If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck it must be a… stroller made by a baby carrier company? At least that’s how I think the saying goes. To be honest, I was fully prepared to write a semi-snarky Ergobaby Metro Stroller review about how this new travel stroller had good intentions but amateur execution. This being Ergobaby’s first foray into the European buggy market, I had realistically low expectations. However, much to my surprise, the new Ergobaby Metro Compact City Stroller totally blew me away!
Here’s the thing about travel strollers: they often reside somewhere in the safe zone, a.k.a. not the winner’s circle of strollers. Why? Because in their quest to be as compact as possible, most companies have driven their features down to be minimal and sufficient, but nothing to write home about. That’s where I think the Ergobaby Metro Buggy really stands out from the mediocre crowd. Comfort and safety for both parent and kid reign supreme for Ergobaby products, and they certainly spared no expense when transforming those values into a pushchair, giving all babywearing parents a sigh of relief. Don’t get me wrong, I love babywearing, but after 2 kids and 40+ countries traveled, give me a travel stroller for the love of all that is holy! My back thanks you.
Ergobaby Metro Review: Stroller Specs
I tested this puppy from Parma to Paris and am here to break down all the features from the beautiful swan to the ugly duckling. So let’s get this duck tour started!
- Ergobaby Metro Price: £299.90 in the UK and $299.00 in the USA
- Ergobaby Metro Age: Birth – 6 months with a newborn kit (sold separately)
- Ergobaby Metro Weight Limit: 18kg / 40lbs weight limit for the forward facing configuration
- Ergobaby Metro Stroller weight: only 6.3kg / 14lbs
- Ergobaby Metro Dimensions: folds down to 52 cm x 44 cm x 23 cm / 20.8 x 16.9 x 9 inches
- Ergobaby Metro Accessories: Rain shield included and comes in 3 colors, black, grey, and a bright blue
Ergobaby Stroller Metro Strengths:
- Comfort – Warning, bold statement ahead: The Ergobaby Metro Compact Stroller might be the most comfortable stroller for a kid ever made. And I’m not just talking travel stroller. I mean all strollers. The padded seat and backing are more like a Tempurpedic mattress than a seat. It’s super thick, plushy, and kept the baby’s butt from getting sore after many Parisian cobblestones. In fact, it’s the only stroller currently on the market certified as “back healthy” for baby and parent by the AGR of Germany.
- Major Recline – This doesn’t just slightly recline, it goes almost all the way. My kids are not great stroller nappers, and the 3-year-old doesn’t even nap anymore at all, yet the Ergobaby Metro City Stroller managed to lull BOTH kids to sleep on separate occasions. That’s basically magic in my book.
- Sun Shade – Another place where most travel strollers ride the average train, the Ergobaby Metro comes in with a crazy big UPF 50 sunshade that would block out even the Eiffel Tower during nap time. It extends almost all the way down basically making a little nap cocoon that any of us would like to hibernate in.
- Ergobaby Compact Fold – It fit everywhere from a restaurant entryway to a train’s upper compartment. It definitely earns its name as the Ergobaby Metro Compact Stroller.
Ergobaby Metro Compact City Buggy Strengths:
- Big Pocket – Like with dresses, everything is made better with pockets. The really big back pocket extends all the way down the backside of the stroller, which in combination with the decent under basket, which can hold up to 4.5kg / 10lbs, makes for a lot of storage for this Ergobaby lightweight stroller.
- Leg Rest – Leg rests have been considered dispensable by most travel strollers, as companies try to keep them lightweight, but that’s not the case for the Ergobaby Metro Compact City Stroller. Keeping a kid’s legs up for sleep or slightly down for adventures is definitely an added comfort that’s noticeable.
- One Handed Push – I’ve never understood a stroller that requires 2 hands to push, mostly because I’ve never had two empty hands to push one! This compact stroller has a singular handlebar and is lightweight enough to push with just one paw.
- Narrow – From crowded streets to narrow buses I was able to fit the Ergobaby Compact Stroller everywhere without any issues, which is a key feature in any stroller for me. I hate width, whether it be in my midsection or in a stroller wheelbase.
- Breezy and Insulated – The mesh backing makes it super breezy during summer months, and for the winter months just snap the shield on to make a fully insulated seat where no cold air is going to get in.
Ergo Metro Stroller Weaknesses:
- Back Pocket Closure – When using the winter shield to cover the mesh backing you pull it out of the back pocket, which unfortunately means you can’t zip the back pocket while using it. This isn’t ideal when trying to store things in the pocket while needing to fold the stroller up quickly.
- Jerky Open/Close – It’s not that the open and close is difficult, technically it can be done with one hand, but the motion isn’t as smooth as butter, to say it nicely. Definitely not a deal breaker but just something noticeable in comparison to its competitors.
