Vanderhall teases new 4-wheel electric off-roader in the funniest way possible – Roadshow

I love a company that can poke fun at itself, and this teaser that Vanderhall released Monday for its first four-wheeled vehicle, the Navarro, is hilarious. Touting the expansion of its manufacturing facility, the video starts by showing off a new off-road three-wheeler concept, followed by… well, I don’t want to ruin the surprise. Just watch the video real quick.

Pretty good, right? I don’t know much about the new Navarro except that it has an electric powertrain — perhaps similar to the one in the Edison — and is made for off-roading. “The four-wheel, all-electric, off-road Vanderhall Navarro will have many groundbreaking technologies and firsts for any production powersports model,” company COO Scott Bell said in a statement.

From the teased silhouette I can see a short wheelbase that should make the Navarro pretty maneuverable. The wheels are pushed all the way to the corners which means the Navarro should, in theory, be able to climb over obstacles that might challenge a larger Jeep. There looks to be plenty of room between the meaty tires and the wheel wells, possibly speaking to a long-travel suspension kit, and I dig the door cutouts. This thing also looks wired to light up the night with an LED light bar and two LED cube lights on the front. 

Until now, Vanderhall has only ever built zippy little runabouts for paved roads. Available with both gasoline and electric powertrains, Vanderhall products are thought of as three-wheeled motorcycles, sometimes called autocycles. The driver and passenger sit side by side, and the autocycle has two wheels up front and one wheel in the rear.

Roadshow reviewed the Edison and Venice models, finding them to be a mixed bag in terms of performance. They’re fun to drive and quirky as hell, sure, but also terrifying at highway speeds for those not used to the vulnerability that comes with driving what’s essentially a toy car with little to no protection for its occupants.

Vanderhall promises it’ll release more information about the Navarro on Oct. 19, and the full specs and features will be released early next year. Preorders should begin next summer with the Navarro launching shortly thereafter as a 2022 model.