While a trusty, lightweight umbrella stroller may be sufficient for some, it’s no surprise the market is evolving to keep up with moms and dads who expect more bells and whistles, particularly in the tech department. The Moxi, 4moms’s latest model, lacks the power-folding functionality of its Origami stroller, but it’s less expensive and packs some interesting tricks in its $699.99 frame. It’s also five pounds lighter, has a built-in bassinet, and is compatible with a wide range of car seats. On the tech front, it has a USB charging port, self-powered safety lights, and the ability to track your walks on your smartphone and a display on the stroller itself. That makes it worthy of consideration for tech-minded parents.

Design and Features

The Moxi’s ($699.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) design is sleek, yet functional. There’s a cup holder and dashboard bag on top, and a larger storage basket below. They’re plenty large for the necessities, but probably not much more. A diaper bag, a phone, and a cup will pretty much max out your storage space.

The stroller measures 44 by 24 by 35 inches (HWD) and weighs 29 pounds. It accommodates children up to 55 pounds, and features machine washable materials in a stylish mix of blacks and grays.

The rotation of the larger rear wheels generates power for pathway lights and taillights, and a dashboard LCD that tells the temperature, your walking speed, calories burned, and battery level. It also provides the juice you can use to charge your phone via the built-in USB port below the dash display. The stroller can also be charged via an included AC adapter, should your trips be infrequent enough to not reach full battery capacity.

Strolling With the Moxi

When my Moxi arrived, my three-year-old was immediately obsessed. She’s well within the generous weight limits, so after two full days of her insisting I buckle her into the stroller every five minutes, we decided to take it out for a spin.

My daughter was easy to push, partly thanks to the nicely cushioned handle that easily adjusts to five different positions for caregivers of varying heights. She was comfortable in the stroller seat and loved the pop-out sunshade and the ability to recline all the way back (more on that in a bit). I very much enjoyed the fact that the buckle release button doesn’t just release the buckles—it actually ejects them, which makes one-handed operation a breeze.

I’ve never been one of those mall-walking stroller moms, but after spending some time with the Moxi, I might change that. My daughter and I started our stroll around the neighborhood, and my competitive nature kicked in as I was able to keep an eye on my walking speed, distance, and calories burned. On that particular day, the sun was shining directly on the stroller as we walked, which resulted in the display reading about 10 degrees warmer than it was in reality.

After we got home from our walk, I opened the 4moms app and was rewarded for my efforts with a little dot representing our trip (much like the accumulating stars in the Starbucks app). Larger dots are awarded for longer walks, so over time you’ll have a visual representation of your strolling habits along with the trip history statistics. The trip history shows the time walked, distance traveled, and calories burned by week and month. It’s no replacement for a dedicated fitness tracker, but it’s still a nice way to motivate yourself to get out there and do some walking.

Conversion and Compatibility

Though the Moxi does not have the automatic folding feature of the Origami(Opens in a new window), I still found it very easy to collapse and expand thanks to its lighter weight. I often struggle to collapse strollers, so the fact that I could open and close the Moxi without a problem is impressive.

One of the Moxi’s coolest features is that the seat can convert to a lay-flat bassinet. It’s a surprisingly easy transformation: Lay the seat back using a lever at the top of the backrest, unbuckle two straps on the seat’s underside, and you’re done. It converts from preschooler to newborn mode in no more than 10 seconds.

The pathway lights and taillights are important safety features that can be controlled by a button on the LCD and via the app. Not only do these lights enable you to see where you’re going in poorly illuminated conditions, they greatly improve visibility in situations where it’s imperative that drivers are able to see and avoid you.

The Moxi is compatible (via adapter) with the 4moms infant car seat, the Maxi Cosi Mico Max 30 and Mico AP, the Cybex Aton 2 and Platinum Aton Q, the Chicco KeyFit 30, the Britax B-Safe 35, 35 Elite, and 35 Elite XE. So there are plenty of car seat options, but the built-in bassinet means you can use the stroller with an infant no matter what car seat you have. And it’s better to have your baby laying down for longer strolls than slouched in a car seat anyway.

Conclusions

I’ve been a mom to small children for almost eight years now, and I’ve tried out more than my fair share of strollers. To me, the 4moms Moxi represents a great combination of functionality and tech without building up too much bulk in the process. This is a stroller that can be used with any child, from a newborn infant up to a 55-pound toddler. By that time, they’re ready to get up and explore on their own anyway, so this could be the only stroller you’ll ever need, which makes the steep price a bit easier to swallow. Maybe it’s time for me to sell the other four strollers I have in the garage and pick up a Moxi.