Editor’s Note
The UPPAbaby VISTA Stroller is still available. However, the Vista V2 is their updated model. Both strollers have the same dimensions of 36 x 25.7 x 39.5,” yet the Vista V2 is more lightweight at 27 lbs versus the 35 lb Vista. Both strollers can be made into a traveling system with a MESA infant car seat, and no adaptors are needed to use the car seat. Both the Vista and Vista V2 can accommodate up to 3 children and 50 lbs. You can read our full review of the VISTA V2 here.
The Baby Jogger City Select is also still available but was designed in 2016, therefore, we want to let you know about the updated model for your growing family. The newer version is the Baby Jogger City Select 2, and it offers 24 configurations to accommodate 1, 2, or 3 children. Unfortunately, it comes with a high price tag, and the extra seating options must be purchased separately. A second seat, glider board, and infant car seat are extras that are sold separately.
The fabric on the seat and the canopy is made from sustainably produced Tencel, which is soft and breathable, provides heat regulations, and is resistant to bacteria. The seats can hold up to 45 lbs per seat. The wheels are all-terrain, making this stroller easy to maneuver in many different situations.
The modular designs of the UPPAbaby Vista and the Baby Jogger City Select make them great options for families with unique needs.
However, with a few defining features, it’s easy to narrow down to the best stroller for your family with a breakdown of the differences.
The highlight of the City Select is the ability for children to face each other, however, the suspension is not as sophisticated as the Vista. On the flip side, the price of the Vista ranks on the high side but includes a lot of accessories.
Find out if either of these strollers is the right choice for your family.
UPPAbaby Vista Specifications
- 36 Inch Length by 25.7 Inch Width by 39.5 Inch Height
- Folded Dimensions – 17.25″L x 25.7″W x 33″H
- Foot Brake
- Front Wheels – 8 Inch Foam-Filled Tires
- Back Tires – 11.5 Inch Foam-Filled Tires
- Weighs 26.6 lbs with Seat – Frames ways 19.3 – Seat 7.3 lbs – Bassinet 8.8 lbs
- All-Wheel Suspension
- Leather Accents and Handlebar
- 3 Year Warranty
- From 3 Months to 50 lbs
- With Bassinet Birth to 20 lbs
- Full-Size Toddler Seat
- Forward or Rear Facing
- On-Handed Recline with Multiple Positions
- Easy One-Handed Release Bumper Bar
- Removeable Fabrics for Easy Clean
- Simple One-Step fold
- Stands When Folded
- All-Weather Protection including Rain and Bug Shield
- 13 Different Configurations
- Can Hold Up to Three Children
- Adapts for Several Car Seats
- Many Accessories Available
- Includes Bassinet and Storage Bag
Baby Jogger City Select Specifications
- Stroller Height 40.75-43.11
- Stroller Weight 29.54 lbs
- Folded Dimensions – 11.61″L x 25.59W x 34.65″H
- Hand Brake
- Front Tires – 8 Inch Plastic Tires
- Back Tires – 12 Inch Foam-Filled Tires
- Front-wheel Suspension
- Handlebar – Plastic
- Lifetime Warranty for Stroller Frame – 1 Year For Parts
- 16 Different Configurations
- UV Blocking Canopy
How Does The UPPAbaby Vista Compare to the Baby Jogger City Select?
While these two strollers operate similarly and offer multiple options for larger families, the two differ in several ways. Take a closer look at the similarities and the differences before making your decision.
Price
The price is the major difference between the two strollers. The Vista costs about twice the price of the City Select. Both strollers are in the three digit category but the Vista is just shy of the four-digit category. Once you add on an adapter or another accessory, you will definitely break the four-digit barrier.
Now the question is, is the Vista worth double the City Select?
From a previous Vista review, I can tell you the Uppababy stroller is the Rolls Royce of strollers. Let’s just say the price is high for a reason. The stroller must have been created for the wealthy only, as the price is dramatically higher than other strollers.
Finally, both strollers are meant to be used for the first three years of your child’s life, which is not a long time of use for one child. However, both strollers are quality products that will retain their value. With the addition of the boogie boards for both the Vista and the City Select, both strollers will work longer as you add to your family, which again increases the value.
Accessories
Both of these strollers thrive because of the add-ons.
Pick from car seat adapters, bassinets, second seats (or rumble seats), canopy, cup holders, weather shields, and glider boards for older children, you can completely change the functionality of both strollers with a few additions.
With the exaggerated cost of the Vista, you get a few accessories that need to be purchased separately with the City Select. However, the City Select is still more affordable even with additional accessories.
Both can use multiple car seats with the right adapter. Check out the list:
Vista Car Seat Compatibility
- UPPAbaby MESA (no additional adapters necessary)
- Chicco KeyFit and KeyFit30
- Cybex Cloud Q and Aton series
- Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30, Mico AP, Mico NXT, Mico, Citi, Cabrio and CabrioFix
- Nuna PIPA, PIPA Lite and PIPA Lite LX
- Peg-Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35 and 4-35 Nido
City Select Car Seat Compatibility
- Baby Jogger City GO
- Britax B-Safe, B-Safe 35, B-Safe 35 Elite and BOB B-Safe
- Chicco KeyFit30
- Cybex Aton, Aton 3S, and Aton Q
- Graco SnugRide Click Connect 30, 35, 35 LX and 40
- Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30, Mico AP, Pebble, Cabrio Fix, and Pebble Plus
- Nuna PIPA, PIPA Lite and PIPA Lite LX
- Peg-Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35 and 4-35 Nido
The ability to add so many options and customize the stroller to meet your families unique needs is the advantage of both of these strollers.
