Baby Jogger City GO2 Review

Baby Jogger began in 1984 by fathers who longed to jog with their little ones. These men invented the first actual jogging stroller. As time progressed, Baby Jogger created multiple strollers, most of which are not joggers despite the moniker. In 2015, Baby Jogger was acquired by Newell Rubbermaid. They continue to produce a variety of strollers and car seats.

Performance Comparison

Crash Testing

While every seat in this review is considered safe and meets federal guidelines, some showed better sensor results in our crash testing than others, potentially offering an additional margin of protection over those with lower scores.

Our commissioned crash tests were a little hotter than the federal guidelines, so we expect to see a little more stress on these seats and perhaps a wider variation of results. The City GO2 earned relatively impressive chest sensor results with a lower number than much of the competition (lower is better). However, its HIC, or head sensor, results were less impressive and higher than average (lower still better here). Other infant car seats in this review earned better results in both sensors but certainly much better results, often by half, for the HIC sensor. So, while considered safe, the City GO2 results earned it a below-average score in this metric.

Ease of Installation LATCH

Ease of installation using the LATCH system is the easiest method for the Baby Jogger, but that isn't saying much. With a below-average score in this metric, it isn't anything to crow about, especially when you consider it should be the easiest installation method, and it pales in comparison to higher-ranking seats.

This seat has push-in LATCH connectors with flexible straps attached to the base. It features bubble-level indicators on both sides and an anti-rebound bar but no load leg.

This seat was more accessible to install in the sedan than in the small SUV we rented for testing. Depending on your car, you might have more luck, but tightening the straps was difficult, and the shape of the rebound bar made it somewhat wiggly because it doesn't align with the seat back in every car. Also, the anti-rebound bar is incorporated into the lock-off system, and we barely got it to snap down, and once we did, it wasn't tight enough. After starting again, the tightened belt made it hard to push down past the threshold to lock in because the bar hit the back of the vehicle seat.

While everything is "okay" for the installation and removal of this base, it isn't the best in the group, and everything is just slightly more complicated than it needed to be and kind of a pain when you know how easy it can be.

Recline Adjustment

This base has four recline angles available to help with installation. The adjustment is on the end of the base that goes against the vehicle seat, and this means you need to adjust it before installation is complete, or you won't have room to reach the button.

Ease of Installation - Belt

Installing the base using the vehicle belt is similar to the LATCH by utilizing the rebound bar as a tensioner to try to get the belt tight. It is significantly harder to install the City using this method, and we preferred the LATCH installation and installation without the base.

This installation offers color-coded routing and a built-in tensioner/lock-off, which should make things easier. Unfortunately, the tensioner is the anti-rebound bar, and it is hard to find the sweet spot between the belt not being too tight to get the bar pushed down and closed and not tight enough to install the seat stably. It takes some finagling we didn't experience with every seat. Once installed, it felt a little wiggly and less secure than the LATCH installation. Overall, it felt like too much hassle to try to get the belt tensioner fully closed and still pass the wiggle test on secure installation.

Ease of Installation - w/o the Base

Installing a car seat without the base can come up when you need to move it to a car other than your primary car or use public transport or ride shares. The City GO2 performed below average in this test, but it was easier to install without the base than with the vehicle belt and the base.

The City GO2 uses the European threading method, which goes around the back of the carrier and across the foot area. It is color-coded and easy to thread, and we got it tighter in the sedan than in the SUV. The real problem we had was getting the vehicle belt to let go to get the carrier out. We also had struggles with the canopy getting in the way during installation.

Ease of Use

Ease of use is where the Baby Jogger stands out, with one of the highest scores in the group for this metric.

Buckle

The buckle is more accessible than the average buckle. It is square, textured, and has a slight depression in the middle. The prongs have metal inside to create friction, preventing them from sliding on the strap and disappearing under the baby. The chest clip is pretty standard and works smoothly both to connect and disconnect.

Harness Tightening/Loosening

Tightening the harness is easy enough, but there is more friction from the backside than much of the competition due to how the straps are routed. Releasing is also straightforward with an easy-to-press exposed button.

