Zoe Tour+ Stroller Review

Zoe Tour+ Luxe

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How it Compares

The Zoe Tour+ is in the top 2 of the 20 lightweight strollers we tested. It maneuvers well, folds easily, and is sturdy and comfortable. It also has several excellent features for parents we’ll discuss later.

It receives our Recommended award and would probably be our Editor’s Choice if it had a slightly more compact size when folded. The Zoe Traveler stroller does fold down to a size that fits in airline overhead bins.

The Tour+ is the latest version and it was previously called the XL1 Best.

Related Reading: Best Lightweight and Umbrella Strollers

Most Common Complaints

There are not too many critical customer reviews but we read them all and compared the criticisms to our own experience in the table below.

Criticism	Our Experience
Poor quality wheels	We’ve found the wheels to be of reasonable quality. We haven’t had any significant wear issues.
Doesn’t roll well on bumpy surfaces	Agreed, this stroller performed worse than most others in the group on rough terrain.
Uncomfortable, child slouches in seat	We have not seen problems with the shape or design of the seat or harnesses that cause discomfort. However, the seat is not big and taller children are less comfortable than others.
Kids can fall out	The canopy is quite large and has good coverage. It does block the view when fully extended as almost every sunshade does.
Canopy blocks child’s view when extended	The canopy is quite large and has good coverage. It does block the view when fully extended as most every sunshade does.
Uncomfortable and poorly placed straps	The shoulder strap clip is at neck level and can rub the neck.
Storage basket is small	The storage basket is 0.75 cubic feet and has a greater capacity than most other lightweight strollers in the group.
Not good on unpaved or uneven terrain	Agreed. It did not do well in our rough terrain testing.
Scratches easily	Ours hasn’t, but a number of customers have complained that the plastic frame scratches easily.
The brake broke soon after purchase	We haven’t had problems with the quality of the brake. Sometimes the brake doesn’t immediately engage when we press it the first time.

Testing and Research

We research the lightest and best-reviewed umbrella strollers and purchased the top 20 to test and compare head-to-head. Several parents and their kids helped perform real-world testing and we also performed more than 100 tests and measurements to quantitatively compare the strollers in the group.

Weight and Folded Size

In this category of strollers, weight and folded size are very important. The Zoe Tour+ is very light at only 12.5 lbs. but its folded dimensions are 20.25 x 26.5 x 8.5 inches, 2.64 cubic feet. It is fairly flat but nowhere near fitting in the overhead bin of an airplane.

Steering and Maneuverability

In our steering tests, the Zoe Tour+ steered very gracefully on mostly-smooth surfaces. When the stroller is completely stopped, with a big kid in it, I can turn it with a single hand from the middle of the handlebar. Very few strollers maneuver this easily. Steering Rating:

On the other hand, when I tested it on bumpy sidewalks and off-road, the small wheels in the front would turn sideways and bend or get stuck on the bumps and in cracks. It performed worse on rough terrain than most other strollers we tested.

This stroller had below-average performance when we tested its Tendency to Veer:

Tendency to Veer

Zoe Tour+ Luxe	130 in	130 in
Britax B-Lively (high)	299 in	299 in
Average	165 in	165 in
Dream On Me (low)	90 in	90 in

If you are going on long, straight walks, the front wheels can be locked in the forward direction by pushing down the lever above each of the front wheels.

We also tested how easy it is to jump a curb with the stroller fully weighted. Unfortunately, this stroller took more Force to Jump Curbs than others:

Our overall steering and maneuverability rating (below) takes into account tendency to veer, steering, curb jumping force, wheel vibration, rough terrain performance and unassisted roll distance.

Overall Steering and Maneuverability Ratings:

Ease of Use

The storage basket of the Zoe Tour+ is one of the largest lightweight strollers at 0.75 cubic feet with a weight limit of 10 lbs. Many people complain that it is small but we could fit a decent-sized diaper bag in it by pushing down the elastic-attached fabric in the back. The opening with the back pushed down is 13 x 10 inches which isn’t bad.

