Home / Motoring / Adventure Vehicles

Can This All-Electric Off-Roader Quietly Undercut Jeep’s Most Powerful Wrangler?

Vanderhall’s Brawley GTS has arrived bringing a torquey quad-motor powertrain and some clever all-terrain driving tricks.

A red and white off-road vehicle with large tires is partially visible behind a rocky outcrop, navigating a rugged, rocky terrain. The vehicle's front grille and one headlight are clearly seen, with the headlight illuminated. The background is dark and filled with rocks.Vanderhall
Gray Van Dyke headshot

By Gray Van Dyke

Published

·

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

If you’re familiar with Utah’s Vanderhall Motor Works, chances are that it’s because you’ve run into one of the brand’s oddball open-topped three-wheelers blaring music down the coast (no, it’s not quite Polaris).

However, the upstart EV outfit offers more than low-slung corner-carving motorcycle alternatives. A few years ago, it announced that it would be venturing off the beaten track with a high-riding side-by-side known as the ‘Brawley GTS.’

A rugged off-road vehicle with large, knobby tires and a dark green body with black accents. It has a white roof with roof racks and distinctive round LED headlights. The front grille is black with a textured pattern, and the license plate area displays the name "Brawley." The vehicle is parked on a dirt path with a forest and mountains in the background.
The Brawley emulates Jeep’s iconic round lights and vertical-slat grille design.
Vanderhall

At long last, it’s here  — production is underway and Vanderhall is beginning deliveries of its all-electric UTV. The rig makes for an interesting value proposition, especially when you compare it to a vehicle like the Jeep Wrangler 392.

Quiet quad-motor killer

For starters, the thing packs quite the punch. With a 40-kWh battery pack and a quad-motor setup, the Brawley GTS puts down 404 horsepower and 488 lb-ft of torque. Sure, that falls shy of the Jeep’s Hemi V8 in horsepower (404 versus 470), but it does edge out the Wrangler when it comes to torque (488 versus 470).

Side view of a rugged off-road vehicle with a green upper body, black lower body, and gray accents. It features large, knobby tires with black rims, a white roof, and tinted windows. The vehicle has "Vanderhall" and "GTS" branding on the side.
The close-topped GTS makes for quite the buggy when you see it from the side.
Vanderhall

As an added bonus, because Vanderhall mounts a motor at each of the four wheels, the UTV is capable of redirecting power on a per-wheel basis for improved traction over loose and uneven surfaces. 

And that’s not the only party trick that the Brawley has up its sleeve. Vanderhall also built the side-by-side with four-wheel steering, crab-walk and an electric crawl mode. It’s smart stuff — especially for a vehicle that’s on the lighter side at 2,700-3,000 pounds.

Riding on a healthy 18 inches of ground clearance with 21 inches of suspension travel at each of its four wheels, the Vanderhall is a vehicle that brings capabilities of Wrangler proportions in a bite-sized package. 

A rugged off-road vehicle with large tires driving on a sandy, rocky trail in a desert landscape during sunset, with sunlight glinting off the vehicle's roof. The vehicle has a distinctive front grille and the word "Brawley" visible on the front.
Vanderhall has equipped the Brawley GTS with a number of trick driving modes, like eCrawl and eCrab.
Vanderhall

Of course, being an EV, range is, unsurprisingly, a limiting factor. Vanderhall claims up to 140 miles on a single charge, though that figure is likely to be a bit optimistic depending on your driving habits. 

A UTV that defies convention

While you won’t be crossing continents with that kind of juice, it’s important to remember that the Brawley GTS is more of a buggy than it is a full-fledged automobile. However, even that is a bit of a misnomer, as Vanderhall’s concept is truly something unto its own.

Interior of a vehicle featuring black leather bucket seats with white stitching and plaid fabric inserts, a black steering wheel with a yellow center emblem, and a large panoramic sunroof. The door panel is black with a simple handle, and the window shows a scenic view of mountains and autumn trees outside.
This fully-enclosed, climate-controlled cabin isn’t like most UTVs.
Vanderhall

That’s because, even though it may look like a rugged side-by-side, it boasts a fully enclosed cabin with climate control, four individual chairs, as well as creature comforts like heated seats, a Bluetooth sound system and charging ports.

Moreover, Vanderhall hasn’t forgotten the importance of accessory compatibility. Around the outside of the Brawley GTS, the brand has installed hitch receivers for towing along with mounting points for everything from skid plates to snow plows. 

A rugged off-road vehicle with bright headlights and a light bar on the roof is parked on a rocky dirt trail at dusk. The sky is filled with dark, dramatic clouds, and there are leafless trees and rocky terrain surrounding the vehicle.
Buggy or baby jeep? Vanderhall’s Brawley GTS is a bit of both, it seems.
Vanderhall

Pricing and availability

At $49,950, the Vanderhall Brawley GTS is undoubtedly positioned at the upper-end of the side-by-side segment. However, when you consider that Jeep’s comparably powered Wrangler 392 will set you back more than double that (even if only just), it sure seems like a relative bargain. 

If you’d like to learn more or reserve yours now, you can head on over to the Vanderhall website.

About the Author: Gray is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, motorcycles and anything else with wheels. When he’s not chasing the latest industry news, he’s probably wrenching on one of many projects. For better or worse, he believes classics make perfectly practical daily drivers.

Read More

Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? Add Gear Patrol as a preferred source to ensure our independent journalism makes it to the top of your Google search results.

+ Add on Google
,