As a family, we’ve generally relied upon heavy-duty travel systems so the Cybex Onyx was a departure from what we usually use. With our youngest having reached 18 months and walking, the need to use a big travel system is diminishing. I’d also noticed a lot of mums and dads using smaller pushchairs and thought it might nice to try the Onyx and hopefully regain some of the space in the boot of our car taken-up by our usual (albeit very good) pushchair.
The Onyx arrived flat-packed but was very easy to construct. It was certainly well-received by our two little ones. Big sister, who is five years old, declared that she was to have the first go in it while little sister climbed into the seat and was angling to be taken for a walk before I’d even finished putting it together!
See the video I recorded about the Cybex Onyx here.
On this front, the Onyx is very versatile. It can take children from birth up to 22.5 kilos and so my eldest would (…just) be able to use this pushchair. In other words, you could get many years usage out of it as your child grows. It’s also worth noting that it can be used in conjunction with an infant car seat (i.e. it converts into a lightweight travel system).
The Cybex website describes the Onyx as “a true city buggy that meets the demands of urban families.” This was apparent from the moment I put it together. It’s perfectly sturdy, but it clearly isn’t built for off-road use. Despite this, we took it on a very hilly countryside walk and its small wheels performed admirably. That said, the walk was relatively mud-free and it was a dry day. It would probably have been a different story had the weather been poor.
As regards features, it has a very large hood that comes down right over the front of the buggy. This is superb for shading your child from the sun. The seat also has four positions and is very easy to adjust. It can even lie completely flat so baby can go to sleep.
Otherwise, the Cybex boasts the usual features for a buggy of this calibre. There is a basket underneath the seat for storage, the front wheels lock for use over rough ground, the brake is easy to operate and there’s a pocket in the back of the hood for your mobile phone, keys etc.
No pushchair review is complete without letting granny have a go and lucky she was visiting from Scotland so was happy to oblige. Granny has sometimes struggled with our other, bigger pushchairs so I was interested to see what she thought. Luckily Granny got on well with the Onyx and gave it her seal of approval.
So is the Onyx any good? I think it’s ideal for taking to the shops, the school run or day-to-day usage. It’s easy to use and lightweight and better than some other buggies I’ve seen in this class.
If you’re off hill-walking or doing anything outdoors, you may want to think about something more heavy duty.
Expect to pay around £169. Stockists include John Lewis and Mammas and Pappas.
