The doorbell rings and Buffy, my fateful companion, barks viciously at the front door. The anticipation rises as I approach the door and see the Fed Ex guy coming up the side walk - finally, the Bugaboo Donkey Duo is here. I thank the driver and drag the three boxes into the living room. In all it took 5 days from the day it was ordered until it arrived at our doorstep.
For whatever reason, I had the delusion that the majority of it would be assembled and almost ready to use. Obviously, that wasn't the case. The three boxes consist of the Donkey base, the Duo extension set which contained the tailored fabric set, the extra bassinet and a pump for the Bugaboo's tires.
The first step was to attempt to put the Donkey Duo together. Stop right here if you think you can put this together without reading the instructions. That being said, the instruction booklet is similar to Ikea instructions, but Ikea instructions on crack. The instructions consist simply of small illustrations which the reader is supposed to decipher in order to assemble the various configurations of the Donkey. There were a few tense moments in putting it together, but we held it together remembering the one important moto "if it doesn't fit, don't force it". The Bugaboo is designed to be simple to operate and you have to remember that in putting it together and most importantly in transforming it into it's various modes. In all, my wife and I were able to assemble the Donkey in twin mode in about 35 minutes.
Now of course comes the fun part - trying to reconfigure the unit for storage and then back to twin mode. I suggest giving up on reading the manual for this as it's completely useless for this purpose. The best bet is to go online to Bugaboo's site and watch the videos showcasing the stroller various features. After watching the videos, we were able to successfully transform the unit to and from stroller mode to storage in a few minutes, although never as quick as the person in the video. My wife did have difficulty collapsing the Bugaboo. However, that is more likely due to the fact she is 31 weeks pregnant with twins rather than the Bugaboo since she has trouble standing and putting on her shoes.
Here are two shots of the stroller standing up in storage mode.
At this point, we felt we should give the unit a test drive around our house. The Bugaboo had no trouble getting through most of the doors. Be advised though there is no extra clearance when in twin mode. It's a tight squeeze through our inside doors which are 31" wide. The turning radius was great and it was a breeze to push in and out of the house. The unit fit easily in my wife's Hyundai Tucson without a problem, however, the Prius was a little more cramped. Without a doubt, you need to collapse the bassinets (if you are using them). I also recommend collapsing the Bugaboo into its compact mode without the large tires. After doing this, the Bugaboo fit nicely in the back of the Prius (see the picture below) and left room for a bag of groceries or a few other small items. Be advised though that if you are looking for a quick getaway either getting into the car or exiting, I would use the car seat adapters (purchased separately) or get a larger car.
So far, My wife and I are completely satisfied with the Bugaboo Donkey. It isn't for everyone, as the price is prohibitive for most. However, the quality, maneuverability and ease at which the unit transforms between the various modes is unsurpassed in our opinion. Overall, I highly recommend this unit if you have twins and can afford it. The only caveat at this point is the twins have not arrived yet. While we have taken the unit for a test drive, the review is not complete until the twins have had their way with the Bugaboo. Look for an update in about 3-4 months.
Twin Tech gives the Bugaboo Donkey Duo 4 out of 5 stars citing the cost and width as possible deterrents.
EDIT:
Here is a closer picture of the Bugaboo in the Tucson.
EDIT:
Here is a closer picture of the Bugaboo in the Tucson.
