How easy is the Bugaboo Donkey2 to assemble?
The versatility of the Bugaboo Donkey2 comes at an initial cost – it’s probably the most complicated assembly of all the buggies we tested. All parts of the pushchair arrive in pieces, so you're responsible for all of the assembly, and the instruction manual only uses diagrams with symbols to guide you through the process. That makes it more accessible worldwide, of course, which is a good thing – but, still, there were parts of the process where text instructions would have clarified things a little.
Thankfully, Bugaboo have created a number of helpful videos on YouTube and their website to explain every aspect of using the Donkey2, including assembly. Start here, and you shouldn’t go far wrong. We reckon it’s about a twenty-minute process to put the Twin version together, all in.
Bugaboo offer a warranty of two years, with an extra year added for free when you register your buggy after purchase – less than the iCandy Orange, but more than the Out n About Nipper Double. Bugaboo have also gone the extra mile to provide after-sales support. There’s a helpline, a page of FAQs and a shop for spare parts if anything breaks out of warranty.
How does it look?
Frankly, there’s a reason you’ll see more Donkeys on Instagram than any other model. Bugaboo have a reputation for functional, detail-oriented elegance, and everything about the Donkey2 broadcasts quality. It’s a modern, aesthetically appealing design that stands above its competitors.
The Bugaboo Donkey2 also comes in eight colourways, and the fabrics of each individual seat, sun hood and shopping basket are completely customisable when buying via Bugaboo’s website – a nice extra that few manufacturers provide.
What’s it like to use the Bugaboo Donkey Twin?
Let’s start with the financial elephant in the room: the Donkey Twin is expensive. At about £1,500 for the Twin set (depending on your fabric selection), you’d have a decent choice of second-hand cars for the same money. If it’s out of your price range, the Out n About Nipper (winner of our Best Double Buggy 2019 award) or the Mountain Buggy Nano (our Best Lightweight Double Buggy 2019) have plenty of plus points for new twin parents at a more affordable price tag. If you have the money and are willing to invest it, however, there’s honestly no better twin pushchair on the market at the moment.
The Twin has been designed so that every functional lever or switch is in white, which makes it easy to spot the essential mechanisms. Folding and unfolding are two-handed tasks, but very straightforward – you'll just need to collapse the handlebar, lock the front wheels, recline the seats or carrycots and pull the handlebar clips upwards before folding the buggy into one piece.
Even with two carrycots or two full-sized seats, it can all be collapsed as is, and is freestanding even with those seats still attached. This could well be a useful feature if you need to collapse the double buggy unexpectedly on public transport. For a much more compact footprint, though, our tester found it easier to remove the seats – especially when transporting in a car boot or storing in her porch.
The carrycot and seat configurations are both well designed – they are comfortable, well-padded and secure. Changing the direction or position of the seats is simplicity itself, with the mechanism giving an audible click once the seat is safely in position. The five-point harness is one where each strap clicks individually into the central point, which is an essential when there are two wriggly toddlers to contain.