The Ford "THINK Neighbor" NEV

        courtesy of GolfCarCatalog.com

        View our Ford THINK rental rates

Ford's entry into the Neighborhood Electric Vehicle market is now a reality.

We saw it, we drove it, we checked it out and took lots of pictures. We were completely taken off guard recently when a local institution called us up saying they have been reading our articles on other NEVs and would we like to come and look over a 'Ford Neighbor' that they are test driving. Of course we jumped at the chance. We have previously reported on the Bombardier and Gem (we owned some of those) and recently Lee Iaccoca's 'Lido'. We have known about the Ford Think Neighbor but had never seen one.

SO WHAT DO WE THINK?

Frankly our very first impression was that the design must have been approved by the Spruce Pine Ugly Committee. (Spruce Pine is a little town nearby us that is so messy we always joke that they must have an Ugly Committee to approves local businesses). But after we got a better look, that impression went away and we began to appreciate the true design. After our examination and test we concluded that the Think Neighbor is a giant step forward in the creation of a truly practical and affordable Neighborhood Electric Vehicle. It is the best NEV we have seen to date. Here's why...

Ingress - Egress - Roominess

A major complaint of other NEVs was that they were difficult to get in and get out - with various degrees of aggravation. Not so with the Think. The enclosure (rain curtain) has big bold zippers in just the right positions that permits easy access to either the front or rear. This 4 seater had grab handles for all 4 seats to assist in access. Once inside, the front compartment is amazingly roomy. The driver's seat is adjustable and we actually had to slide it forward to have a comfortable grip on the steering wheel. The rear seat of this 4 seater version is like riding in the back seat of a compact car - adequate but not roomy. The bucket type front seats and the bench back seat are very comfortable with conventional seatbelts and head restraints (functional but not attractive) on all seat backs.

Street or Golf Use???

This NEV can be used either as a Golf Car or a Street Vehicle. Of course it is street legal and according to Fed Rules, the vehicle's top speed is 25 mph. The six 12 Volt batteries provide a 72 volt, 350 amp system that gives the car lots of pep. It has a GE Controller with Regen and rollaway features. The ignition switch has the simple positions of "Off, 'D' (Drive), 'T' (Turf - 15 mph max), and 'R' (Reverse). And the digital instrument cluster has all the information you need. This model had both a front and rear lockable compartment. The front can double as a cooler. There is also a Glove Box on the Dash.

Rain Curtains (Enclosures)

They've done a very good job in designing the enclosure system. The roof and front post have a channel on the underside that the bead of the enclosure slides into. This firmly attaches the enclosure to the roof and the front post at the same time. The lower third of the enclosure is gray vinyl matching the interior color. The top two-thirds is clear vinyl giving great visibility. Big, Bold zippers open up the passenger compartments for easy entrance and easy zip up from inside. The rear curtain has the same large clear vinyl top section for great rear visibility. There is a zipper down the center so both halves can be rolled away and stored in handy Velcro straps on the rear roof posts. The entire enclosure is secured to the rear posts with a broad and easy to operate Velcro attachment. These keep the beads from sliding in the channels. In our book the Think gets an "A" for enclosure design.

Performance

As reported above, the car has a lot of pep and accelerates quite well. We tested it in a hilly area. Up a hill of approximately 10% grade and with three good sized men, the car achieved a very commendable 15 mph. We took the car over a rough dirt road and the suspension system was very satisfactory. The steering is 'automotive' in design, rack and pinion and it also performed well. We decided not to test the 3 mph crash resistant front and rear bumpers The people testing the Think had given it a much more grueling test. They have one road that is a steep downhill grade for some 4 miles. The lone driver reported that the Regen feature worked very well all the way down the grade but probably contributed to some of the heating of the electric motor. On the return uphill test, the car got about 4/5th of the way back up the hill when a warning light came on for motor overheat and the car had to be stopped. After seeing the hill for ourselves we concluded that this was certainly not a 'normal' condition that most NEVs would endure. After the motor cooled, the car functioned normally. Overall performance was most satisfactory. Grade?? "A-"

General Design

After our initial impression we began to appreciate the overall design of the vehicle. It has a sturdy aluminum frame and the equally sturdy fiberglass body parts are solidly bolted to the frame. On our own we were puzzled on how we could get battery access. Our host appeared and said, "Oh that's easy!" and he popped off the spring clipped driver and passenger seats.....and there they were! What an improvement over the Bombardier where you had to jack up the vehicle, secure the battery palette with a fork lift, unbolt the palette, jack the car up farther and pull it out with the fork lift!! We were impressed by the 4 Wheel drum-style hydraulic brakes. We observed that the vehicle was not only well designed, but also well constructed. Wires were big and well insulated, bolts were large and plentiful and parts fit well together. This is a well made vehicle and we commend Ford. So far it's the best NEV that GolfCarCatalog.Com has seen.