There are many ways in which you can make your child happy, so buying him a toy that is not only enjoyable by both parents and children alike, but also helpful in their offsprings' development is something of an oddity. The Henes Broon line of toy cars is exactly that, as its attempt of revolutionizing this rather traditional area has resulted in a pretty impressive product lineup.

The Broon F870 is in many ways a supercar->ke177 for children, and just by looking at its specs out of context you would probably think that it is the latest variant of a sports car->ke506 wearing the Tesla->ke1842 badge. Two electric motors, all-wheel drive, an electronic multi-link steering system and even a detachable seven-inch Android tablet are all proudly part of the vehicle's credentials, not to mention the fact that it also comes with a Bluetooth controller that harks back to the ones used for RC cars.

In fact there are many full-size vehicles that come with less features or are less engineered than this four-foot-long supercar that barely achieves 10 mph, depending on how you configure it. For your child's safety there is also a four-point harness that is very racing-like and a bucket seat, while the car stops automatically if its Bluetooth connection with the controller is lost or if it gets out of range. Its only major drawback at first viewing is that the South Korean company offering it doesn't make the ordering process very straightforward and the vehicle's price is said to hover around $1,000. Sure, that would make it multiple tens of times cheaper than a Tesla Model S P85D, but also quite a bit more expensive than your average electric car for children.

Click past the jump to read more about the Henes Broon F870.

2015 Henes Broon F870

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2015 Henes Broon F870
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

For the untrained eye and from certain angles, the Broon F870 may very much look like a real, full-size sports car, and some of the design motifs on the front did remind me of the Kia GT Concept from 2011, especially regarding the two side intakes flanking the (working) headlights. Unlike most full-size cars though, the tiny electric roadster doesn't come with a full-size windshield, relying instead on a small wind deflector. In other words, the Broon F870 is not unlike a redesigned Miata that follows a Barchetta style of body.

Speaking of style, the classic British/Italian roadster proportions make this a rather stylish toy car, which doesn't need to concentrate on comically-enlarged design features to catch the eye, like most toy cars out there. There are currently three colors available for the model, with children getting to choose between a modern white, a classic black or a sporty red. On top of it all, both the headlamps and tail lights work, including the position lamps and emergency signals.

Interior

Unlike other toy cars, such as the highly popular Power Wheels just about anyone under 35 and with an awesome childhood probably rocked, the Broon F870 has a rather high-tech interior. Apart from the two programmable pedals and a sports steering wheel, which are accompanied by a bucket seat and a gear lever, the little sports car also comes with an instrument panel that consists of an Android tablet.

Either the child operating the car or a parent can program different settings right from the removable tablet, which also acts as an instrument panel or a music-playback system. In short, these types of interior features aren't even found in most modern full-size cars, so don't feel bad about wanting to catch Benjamin Button's syndrome after reading this review.

Drivetrain

This is where the geekiness of this car get cranked to eleven, as the amount of features is not only mind-blowingly high, but most of them are also customizable in more than two steps. For example, there are no less than five different speed settings and the car can brake by using the brake pedal, letting off the accelerator pedal or if the supervising parent uses the Bluetooth remote controller.

The car is powered by two electric motors that spin at up to 15,000 rpm, giving it a ton of torque and all-wheel drive. Additionally, it also comes with an independent suspension system with gas shock absorbers and coil springs, a so-called "electronic multi-link steering system," a Bluetooth 4.0 remote controller, a self-diagnosis system, an audio and visual guidance system, and many other similar gimmicks. In short, if you are a kid and your parents have somewhat deep pockets, you know what to ask them for.

Prices

There is no official word on either pricing or availability of the Broon F870, but I have a feeling that the car will soon be part of a campaign here in the U.S. The folks at Wired mentioned a $1,000 starting price, with their little test driver saying that it is worth five times that.

Competition

Power Wheels Corvette

Although it comes up short in terms of... heck, just about every area, but the Power Wheels Corvette is still the closest thing to a competitor for the Henes Broon F870. It only has two-wheel drive instead of four, only a 6-mph top speed instead of 10 mph, no independent suspension, no tablet instrument panel, and no Bluetooth controller.

On the plus side, it is still the fastest model in the Power Wheels lineup, it looks like a Chevrolet Corvette, and only costs between $275 and $290, so it's over three times cheaper than the South Korean supercar. On the other hand, the lack of features and performance compared with the Broon shouldn't make it such a bargain from the point of view of a true petrol-head.

Conclusion

It obviously depends on the parents' money situation, but if they have the means I think that the Henes Broon F870 isn't going to spoil them. Sure, it's a rather expensive piece and your kid will only enjoy it for about a couple of years, or even less if he is a fast grower, but it can also be used as a learning device, while also introducing your son or daughter to the world of cars and driving in general.

The detachable tablet and HDMI connector sweeten the deal even more, as it can provide kids with a driving-simulation mode and all kinds of traffic safety education even before jumping into the driver seat. So, you can either see it as a very cool but also expensive toy that can also teach your kid a lot, or you can see it as an equally-expensive and very large RC car that you can also use to give lifts to drunk little people. It's a win-win either way, is it not?