Roaming The Nith
We spent much of our drive/test time in the Nith River near New Hamburg, ON, and some time on land. Admittedly, even though the max speed in water is about 3 mph, that’s where the fun was. The Aurora provides that option when you have an amphibious vehicle and it is impressive how easy the transition from land to water and back again is. We entered the river in several different spots, many different than the other in steepness and condition of trail, which includes the surface, ranging from mud to gravel to roots to rocks to weeds and sometimes a mixture of two or more of those. The Aurora, thanks to its eight wheels and improved tires did it all.
Part of that improved or better feel for going between water and land can be attributed to the APS (Progressive Steering), which has a four times wider range of steering motion. Of course that helps when you’re riding on land as well as you can negotiate turns and S turns easier. It’s not necessarily any easier to drive the new Aurora with the handlebars on the left side of the vehicle but it does feel more natural. It’s a perception kind of thing.
If you don’t have experience with skid-steer type steering, it does take a little getting used to for sure. We spent the first several minutes of our ride in the Aurora relearning how to steer smoothly. But it doesn’t take long and after that initial relearn we were turning and negotiating the terrain much smoother than when we started.
While it can be said that a traditional side-by-side will go places the ARGO Aurora can’t, the likewise can also be said. We went places where a side-by-side wasn’t going to go. That’s what added a big element of fun and adventure to our ride in Ontario.
Since our ride a year previous to last year’s ride, one difference we did notice (besides the obvious left hand steering) is less heat in the cockpit. ARGO has a new thermal management system in the Aurora which includes thermal insulation and reflective materials and results in a reduction of what you feel inside the vehicle. Notice we didn’t say “no heat,” just “less heat.” We still felt some heat but not like the year before.
But overall, the Aurora is a nice, improved ride. Depending on where you ride, hunt and/or fish, it could be an important option to consider when looking for your next ride.
