4 Fwd EVs: Evolution, EZGO, & Star Considerations & Turning Radius Limitations?!?
 

We’re looking at a new EV and really wanting as much golf cart for the money so considered the Evolution D5 Ranger, EZGO Liberty, and Star Sirius 4.

We researched and drove all and here is our personal experience/thoughts.

1. We loved the Evolution D5 Ranger (and so do 90% of our neighbors who we see buying them ~90% to other carts here in the new development areas) and dismissed the “Chinese junk” backlash. Still we were informed about the “dumping” lawsuit and have heard from two independent dealers that Evolution will be out of business in 6 months if they lose that federal case. Yikes.

2. We also liked the EZGO Liberty as it didn’t have the full Chinese market dependency, had been in business for generations, and was carried by the Villages (sort of a stamp of approval in our opinion). The biggest issue we had with the Liberty was the back row seemed lot make the cart less stable given the torque. I sat in the back while my wife accelerated and took a corner and we nearly lifted off the ground. We crossed it off mainly for that reason.

3. We also drove the Star 4 - both the Capella and Sirius. We had heard the Villages promoting the later as the “premier” (maybe apart from Club Car?) golf cart. Our concerns with the Star 4 forwards are the length and wheelbase - too much of a bus? Specifically, the Capella is 124.75” long, barely fitting our GCG. And it’s not as upgradable as the Sirius (no hard top enclosure for the Sunbrella, no CarPlay on the same 10” screen, etc.). The Sirius 4 is actually almost 2” shorter but still has a massive 96” wheelbase. (By comparison the Sirius 2+2 is only 6” shorter at 117” but has a 30” smaller wheelbase at 66”). Here’s a great specification sheet from Star.

And an “outside the bubble” honest salesman actually cautioned us about using a Sirius 4 for golfing and noted the raised curbs the Villages uses in some golf cart tunnels and roundabouts would be difficult if not impossible to navigate. He encouraged us to consider the Evolution D5 Ranger again even though he sold both models and his sale would be roughly $5k lower.

So, we’re now a bit torn and wanted to ask the group (1) for any general comments on the above considerations/analysis across makes and models and more specifically (2) is there any truth the the golf cart curbs in the Villages being too tight for the Sirius 4 to navigate? We know all about the height at the tunnel up north (Saddlebrook?) but hadn’t considered that the developer would be installing barriers that the golf cart that even they sell cant navigate!

I've recently purchased a Venom Stealth and love it! It's 120" and I haven't had any problems with the length while going through tunnels. However, there are several tunnels that are not high enough for many of the current carts. These are mostly up north, so if that's where you are, it might be an issue.

Thanks. I'm not concerned with the height as much as the length and - assuming you got the Stealth with the 4 Forward - it looks like that's 129" which is 6" longer than the Star Sirius 4, and I couldn't find any literature on the wheelbase. Would you know? What's the turning radius like?

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Will be moving to TV in a week and pretty sure we are getting the Evolution D5 Ranger with the 210ah battery. Not worried about the lawsuit, I can work on almost anything and there will be enough parts around if you need them.

Everyone is buying them - the dealer we went to today said they can't get the 210Ah battery in anymore (for whatever reason). I'm thinking we may go with the Sirius 2+2 now...

Try Botero Carts in Ocala. We bought 2 of the 2025 D5 4+ with the 210Ah batteries in April no problem.

The whole "dumping" lawsuit is complete BS. Just a scare tactic by dealers that want to sell you a cart for $10K more - or from uninformed folks. Evolution has been in business for 18 years - they're not going anywhere. Botero is the only dealer in the area that sells Evolution exclusively (so they know this cart better than anyone else), and they have been in business for 6 years in 10 states. There are other dealers, but Evolution is just one of many brands they sell.

Botero is far more likely to stay in business selling and servicing Evolution carts than any other dealer in the area. Talking with the owner in Ocala, they are planning on opening a location in The Villages soon.

The chinese content is yet another absurd claim. ALL carts (and yes, that includes Yamaha and Club Car) get the majority of their content from overseas. Evolution has 3 assembly plants here in the US - Florida, Texas, and California.

I have the Evolution D5 4F. My cart is a bit over 1.5 years old and I'm at 5,000 miles. Love it. With regards to length - it's a bit shorter than a Yamaha with a rear seat and a lowered tailgate for feet. Much shorter than a Yamaha forward 4 seater. Turning radius is definitely a bit more, but I've had no issues anywhere.

I did lower the rear of my roof by 2.25" (any dealer should do this for free - I did my own). Lowering the rear will get you through any tunnel (Saddlebrook is the lowest in The Villages), but it will still be very close. I also had the dealer replace the standard 14" wheels with 12" wheels. This lowered the cart another 2", and now it's about the same height as a Yamaha.

Did you consider Icon golf carts? There is a dealer on 301 in Wildwood. Don’t know much about them but they are made in the USA since 2017.

Go and drive an Icon, then test drive any of the others. The Icon looks cheap, and rides rough. Once you drive nearly anything else, you won't want an Icon.

I would urge anyone considering an Evolution golf cart, to do some serious research, before spending your money. You may find there's a lot of truth in the old adage, "you get what you pay for".

As for "Made in USA" thing .... over 80% of the components of Club Car golf carts are USA sourced and the carts are entirely built in the USA. Beyond question, they are the Cadillac of the main stream golf cart manufacturers.

Park an Evolution next to a Club Car or Star Sirius or drive each of one them, side by side ... you'll never buy an Evolution.

& no, I don't own a Club Car.


BTW, I have never run across anyone who's bought a 4 Seater (front facing) cart, who's happy with the purchase, 6 months later. They're slow, they're unwieldy, wheel base is too long, center of gravity is too high, they don't work at the golf courses ... & hardly anyone needs 4 seats on a regular basis.

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Sending you a PM

You should research the lawsuit; it covers more than Evolution and the likelihood of anyone "going out of business" is highly doubtful. If anything, there would be higher tariffs. Read this:

ANTICIPATING THE RESULTS OF THE U.S. ITC INVESTIGATION - Golf Car Advisor

If you play golf go with an EZGO or Club golf
Cart they're very reliable. If you're looking for cheap buy the one's made in China.

Check Venom out as the ride us the best.