In a Nutshell:
Recommended For: Anyone weighing up to 300-pounds, but especially those who love to travel. This is designed for flat, level terrain, not an off-road scooter.
Do you suffer from some type of mobility issue that makes getting around a challenge and a chore?
Are you in the market for a reasonably priced electric wheelchair or maybe a scooter, preferably one that’s light and portable enough to take with you when you travel?
If you answered yes to either of those questions, then you’re going to be thrilled and intrigued by what you read in this review. Pride Mobility is one of the biggest and best-known names in the industry, with a reputation for making quality products and standing behind them. If you buy from Pride, you can buy with confidence, knowing that if there’s a problem, they’ll make it right.
In the sections that follow, we’ll do a deep dive into the capabilities of the Go-Go Elite Traveler, which is an excellent example of the company’s work. Even if you ultimately opt to get some other scooter, we think you’ll be impressed! If you’re eager to learn more, read on, and let’s jump in and take a closer look.
An Overview of the Pride Mobility Go Go Elite Traveler Elite Plus Mobility Scooter
The Go-Go Elite Traveler has a somewhat minimalist appearance, which isn’t a bad thing at all, but if you’re looking for a model that’s sleek and sexy, this one probably isn’t the one you’re looking for.
It’s understandable, though. The Go-Go was designed to be as light as possible to increase its travel-friendliness, and as such, the company placed much more emphasis on function rather than form.
Before we say more than that, let’s press pause long enough to take a quick look at the core stats that define the model. Here’s a quick overview:
- Overall Product Dimensions: 21.25” (W) x 40.25” (D) x 34” (H)
- Seat Dimensions: 17” (W) x 17” (D)
- Top Speed: 4.5 mph
- Maximum Range: 14.5 miles
- Wheel Size: 8” x 2”
- Maximum Climbing Angle: 6 degrees
- Turning Radius: 45.75”
- Ground Clearance: 0.83”
- Chair Weight: 116 pounds
- Maximum Supported Weight: 300 pounds
These are generally good numbers. The Go Go Elite Traveler Plus isn’t especially large as mobility scooters go, and it’s not exactly zippy either, with a top speed of less than five miles an hour. The seat dimension is pretty close to universal, though, and should be a good fit for anyone who weighs in at 300-pounds or less, which is this model’s maximum supported weight limit and the informal industry average.
The Go-Go can handle moderate slopes and has a pretty good turning radius as scooters go. If there’s a glaring point of weakness in the design, it lies in the fact that this model has almost no ground clearance.
If you plan to use it on smooth, flat surfaces of the sort you usually find in parking lots, on sidewalks, and inside shopping centers and grocery stores, that won’t be a problem at all. But, if you envision taking your scooter out for a day in the park or maybe on a hiking trail, this model is definitely not the one you want. It’s just not built for that kind of use.
Note the weight, too.
At 116 pounds, you may not think it’s especially portable or travel-friendly but bear in mind that it can be dismantled. Once you break it down, each piece is lightweight and easy to handle. We’ll have more to say about that a bit later. For now, just be aware that the Go-Go is a lot more portable than its total weight might indicate.
Adjustability and Comfort
The Pride GoGo Elite Traveller Plus is pleasantly adjustable. The seat on the scooter swivels and is height-adjustable. The padded armrests are height-adjustable, too, giving you quite a lot of flexibility in terms of optimizing the scooter for a perfect fit.
On top of that, you can change the angle of the steering mechanism, bringing it either closer to you or setting it farther away, depending on the length of your arms.
Taken together with the adjustment options on the seat, this gives you plenty of options.
In terms of comfort, the seat is only moderately well-padded but is certainly comfortable enough for a 3-4 hour adventure. If you plan on using it for longer than that at a stretch (which is unlikely, given the maximum range, but possible), then you’ll probably want to invest in some additional padding for the seat and possibly the seatback.
One thing that should be noted here is that the frame of this unit has a limited lifetime warranty, which in our view, makes the PU upholstery a bit underwhelming.
PU isn’t bad for some applications, but it does have a pair of problems. For one thing, it’s not breathable, which makes it hot. If you live in a warm climate, you may start getting uncomfortably hot in the seat before you run out of battery power or get where you’re going, which is another reason to consider some additional padding.
On top of that, PU isn’t all that durable and doesn’t stand up well to the rigors of daily use. If you plan on using the Go Go Elite scooter every day, or even on most days, then after about 18 months, you can expect to see the upholstery begin to peel and crack. You’ll definitely wind up having to have its seat re-covered before the machine itself wears out.
