MJX HYPER GO 14209 BRUSHLESS RC Desert Truck REVIEW: MJX Can do no wrong

The MJX Hyper Go 14209 is another excellent 1/14 scale brushless RC truck from MJX with a unique look and slightly better handling

Like:
+Excellent brushless motor/ESC combo for top speed and acceleration
+Super strong and smooth driveline
+Included tyres have optimum grip
+Highly durable

Don't like:
-A bit expensive at full price but arguably still good value
-No ESC programming card available (yet)
-Only one body shell included - is that a negative?
​-USB chargers are status quo on RTR cars but still suck

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I ordered the MJX 14209 HYPER GO 1/14 Brushless RC Car from Banggood. They have it available with a single or double battery option.  At time of writing it is on flash sale

MJX have been absolutely hitting it out of the park recently, especially on their range of large 1/14 scale RC cars like the onroad basher 14301 on road basher I reviewed here and 14210 off-road truggy I reviewed here. Both were so good I had to award them with on and offroad cars of the year respectively. The MJX Hyper Go 14209 I'm reviewing here shares the same chassis and parts especially with the 14210 truggy, so where does this leave this car in the hierarchy? Read on to find out more

Check out my MJX Hyper Go 14301 review here

And my MJX Hyper Go 14210 review here

In this article:

• MJX Hyper GO 14209: RTR 1/14 Brushless 4WD truggy
• MJX Hyper GO 14209: A closer look at truck 
• MJX Hyper GO 14210: After a good hard 3 weeks of driving
• MJX Hyper GO 14210: Wrap up - It's at least as good as the 14210 i.e. very, very good

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​MJX Hyper GO 14209: RTR 1/14 Brushless 4WD truggy

The MJX Hyper Go 14209 is a 1/14 scale brushless 4wd RC desert with permanent 4wd. This car comes with a full set of electronics: remote, receiver, servo, ESC, motor, battery, battery charger and full instructions - everything you need to run except for the 2 x AA batteries needed to run the 2.4GHz digital remote. It also includes a lot of spare parts, including a whole other set of wheels plus a full set of harder springs plus some other replacement parts. Brushless trucks like this tend to be a little more capable offroad when compared to buggies - the bigger wheels offer more grip, the larger body products shock towers without being cumbersome but they offer the excellent handling of the buggy underneath. For this reason they tend to be one of the more popular classes of RC cars available.

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MJX Hyper GO 14209: A closer look at truck 

As you can see from the image above there are some well thought out spares in this car, most notably the wheels. The ones that ship on the car look a little small and narrow for my liking so it's good a larger set are included too. Also there is a nice big 2s 3000mah lipo battery (I recommend buying with 2 batteries when you purchase) and as well the other items you'd expect on a RTR car. Oh yeah, there is a full set of stiffer springs included if you are all about the big jumps. Enough with the spares, lets take a closer look at the car itself.

Same 3 channel remote used on the Hyper Go 14302. It takes 2 AA batteries. It's very lightweight and the on off switch also doubles as a speed limiter. Throttle and steering trim are on dials. Feels a little light for my liking which is typical for RTR units

ESC is a 45a unit is can supposedly take 3s but would only recommend this in very specific circumstances unless you move to a lower KV motor. Heatsink and fan are well integrated. I'm not aware of any programming card that can be used here presently

Brushless 2852 motor is pretty large for a 1/14 scale but not excessively so. 4400kv is a really good motor speed on this size for 2s

Shocks are oil filled with adjustable collars for ride height, shock body is plastic. They have good dampening out of the factory

Typical front CVD driveshaft from MJX are very chunky and should last well

These are the optional wheels that are included with the car but not installed from the factory. Good aggressive tread pattern and measure 80mm in diameter and 40mm wide. Not too soft, not too hard

Steering servo is mounted upside down to allow for the large battery. Servo saver is integrated into the servo horn and feels a little on the soft side

Unlike the Hyper Go 14302, a proper lipo (rather than a Li Ion) is included here rated at 2s 3000mah. This is an excellent sized battery for this car

The chassis uses and aluminium torsion bar in place of a top plate which makes it lighter and easier to work on. Receiver is mounted in a waterproof box

Here you can see the receiver and the fact that the box is is stored in is at least water resistant. Notice the 3rd channel is used to control lighting

Rear driveshafts are the same chunky CVDs as in the front. No need for the big telescopic driveshaft as in the 14210 as it doesn't have the over-tall suspension in the rear

Nice solid aluminium plate chassis that offers good stiffness. Also note suspension arm hinge pine holders are very secure in their metal mounts too

Rear suspension sits nice and flat. Dampening is good and springs are ok but could to have the option of including harder springs which are included in the package

There is "only" one body included on this truck but it is reinforced with nylon lattice which makes it more durable and heavy plus it allows this shape of the body to be more complex since it is a composite of shapes. Personally I love the desert truck look

Inside the rear gearbox all gears are hardened (sintered) and well made.

