UPPAbaby G-Luxe Stroller Review

UPPAbaby G-Luxe

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How it Compares

The current UPPAbaby G-Luxe is the latest in a long line of G-Luxe strollers introduced more than 12 years ago. Its features and materials have improved over the years although it remains a bit bigger and heavier than many of its competitors.

A Few Criticisms

We read and summarized the most important criticisms of the G-Luxe and we have shared our own perspective beside each complaint. It is not always clear which complaints apply to which versions of the stroller.

Criticism	Our Experience
Difficult to fold	Agreed. It takes two hands to pull the rings on each handle and then push on the frame with both rings pulled.
Folding rings stuck	While the rings you pull to fold the stroller are operational for us, sometimes they take an extra pull.
Wheel brakes don’t protrude from wheels enough	True. The brake pedals are between the double rear wheels and sometimes its difficult to tell whether they are engaged.
Access to storage basket blocked by reclined seat	The more the seat is reclined the less access there is to the basket.
It is difficult to hang things on the handles	Because there are two separate handles, you can’t hang things in the middle.
The small pocket on the canopy is flimsy	The canopy and pocket are made from soft, thin material. It is adequate for light items like mobile phones and keys.
Storage basket is very small	The storage basket is approximately .65 cubic feet which is larger than most of the baskets on lightweight strollers that we’ve seen.
The handles and fame are flimsy	Disagree. While there is some flex in the handles and frame, it is not significant and the stroller is sturdier than many we tested.
Crotch strap too far back	The crotch strap portion of the harness is not as far forward as on some other strollers. It is long enough to make up for that distance but the length doesn’t eliminate extra pressure.
Handles are not at a comfortable height for taller parents	The handles are approximately 39 inches from the ground which is similar to most other umbrella strollers. They are not adjustable.
Design results in kicking the rear wheels when pushing	We’ve noticed that we sometimes kick the rear wheels when turning, but not while pushing forward.
Brake engaged but wheels still turn	We’ve sometimes had trouble getting the brake to engage, but the wheels haven’t turned when it is fully engaged.

Testing and Research

We researched all of the popular umbrella and lightweight strollers on the market and chose the top 20 to purchase and test. We compared all of them head to head in usability, maneuverability, folding, quality, and kid comfort, performing more than 100 tests and measurements on each stroller.

Weight and Folded Size

The G-Luxe is a true umbrella stroller because it is hinged such that it folds into a long rectangular shape. The G-Luxe is not the lightest stroller at 15 lbs, nor does it fold to a particularly small size at 4.6 cubic feet. Its sister stroller the G-Lite was the lightest stroller we tested at 11.2 lbs.

Steering and Maneuverability

We pushed the G-Luxe over and around obstacles, on flat surfaces and rough terrain. It scored in the bottom half for Ease of Steering:

The G-Luxe rolls fine on smooth sidewalks and concrete but not so well on rough paths. To be fair few umbrella strollers do well on non-flat surfaces.

The wheel position and frame design make it easy to jump curbs with the G-Luxe. It took less force overall to push up over a curb than most other strollers.

Another strong point for the G-Luxe is that it rolls straighter and has less tendency to veer than most of the strollers in this group.

Overall Steering and Maneuverability Ratings:

Ease of Use

The G-Luxe has a larger storage basket than many other strollers in this group. It’s not easy to access the part of the basket under the seat but an average-size diaper bag will fit in the basket behind the seat. The basket is designed to hold up to 10 lbs.

If the seat is reclined, much less will fit in the basket and you can’t reach the basket. And if you have something big in the basket, the seat may not fully recline.

The fabric pocket on the back of the canopy is large enough for a bag of wipes plus several other small items.

The seat reclines with one hand by pushing the latch. It raises back up with a push. It is one of the best recline mechanisms we’ve seen.

The handles are made of a classy feeling foam rubber. They are 39″ depending on where you grip them. The handles are not adjustable and may be a little low for tall parents.

The handles are attached to the frame and feel rigid and sturdy for the most part. Because the two handles are not connected, there is some give when you push them together.

There is no peekaboo window in the canopy.

It took only 3 minutes to take the G-Luxe out of its box and get it set up. The user manual is adequate but not really necessary.

