When my son I was little, my favorite accessory for the stroller was a little add-on called The RockitIt was shaped like a rocket, attached to the handlebar of my stroller, and vibrated to rock my baby to sleep while we shopped at the farmers market. It was great for those first few months, especially since my son (like many babies) hated it when the stroller stopped.
Now, instead of being an attachment to your handlebars, you can find a stroller with that feature built right in. Cybex’s newest stroller, the e-Gazelle S, adds electric power to Cybex’s existing Gazelle design to give you a rocking mode and a power assist to help you push the stroller over rough terrain or slow down on an incline. The e-Gazelle S is well-made and can easily change from a single to a double stroller, and you’d never guess it’s an electric stroller at first glance.
It’s a luxury: It sells for $1,100. You don’t need this stroller (nor do you need to spend that much on any stroller; our pick for the best baby stroller costs half as much), but if there are a lot of hills in your life, this stroller makes them a lot easier. And if I had to choose between this and a Uppababy Vista V2 ($999)I would choose the e-Gazelle.
Light
Photography: Nena Farrell
The e-Gazelle S has motors built into the stroller frame, powered by a lithium-ion battery that sits on the edge of the bottom storage basket. To use it, the handlebar has two buttons—the power button and the rocking mode button—plus four LED lights that light up to show battery life (and rocking mode level). There’s then a small thumb lever below these lights, and buttons to activate either forward assist or the brake. Once it’s on, you need to engage either assist or rocking mode within about two seconds or it will shut 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 at an amusement park, and it still had three of the four lights on at the end of the day.
If you’re worried about the stroller getting away from you, it can’t. The e-Gazelle’s electric assist system works only when the stroller is in motion, so you (or your curious little button-loving toddler) can’t accidentally send the stroller careening off down the street. As you walk, you use your thumb to control the power level of the smart assist system, pushing forward to help you go (you guessed it) forward and backward to activate the electric brake.
The most powerful mode of the forward assist required me to walk at extreme speed 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 assist with inclines up to 14 degrees (about the steepness of San Francisco’s famous Lombard Street). The brake didn’t seem to have all that much reach—I could feel it stopping the wheels a lot or hardly at all. Still, it was helpful on steep inclines. I found myself turning to the power assist for an entire day at the San Diego Safari Park to get up some of the park’s major uphill sections and to control my speed going down the gorilla exhibit’s incline trail. Both areas are just as tricky with lighter travel strollers, and the e-Gazelle made them noticeably easier.
This video is about my movieCourtesy of Cybex
The rocking mode is a big plus for me, as I used a similar feature when my son was little. However, it’s not as quick to use as turning on the Rockit. You’ll need to lock the front wheels, press 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 light up to match the level you want (one light for level one, two for two – you get the idea).
The stroller will rock back and forth slightly for rocking mode, which is a little odd to watch, but my parent friends and I have sat there rocking a stroller back and forth to keep baby happy. Why not let the stroller do it for you? My son is too big for rocking mode, but I don’t think he’d go past level two. Level three felt a little jerky to me. I don’t like 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 running when the power assist system is activated. It sounds like a high-pitched but soft hum, similar to the sound of an electric scooter. It wasn’t loud enough to be bothersome, but anyone walking with me could hear it.
Multiple modes
Photography: Nena Farrell
While the e-Gazelle S comes with a toddler seat and shopping basket, it has a ton of configurations you can make, as long as you buy the right accessories. It can handle car seats, bassinets, and toddler seats, either as a single stroller or a double stroller. The stroller has over 20 seat combinations you can try, but you’ll have to buy Car Seat Adapters ($50)other Toddler Seat ($240)or a crib ($200) from Cybex for use with the stroller.