Harness Adjustment

This seat has a non-rethread harness, which means you can adjust it with your baby in the seat and on the go when you notice it needs adjustment. The adjustment is a pinch design that runs along a slotted platform that looks like a spinal cord. It has 17 possible positions, which is huge compared to most that offer closer to 4. Do we think you'll need 17? No, but it could provide a better fit, which increases protection. It has two crotch strap positions.

Carrier to Base Connection

Connecting the carrier to the base is straightforward, and we had no problems and don't see how you can do it wrong. Removal is a button on the back of the carrier. Those with shorter arms might struggle to reach it from outside the car. The handle pulls up easily, but it is easier with the canopy up and out of the way.

Handle

The handle has four positions, and all are allowed when driving the car. It rotates on each side near the canopy and has a thicker center for hand-holding.

Canopy

Like many other seats, this option also has a handle and canopy collision problem; using both simultaneously is a problem. It seems like a minor thing, but it also feels wholly unnecessary and a poor design to us.

LATCH and Manual Storage

LATCH storage is so tricky we had to Google where it is and eventually found a YouTube video for help. It isn't intuitive, with strange storage under the anti-rebound bar. Under the rebound bar, you have to pull the storage compartment up, and there are two! The extra webbing gets shoved in an adjacent storage area, not where the LATCH connectors stow. If you don't get it all in correctly, then you won't be able to close the anti-rebound bar. It's so odd and overall designed we don't get it when there are much simpler designs on the market. The manual storage is in the base near the bottom, tucked away from little fingers and accidental soiling.

Comfort/Quality

This seat performed well compared to the competition for comfort and quality, scoring above the average in our tests.

Fabric and Padding

The fabric isn't the best, but it isn't the worst. It is about what you'd expect on a car seat. It has a few parallel stick lines along the neck rest and infant insert, but nothing we think will cause chafing. There is a warning label in the center of where the baby's head will rest, and it could be irritating if your little one has no hair, and some of the stitching could be irritating over time with a rubbing head. This seat has thicker padding on the head and neck area than most. The padding is dense, with only a little give when pressing it. We did find some complaints of excessively sweaty babies, and we can see that dense padding and this kind of fabric potentially lead to less breathability.

Handle and Canopy

The handle is straight up and across with no ergonomic bend. It has a leather cushioning center that is very nice, and we wish more offered this feature. We wish this one went down both sides for when you carry it with a hooked elbow. It doesn't rattle and feels firm.

The canopy is a ripstop material that feels durable but not breathable. It looks taunt for the most part, but there is a dip at the top. The canopy can be pushed back.

Shell

The shell sides are smooth and easy to wipe clean—no nooks or crannies for gunk build-up. The adjustable harness area on the back will be hard to use if it gets gunk in it, but this area is not exposed to the passenger.

Weight/Size

At 10.5 lbs, the Jogger carrier is on the heavy side but about average for the group. While the difference between carriers could be just a few pounds, those pounds add up quickly the longer you hold the carrier and the bigger your baby gets. If you plan to carry your infant in their car seat, this might matter to you, and a lighter-weight carrier will be important.

Should You Buy the City GO2

If you own a compatible Baby Jogger full-size stroller, we see how this short shelf-life car seat might intrigue you. With a simple attachment that makes car-to-strolling easy with no adapters, we get it. However, we think it is better to choose your car seat before you choose a stroller because the seat is a safety concern more so than a stroller. Several higher-scoring seats with better crash test analysis and ease of installation scores are available that are compatible with many popular strollers. Some of them even cost less. So, overall, we think our review has better options no matter what your car seat goals.

What Other Infant Car Seats Should You Consider?

If you are looking for a seat that is highly compatible with lots of strollers and has better crash test analysis results, we love the Chicco Keyfit 35. This seat is less expensive than the City GO2 and earned a better overall score. If your goal is the best crash test analysis results, then the Clek Liing is a top-performing option with higher quality and ease of installation. While it has a higher cost, its performance shows it has the chops to justify the price if you can afford it.

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