- Questionable Carry-on – Most airlines from Easyjet to British Airways set their carryon limitations at 56 x 45 x 25 cm and the Ergobaby Metro comes in at 52 x 44 x 23 cm. So will the Ergobaby Metro City Stroller be allowed on a plane? The answer: It should, but it looks bigger than a lot of other travel strollers so it might take some persuasion at the airline gate.
- Not Car Seat Adaptable – While the Ergobaby Metro Newborn kit makes the Ergobaby City Stroller newborn friendly, it doesn’t have the ability to attach car seat adapters to it. Which means the Ergobaby Metro car seat friendliness factor is low.
Ergobaby Metro vs Babyzen Yoyo:
It’s no secret that I’m a Babyzen Yoyo fan as it’s been my stroller of choice the last few years whether at home or on the road. So how does the Ergobaby Metro vs Yoyo debate turn out? Truthfully they’re both great strollers in their own right and have different things going for each.
- Price: The Ergo Metro Stroller comes in at almost half the price of the Babyzen Yoyo which is a major point in the Ergobaby Metro Buggy column.
- Adaptability: The Babyzen Yoyo can attach a car seat to it and has a buggy board seat for when you need to trot two around town. So that’s a big point for the Yoyo.
- Weight Limit: The Ergobaby Metro can comfortably hold a child until they’re 18kgs/40lbs, while the Babyzen Yoyo weight limit is low at just 15kgs/33lbs.
- Size: The Ergobaby Metro Compact City Buggy is slightly larger than the Babyzen Yoyo but still technically within airline cabin baggage regulations.
- Comfort: For me this is where the Ergobaby Metro beats all other strollers, not just the Babyzen Yoyo. There’s no comparison between the plush seat of the Ergo Metro and it’s travel stroller competitors. Ergo wins this one hands down.
As you can see, the Ergobaby Metro Compact City Stroller vs Yoyo competition doesn’t exactly have a clear answer because they’re both great buggies. I think it comes down to whether this purchase is for your primary pram or if you’re looking to add to your stroller collection. If you’re an avid flier, or need to get two kids around town, and are looking to invest in a full stroller system from newborn car seat to second kid, then the Babyzen Yoyo might be the right choice to pour a large quantity of money towards. Whereas if you’re looking for a great additional stroller for traveling or just need an everyday lightweight stroller to use, that doesn’t cost your kid’s preschool tuition, all while giving yourself peace of mind that your babe is getting the most comfortable seat you could possibly give them, then the Metro might be your better choice.
Ergobaby Metro Test Conclusion:
So who is this stroller for? Pretty much everyone, if you ask me. It’d be great if you’re car-bound or perfect for city dwellers on public transport. It would work for newborns and for toddlers up to about 4 years old. It’s light enough to bring everywhere and small enough to stash it anywhere. I’m pretty smitten with this puppy and wish it had a buggy board with seat attachment so I could make it my everyday wagon for my two crazies.
Thanks Ergobaby for sponsoring this post and asking me to honestly review the new Ergobaby Metro Compact City Stroller. And well done for jumping head first into the buggy market with such a solid travel stroller, I give it the “Most Nappable” award and two big thumbs up from this travel mama!
To purchase the Ergobaby Metro Compact City Stroller you can buy it on Amazon, the Ergobaby USA site, or the Ergobaby UK site. As well as many other baby stores worldwide.
If travel gear is what you’re after, check out our other travel product reviews:
Ah brilliant. I will definitely be purchasing this stroller when my second child arrives in Spring. Thank you for the review.
It’s really such a great stroller!
Looks like a great stroller! What’s up with all the good travel strollers only being available outside the US? Travelmadmum just had a great looking Britax double that’s also not available here. Guess we like our strollers like we like our cars – big, heavy and hard to steer.
Ha its so true, but Ergobaby does have a USA stroller and I bet it’s made pretty similar so I would definitely go and check that one out as well.
Hi, thanx for this review, I have the yoyo and i suffer from lack of storage
How does this compare to the Yoyo?
I would say its pretty similar to the yoyo when it comes to storage, maybe a bit more because the back pocket is so nice and big. To help with the storage issue that most travel strollers bring I just hook my mommy hook onto it and hang bags that way. I find it works as a great stroller hack.
We bought the trifold compact baby jogger stroller that is comparable to this one. We are using it currently in Europe and the wheels seem like the cobblestone may trash them by the end of this trip. Not much in the way of shock absorbing or Fred on the wheels. How is this one with cobblestone? Durability of the wheels? We love everything about our current one because it is compact and easy to use, but not sure it will last long term on European adventures!
