First drive: Team Losi Triple-X4

Radio Control Car Action, Jan 2003 by Sams, Jason

FIRST DRIVE

THE IRONY IS INESCAPABLE; TEAM LOSI'S FIRST 4WD buggy, the Double-X4, spawned the company's first touring car, the Street Weapon. Now the Street Weapon's superior successor, the Triple-XS, has inspired Team Losi's latest vision of 4WD off-road performance-the Triple-X4. The new machine is built around the Triple-XS's innovative, serpentine, single-belt drive-train concept, but the Triple-X4 is no touring-car conversion. The racing cred already established by the prototype Triple-X4 Is proof enough of that. Matt Francis' test proto was the fastest four-wheeler at the 2002 IFMAR Off Road Worlds!

Fast forward to now. Team Losi is set to release the Triple-X4 to racers everywhere, and we have one of the final preproduction versions here for our "First Drive" treatment. The car looks polished, and if it performs as we expect, the 4WD class can expect a new surge of activity-kind of like the big shove it was given when Losi's first four-wheeler came out!

DRIVING THE TRIPLE-X4

THE BUGGY I had the chance to drive was a preproduction car that Team Los! could spare for only a short time, so I tested the car just as it had been equipped by Losi with Taper Pin tires and a hot mode motor. In only a lap, I realized that this new car felt more responsive than any other 4WD buggy I have ever tested. The efficiency of the single-belt drive train was very obvious when I pulled the trigger and the car accelerated effortlessly. The car launched powerfully yet was manageable and stable. The buggy felt feathery light and on edge as it floated over the whoops and moguls at our test track, Losi's supplied red-compound Taper Pins would have been great for a hard-packed track with lots of traction, but our track's loamy surface caused the car to feel a little loose; it slid in corners, but the drift was very controllable. A tire change to larger knobbies would have kept the rear end In check, but the Triple-X4 felt pretty good anyway. Any buggy that is easy to drive on a loose surface is sure to get better as traction improves, so the Triple-X4 will definitely be a top handler.

After exploring the buggy's handling characteristics in the corners, I tested its jumping ability. I was surprised at how well the suspension was able to suck up the landings while giving added push on lift-offs-a big help for tight technical doubles. I blipped the throttle, and the car leaped over jumps effortlessly. After running through a few packs on the track, I can say that the Triple-X4 is a capable racer and exciting to drive.