Families looking for a double stroller without all of the add-ons that’s ready to go out of the box may want to look at the best double strollers on the market for more options.
Tires and Wheels
Another main difference between the two strollers is the Vista uses a foot brake. The front and back both offer shock-absorbing suspension.
What does this mean for you? That your baby will stay asleep even if you drive over a bumpy road all because of foam-filled tires. The back tires are slightly smaller on the Vista than on the City Select.
The City Select offers forever-air tires that is foam in the back and plastic in the front. Stop the stroller from the handlebar, unlike the Vista which uses a foot brake. The handlebar parking brake can be better if you have a boogie board and another child in front of you.
Foldability
The City Select uses quick fold for easy storage which is great as your baby will need your attention quickly or be in your arms. The stroller folds up and down very easily to save you a struggle. Trust me, the struggle with lesser strollers is real.
Next, the Vista (shown above) is equally easy to fold but you must remove the second seat to fold the Vista. However, the City Select must lay down when folded despite not having to remove the second seat. Uppababy’s Vista will stand folded but where are you going to put that extra seat or bassinet to get them out of the way?
Both options will take up significant space in your car, closet, and on your back porch. Even more so if you purchase a ton of accessories.
If you want another option that folds with the seat, check out the Britax B-Ready. Other options for taking up less space if you live in a smaller home or apartment could be an umbrella stroller or lightweight stroller.
Seat Configurations
While both seats offer a lot of options to configure the stroller to meet your specific needs.
The advantage goes to the City Select though as your children can face each other in this stroller unlike in the Vista. For twins, this might be a necessary feature. Yes, kids fight when facing each other, but they can also amuse each other, work on early people skills, and soothe each other.
Also, the Vista offers 13 configurations including using a bassinet, rumble (or lower seat), an infant car seat, a boogie board, and forward or parent facing for a lot of options.
With the ability for children to face each other, the City Select offers three more options than the Vista.
Mind you though, many of these configurations on both strollers require extra purchases of accessories.
Here is a list of all the configurations.
The Vista – 13 Configurations
- Use with an infant car seat
- Included bassinet
- Forward-facing child seat
- Parent-facing child seat
- Forward-facing toddler seat and Rumble seat forward-facing
- Child and Rumble seat facing parent
- Both seats facing forward
- Infant car seat and Rumble facing the parent (with adapter)
- Baby car seat parent facing with Rumble forward facing (with adapter)
- Infant car seat on lower position and child high facing parent
- Two infant car seats (requires two sets of adapters)
- Bassinet and Child facing parent (with adapter)
- Two bassinets (with two adapters)
City Select – 16 Configurations
- Infant car seat
- Bassinet only
- Child seat facing parent
- Forward facing child
- Two seats forward facing
- Both seats facing parent
- Two seats facing each other
- Infant car seat and child seat facing parent
- Baby car seat facing parent and child facing forward
- Infant car seat and child seat facing parent
- Baby car seat facing parent and child seat facing forward
- Infant car seat and child seat facing each other
- Bassinet and child seat facing parent
- Child seat and bassinet facing parent
- Two infant car seats
- Double Bassinets
Comfort and Appearance
The Vista takes the Rolls Royce treatment even farther with real leather accents and handlebar. Without the leather, it’s very hard to tell the two strollers apart. Even with a wide range of colors available for each stroller the frames are extremely similar.
Both are made of lightweight metal frames with black fabric with pops of accent color.
Even the shape of the seats and large canopies strongly resemble each other.
Both strollers include extra large baskets to store a large selection of items. Keep your purse, diaper bag, a few shopping bags as well. With so many similarities stylistically, you have to wonder if the leather really worth the added price along with the accessories?
As for comfort, both strollers bath your baby in luxury. Both seats recline to allow your baby to lay down for full relaxation even while mom takes care of business (the Vista recline is shown in the image below).
Each stroller offers a UV 50+ canopy to protect little eyes from the harsh rays of the sun with ventilation for extra air. Do note though, the Vista comes with a bug canopy and weather canopy as well. You will need to purchase both separately with the City Select.
Finally, both seats offer a bassinet for very young babies. This is great if you would rather leave the car seat in the car or at home.
With the Vista, you can purchase a bassinet stand and use the bassinet as a bed at home as well until your baby is able to sit up unassisted. A great way to transfer your baby from the stroller to bed without moving them!
Issues
The additional (or rumble) seats on the Vista are not super wide, which means they are not as comfortable for your child. Another issue is despite many configurations, not every configuration works well. Some reduce leg room or cause other issues space wise. Overall the biggest obstacle with this stroller is the hefty price tag.
Lastly, the City Select stroller wheels do not always stay where you want them to stay. Think a shopping cart at the grocery store. This can get very annoying quickly. The wheels can, of course, cause the steering to work poorly as well.
Also, the front wheel suspension means your baby will feel more bumps along the road than they would with the Vista. The City Select Lux does upgrade the suspension for a smoother ride. Read our full City Select Lux review for more details.
Final Thoughts
The Baby Jogger City Select is definitely a better value.
You get more options for less with only a little sacrifice which is the suspension. Although, you do need to buy the accessories separately including the bassinet with the City Select.
While the UPPAbaby Vista is a very nice luxury stroller, the price does not fit into most budgets. Also, it offers a few fewer options than the City Select as the children cannot face each other and the swollen price tag.
Save your money and buy the City Select.
