electric brake.

The forward assist’s most powerful mode required me to extreme speed walk on a flat surface, and I usually had my thumb somewhere in the middle unless I was on a particularly steep hill. It’s designed with hills in mind, and Cybex says it can help with slopes up to 14 degrees (roughly the pitch of San Francisco’s famed Lombard Street). The brake didn’t feel like it had as much range; I either could feel it stopping the wheels a lot or barely at all. Still, it was helpful on steep inclines. I found myself reaching for the power assist throughout a day at the San Diego Safari Park to get up some of the park’s major uphill sections and to control my speed down the sloping path of the gorilla exhibit. Both these areas are just as tricky with lighter travel strollers, and the e-Gazelle made them noticeably easier.

The rocking mode is a big sell for me, as someone who used a similar feature when my son was small. It’s not as quick to use as turning on the Rockit, though. You’ll need to lock the front wheels, hit the power button, then hold down the rocking mode button. There are three intensities to choose from; you hold down the button to wait for the number of LED lights to brighten to match the level you want (one light for level one, two for two, you get it).

The stroller will roll back and forth slightly for rocking mode, which is a little strange to see, but my fellow parent friends and I have all sat there rolling a stroller back and forth to keep baby happy. Why not let the stroller do it for you? My kid is too old for rocking mode, but I don’t think I’d go higher than level two. Level three just seemed a little too jerky. I don’t love that you have to turn it off and start over if you want to change rocking levels, but it’s not hard to do.

You can also hear the stroller working when you have power assist on. It sounds like a high-pitched but soft hum, not unlike the sound of an electric scooter. It wasn’t so loud that it was disruptive, but the sound was noticed by anyone walking with me.

Multiple Modes

Photograph: Nena Farrell

While the e-Gazelle S comes with a toddler seat and shopping basket, it has a ton of arrangements you can do, provided you buy the right accessories. It can handle car seats, bassinets, and toddler seats, either as a single stroller or double stroller. The stroller has more than 20 seat combinations you can try, but you will have to buy car seat adapters ($50), another toddler seat ($240), or a bassinet ($200) from Cybex to use with the stroller.