It is clear from the design and features of the Motocaddy S3 Digital electric golf trolley that a lot of thought has gone into it. The elegant frame looks very stylish and folds down very easily and clips together when folded to make lifting it into a car very easy, although if it does not stand vertically by itself if you need it to do that for storage.
The battery connector is the simplest on the market to use and there are great little touches like having R and L on the wheels so that when you take them on and off you put them back on the same way round to keep the tread patterns going the same way. We really like the front wheel adjustment which has a simple clip to loosen the wheel and then adjust the 2 small gear wheels on each side, no spanner required - brilliant!
The bag clips are very easy to use and adjust as they just stretch and hook on and the whole frame feels very light to manoeuvre even with a heavy bag on. The S3 Digital handle is a pleasure to grip and the digital display is clear and the touches of colour look great. The power comes on easily and the options of going up to 60 yards in 5 yard gaps on the Adjustable Distance Control offers more flexibility than other models.
There is also the option of setting a pin code with the Cart Lock feature so no-one can use your trolley (and run down your battery) if you leave it somewhere. The USB port under the handle is another example of thinking outside the box and ideal if you have a power hungry GPS phone. You will need to buy a cradle to hold it, although with a long flex you could just have it in one of the outside pockets on your bag.
So the best trolley in the market? Well....nearly. The speed controller is in a great position for stopping and starting the trolley as you just push it down, but for us the horizontal rotation to control the power is not as user friendly as a vertically rotating roller. The display is good, but there are a few irrelevant features such as the speed, which is too small to read anyway and the total lifetime distance the trolley has covered, which cannot be reset and is therefore of little use.
That brings us onto the whole distance measurement thing. As we have commented on other trolleys, there is little point having this as the trolley has to go in a direct line to measure the distance for a shot correctly and therefore you can only measure tee shots as you obviously can't take the trolley onto the green. More importantly, under current rules you will need to activate the 'competition mode' to disable the distance measurement function, or you will get disqualified if distance measuring devices are not permitted in a competition you are playing in.
So we are torn about this. We want to give it 5 stars because of all the great little features and the stylish design, plus the fact you can go online to Motocaddy's website and order a customised combination of trolley, wheel and bag colours plus personalised text to match your golfing style.
On the other hand it it was close to losing a star because of dubious distance measuring function and some of the other digital display 'clutter'. You pay your money and take you choices, but if these things are not an issue for you then the Motocaddy S3 Digital is one of the best electric golf trolleys in the market.
Overall Rating - 5 stars: