Evolution golf carts
 

Haven’t seen any discussion on Evolution golf carts. They are very sharp looking. Anyone have experience with them?

It hardly ever comes up.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...2020-a-313404/

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...-carts-315901/

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...-carts-330996/

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...-carts-307153/

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...f-cart-314162/

:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Hmm

I recall Villages Discount Golf Carts sold them, but seems to have none in stock now. If you call them, it would be interesting to know what they say.
Not sure where the closest dealer might be. That could be a factor for service (parts, warranty, expertise, etc) although there are several independent service companies around.

Good Edit.

:eclipsee_gold_cup:

Evolution
 

Home Depot in lady lake has a battery one for $9,900. It looks pretty sturdy

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...60-03-left.jpg
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!

Thanks for a good review. I looked at their website and the prices do look very attractive.

You get what you pay for.

Have you owned one or have some other experience with them?

Based on how a golf cart is built, the pricing by Evolution is more inline with what I would expect (I spent nearly 30 years in the automotive industry). Pricing for carts at $20K+ is absolutely ridiculous and has a huge profit margin.

I looked carefully at all three models for the forward facing 4 seaters. The build quality is comparable with regards to the frame and seats, but I found the Evolution to be much more comfortable to ride in. I went from a 2017 Yamaha with El Tigre seats to the D5, and so far, the D5 is superior in every way.

One thing to note is that the previous models of Evolution were a much cheaper built cart (list $8K-$9K), and didn't have all the extra features. The D5 is a completely redesigned cart with a much better frame, better suspension, and improved electronics.

Yamaha's and EZ-GO's are more expensive because they don't build all the cool features into the carts - they are all added at the dealership and = $$'s for the dealership. Evolution builds the features into the cart at the factory.

With Evolution, the single biggest thing to get right is the dealer. If they know the cart and know how to work with Evolution, you'll be fine. I can't help but think that Villages Discount dropped Evolution because the profit margin on the other vehicles is so much higher.

Botero ONLY carries Evolution, and has done so for many years, so I don't think they are going anywhere.

I bought a new Lithium Golf Cart 2 years ago (Star).

I looked at everything that was available and immediately eliminated Evolution. I just didn't like them, didn't like the size, didn't like the quality and didn't like the folks who represented them. Poor reviews was the icing on the cake.

I would have bought a Club Car, if they had one available, with the proper battery size. Unfortunately, the Big 3 are behind everyone else with Lithium batteries. Yamaha & EZ Go were a non-starter for me.

Star isn't perfect, but for $16,000 instead of $20,000, I thought it was the way to go.

2 years ago the D5 didn't exist. All Evolution had was their much cheaper Forrester and Classic carts, and the only dealer in the area was Villages Discount (I agree - I don't like their sales folks either). I looked at Star, but their forward facing 4 seater with a bigger battery was in the $21K-$23K range - no where near $16K. I also didn't care for the ride quality or the looks, but that's all subjective based on the individual.

I would never have purchased an Evolution if Botero Carts hadn't opened a store here, but their reviews have been 5 star for the past 5+ years, so I'm good!

That was a great reply. Thank You
Do you bring it on the golf Course? I have been looking at the D5 and your review was good to hear.

Yes, I golf 2-3 times a week on Championship courses, and once a week on executive. So far, I love the cart. My past two carts (over 8 years) were Yamaha's and they were great, but I really like this one better in many ways. The seats are comfortable, range is great, and the soundbar is great to listen to throughout a round of golf.

Thanks for the info. Will be looking at one soon. Nice looking cart you have. I want something that looks different then all the Yamahas.

I would order one with the 205ah battery. With the 110ah, you're looking at a range of 35 miles max - that's not much here in The Villages. Withe the 205ah, I've been from Hwy 42 to Southern Oaks and back with no issue. I wouldn't even consider one with the 110ah - from any manufacturer.

If it matters to you:
Chinese company, assembling Chinese parts in the USA.

Do not own one but have driven a friends cart. They are very quick and probably lead the pack on 0-20 MPH

Evolution
 

We have had ours for eight months. We love it. Purchased it at Jenkins motor sports. Only complaint was the awning.

