Bezgar HM165 Review: A fast RC car with incredible acceleration
Bezgar HM165 electric remote control car. Picture: Noel Campion.
I’ve always had a keen interest in anything that involves a remote controller and I have flown and competed both nationally and internationally in RC 3D helicopters for many years. Despite that, I’ve never really owned a proper RC car so when I was asked to review the Bezgar HM165, I had to say, yes.
Compared to cheaper RC cars, the Bezgar HM165 uses a lot of beefy parts and a clean design. It has oil-filled shocks and four-wheel drive as standard features and it’s capable of driving really fast on most surfaces thanks to the two types of tyres included in the box. It comes with two stylish car shells (red and green) that clip to the body on four posts with body pins.
On the front, are bright LED lights – a nice bonus for driving in the dark or just making the car look cool. The lights are always on when you turn on the power — it’s a pity there’s no way to turn the lights off from the transmitter.
The base of the car has a solid shell that protects all of the electronics from dirt and water while the shell protects it from the top. However, although the car specs say it has an IPX5 rating, this is only a splash proofing and the car shouldn’t be driven through large pools of water and definitely not in heavy rain.
The layout of the electronics on the inside is compact and neat consisting of a single servo, 7.4V 2S lipo battery, BEC/ESC/receiver and a powerful brushless motor.
Around the side of the car is a small red button when pressed and held will turn the car on/off.
The car is ready to drive out of the box and comes with a few extras including two batteries with USB chargers, a small screwdriver, four body pins and four spare paddle tyres for all-terrain driving – it even comes with a few spare parts and a socket spanner to change the wheels. You also get a wheelie bar that can be installed to prevent forward flipping because of the insane amount of torque if you pull the throttle trigger too aggressively.
Each battery is good enough to last over 20 minutes but takes well over a couple of hours to charge. It’s important to take the battery out of the car if you’re nothing going to use it for a while and not to drive the car until the battery is empty as it could damage it. I’ve spent years working with Li-Polymer batteries and understand the care required to keep them healthy but also the dangers of misuse. You have to take care not to physically damage them in any way as there’s a risk of them catching fire. Thankfully, Bezgar includes a fire-safe bag to help protect them.
It’s also good to see the batteries use standard balance and mains connectors (deans) and so I was able to use my existing chargers to charge them much quicker than the included USB charge cables.
While I have a lot of experience flying RC helis, I can’t say the same for RC cars. The HM165 transmitter is intuitive and easy to use. It has a push (backwards/break), pull (throttle forward) system and a wheel on the side for turning the front wheels of the car for control. The car moves incredibly fast with almost instant acceleration that takes getting used to. Three dials allow you to adjust the steering trim, steering travel rates and overall maximum speed. Turning the speed and dual rates down makes the car more manageable for beginners by slowing down the car’s top speed and turning arc.
Controlling the car at top speed (52 km) takes lots of practice. It’s best to find a location with lots of open space to practice. During my testing, I hit lots of objects and flipped a ton but never broke anything. That isn’t to say the HM 165 is indestructible but it can take a decent amount of rough and tumble as long as you’re not too reckless.
This is an RC car aimed at kids aged 14 years+ that won’t break the bank. At 1:16, it’s not too big, which makes it easy to use for those with smaller hands or thrown in a bag to take on a trip.
The Bezgar HM165 is stupid fast, with incredible acceleration that can do wheelies if you punch it. The controls are easy to use but take time and lots of practice to master.
The Bezgar HM165 is a low-cost RC car geared towards children aged 14 and up that’s not too huge at 1:16, so it's easy to use for folks with smaller hands or to toss in a bag to take on a trip. It’s insanely fast for an electric RC car with a 2S battery pack, having tremendous acceleration and the ability to perform wheelies if you hammer the throttle. The controls are simple to use, but mastering them takes time and practice.
Bezgar HM165 - €270 - Amazon.co.uk
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