Jeep Wrangler vs Wonderfold Stroller Wagon Comparison

The Jeep Wrangler Stroller Wagon and the Wonderfold W series of wagons are similar in how well they push, steer, fold and transport but different in some useability features and accessories.

How They Compare

We purchased and tested the Jeep, the Wonderfold W4 Elite and Wonderfold W1 Original shown in the table below. We’ll discuss how they performed in the tests and comment on the other versions of the Wonderfold later in this article.

The Jeep Wrangler is box-shaped without separate seats so that children sit on the floor of the wagon with their backs up against the front or rear inside walls.

This provides a flat surface for playing on and for napping.

The Wonderfold W4 Elite comes with removable and adjustable seats that are attached to the frame forming a footwell area between the seats in the center of the wagon.

This is the core functional and structural difference between the two wagons. The Wonderfold X series and W1 and W2 Original wagons are set up like the Jeep with kids sitting on the floor of the wagon.

Our Video Comparison

Jeep Wrangler Video Review

Criticism of the Jeep Wrangler vs Our Findings

We reviewed all of the negative and critical customer reviews of the Jeep to understand what we need to look for. We’ve documented our own experience below, some of which is in agreement with the criticisms but not all.

To see the full list of complaints and our response, click: Jeep Wrangler Stroller Wagon Review.

Criticism	Our Experience
Lack of legroom	The Jeep has one of the larger interiors of the wagons we tested. Since kids have to sit with their legs out in front, it is true that their legs can compete for the same space. This mostly impacts, older, taller kids.
Heavy when folded making it hard to put in car	The Jeep is one of the heaviest 2-passenger wagons at 46.2 lbs. It is also quite large when folded making it difficult to load in a car or van. Incidentally, the Wonderfold W4 is also large and heavy.
Difficult to push with two kids	In our test, the force to get the Jeep rolling was higher than average. We tested with 40 lbs in the front and 40 lbs in the back.
Won’t go in the sand	True. The wheels aren’t wide enough to keep the wagon from sinking into the sand, although the wheels are similar in width to other wagons at 1.3″ and 2″ wide in front and back respectively.
A toddler sitting in the wagon with the car seat adapter installed can reach and push the release button	Yes, the button is reachable by a child inside the wagon.

Wonderfold W4 Elite Video Review

Criticism of the Wonderfold W4 Elite vs Our Findings

We also reviewed complaints about the Wonderfold W4 Elite and recorded our own experience below.

The full table can be found here: Wonderfold W4 Elite Stroller Wagon Review.

Criticism	Our Experience
Feet bump on brake while walking	Three out of four of our testers had this problem. Their feet bumped either the brake or brake bar or the axle. This happened to both shorter and taller pushers.
Push bar not adjustable	The push handle on the W4 Elite is adjustable although it doesn’t extend out far.
Customer service unresponsive	We received a fast response to our email. It was only 1 hour and 2 minutes which isn’t bad for email.
Folded size is big	Of the 11 wagons we tested, the W4 Elite had the biggest folded size at 15.7 cu ft. However, we only tested two 4-passenger wagons. The Anthem 4, another 4-seater was 11.1 cu ft folded.
Veers to one side	We tested for veering and the Wonderfold stayed straight in our testing.

Test and Research Results

We put the Wonderfolds and Jeep Wrangler through multiple months of testing and took 65 measurements. We also interviewed wagon owners and collected feedback from our testers.

We collected our test results in five categories that reflect the most important buying criteria for stroller wagons.

Parent Comfort and Usability

This category evaluates several factors that are important for parents including ease of cleaning, brake operation, storage space, comfort and usability of handles, cupholders, customer service and more. Here are the total scores for these wagons in parent comfort and usability.

Unboxing and Assembling

The Jeep unboxing and setup took only 16 minutes and the response from our email to customer service arrived in 12 minutes. Getting started with this wagon was a breeze.

The Wonderfold W1 Original was also quick and easy to unbox and assemble.

The Wonderfold W4 Elite is larger and has more components. It took 26 minutes. Customer service responded to us in just over an hour.

