The ignition key isn't omnidirectional you must remember which way it goes into the ignition and door lock cylinders. They both feature a digital readout in the center of a graphical sweep, but you don't know what the redline value is until you reach it (it's about 4,650 rpm, but the Gator bravely accelerates way beyond that). The digital gauge cluster is neat, except that the tachometer and speedometer feature no demarcations. The turn-signal is a left/right toggle switch with no self-canceling, but this is acceptable for as infrequently as the Gator should find itself signaling in automotive traffic. The plastics lining the shift gate had also started to discolor from wear in just 20 miles of use. As a result, I frequently moved the shifter two notches in the wrong direction when thinking I was going from forward to reverse or vice versa. As is, Park is at the bottom and you shift up to R, N, H, and Low is at the top. I'm sure that the carlike shifter with a park position is a boon to many, but we wish it had been oriented right-side-up. Base pricing starts at $14,699 and climbs to $27,399 with diesel power. Deere's Full-Size Crossover XUVs like our test vehicle are billed as "built to work like a truck in places that a truck can't," and boast a 2,000-pound towing capacity, low-range gearing, and locking differentials, with full weather protection and climate control available. Next up is the Mid-Size Crossover XUV line, with standard 4WD and two wheelbases for carrying two or four passengers and 500 pounds of cargo, with base prices ranging from $9,599-$14,999. Gators are mostly the former, and the lineup opens on the smaller end with the Work Series, available in rear-drive, four-wheel drive, and six-wheel designs with 1,000-pound payload capacity limit and a choice of gas, diesel, or electric power, with base prices spanning from $7,899-$13,299. That distinction is important as the side-by-side market kind of subdivides into those designed to do work, and those trying to be mini Ford Raptor fun machines. This is the flagship, full-size model that tops John Deere's range of Gator side-by-side ATVs, or more accurately: UTVs (for Utility Task Vehicles).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |