THAT NEW UTV SMELL

— And other memorable aromas —

By Joe Kosch —

UTVing in fun, challenging or scenic terrain is so full of memorable sights and sensations, it’s a little hard to believe that smells may create the most lasting memories of all, but there’s plenty of scientific evidence to support that opinion. There’s no telling what you’ll remember about the UTVing you’re doing now in 10 or 20 years, but there’s a good chance the smells associated with UTVs could connect you with some powerful memories. Here are some memorable UTV smells most of us can relate to.

UTV dealership smell. This is usually connected to some of the best memories anyone could have, like the excitement of seeing new machines, or when you got your first new UTV, or your second or third. If you broke the complex dealership aroma down, the ingredients like the smell of new tires, paint, plastic and maybe some fuel, shop chemicals and exhaust from the service department would probably show up in the ingredients. Whatever is in there, I like it.

New UTV smell. You’d think UTV dealership smell and new UTV smell would be the same, but they’re not. Once you’re actually in a new UTV, the combined smells of all those new interior materials are hard to forget. Go for that first drive and heat releases some special smells as the new engine warms and cooks off corrosion inhibitors. Exhaust heat makes the exhaust pipes and silencer packing give off their own smells. If new UTV smell isn’t the smell of good times, I don’t know what is.

New oil smell. Treating your UTV to regular oil changes is one of the best ways to repay it for all the enjoyable miles of driving it provides. For some reason, I and lots of people who enjoy working on machines like to smell the oil they’re putting in their machines’ engines. Oil manufacturers know it, and they perfume their products with all sorts of scents—from bubblegum to strawberry—along with more subtle technical smells that make oils memorable.

Blown-up engine smell. Not all unforgettable UTV smells are good. As reliable as most UTVs are, sometimes the stress of racing or the consequences of careless maintenance causes a catastrophic engine failure and a cloud of burned-oil smell that you’ll always remember.

Burnt drive-belt smell. The continuously variable automatic transmissions most UTVs use do almost everything for you, except stop you from abusing the drive belt. If you insist on doing what your machine’s owner’s manual says you shouldn’t, you’ll be greeted by the smell of burning rubber, and maybe a shorter ride than you planned on.

The smell of the terrain you’re riding. Because they conquer challenging terrain so well, UTVs can bring you to places that most people never get to. On your way, you can enjoy fresher air than you find in civilized areas, the scent of high-elevation pine forests, desert soil after a rain or other memorable smells. I never realized how much I liked the smell of the rich soil from the eastern and southern states on a hot engine until I’d been away from it for a while.

As UTVing becomes more popular, some of the smells of UTVing might even find their way to car air fresheners, cologne or perfume. I wouldn’t mind a new-UTV air freshener in my truck, but nothing beats getting the smells of UTVing with all the other sensations behind the wheel of a UTV.