There is a nice parent cup holder beneath the handle that is big enough for an average-size thermos or water bottle.

The brake pedals are red for stop and green for release. They are comfortable to press because you never have to lift them with the top of your foot.

The UPPAbaby 5-point harness is padded on the shoulders. The hip and shoulder straps have clips that connect together so that you only have to clip twice into the buckle. The buckle works smoothly and doesn’t require much force to clip or unclip.

Unlike many strollers, these harness straps are easy to adjust. The harness material is smooth and the clips slide across without a fuss. Raising the height of the shoulder harnesses requires threading them through the slots in the seat back. This isn’t difficult because there is access to the slots from the back of the seat.

The UPPAbaby G-Luxe comes in these colors. Some people were disappointed that the black version of the stroller comes with a metallic, bluish-colored frame, but I like it.

• Black – Style Blake
• Charcoal – Style Jordan
• Denim – Style Aidan

Folding and Transport

Our “How to fold the UPPAbaby G-Luxe” video:

The G-Luxe is not the easiest stroller to fold. It requires two hands to pull two rings simultaneously. The ring on the right-hand side won’t pull until the release button is pressed.

Despite needing to be coordinated to fold the stroller, it does fold in 3 seconds and unfolds in 4 seconds after a bit of practice.

Once folded the G-Luxe stands on its own. It is fairly stable but can easily be knocked over by a small child. It fits into the trunk of our Honda Civic when folded but takes up a lot of space.

A latch keeps the stroller frame together when it is folded so that it can be carried by the strap without falling open.

The carry strap is long enough to fit over most shoulders. It can get in the way, or get snagged on things, but it can also be shortened with a sliding clip.

Fold Ratings:

Kid Comfort

The G-Luxe has a very smooth ride based on our vibration and bumpiness testing. Lower numbers are better in the table below.

The G-Luxe is sized for bigger kids with a max weight limit of 55 lbs and a height limit of 45″. The seat height, width, and depth support the higher limits and make it comfortable for taller children.

The seat in its upright position reclines at 58 degrees. We prefer and upright angle of 65 to 70 degrees but its not too bad. In its most reclined position, it is 23 degrees. This is flatter–better for napping–than most umbrella strollers get without a bassinet insert.

The shoulder harnesses are nicely padded and the harness straps are made of comfortable material.

There is no snack tray or kid cup holders.

The sunshade is large but it is not positioned low or forward enough to provide much sun protection from the sides or front.

The G-Luxe performed better than average in our tip-over-sideways test. It tips over backward with a 12 lb bag hanging from the stroller when the stroller is empty.

Quality and Safety

Like most UPPAbaby strollers, the G-Luxe is made from quality materials. We don’t like the design of the folding mechanism, and occasionally the folding rings seem to stick.

The wheels, frame and other parts of the stroller are well-made. There is a little bit of flex between the handles and in the frame hinge that makes the frame less rigid than that of some strollers.

The rubber wheels are heavy-duty and have a lined tread for good traction. They can pick up mud in the grooves.

We inserted a pencil in the hinges during folding and canopy operation to test for the potential of little fingers getting caught or pinched. The G-Luxe scored a 9 out of 10 stars in pinch safety. It is ALWAYS advised to keep children away from strollers when they are being folded and unfolded to avoid the risk of pinching.

In our sound testing, the G-Luxe had an average decibel level of 52 over the course, which is middle-of-the-road.

Average Decibel Level:

UPPAbaby G-Luxe vs Summer Infant 3Dlite

The UPPAbaby G-Luxe and Summer Infant 3Dlite are true umbrella strollers and both reasonably priced.

The G-Luxe is 2 lbs heavier than the 3D Lite and almost the same size folded.

The G-Luxe has a higher-quality look and feel with a more comfortable seat, nicer fabric, and sturdier wheels.

The 3D Lite steers and maneuvers better than the G-Luxe in part because it is more lightweight. It also takes less force to jump curbs.

The G-Luxe is quieter and has better pinch safety. The G-Luxe has .65 cubic feet of space in its storage basket vs .47 cubic feet in the 3D Lite, but the 3D Lite storage is more accessible.

The 3D Lite takes a second or two longer to fold and unfold. But the G-Luxe’s folding is a little quirky and sometimes requires patience when the rings get stuck.