Good video Gary… I love the 4 seat forward setup.. becoming very popular, I looked at evolution D5 .. love everything about it, lots of bang for the buck.. But in my research, I found people who having issues, not so much with dealers, But with evolution, not getting / long wait for parts, bad customer service, (phone) Not sure if it’s getting better, so research before you buy… also,check out the Eli Zero… similar to atomic car….
My research on the Evolution is kind of the same. When you look under it and see where all the wires are that are not tied to the chassis and under the cup holders. A person in the Villages bought one and returned it as things were just falling off the cart like wheels, etc. I heard the factory doesn’t tighten everything down and leaves it up to the dealer.
Great insightful comments! We tried the Atomic but it was a no go for me. Too claustrophobic plus their AC didn’t work when we test drive it. Very interested in electric but happy with our Yamaha, after we added seats to our back plus seatbelts.
So here's my problem with any Evolution D5 Ranger, they're too tall. According to their website they are 80.5" tall. We have two golf cart tunnels under Buena Vista near tally Ridge that are 82" tall at the center and slope away to 75"ish at the shoulder. You can't really expect to drive down the center, and who knows how many feet per inch is the slope? You're at risk of scraping your roof. Now, down south of 44 that's not an issue. But we're north of 466 so we have smaller tunnels up our way.
What you want, is a double decker golf cart, like a bus that has a sundeck, to easily reach into those floridian trees, to harvest the oranges to sell to cover the cost of the slow moving vehicles that are apparently selling for prices of 3 used electric cars!! Try not to have a heart attack after seeing those price tags shown there, because no matter what they say in the olde south with a smile, heart attacks and heatstroke never really produces afterlives.
Icon carts are sold now in Wildwood. They are an LV Tong kit cart from China that is assembled in the US. Various companies in the US put these carts together, including many in Florida. I have one assembled by a distributor of Advanced EV out of Texas. They are good carts and I especially like how they have Toyota motors with regenerative breaking. Mine came standard with a 350 amp motor controller, but there is an option to buy a more powerful motor controller for hills, bridges at 450 amps. I saw one guy beef his up to 40 miles an hour for street legal purposes using a 600 amp controller.
In a previous video I tried out an Atlas golf cart which I believe was from the same store a couple of years ago. I think they changed the name of the store since then. They mostly sold reconditioned golf carts and the Atlas model that came out a few years ago. What I found once you added the larger battery you need in the Villages you are in the price range of $15K. This is about the same as a new Yamaha cart in the Villages. Over the last three years I have only seen a few Atlas carts in the Villages and some who initially purchase I have seen them for sale. The issue with golf carts is it is like comparing apples and oranges. I find build quality & service varies a lot from different brands. So usually that equates to the cost differences or savings. Most golf carts I have looked an are priced appropriate to what you get. Also some brands you can find for less but usually don’t have the extra’s you should have in the Villages like extra size battery for electric or good rain enclosures. Seats in these golf carts matter since you may be riding in it for an hour and looks don’t always correlate to comfort. I have a standard Yamaha seat which is more comfortable than the Atlas or Evolution. I’m considering an upgrade to more expensive seats offered in the Villages. I’m still in the hunt for a second cart that I want to be electric but haven’t found it yet.
The Evolution D5 4 seater is a great value. And with their recent price increase, the demand has skyrocketed. So I am not surprised with the increased production that the quality has slipped a bit. It comes down to having a good dealer who does a good pre inspection and then good customer service. There are gone to be lots of those Evolutions on the market and in The Villages.
Ed I think you are right a lot will be sold, but long term success will depend on the dealer as people are not shy in the Villages with sharing issues. I’m still interested in one and hope they improve a few things in future models.
@@GaryAbbott I agree Gary. I have heard good things about Hidden Creek and Ray the owner. Time will tell of course. I test rode a D5 and I thought the seats were comfortable.
Hey Gary, the Hidden Creek Evolution golf cart 4 forward facing seats car or any brand car. Do you think you can park perpendicular in a curb side parallel spot on the street, Or do you think it will be protruding to far out into the road? Jim
Not really sure as I didn’t get to test it in a parking spot. It will be close if you can or can’t. I know that is a big down side trying to go to the entertainment areas as it is hard enough finding spaces with a two seater. The thing holding me back on the Evolution is the seats are not as comfortable as they look. Not very soft and sit very up right. The price is definitely better.
No the 4 forward sticks out too much to park it perpendicular to the curb. We rented one for a week once. We had to parallel park or park in a regular space on the left or right.
I think you can perpendicular park. I walked around Brownwood, and saw lots of 2+2’s parked perpendicular, and the Evolution is the same length and the 2+2’s. Plus I saw a couple of Evolutions parked that way as well. No problem.
Am I the only one that thinks $20K+ for a golf car is wildly overpriced? It’s like the price of the cheapest car but doesn’t have airbags, windows and doors, a big engine… I am at a loss to understand the asking amount.
Lots of great used carts out there for under $10,000. I paid $3,000 for mine, put about $1,500 in it, have driven it last 8 years almost everyday, and it will outlast me.
Thanks for sharing 😊
My pleasure 😊
I look forward to your golf cart & budget video every year. Never disappointed with either. Thanks Gary.
Thanks 👍
Good video Gary… I love the 4 seat forward setup.. becoming very popular,
I looked at evolution D5 .. love everything about it, lots of bang for the buck..
But in my research, I found people who having issues, not so much with dealers,
But with evolution, not getting / long wait for parts, bad customer service, (phone)
Not sure if it’s getting better, so research before you buy… also,check out the
Eli Zero… similar to atomic car….