Storage Capacity:

There is also a useful small item pocket behind the canopy where we put a phone, keys, and sunglasses.

We purchased the Zoe Tour+ Luxe and it arrived with a nice gift bag that included a stroller organizer and two hangable mesh storage bags.

The stroller organizer has two cupholders and a center compartment. There is also an inner, mesh zippered pocket and an outer one for small items.

Zoe calls this handle “tan leatherette”. It feels and looks very nice and is a surprisingly classy feature on a stroller of this price. The bumper bar has the same soft covering.

There is a slight amount of give in the handle but generally, the handle and frame connection felt sturdy when we pushed the loaded stroller.

The handle is non-adjustable and stands at 39 inches off the ground which is a typical height, but not always comfortable for taller parents.

This coffee mug fits securely in the parent cup holder on the handle, but you can see that it is slightly too wide to slide all the way down to the bottom of the cup holder.

We love the wording, diagrams, and simplicity of the user manual! The unboxing and assembly took about 7 minutes.

The buckle operation is easy and smooth although the button is stiff when you first start using it. I like that there are only two harness clips to worry about.

I also like the harness strap adjustment. The straps are smooth and the clips slide without a struggle.

The reclining mechanism can be operated with one hand and has an infinite number of recline positions. To raise the seat back up takes two hands, one to pull the straps and the other to hold in the button.

The brakes are not the best feature. There is a pedal on each rear wheel instead of having a single pedal that operates both wheels at the same time. When we push the pedal sometimes it doesn’t engage completely. It also requires you to stick your foot under it to release the brake which is uncomfortable wearing sandals.

We like the small, mesh peekaboo window that lets you see your little one. It is held closed by hidden magnets that are a nice touch because it doesn’t make a noise when you open it.

The accessories included with this stroller make it a great value compared to similar strollers:

• parent cup holder
• kid cup holder and snack holder
• parent organizer
• belly bar
• extra storage bags

There is a car seat adaptor that can be purchased separately and is compatible with all Chicco and Graco infant car seats.

This stroller can also become a tandem (double) stroller by purchasing the add-on seat, or by purchasing the tandem stroller which bundles both seats together in a single purchase.

The stroller is available in Classic or Luxe. The main difference is the fabric. The Classic has a matte fabric and the Luxe has “textured wicking” fabric.

Color options include:

• Luxe: grey, black, navy blue, light blue, green, pink
• Classic: black, London navy, Noah grey

Folding and Transport

Our “How to fold the Zoe Tour+” video:

We folded the Tour+ in 2 seconds on average and opened it in 3 seconds. It is one of the easiest fold operations of any stroller in the group. Both collapsing and opening can be done with a single hand while holding a bag or infant. See our Youtube video where I fold 19 different strollers in 2 minutes while holding a baby (not a doll).

Fold Ratings:

The Tour+ does stand when folded but the wheels have to be arranged just right and we found that it easily falls over.

It is 2.6 cubic feet folded, but here is how that looks in real life comparing several different folded strollers:

The newer Zoe Traveler has many of the same features as the Tour+ but has a tri-fold frame which allows it to fold down to a size that fits in airplane overhead compartments.

The fold latch on this stroller does a good job of keeping it folded. The frame doesn’t separate and flop open like some of the strollers we tested.

Kid Comfort

The Zoe Tour+ comes with a padded leatherette belly bar that our kids find it nice to hang onto. It also includes an appropriately sized kid cup holder and snack holder.

The stroller can be folded without removing the belly bar or cup or snack holder.

One limitation of the Tour+ is that it isn’t sized for big kids. The seat depth is only 8.5 inches, the seat back is 17.5 inches and the maximum recommended weight is 45 lbs, and the footrest isn’t very big at 8.5 x 3 inches.

