I bought this ride-on car for my 5.5 year old son, who loves driving. (He "drives" on our safe, private driveway, on a parent's lap, and is quite the steerer). He has wanted a ride-on car since trying one out at a party and driving a mini-Escalade at his cousins' home. We scoured Amazon together and almost went for a Police Motorcycle but reviews indicated that it was tippy. Then we came across this Dune Racer and the description, along with the great reviews convinced me it was the right one. So far, it definitely is.
Assembly: I am moderately handy, but no expert. It took me about 90 minutes to assemble this car (not including decals) WITH my 5 year old helping me. That means it probably could have taken less time without the "teaching moments" that were well worth the extra time, and his regularly asking if it was time for the steering wheel yet. TIPS: A power screwdriver is not necessary but a welcome luxury that will speed things along. Highly recommeded. It comes with a "skate key" type wrench for most of the nuts. A regular wrench is needed for only 2-3 parts and I think a pliers would suffiece. Another reviewer recommended a 90-degree screwdriver (aka ratchet screwdriver) so I bought one for about $5. It was helpful on two screws which had little room for the handle to be turned, so good advice. The instructions were very clear and we only had to pause a couple of times to make sure we were using the right part. (Tip: All screws are the same EXCEPT two that are a bit shorter. Those go through the headrest area and will be backed with the two little cap-nuts (not their name, but their nuts with a dome)--you use your regular wrench to hold those caps while tightening the shorter screws on the other side. Overall it was relatively easy to do and quite methodical.
Thanks to those who point out that the battery needs charging (18 hours!) before using. Important to know if this is a gift the recipient will want to use immediately upon assembly. We started charging at the start and were able to at least test the car out for a couple of minutes when we were done. The next day it ran about 45-55 minutes before running out. I thought that I might buy a second battery to have one in reserve, but then it occured to me that this fun, exercise-free product might wisely be limited to an hour at a time! You decide.
Performance: The car is great. It fits my 5-year old's size nicely and an adult can fit uncomfortably along side the driver (if necessary). Smaller kids will fit easily and somewhat bigger kids can fit too. I would guess that kids above 8 would not fit as well.
The car rides great. The plastic wheels spin on concrete and then catch the pavement. Where the car is wonderful is on the grass, where it is quieter and moves nicely. On gravel it is more noisy (probably due to the hollow wheels echoing the gravel noise). My son is delirious about this car! The turning radius is a little wide, so a bigger open space is better. It has no brake pedal but stops almost instantly when the gas pedal is released. It has REVERSE and FORWARD has two modes (beginner and expert): One is 2.5mpg, the other is 5mph. You restrict the speed with a screw that comes inserted in the left side of the gear shift. Once removed, you can put it in either forward setting (or reverse, of course). I did not see any on/off switch, so hopefully it is not draining battery when we aren't using it.
One thing I noted in the instructions was the caution NOT to overcharge the battery more that 30 hours. I am curious what the consequence would be, as I can imagine forgetting to unplug it--hopefully nothing dangerous, but I am checking that out.
Overall this is a wonderful toy. Sturdy, quick, easy to handle, easy to assemble and FUN. It has room for two jr. sized passengers, and two velcro lap-belts for some safety. It also has a small "glove box" storage where the hood of a car is. Stylish and fun and good driving training. I highly recommend it!
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Reviews with images
Good buy
Our 3 years old son loves it, I would even more if i was his age. Easy to assemble. It rides well on all flat surfaces including grass and harder sand. Only complaint is that the wheels are hard plastic and start slipping going on hard surfaces which are sloped such as paved road or concrete. They do not wear of as quickly as I was worried when we unpacked the parts from the box. We haven't tried the faster gear yet as it is blocked and you need a screwdriver to enable it. slow gear is just right for the 3 year old. Battery seems to last as long as our son and kids visiting him enjoy riding the racer. It is bit heavy to move as single person when your kind is not willing to parked it and put it away, the powered wheels are blocked (breaking) as soon as kids put foot out of the gas pedal, which is good for safety makes it very hard to push around by adult when the kid does not collaborate, also softer plastic or rubber wheels would make this product better that's why i'm giving it 4 stars. Otherwise it works well and we are happy with the purchase.
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Jennifer M.
UPDATED I couldn't be more pleased! Purchased for my three year old daughter
Reviewed in Canada on August 10, 2015