Evolution golf carts are made in China and only assembled in the U.S. do we want to be part of the problem or part of the solution? If you like tariffs on steel, should we have tariffs on these golf carts? (That said, I have to admit that my iPad and iPhone were largely made in China.)

Dig a little further and you'll find that ALL the major manufacturers build in the US and MOST of their parts and components come from overseas.

Like it or not, 90% of what you buy comes from overseas. If you want to put a stake in the ground on your golf cart and pay $7K more, then go for it.

All I can say is I was happy with my Yamaha, and now I'm happy with my Evolution.

We have choices. Whenever I can, I avoid any Chinese made items. I know that it's not easy, but I do my best not to support COMMUNISM. We may not be perfect, but our lifestyle is so much better than theirs, and they ARE the enemy.

While typing on a computer or phone, that was most likely made in China.

Evolution golf carts
 

I have owned an evolution Pro 2 for over 2 and 1/2 years and 5,000 MI. I have never had one issue with it. I can go approximately 75 Mi without a charge. Where am I going to drive 75 miles in a day? I absolutely love it. I have customized the outside with my Steelers emblems and colors! Good luck.

Evolution
 

I believe it is a 100 % a Chinese cart, one main reason I would not buy. Number two reason is I do not trust lithium batteries.

My Samsung Galaxy was made in Vietnam!

All the bells and whistles on the Evolution and Star carts are fun and just fine but downstream will you be loving all the headaches that will arise and they will when you start having parts and service issues??
Smarter to buy an EZGO or Club if you like electric and Yamaha if you like gas.
Parts and local (drive in) service will never be an issue with these 3.

We have two Evolution 2022 Classic 2's with the larger lithium batteries. We have had zero problems with them so far, I have 4,000 miles on mine and my fiancee has 2500 miles on hers. Village Discount no longer sells or services them but there is the aforementioned dealer in Ocala and there is also The Golf Cart Company in Clermont that is very good to deal with. We did a 40 mile round trip on Saturday to play golf at Gray Fox and still had more than 30% battery life left when we arrived home and that was with the headlights on and playing music though the built in speakers using bluetooth. So far so good for us.

Made in China won't buy

No options for a computer or phone. But you do have an option when buying a golf cart.

And Yamaha golf carts are assembled in the USA from ??????? parts. I would guess they are mostly Chinese, Taiwanese, Indian. Don't know for sure, but since American made Japanese cars are about 50% US, I figure that is not a bad guide. EZGo and Club car are at least American Companies.....

Can you put an electric cart in neutral if the battery is dead for pushing or towing. I was in Brownwood a month ago and a man had a Customdrive C2 with a dead battery. No power to do anything and no way to manually put it in neutral to push it out of the way

Electric carts all have a way to "put them in Neutral". It can vary by cart, but it's simple to do.

In my cart, all I have to do, is shut the cart off. Voila! It's in Neutral.

The Evolution D5 has an electronic parking brake that engages automatically when the cart stops. To tow the cart, you put it in neutral, and then release the electronic parking brake with a knob under the rear seat.

The electronic brake is pretty awesome. On the golf course, wherever you park - uphill, downhill - it automatically engages and you don't have to worry about it.

EZ Go had that for years. I guess the Chinese waited until the patent ran out before they copied it.

Automotive companies had it for many years before EZ-GO ever had it. Patent ran out long ago. Most of the actual components for the EZ-GO lithium carts comes from overseas. The entire battery component and circuitry is made by Samsung.

Both EZ-GO and Yamaha are built in Georgia. Evolutions are built in California and here in Florida. All three get components from overseas. So go ahead and believe what you want to believe if if makes you sleep better about your purchase.

The poster simply asked if anyone had had any experiences with Evolution - they didn't ask for a political discussion as to why they should or shouldn't buy based on folks beliefs or ideals.

Update: I'm at 800 miles on my Evolution D5, and it's running great with no issues!

Seems almost everything is made in China...we are ....