Car_and_Driver_USA_July_2017

FINAL RESULTS
GOLDEN BUZZAROUND EX
PRIDE VICTORY 10 LX
WHILL MODEL A
Maximum points available
the three-wheeler and stops three feet sooner. And at
$2765, it’s still affordable.
Rated to carry 400 pounds, the Victory became
C/D’s scooter-to-scooter photography platform. It’s not
built for two, but with the driver in the nicely shaped seat,
photographer Roy Ritchie could stand on the floorboard
and shoot back to the other machines as they orbited the
Village of Rochester Hills mall. And even while carrying
that heavy load, the suspension remained supple and the
scooter went through corners flat and secure. The Victory
feels as if it could tow an Airstream across Montana. But
assistant technical editor David Beard would like to see it
equipped with an ashtray.
/// 1. WHILL MODEL A
Whill’s Model A has all-wheel drive, is covered in Star
Wars–style stormtrooper white plastic, and comes with
an iPhone app for remote operation. And at $12,999, it
costs almost six times what the Buzzaround EX does.
Launched in 2011, San Francisco–based Whill refers
to its products as “personal electric vehicles” and not
wheelchairs. The Model A is, however, a chair with wheels.
Vastly more complex than the scooters, the Model A’s
primary control is a one-hand joystick on the chair’s right
arm, with a three-position speed control located on the
left. Using the joystick is intuitive; push forward to go forward,
right to go right, etc. But it takes some acclimation
for the moves to become graceful. And because it steers
GOLDEN
TECHNOLOGIES
BUZZAROUND EX
[+] NIMBLE, LIGHT
STEERING, EASY TO
TRANSPORT.
[—] UN-QUICK,
SOMEWHAT TIPSY,
PLAIN WRAPPED.
[=] FITS INTO LIFE
WITHOUT
REDEFINING IT.
—
PRIDE MOBILITY
VICTORY 10 LX
[+] HIGHEST
PAYLOAD, CUSHY
RIDE, LONG-HAUL
COMFORT.
[—] AWKWARD IN
TIGHT QUARTERS,
CAN BE A CHORE TO
TRANSPORT.
[=] THE F-150 OF
PERSONAL MOBILITY.
—WHILL
MODEL A
[+] QUICK, SLICK,
AND SUPER TRICK.
[—] OCCASIONALLY
NERVOUS
OPERATION, NO
STORAGE, LOW
WEIGHT CAPACITY,
HIGH PRICED.
[=] BOLDLY
SCOOTING WHERE
NO SCOOTER HAS
SCOOTED BEFORE.
—
RANK
VEHICLE
DRIVER COMFORT
ERGONOMICS
WEIGHT CAPACITY*
CARGO SPACE*
FEATURES/AMENITIES*
FIT AND FINISH
PORTABILITY
STYLING
REBATES/EXTRAS*
AS-TESTED PRICE*
SUBTOTAL
POWERTRAIN
0–5 MPH
ACCELERATION*
MOTOR BRAKING*
SPEED CONTROL
SUBTOTAL
CHASSIS
OFF-ROAD ABILITY
STEERING EFFORT
MANEUVERABILITY
RIDE
SUBTOTAL
EXPERIENCE
FUN TO DRIVE
TOTAL
10
10
10
5
10
10
10
5
5
20
95
20
10
10
40
10
10
10
10
40
25
200
1 2 3
8
9
6
0
8
9
5
5
0
5
55
20
10
8
38
10
8
9
9
36
24
153
9
8
10
5
10
7
7
4
1
17
78
11
10
8
29
6
7
5
9
27
17
151
7
7
8
4
7
6
8
3
1
20
71
9
7
7
23
5
8
7
7
27
16
137
*These objective scores are calculated from the scooter’s dimensions,
capacities, rebates and extras, and/or test results.
by varying the speeds of its four wheels, it can spin
around practically within its own width. The turning
radius is only 28.0 inches. Helping are front
“Omni wheels” with rubber rollers around the circumference
that allow the wheels to move laterally.
The 2.4-hp Model A is a mobility rocket ship. It
rips to 5 mph in 1.5 seconds and tops out at a governed
5.8 mph while completing the quarter-mile in a blistering
160.9 seconds. Remote control may seem gimmicky,
but it allows a friend to operate the chair while
walking alongside it if the rider needs to nap. It’s also
useful for loading the chair into or out of a van.
The Model A’s best features include how easily it
handles off-path terrain; it can even climb low curbs.
And the lack of apparatus in front of the rider also
means the chair practically disappears from his or
her view. It’s easier to interact with people when
there isn’t a tiller acting as a barrier.
What holds the Whill back are its limited
220-pound capacity, the lack of onboard storage, a
big-ticket price, and the fact that its design means
that a van is almost mandatory to move it long distances.
And who knows how well this tech-intensive
machine will hold up over time?
Even so, we have seen the future, and it looks like
a giant pair of Beats headphones for your ass.
067