Motocaddy were the original creators of a mainstream compact trolley with the 2013 M Series range.
Now it seems the market is finally maturing and as car boots get smaller, the compact trolley market looks set to get bigger and take over as the main type of trolley in the same way that lithium took over as the battery of choice.
The issues with compact trolleys is usually how to tuck in the front wheel to reduce the length and how to reduce the width of the rear axle when folded.
The previous M1 trolley tucked the front wheel away in a process that involved five clips and the 2018 version simplifies this to two.
The frame is completely redesigned and now folds down using two hinges and as that happens the front wheel automatically tucks in underneath.
There are just two clips, one on the back of the base and one on the vertical frame where you can also set the angle of the handle to suit your hand height which is good to see.
The handle is now the soft touch design that appeared on the last S series range and is much more comfortable than the previous M1 hard plastic version.
That had to be firm as it was part of the design to allow the trolley to sit up vertically for storage, but now a clever pop out tail clip does this job.
The more compact 28v lithium battery powers the 230W motor and can be folded down in place.
I like the smaller shape and lighter weight of this design, but maybe some sort of handle to take the battery out with one hand would speed up the process, as would removing the need to manually plug it in to the trolley.
To make the 2018 M Series even smaller, you can take the wheels off and rotate them so that the conical shape of the spokes is reversed, which saves around 10 cm in width.
What you therefore end up with is a folded trolley that is about the same volume as the previous model, but in a taller thinner shape than the previous flatter squarer version.
This is a different shape to the main competitor PowaKaddy C2i trolley, which favours the squarer shape too and therefore one of your main decisions is which shape will suit your car boot if space is limited.
The other part of the decision will be based on what options you want on your trolley.
Motocaddy M1 2018 Trolley Review
The entry level red themed M1 is point and shoot and is priced quite competitively for a compact trolley and about £50 more than the basic normal sized Motocaddy S1.
You can also get this as the M1 DHC (DownHill Control) for an extra £50 which will regulate the speed of the trolley going down slopes in order to stop it running away.
I really like this feature on the 2013 M1 Pro DHC, but as the 2018 M1 is not a Pro version, there is no Automatic Distance Control (ADC) on the 2018 M1 DHC version which is a little disappointing.
The DHC versions also come with All Terrain tyres for ‘extra traction’ and whilst the grip is excellent, the moudled design does not run as smoothly over firmer surfaces. I probably would prefer the ‘slicks’ that are on the current DHC and the rest of the new M range if I had the choice.
Motocaddy M5 Connect Trolley Review
If you want ADC then you will need to spend another £50 to get the blue M5 Connect version that also has the display screen on the handle that connects by Bluetooth to the excellent Motocaddy GPS app on your phone.
This will then show the front, middle and back yardages to the hole that you are on, plus there is the option to see notifications of any text or social messages that you receive.
For a full review on the Connect functionality, see my review of the Motocaddy S5 Connect trolley.
Compared to £30 for the GPS holder and accessory station then this extra cost for the M5 Connect is worthwhile as it is less handle clutter and looks sleeker. Bear in mind that if you already have all the Motocaddy accessories from an existing trolley, you will need to buy a new £10 accessory station to fit it to the new M series frame.
As I play on slopey courses a lot, then a trolley with ADC and DHC is really the best option so the top of the range M5 Connect DHC at an extra £150 over the M1 fits the bill and you get the Bluetooth GPS screen thrown in too.
There is also a lime themed M3 Pro model that has ADC and a bigger screen with some extra nice to have information. If you just want ADC then it would be an option. All in there are 5 variations of 3 basic models so there is plenty of choice.
For me the decision comes down to the entry level M1 if you are looking for a no frills compact trolley or the M5 Connect DHC if you want the best three word tech features of ADC, DHC and GPS in a smaller folding chassis.
The 2018 M series has had a lot of thought put into it and is a much more user friendly version of their first compact model. This version is a different shape when folded compared to that model and the others in the market, so it may also offer a better solution for those tight on space.