The seat padding isn’t the thickest in the group but is comfortable. The harness straps are a little rough on the edges near the neck area and the shoulder strap clips are also located near the neck. The part of the straps that go through the clips are smooth and soft, it’s only the clip and above that is a problem.

The base of the seat is almost completely flat at 3 degrees, compared to most other stroller seats that incline 5 to 15 degrees. Some parents have complained that kids feel like they are sliding out.

The seat back is very upright at 71 degrees at its highest position. That is fine for most children and it can easily be reclined slightly.

The farthest back position of the seat back is a 30 degree recline, which is adequate but not ideal for naps.

The leg rest makes it comfier for napping!

There are pads on the shoulder harnesses that are soft but probably unnecessary.

The UPF50 canopy has excellent coverage when fully extended. There is a zipper on the top of the canopy that adjusts the size. The front of the canopy extends slightly past the knees.

We tested the smoothness of the ride and the Tour+ ranked 6 out of 20. The test measured the average motion in the seat caused by vibration and bumps. Ride Smoothness:

Quality and Safety

In our sound testing, the Tour+ was tied for the lowest average decibel level. This may not be the first thing you think about when choosing a stroller, but a quiet stroller can make a walk a lot more pleasant, especially during naptime! Average Decibel Levels:

The Zoe Tour+ did not tip over backward when we hung a 12-pound bag on the handle. About 75% of the strollers we tested did tip over backward in this test.

However, it took less force to tip over sideways than most of the other strollers in the group. In this table of “tip-over units”, strollers with higher numbers require more force to tip over sideways. Tip-over Units:

The Zoe had an excellent score in our pinch-point testing. We found very few places in the operation of the stroller where little fingers or limbs could be pinched. Note: there are pinch points in every stroller, so it is always a good idea to keep your little ones away while folding and unfolding.

The harness is a 5-point system, which is important for smaller children.

We found the parts and materials of the Zoe to be high-quality. The folding mechanism is simple and reliable. The frame is rigid and durable.

We do not have enough miles on the wheels to speak to their long-term durability. However, we haven’t seen any abnormal wear so far. The wheel treads are made from EVA foam. We rated the wheels 8 out of 10 stars for quality.

Zoe Tour+ vs UPPAbaby Minu

Both the Zoe Tour+ and UPPAbaby Minu V2 are quality strollers that are easy to fold and maneuver.

The Minu is 4.4 lbs heavier than the Tour+ and about 25% bigger when folded.

Both come with a bumper bar but the Minu is missing parent and kid cup holders, a kid snack cup and the stroller organizer.

The Minu brake was easier to use than the Tour’s in our testing.

The Minu storage basket is slightly smaller than the Tour’s. We like the Minu’s feature of accessibility of the basket from the front of the stroller.

We believe the wheel quality of the Minu to be superior to the Tour wheel quality. The Minu V2 has a maximum weight of 50 lbs vs the Tour’s maximum of 45 lbs. Neither stroller is great for taller kids as the Minu maxes out at 40 inches.

See our full review of the UPPAbaby Minu V2.

Zoe Tour+ vs Zoe Traveler

The most important difference between the Zoe Tour+ and Traveler is the folded size. The Traveler will fit in most airlines’ overhead bins.

Folded Sizes

	Zoe Tour+	Zoe Traveler
Folded Dimensions	20.25 x 26.5 x 8.5 inches*	22 x 18 x 9 inches
Folded Size	2.64  ft3	2.06 ft3
Weight	12.5 lbs	13 lbs

The Traveler achieves a more compact folded size with a tri-fold mechanism that works smoothly and quickly.

The Tour+ is more versatile. It can function as a Tandem stroller and can also accept a car seat adapter for infant car seats.

The Tour+ includes a kid cup holder and kid snack cup. The Tour seat reclines a bit further than the Traveler’s seat.

Both storage bin of the Traveler is smaller than the Tour’s.