I see people using the baby joggers all over Europe but I’ve never used them myself so I can’t say for sure that it’ll last but I would hope they would. I’ve been taking the Metro on a lot of cobblestone since we live in Geneva and it has no problem at all. I mean, it’s not going to have the same shock absorbtion as a monster truck uppababy vista would but I’ve found the wheels on the Ergobaby and my Babyzen Yoyo hold up really well with no problems. Hope that helps!
How does it handle gravel/mud/grass/light snow? In other words, other surfaces besides asphalt and stores.
It handled really well on grass, gravel and cobblestones, its a light stroller which is good for terrain that’s going to have some friction, but I find most travel or lightweight strollers to struggle in woodchip type playground floors or heavy snow. That’s where a heavier stroller tends to do better, but I’d say 95% of the time I had no issues with the terrain I encountered with this stroller. But I didn’t test it in heavy mud or snow.
I was already set on getting the mountain buggy nano but I just recently found this ergobaby one. Do you know how those 2 compare?
I’ve tested both the Mountain Buggy Nano and the Ergobaby Metro, and hands down the Metro one win. The seat of the Metro wins over most strollers in this category alone, but even comparing the frame of the two strollers I’d pick the Metro. Truthfully I find the Nano to feel not well made when you test it against its competitors. I liked their double nano because it doesn’t have many other competitors for really lightweight double strollers. But when it comes to a single seat, I think the Nano’s design falls short and the Metro wins. The other alternative is the Babyzen Yoyo but that is a higher price point and I wouldn’t recommend investing in it unless you travel a lot or it’s going to be your main stroller, purely due to the price.
I’m torn between the metro and the GB qbit+. Have you tested the latter? And how easily does the metro fit into it’s carrying case?
I haven’t personally tested the GB qbit+ but I have seen it around. I think the materials, the padding in the seat, and the seat recline of the metro are better than the qbit+. But I also think they’re quite similar in size and usage. So that’s a tough one just because I haven’t actually used the GB. I love the metro though, it’s a really great stroller.
How deep is the seat with and without footrest? Also, I’ve recently purchased Maxi-Cosi Lara stroller (Bebe Confort Lara is the European version) and I loved everything about it, it is compact as this Metro stroller and seat is very nice and soft, but it was already tight and short for my 18m old pretty tall baby. And seems like the height from seat to the canopy was pretty much the same with Metro, 17″ seatback and 5″ more to the canopy. I was also going to buy Nano instead of Maxi Cosi Lara, since it has much more room to grow (couple of inches more to the canopy). But saw this Metro one and fell in love. Could you comment on this if you have any thoughts, I hate to buy a stroller that we can’t use at 3 years or so. Thank you!
I can’t speak to the exact dimensions of the seat but I’m sure you can find that on their website. As far as the height goes, my 3-year-old could fit in it easily but I wouldn’t say she has a ton of room and I’d think she would grow out of it by 4. My 18-month-old has plenty of room though and will definitely be happy in it for another 2 years. The main difference that the metro has over the Nano is the quality of the materials and the plushy seat which is the best part. I haven’t gotten my hands on the Maxi Cosi Lara so I’m not sure how it matches up but if you’re deciding between the Nano and the Metro it’s hands down the Metro for me.
On the first image at the top of the page the stroller seat has been adjusted to the flat position which makes not much space for the walking behind. Since that the handle is pretty low for the tall people I just wonder how would they push this stroller in this situation without hitting the top of the stroller seat where kids head lays down?
Our kids napped in it while lying flat quite a few times and our legs never hit the head actually.
So glad to have found this review, thanks for posting it! Can I ask how the seat back is when not reclined? Is it vertical enough for curious kids? Another travel stroller I was contemplating (the joie) seems to have a lot of complaints that it doesnt get vertical enough and I wonder if that’s common to all travel strollers or not. Also, any chance you know somewhere in Geneva selling this in the flesh? I live here too and would love to see one before ordering online but haven’t found it anywhere locally!
I thought it’s vertical seat back was actually better than the Baby Zen, which generally tends to lean back a little far for my taste. I’m not sure if anyone sells it yet in Geneva, but if you call them maybe they have someone nearby in France that’s selling it?
Hi. Thanks for the review. I have seen that the handle hight is only around 100cm on Metro? Do you find this a problem for the people over 180/190cm tall? For example gb qbit+ and yoyo have 106cm handle height. This is for me the only drawback about buying Metro. Please help. Greetings from Croatia.
My husband is 190cm and I’m 170cm and we never felt the handle height was an issue. In general I find the lack of handle height adjustment common in travel strollers and a 6cm difference isn’t too bad. I find the Metro far better made that the GB QBit+ but agreed that it’s slightly shorter.
Hi!
Would you use the metro as your everyday stroller? We live in Germany and use mainly public transportation and have to walk 2 floors up to our apartment, so definitely looking for something small, light but reaaally durable.
Absolutely I would use it as a daily stroller!