August 12, 2015 Eli

Could the Cybex Priam be the next Bugaboo Cameleon?

UPDATE: THE CYBEX ATON CLOUD Q INFANT CAR SEAT IS EXPECTED TO BE AVAILABLE IN FEBRUARY 2016.

We very rarely see a baby product company that can pull off excellence in both strollers and car seats: the only company I can think of that definitely nails it is UPPAbaby, whose Vista Stroller and Cruz Stroller are matched in quality by their Mesa Infant Car Seat. Cybex is working on a new standard of luxury and performance in their car seats, but can their strollers possibly measure up?

Cybex is a German company that has been distributing strollers and car seats in America for the past couple of years with inconsistent success. The original Cybex Aton Infant Car Seat came to America about four or five years ago with a line of confusing umbrella strollers. We were impressed by the innovative Cybex Aton car seat, which sported a very similar car seat base to the one they use today, but the strollers were just okay; they didn’t seem like they could match up to strong competitors like the UPPAbaby G-series strollers or Maclaren strollers. And though we liked the Cybex strollers, we weren’t wowed by them, and we discontinued them at Magic Beans.

As time went on, Cybex kept evolving in America. Though they still imported some strollers, the main focus became the infant car seats. The Aton was a solid seat, and the Aton 2 upped the ante with the LSP system (a unique and superior Side Impact Protection system), and a load leg for enhanced crash safety. Then last year they released the Aton Q, which had many of the same features of the Aton 2 but with a truly modern design and style. The Aton Q became a surprising hit in the market, even with a hefty price tag of $349.

Very few brands can pull off bringing a product to market that is so much more expensive then the run-of-the-mill products in its category, but consumers love the look and the function of the Aton Q! We are now breathlessly awaiting the Cybex Cloud Q Infant Car Seat, which kicks the Aton Q up a couple of notches by adding a recline (available February 2016). Watch this quick demo:

So, on to the Cybex Priam Stroller! We will be getting the Cybex Priam at our stores very soon, and we are quite excited about it. I had a chance to play with it at the Boston Drool Baby Expo a few months ago – you can get a quick look at the Priam here:

But will this new luxury stroller be at the level of Bugaboo strollers? Based on my initial experiences, this very well may be a contender. Like a Bugaboo, the Priam stroller is designed and engineered from the ground up. That means that the manufacturers have complete control of aesthetic as well as function.

They also decided to empower the consumer by giving them some choices: you can choose from three kinds of wheels to suit the terrain you’ll be strolling on (city, trekking, or all-terrain wheels). You can also choose from the Luxe seat, which reclines fully for a newborn, or the Light seat, which converts from a bassinet to a stroller seat, much like a Bugaboo stroller seat.

The staff at Magic Beans (including myself) can be very skeptical about new strollers, and we won’t bring in a stroller unless we think it’s great. Our first impression of this stroller is that it IS great, and we are going to try it in our Boston, Brookline and Wellesley locations. It’s also already available for preorder at mbeans.com. We think when we get floor models of this stroller, it’s going to be competing directly with the Bugaboo Cameleon and the UPPAbaby Vista, giving you one more excellent option (and difficult decision!).

I’d love to hear if you plan on getting a Priam, or have tested one for yourself. Leave a comment below, I’d love your feedback.

We will be adding the Priam to our Stroller Buying Guide shortly, but in the meantime, download the guide below for a great overview of your stroller choices!