The good news on that front is that there’s not a tremendous amount of upholstery to contend with, which will keep the cost of the re-covering relatively low. Also, you’ll be able to replace the PU with something more durable when that day comes.
Extras and Options
The big thing to talk about here is the fact that this handy little scooter comes with a storage basket built onto the front. It’s not huge, but it is big enough to be genuinely useful. As you’ll see below, the company offers a number of optional storage enhancements you can add to the unit later on if you find yourself needing more (and you probably will).
Although that’s the only extra that the Go Go Elite Traveler 4 wheel comes equipped with, Pride has gone out of its way to offer a number of high-value enhancements, allowing you to customize the scooter to your heart’s content. These options include:
- A cup holder
- A cane/crutch holder (single or double available)
- A rear basket for additional storage
- An oxygen tank holder
- A RAM X-Grip cellphone holder
- A wishbone crutch holder
- A walker holder
- A protective cover to help guard your investment against the elements
- A rearview mirror
- A lap belt
- Saddlebags for yet more storage
- And a safety flag
If you invest in both the rear-mounted basket and the saddlebags, you’ll find that you have all the storage you need. You can even make modest trips to the grocery store for supplies and haul everything back without assistance, and that’s pretty handy.
If there’s one point of weakness here, it is the fact that in our view, the safety belt should be a standard feature and not something you have to buy separately. But that’s a fairly minor complaint at the end of the day. The option is there if you want it, and it’s definitely something we recommend adding.
Portability & Ease of Use
Earlier in this review, we mentioned that the Go-Go was more portable than its total weight would seem to indicate. That’s because you can take it apart with ease, breaking it into five pieces, each weighing less than 35 pounds.
Even better, once you’ve taken it apart, each piece is relatively small in size, which means you can stow it away in and around other luggage you may have packed. Given that, it’s easy enough to pack it in the trunk space and/or the back seat of most full-sized sedans. If you have a truck, SUV, or van, you’ll find it even easier to pack it away.
Unfortunately, there’s a catch. Having to take the Go Go Elite Traveler parts apart for travel can be a bit of a time sink. If you’d rather not be bothered by that, there are a couple of viable solutions, but they both require an additional investment.
You could, for example, buy a ramp, then simply drive the scooter into your van or onto the back of your truck and secure it for travel. Alternately, you could invest in a lift to put on the back of your vehicle and simply carry it behind you when you want to take it on the road.
As we said, an investment in either of those options will simplify your life, but they will require you to spend more money, which will increase your total cost of ownership.
Before we move on to ease of use, we need to say at least a few words about air travel. Air travel with any type of battery-powered wheelchair or scooter is a daunting proposition. Not only are those types of mobility devices much heavier than their conventional counterparts, but the batteries that are required to make the scooter useful are fire hazards, which is why most airlines balk at allowing them at all.
Then there’s the fact that airlines almost always charge by the pound. Which would you rather pay to travel with: A thirty or forty-pound wheelchair or a scooter that weighs three or four times that amount?
In any case, you’ll probably get a no, but if you have your heart set on it, it’s well worth calling the airline you plan on flying with and asking what that company’s policies are.
In terms of ease of use, the control panel of the Go-Go is very simply designed and easy to understand.
You’ll probably master the basic operation of the scooter about ten minutes after you start using it.
Pros & Cons of GoGo Elite Traveller
We like most things about the GoGo Elite scooter, but it does have a couple of limitations to bear in mind.
The biggest and most significant of these is the fact that this model isn’t designed for use on rough or uneven ground. The incredibly low ground clearance simply doesn’t allow for it.
As long as you plan to use it on flat, even surfaces, though, this really isn’t much of a limitation at all.
Go-Go Elite Traveler Review Conclusion
The Go-Go Elite Traveler is a great design, on the whole. As long as you don’t try to use it on rough terrain, it will serve you very well indeed.
It may not be an exciting-looking model, and it’s certainly not the fastest scooter on the market, but it’s a lightweight travel-friendly option, made by a great company and offered for a fair price. On that basis, we recommend this model.
References & Resources:
- Pride Mobility, Official Brand Website
- A Design of All Wheel Coordinated Steering For Electric Mobility Scooter, IEEE.org
- The Impact of Mobility Scooters on Their Users. Does Their Usage Help or Hinder?: A State of the Art Review, NCBI
- Perception of Needing and Using a Mobility Scooter: A Preclinically Disabled Non-scooter User Perspective, Taylor & Francis Online
- 3 Benefits to Having Your Very Own Mobility Scooter to Get Around, Sindo Weekly Magazine.