The Villages Discount Golf Cars has dropped Evolution. They did not re-sign their annual dealer agreement with Evolution, and left all owners that have their "warranty" high and dry. When you're not an authorized dealer, you don't get first access to parts and support from Evolution. In my opinion, shame on Villages Discount!
Having said that, there is a new Evolution dealer in Ocala - Botero Golf Carts. They opened in early September 2023. They are not new to Evolution as they have stores in North Carolina, Georgia, and Arizona and have been selling Evolution exclusively for the past 7-8 years. They have a fantastic reputation with owners in all of those states.
After a lot of research, I purchased a 2024 Evolution D5 Ranger from Botero in mid-December. The entire process was fantastic, from my initial visit to delivery. I bought the D5 because I was looking for a forward facing 4 seat golf cart. The Yamaha cart is far too long for me - the D5 is only about a foot longer than a standard cart. It is loaded with features, comes standard with a lithium battery, looks great, and is $7K-$8K less than it's competitors.
I purchased the 205ah battery. I live as far north and east as you can get, just off Hwy 42 near the VA. My longest trip yet was to go to Southern Oaks (farthest south golf course) and play golf. After travelling there, playing golf, and travelling back, I still had 25% battery left!
When comparing the D5 Ranger to the EZ-GO Liberty I found the following:
1) D5 seats are far more comfortable (Liberty seats felt very stiff and look cheap.)
2) D5 has auto cancelling turn signals, Liberty does not.
3) D5 has a sound bar, Liberty does not.
4) The D5 has a better console display.
5) The D5 with the 110ah battery has about the same range as the Liberty and is $9,000 less.
6) The D5 with the 205ah battery has about 2x the range as the Liberty and is $7,000 less.
7) The Liberty, being an EZ-GO has far more 3rd party accessories available.
By my count that's 6-1 Evolution D5 against EZ-GO Liberty.
I believe you can double the battery on the Liberty as well, but that adds another $2K-$3K to the price.
Pricing for these carts is as follows:
$11,995 Evolution D5 110ah battery
$13,995 Evolution D5 205ah battery
$21,000 EZ-GO Liberty (configured as close to the D5 as possible, but has less features)
$21,600 Star Sirius 4 (configured as close to the D5 as possible, but has less features)
One caveat here - all of these carts have fairly high roofs (I don't understand why) and can have issues on the two tunnels in the north that are very short (Saddlebrook tunnel is by far the worst). The D5 comes with 14" rims and large tires. It will not go under these tunnels with the standard tires. I had Botero swap out the tires for 12" rims with 205/45r12 tires, and I can go under all of the tunnels with no issues. They swapped out the tires at no charge!
I'm currently at 600 miles with the cart, and I love it!