My research on the Evolution is kind of the same. When you look under it and see where all the wires are that are not tied to the chassis and under the cup holders. A person in the Villages bought one and returned it as things were just falling off the cart like wheels, etc. I heard the factory doesn’t tighten everything down and leaves it up to the dealer.
@@GaryAbbottI heard it’s stopping distance isn’t good because it only has brakes on two wheels.
Gary that was very informative! thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Great insightful comments! We tried the Atomic but it was a no go for me. Too claustrophobic plus their AC didn’t work when we test drive it. Very interested in electric but happy with our Yamaha, after we added seats to our back plus seatbelts.
Thanks for sharing! I think my Yamaha is a good choice as well even if it is gas.
@penny: You're way better off with your Yamaha (and gas) than anything electric. Great choice. :-)
-- BR
Issues with tires holding up on golf carts? Wider tires hold up longer?
So here's my problem with any Evolution D5 Ranger, they're too tall. According to their website they are 80.5" tall. We have two golf cart tunnels under Buena Vista near tally Ridge that are 82" tall at the center and slope away to 75"ish at the shoulder. You can't really expect to drive down the center, and who knows how many feet per inch is the slope? You're at risk of scraping your roof. Now, down south of 44 that's not an issue. But we're north of 466 so we have smaller tunnels up our way.
I agree but they do offer to lower the roof for you because of those tunnels.
@@GaryAbbott that is good to know since we are very interested in the Evolution cart
What you want, is a double decker golf cart, like a bus that has a sundeck, to easily reach into those floridian trees, to harvest the oranges to sell to cover the cost of the slow moving vehicles that are apparently selling for prices of 3 used electric cars!!
Try not to have a heart attack after seeing those price tags shown there, because no matter what they say in the olde south with a smile, heart attacks and heatstroke never really produces afterlives.
Icon carts are sold now in Wildwood. They are an LV Tong kit cart from China that is assembled in the US. Various companies in the US put these carts together, including many in Florida. I have one assembled by a distributor of Advanced EV out of Texas. They are good carts and I especially like how they have Toyota motors with regenerative breaking. Mine came standard with a 350 amp motor controller, but there is an option to buy a more powerful motor controller for hills, bridges at 450 amps. I saw one guy beef his up to 40 miles an hour for street legal purposes using a 600 amp controller.
I need to check them out. Saw their location on route 301.
Did you check out One Stop Golf Car Store, a friend of mine just bought a golf cart there, and said it was much cheaper than buying from any in TV.
In a previous video I tried out an Atlas golf cart which I believe was from the same store a couple of years ago. I think they changed the name of the store since then. They mostly sold reconditioned golf carts and the Atlas model that came out a few years ago. What I found once you added the larger battery you need in the Villages you are in the price range of $15K. This is about the same as a new Yamaha cart in the Villages. Over the last three years I have only seen a few Atlas carts in the Villages and some who initially purchase I have seen them for sale. The issue with golf carts is it is like comparing apples and oranges. I find build quality & service varies a lot from different brands. So usually that equates to the cost differences or savings. Most golf carts I have looked an are priced appropriate to what you get. Also some brands you can find for less but usually don’t have the extra’s you should have in the Villages like extra size battery for electric or good rain enclosures. Seats in these golf carts matter since you may be riding in it for an hour and looks don’t always correlate to comfort. I have a standard Yamaha seat which is more comfortable than the Atlas or Evolution. I’m considering an upgrade to more expensive seats offered in the Villages. I’m still in the hunt for a second cart that I want to be electric but haven’t found it yet.
Groovy video
The Evolution D5 4 seater is a great value. And with their recent price increase, the demand has skyrocketed. So I am not surprised with the increased production that the quality has slipped a bit. It comes down to having a good dealer who does a good pre inspection and then good customer service. There are gone to be lots of those Evolutions on the market and in The Villages.
Ed I think you are right a lot will be sold, but long term success will depend on the dealer as people are not shy in the Villages with sharing issues. I’m still interested in one and hope they improve a few things in future models.
@@GaryAbbott I agree Gary. I have heard good things about Hidden Creek and Ray the owner. Time will tell of course. I test rode a D5 and I thought the seats were comfortable.
Golf cars. Cars drive, carts are towed. Long live golf cars!
@@jimclark4952
Golf cart.. for golf course ⛳
Golf cars.. for streets... 🛑🚧
Hey Gary, the Hidden Creek Evolution golf cart 4 forward facing seats car or any brand car. Do you think you can park perpendicular in a curb side parallel spot on the street, Or do you think it will be protruding to far out into the road? Jim
Not really sure as I didn’t get to test it in a parking spot. It will be close if you can or can’t. I know that is a big down side trying to go to the entertainment areas as it is hard enough finding spaces with a two seater. The thing holding me back on the Evolution is the seats are not as comfortable as they look. Not very soft and sit very up right. The price is definitely better.
No the 4 forward sticks out too much to park it perpendicular to the curb. We rented one for a week once. We had to parallel park or park in a regular space on the left or right.
Ok thanks guys.
I think you can perpendicular park. I walked around Brownwood, and saw lots of 2+2’s parked perpendicular, and the Evolution is the same length and the 2+2’s. Plus I saw a couple of Evolutions parked that way as well. No problem.
Am I the only one that thinks $20K+ for a golf car is wildly overpriced? It’s like the price of the cheapest car but doesn’t have airbags, windows and doors, a big engine… I am at a loss to understand the asking amount.
I had the same feeling when I first started looking. Then I looked around the US for deal. That’s what they cost.
No you are not alone in your thinking. $20k+ is ridiculous.
But then you’ll overpay for an electric car?
Lots of great used carts out there for under $10,000. I paid $3,000 for mine, put about $1,500 in it, have driven it last 8 years almost everyday, and it will outlast me.