Peg Perego John Deere Gator XUV Review

Modeled after the real-life John Deere Gator utility vehicle, the Peg Perego John Deere Gator XUV is a pretty cool product.

Physically, the Peg Perego model looks very much like the real full-sized version.

Peg Perego is a highly reputable Italian company that has a long history of manufacturing high end products for kids, and the Gator XUV is certainly no exception.

This machine is definitely a step-up from those toddler vehicles that your child might have driven before. Unlike those other vehicles that are designed for younger kids, the Gator XUV will provide your child with a much more realistic driving experience, without causing you too much concern about their safety.

The Peg Perego company also makes child car seats and so they have an eye for safety issues.

In this Peg Perego John Deere Gator XUV Review, I will explain its main features, its standout characteristics, and just about anything you need to know about this very popular kids electric vehicle.

John Deere Gator XUV – Features Overview

So, let’s quickly run through the most important features that you will find on the Peg Perego John Deere Gator XUV vehicle.

1. Rider Age & Weight Limits

Ride Age Range: 3 – 8 years.

Maximum Rider Weight: 130 lbs

Whilst the recommended age range is a only rough guide provided by the manufacturer, the maximum rider weight limit of 130 lbs is non-negotiable and must be respected.

Please bear in mind that this vehicle is capable of carrying 2 children at a time and so the maximum weight limit refers to the combined weight of all vehicle occupants. So, if it is being driven without a passenger the driver can weight up to 130 lbs. If there is also a passenger on board, the combined weight of the driver and passenger must not exceed 130 lbs.

2. Top Speed, Gears & Brakes

The Peg Perego comes with two forward speeds – 2.5 mph and 5 mph. Your child can select the appropriate gear using a stick between the seats.

There is a “beginners lockout function” that allows you to restrict the top speed to 2.5 mph if you have a younger child who needs to get used to the controls before being allowed to graduate to the full 5 mph.

Unlike many of the Gator XUV’s competitor products, this vehicle comes with a reverse gear to help your child get out of those annoying corners and dead ends that they are bound to find unless you live in a castle!

There are lots of simple “go/stop” models on the market that don’t come with a reversing option, and this can be a real pain for parents. You really don’t want to have to keep getting up and rescuing your child from the corner that they have ended up in. I promise you that the novelty of pulling your little darling our of that corner for the 10th time with the space of 30 minutes soon wears off!

There is a pretty realistic gas pedal to get the vehicle moving forwards, but your child won’t have to worry about co-ordinating the release of the gas pedal with pressing down on a separate brake pedal. Instead, there is an automatic braking system that kicks in when the gas pedal is released.

So, your child steps on the gas pedal to go and simply releases it to cause the vehicle to brake and come to a stop.

The auto-braking system is not only useful for simplicity, it is also a great safety feature for kids of this age.

3. Styling, Comfort & Tires

There is only one styling option to choose from, which is hardly surprising since it is supposed to resemble the real life vehicle. Gator XUVs don’t generally come in bright pink or Camo colors and so you have a simple choice of green and yellow.

The 2 bucket seats are adjustable as your child grows and there is also a cup holder on the dashboard.

The tires on the Gator XUV are made of hard plastic rather than pneumatic rubber, but they have more than enough traction to handle grass, dirt, gravel or hard surfaces. They won’t perform quite as well as rubber pneumatic tires, but then again you won’t have to worry about having to fix punctures every other day.

Just don’t let your child get too carried away in wet muddy conditions. The Gator XUV is not well suited to seriously challenging ground conditions or very steep hills. Stick to grass, gravel and dirt tracks and it will be just fine.

Find more detailed close-up images of the Gator XUV’s features and styling here.

4. Fun

Let’s forget all of the technical stuff for a while and consider why your child might want one of these vehicles. Driving around in one of these is going to be a lot of fun in itself, but there is also the added pleasure of pretending to use it as a piece of working machinery

Peg Perego have added a large realistic dump bed (with a tailgate) to the Gator XUV. The size of the dump bed is quite generous and it will allow your child to haul around a lot more stuff than similar vehicles for this age group. Load it up, haul it around, and dump it wherever they please. If they are anything like my 4 kids, your child is sure to enjoy this process time and time again.

Peg Perego John Deere Gator XUV – Videos

It is much easier to get an accurate impression of an electric vehicle’s capabilities from watching it in use rather than just reading about its features.

Here are some videos of the Peg Perego John Deere Gator XUV in action …