Ball bearings on every rotating mount and all gears are well greased

Diff connects to drive shaft by a full through screw with 2.0mm hex drive rather than just a grub screw

In the above video I take a closer look at the gearbox and offer my thoughts. This was based on the 14210 model which is identical to the 14209 in this review.

​Lastly I'll note that Banggood have listed all the spares on their website already and they are really reasonably price, so much though that it would be hard not to recommend the stock ESC in my brushless upgrade guides for the future. Have a look through here for more detail.

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MJX Hyper GO 14210: After a good hard 3 weeks of driving

First things first I understandably got a similar top speed in this truck as I did to the 14210 model, around the 46-50km/h mark depending on the surface. This speed feels quick due to the strong acceleration helped along but the big 2852 brushless motor and the powerful 2s 3000mah lipo battery that can feed it. Gearing is well chosen by the manufacturer to get the best of acceleration and battery life whilst not giving too much up on top speed. There is also an option on the power switch for the transmitter to limit maximum throttle to 70% which is good for beginners or little people getting used to this high performance truck. It's a nice simple system and it works well

Top speed on 100% throttle (on gravel)

The transmitter power switch doubles as a discrete speed limiter

Top speed on 70% throttle limit (on seal)

The handling of this 14209 is fantastic - it's been one of the best cars I've ever had out of the box. Like the 14210 the 14209 is well balanced but it improves upon this by getting the balance of ride height and grip right which makes it less prone to traction rolling (tipping over) compared to the 14210. This was one of my few minor complaints of the 14210 and this issue is absent in this 14209. When I say the handling is good I mean that it is predictable, you intuitively know how much throttle or break you need to help shift from oversteer to understeer and back again and when you want to go straight it tends to drive straight. This well dialed handling is a result of the following working well - weight balance being well split front and rear plus side to side, a spring rate that lines up with the weight of the car front and rear and dampening levels that exert the right control over the springs. One thing in particular I should point out it is that this is a very solid build meaning it is fairly heavy. This allows the suspension to load up well stay relatively even compared to more lightweight 1/14 and 1/16 scale cars which tend to bounce around and be more unsettled in offroad conditions.

I have a lot of love for the HBX 16889a pro but the MJX 14209 outstrips in in every way

Handling on this little truck is very predictable, even on the rough stuff.

Those chunky tyres do really well in loose dirt

Grass grip is good too and the low height greatly reduces the change of traction roll

3 weeks in and durability has been very good so far. I've had the usual scratches on the body and underside of the chassis but not much more. There's no wing to stick out and get damaged, no exposed shock towers or anything like that. I don't think it is indestructible but it stronger and better built than most other cars I've driven. 

I've already said how much I like the included battery - it gets about 15 minutes solid driving and never gets too warm. I have never liked the included USB chargers on these cars but they are pretty much the norm on Ready To Run cars like this. I always recommend a decent charger as the first upgrade but until then the USB charger is "OK". Although the ESC on this car is capable of 3s, I'd recommend sticking with 2s a because just going 3s with no change to gearing will put more stress on your electronics, your driveline and anything else on the car for that matter as you carry more speed into a crash. Personally I think 45-50km/h on these cars is a good, fast speed. If you want to look at replacement batteries see below for battery tray size

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MJX Hyper GO 14210: Wrap up - It's at least as good as the 14210 i.e. very, very good

The MJX Hyper Go 14209 is a brushless RC truck that has an awful lot going for it - it is quick, reliable, it handles well and it is very tough. You need to be overly critical to find anything really wrong with it, the only thing I'd really say that at around $150 it is getting up there for RTR cars but I'd counter and say it represents excellent value for what you are getting. Seriously how far we have come when my website has been about improving RC cars because of silly errors from the factory whereas all I can recommend this car is an upgrade would be a better charger. The performance of this car really rewards the driver and yet the durability and trainer mode switch allows for the beginner to grow with it.

Clearly you need to consider the MJX Hyper GO 14210 as well with it's Truggy styling, taller ride height and excessively grippy tyres but I'd argue this is slightly better - the low rear ride height and lower grip tyres make this handle better without tipping but ultimately it's a matter of style preference. For me it's the 14209 as reviewed here by a whisker. Easy to mark this at 5 stars - best equal for 2023

I ordered the MJX 14209 HYPER GO 1/14 Brushless RC Car from Banggood. They have it available with a single or double battery option.  At time of writing it is on flash sale

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