John Deere introduced their 2011 lineup and I was lucky enough to travel to Carolina Adventure World to try the new Gators out. Top of the list of enhancements to the Gator lineup was the all new XUV 825i. XUV is short for Crossover Utility Vehicle and it is John Deere’s intent to move the Gator from pure work/utility to more or a utility/sport UTV. At the media event, we had a few presentations and then we got to play around on the trails for a few hours. I was pretty impressed with the bump in power and improvements made to the suspension, but it was really hard to tell exactly what a vehicle can do in such a short time frame.
Now let’s take a minute and look at the Gator XUV 825i. It has a dry weight of over 1,600 lbs. It has a huge bed (16.4 cubic feet) that has a spray in bedliner and can haul 1,000 lbs. When you drive it, you can tell it is built for work. Kind of like my Dad’s old 1975 Ford F350 back when I was in high school. Throw a cabover camper in the back and go, no worries. So now couple that pure work/utility focus with a 3 cylinder, 50 horsepower engine and a completely redesigned front and rear independent suspension system that delivers a superior ride through rough terrain, and you have the potential for a vehicle that can work and be used for recreation.
If I was looking for a vehicle that can haul rock, dirt, hay, tools and equipment all week long, then head for the trails on the weekend, the new Gator XUV 825i is very capable.
The Gator has a long heritage in the utility market as a workhorse. With the new 2011 XUV features, you can go have fun after after your work is done.
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