FIRST RIDE: SEGWAY VILLAIN

Segway Villian

We were finally able to try the preproduction Segway 72-inch Villain sport UTV. There are a few things that will be upgraded on the production model, but we were pleasantly surprised at the performance of the car. It was a brief ride, but we thought the suspension worked well for the variety of terrain we hit including some rock crawling features we did laps on.

Power was pleasantly snappy and energetic, and the 105-horsepower let you have ample fun, but not so much that it will get away from you. Some cars feel sluggish in the Sand Hollow sand areas, but the aggressive stock tires and response made it entertaining. Ergonomics reminded us of the Can-Am Maverick with a low feeling sitting in the car. In our opinion the gearing was a little high in low range. It handled the type of extreme terrain we saw whether it was steep rock slabs and steps or deep sand. It got through everything, but we worry if owners fit larger tires. We benefited from the full differential lock on some intimidating climbs. For trail riding the Villain is a blast.