Parent Cupholders

I’m not sure why but the designers of the Wonderflow and Jeep weren’t big on cupholders. The Jeep has a single frame-mounted cupholder. The Wonderfolds don’t have any at all unless you upgrade to the Luxe which has a basic mesh pouch attached to the basket that can be used as a cupholder.

Handles

The Wonderfold and Jeep handles are similar in form and feel. They both come with a protective zip-off cover.

The Jeep Wrangler handle adjusts from 29″ to 41″ in height and the Wonderfold goes up to 45.5″. At 45.5″ it is straight up, so the most you could practically raise it to is about 42″ which is adequate for most pushers.

Jeep Has Car Seat Adapter, Wonderfold Doesn’t

The only stroller wagons that come with a car seat adapter included in the base package are the Jeep Wrangler and Baby Trend Expedition wagon.

Car seat adapters are not available for the Wonderfold wagons.

Storage

Both the Jeep Wrangler and Wonderfold W4 have several storage baskets and compartments. The W1 Original has almost none.

Storage ratings:

The rear of the Jeep has 2 big compartments for storage and a smaller one in between for use as a cupholder.

The front of the Jeep has a console with four separate storage areas. Over this, a flexible fabric bag hangs over the top, with two large compartments with elastic enclosures.

The Jeep also has a cool-looking insulated cooler bag that hangs on a metal mount that can be moved elsewhere on the frame if needed.

The insulated bag will hold up to 16 cans if that is all that you put in there.

The Wonderfold W4 has a nice large storage bin under the push handle in the back. The W1 has a zippered compartment that holds far less.

The W4 also has pockets on the sides and more storage on the front. When the seats are installed, there is quite a bit of room inside the wagon under the seats to fit a diaper bag or other gear.

Cleaning Rating

The Jeep and Wonderfold W4 and especially W1 are easy both to spot clean and to remove crumbs.

The W4 scores a bit lower because the seats get in the way of reaching the base of the wagon.

Brake Effectiveness

In our brake testing we found the Jeep rear brake to be more effective at bringing the weighted-down wagon to an immediate stop than either of the Wonderfold wagons.

Both wagons have a single brake pedal that operates both rear brakes, and the pedal is easy to access for each wagon.

Both strollers were tested for brake effectiveness and how well the brakes activate and release. Brake effectiveness ratings:

The brake pedal pushed down smoothly for both wagons. However, releasing the brake with bare or sandalled feet was painful for both the Jeep and Wonderfold brakes.

The Jeep also has front brake locks.

Steering and Maneuverability

We evaluated the ease of pushing and turning on different surfaces. We did a bump test, grass runs, went up hills and off-road.

The lighter W1 Original performed better in steering and maneuverability than the Jeep or W4:

Pushing and Turning

It is more difficult to turn a loaded wagon, and specifically turn from a dead stop, than to simply push. The table below shows the force required to turn each wagon 90-degrees from a stop.

The best wagons in this test required between 13 and 22 lbs of force for this turn.

We believe the wide wheelbase of the Jeep may contribute to its turning resistance.

Incidentally, the force to get these wagons rolling straight from a stop was similar at just over 15 lbs.

Terrain Performance

Here are the results of our bump test where we ran the wagons loaded with 80 lbs over rocks and roots on a path and over boards of different thicknesses on a driveway. Bump ratings:

Grass: All of these wagons did well pushing straight on the grass. Turning was more difficult on the grass, as you would expect.

Hills: Going straight up a grassy hill took the same effort for each of the wagons except the W1 Original which required less work. Going sideways, perpendicular to the hill ascent, was very challenging with the W4 and Jeep.

Bumps: The Jeep performed much worse over bumps than either of the Wonderfolds. None of these wagons were “best of class” in the bump and rough terrain testing.

Wheel Sizes

Front-wheel width:

Typical stroller wagon front wheels range in width from 1.3 inches to 2.0 inches. The Jeep’s are the thinnest we’ve seen and the W4 Elite’s close to the widest. Wider is better for terrain performance.

Rear-wheel diameter:

The Wonderfold wagons have comparatively small diameter wheels in the rear. This makes them less tolerant over bumps.

We believe the smaller rear wheels contribute to the problem of your feet bumping into the axle and brake bar while pushing.

