Today I review the all new for 2017 Traxxas Ford GT, which combines beauty and power in a way that few other radio controlled vehicles ever have. If you’re a fan of Traxxas RC cars and trucks, you’re going to want to know all about this sweet ride. So sit back, fasten your seatbelt, and let’s get this show on the road. Read on!
Traxxas Ford GTÂ Features and Specs
The Traxxas Ford GT is a feature rich hot rod of a car that’s absolutely state-of-the-art in its seriously impressive design. With the smooth underside of its 4-Tec 2.0 chassis and low centre of gravity, the GT hugs the road like no other. Key features of the GT include the Titan 12T motor (with XL-5 electronic speed control), Traxxas Stability Management (to help with control on smooth or slippery surfaces), fully waterproof electronics (pretty much standard on most Traxxas vehicles these days), and full compatibility with the Traxxas Link App (giving you access to information like telemetry and providing a greater level of control over the operation of your vehicle).
The Traxxas Ford GT also has a shaft-driven all-wheel drive system with sealed bearings (that’s super efficient and provides top level acceleration and responsiveness), dual steering bellcranks (that help to eliminate bump steer and improve the car’s cornering ability), adjustable body mounts (that allow for easy installation of the 190mm and 200mm body styles, if you wish to make a change), and a new styling of quick-release battery mount that’s adjustable to 2 different heights (to accommodate a large variety of battery types, including both LiPo battery packs and long format NiMH batteries). Just about the only thing that this car doesn’t have is the batteries themselves. Unfortunately, the Traxxas Ford GT does not come with a battery (or a charger) included, so those are separate purchases… bummer! Otherwise, the GT seems to have pretty much everything an RC enthusiast could ask for in a hobby grade vehicle (and then some!).
Cruisin’ the Streets with the Traxxas Ford GT
My experience driving the Traxxas Ford GT was almost as good as it gets. I had no serious incidents with it whatsoever, and I was very happy with the GT’s performance (even if I didn’t try using it with the Traxxas Link App, which is cool but not really necessary). I basically took it to the biggest parking lot that I could find with a significant amount of empty space. This happened to be not too far from the local international airport, so between the planes coming in for a landing just over my head, I was able to get some pretty good testing in.
I found that the GT showed good speed and excellent control on the pavement, and I believe that this is the ideal surface to run the GT on. The only problem it had at all during testing was when it went over a small rock a couple of times (more on that in the conclusion). Still, you can also run it on loose (fine) gravel and it won’t have a problem. Tennis courts are also good, and because of the GT’s TSM (Traxxas Stability Management) system, you could even try it out on ice if you wanted to, though it was summer during my testing so I didn’t get to try that one. To be fair, they make this claim on the box but it does sound a bit hard to believe that it would get the necessary traction on ice. Of course, you can’t really take this one off road (into the woods, for instance) like one of the many Traxxas monster trucks, but that’s not where this car is meant to be anyway.
Overall I found the GT to be just plain fun to drive. I enjoyed attempting sharp turns at high speeds and was really impressed with how well the GT held to the road. But the best thing of all with the Traxxas Ford GT is probably how cool it looks. The detailing on this thing is simply amazing, as you can tell from the image above. Take, for instance, the moulded in brake lights. It’s just a very nice job by Traxxas! Finally, the Traxxas Ford GT is also available in both black and red (link below), so you can pick the colour that suits you best.
Examining the Video Evidence
Please take a few minutes to see the Traxxas Ford GT in action. I drove the GT in a large enough lot that I could really open it up to top speed, and I trust we’ve captured this speed in the video. I used a 7.2 Volt Traxxas NiMH battery (3000mAh) and was very happy with the power it provided. Take a look a see for yourself:
Final Thoughts
The Traxxas Ford GT is one of the best new Traxxas RC vehicles to come along in quite some times. It looks absolutely beautiful, has some really cool features going for it, and it’s a whole lot of fun to drive. What more could an RC hobbyist ask for? I wouldn’t say that you can run the GT in just any old location, but if you’ve got a good paved area that’s nice and flat to work with, this thing really moves! It’s low to the ground and I especially like how it hugs the road. It’s super stable and probably handles better than my real car. One thing that can really throw it off though is if there’s a rock in the road. Anything half the size of a marble or bigger can really wreak havoc, and I almost had the body torn from the frame at one point from hitting an impossible to see rock at high speed. Still, the Ford GT never even rolled over when this happened. In fact, it never rolled or even came close to upending during the entire time that I tested it, and I ran it a few different times. All in all I was highly impressed with the Ford GT and probably liked it better than most other Traxxas vehicles that I’ve tried in the past. It most assuredly beats the Defender (by a country mile!), and even gives some of the really cool monster trucks a run for their money. Although, they are monster trucks… One way or another, I would highly recommend the Ford GT to any Traxxas RC fan. Go get yours today!
See Best Buy’s complete colour selection of the Traxxas Ford GT HERE.
