Impressed with RXV and 48v TXT

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In the FWIW department, I went to a local dealer and drove a new '12 TXT, a refurbished '09 RXV and a new '12 RXV. My frame of reference is ~12 years of experience with the carts in my signature.

All 3 carts were configured the same including lights, battery meter, windshield, flip rear seat, and long roof. All had been turned up to the legal limit of 19.6 mph. All 48v. Test drive was on pavement (rough in spots) with mild hills. Two adults on board.

Impressions: The TXT looks and drives exactly like my 12 year old TXT in terms of steering and suspension. With 48v, acceleration is noticeably better and it climbs hills better as expected. Cart is strong even in stock form including the extra weight of rear seat etc.

The RXV's feel even stronger. Acceleration is brisk but reminds me of an auto with turbo lag. Not strong off the line but once rolling it surges and gets to top speed very quickly. The front suspension is completely different than the TXT but it doesn't ride any better and steering feel is the same. No mechanical brakes but the electronic brake feels pretty normal. This surprised me. No hill brake. You have to turn key off and electronic hill brake is engage automatically. I didn't like this. Might be OK after I got used to it but I'm suspicious. (My guess is golfers don't like this either.) The RXV's do not slow down going up the mild hills--not even a little. I didn't get a chance to try steeper hills but I'm bettin I would be impressed.

Two things really got my attention. 1. The refurbished RXV I drove was a factory refurbishment and it had 6 8v batteries in it. The dealer said more RXV's would be coming configured this way. Sounds like EZGO is giving up on the 12v batteries. (finally) 2. The '12 RXV I drove had 14' wheels and auto tires. I didn't get the size but they looked quite tall, probably the equivalent of 23's or more. Whats important is they fit without a lift. Dealer claimed this raised top speed to 27mph. I couldn't verify but the cart felt very fast and acceleration was hardly affected by the big rubber. Very impressive.