The Wonderfold W4 Luxe has 9.75″ diameter front wheels and 11.5″ diameter rear wheels. This puts it more in line with other stroller wagons, and improves terrain handling, but is still not adequate for the beach.

The rear wheels of the Jeep are 12″ in diameter.

Wheel size, both width and diameter, make a difference in pushing performance. Although many wagons are advertised as all-terrain, almost none of them do well in soft sand without wheels made specifically for all-terrain purposes.

Jeep sells these all-terrain wheels that can be purchased separately here.

Staying Straight

The W4 and W1 tended to go straight with less veering to one side or the other in our veer test. Larger numbers are better in the table below.

Folding and Transport

If you plan to use your stroller wagon frequently, ease of folding and loading in and out of a vehicle are very important buying criteria.

In this category, the W1 Original performed much better than the W4 and the Jeep. Folding and transport scores:

Folding Time

The canopy removal for both the W4 and Jeep added considerable time to the fold and unfold process.

The Jeep actually folds very quickly at only 17 seconds without its canopy.

We folded the Wonderfold W4 leaving the seats installed. This sped things up, but it still took more than a minute and a half to fold it with the canopy.

Folded Size in Cubic Feet

The Wonderfold W4 Elite is a 4-passenger wagon and has a folded size of 15.7 cu ft. Compare that to the Gladly Anthem 4, also a 4-seater, with a folded size of 11.1 cu ft.

How They Fit in a Trunk

The Jeep doesn’t fit in the trunk of a Honda Civic. We didn’t even try the W4 Elite.

The Jeep does fit fine in the back of a minivan but still takes some effort to maneuver.

The Wonderfold W4 Elite loads with some effort. Note that the push handle wasn’t folded down in the video below.

Kid Comfort and Usability

In Kid comfort and usability we compared features and accessories like how easy it is to get in and out, the comfort of the seats and harness comfort:

Seat Comfort

The Jeep Wrangler and W1 Original are designed for kids to sit on the floor and buckle up with their backs against the ends of the wagon. This is less comfortable than the seats provided with the W4 Elite.

Seat comfort ratings:

An advantage of having no seats is that kids can more easily move around in the wagon. Older kids often sit facing the sides of the wagon instead of the ends.

For longer rides, having proper, shaped seats with a deep footwell can be much more comfortable for sitting.

Seats on the W4 Elite are removable and reclinable. The recline amount can be adjusted by sliding the seat mount clips forward or backward along the frame.

Harness Comfort

The harnesses in each of these wagons are padded and comfortable. Harness comfort ratings:

We didn’t care for the way the W1 harness buckle snaps together.

Snack Tray

The lack of snack trays in the base packages of these wagons is a clear drawback. Trays and snack trays can be purchased separately.

Without the snack trays more crumbs end up in the wagons and in pockets and cubby holes where children naturally put things.

Inner Wagon Space

The Jeep Wrangler and Wonderfold W4 are similar in width, 18″ and 19″ respectively. The Wrangler is longer at 33″ than the W4’s 30″. This means that even though the Jeep is a 2-seater, it has 594 sq in of floor space vs the Wonderfold’s 570 sq inches.

Because the W4 has to make room for hanging seats, its height is 18″ whereas the Jeep and W1 are both 12″ high.

Canopy

The canopies on both wagons are a hassle to take on and off.

However, we love the pull-down sunshades on the Jeep, and the simple adjustability of the canopy fabric on the Wonderfolds.

Mosquito Net

The Jeep has netting that pulls down on the ends of the canopy. It may keep some mosquitos out but doesn’t seal along the edges. It is more useful as a partial sunshade.

Part and Material Quality

The part quality on the Wonderfolds and Jeep is excellent. Part and material quality scores:

Jeep Wrangler Part Quality

The Jeep has held up well for us.

There are few customer complaints about the quality or reliability of Jeep parts and materials. This is consistent with our experience.

Wonderfold Part Quality

We’ve found the Wonderfold’s to be high quality over time.

There are some isolated customer complaints about wheels falling off, buckles breaking and stitching weakness, but we haven’t experienced any of those with our Wonderfold wagons.