Mercedes-Benz plans to bring bling to the golf course

8 years, 5 months ago - 19 July 2016, Autoblog
Mercedes-Benz plans to bring bling to the golf course
As long as there is money, we will never run out of ways to spend it. Take this latest potential pocket-drainer: a Mercedes-Benz luxury golf cart.

Three years after gathering suggestions for the ideal golfer carrier, the Style Edition Garia Golf Car was made with golf cart manufacturer Garia to preview the future of high-end golf carts. Garia has already made a name for itself in the world of luxury golf carts, and since Mercedes-Benz is looking to stamp its logo on pretty much anything, the partnership makes sense.

The result of the collaboration is a departure from the monotonous, boxy appearance of a regular carts but still carries two golf bags in the rear. In the pursuit of being extra sporty, the Golf Car has a carbon fiber roof and rear bumper. In typical sports car fashion, the cart has a double wishbone suspension setup, front disc brakes, and a sport mode.

The inside, however, is where the luxury aspects stand out. The cart ditches the regular straight-bench setup for a curved seat, which hides a refrigerated compartment underneath. Just like the exterior, the interior is decked out in carbon fiber trim, with plenty of wood and metal accents for good measure. Practicality wasn't sacrificed for style, though, as the dash stores six golf balls and has bottle (or cup) holders on each side.

The fanciness doesn't stop there. The cart features a 10.1-inch tablet that displays the vehicle's speed, remaining range, power consumption, and more. In addition controlling the cart's driving modes, the tablet can also show the vehicle's position overlaid on a course map. B

Garia only plans to build two carts as public showpieces, but will gauge customer reaction to see if more should be made. With a range of 50 miles and a governed top speed of 19 mph, the performance is more ordinary than we'd expect from the three-pointed star. And that only makes us wonder if a Mercedes-AMG variant is in the works.