UTV Tests

-- Is it the new king of UTVs? -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels, Photos by Pat Carrigan. Polaris is coming up with some truly interesting and exceptional machines for 2018. The latest and most extreme in performance is the RZR XP Turbo S. It is a two-seat platform that looks like a redux of the classic RZR XP rolling chassis from the outside. This is a case of beauty being more than skin-deep. Beauty starts with stronger bones for the frame. Polaris says “all-new frame,” though existing bodywork appears to bolt up. As…

-- A new definition of UTV from Mahindra -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels -- Roxor is an all-new UTV built by the Mahindra Automotive Group. No doubt there is something a little familiar about it? Yep, it does look like a classic Jeep CJ-5 or CJ-7. When we first looked at the Roxor, we wondered if it was a smaller-scale vehicle than a CJ, but the Roxor is basically the same footprint. That should not be too big of a surprise. In the early days of Mahindra, the Indian company manufactured Jeeps under license from the…

-- RANCHO RACING'S RADICAL RZR -- By the staff of Dirt Wheel UTV racer Adrian Orellana didn’t drift into the sport by buying a recreational car and gradually adding to it. He bought a brand-new Polaris RZR XP 1000 and immediately tore the entire car apart and delivered the frame to Fabwerx. Fabwerx had no qualms about cutting nearly the entire stock frame away. Basically, Fabwerx started with the two main-frame rails and constructed a new racer from that starting point. Orellana’s race team is Rancho Racing. Rancho…

-- UTV TEST: Family fun for the woods, By the staff of Dirt Wheels -- Have you ever heard of shooting skeet? Two fast-moving clay targets fly across from both the left and the right. The contestants have two shots to hit both targets before they hit the ground and break. With the all-new 2018 Wolverine X4, Yamaha has set a similar task for its design team. Yamaha shot for two targets with the same machine. The first target is rigidly defined. Yamaha wanted the X4 to have the most compact trail presence of any…

-- UTV TEST: Four-seat fun with technology -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels Powersports king Polaris builds one of the best family-fun machines available. Droves of RZR XP 4 1000s rove the deserts and dunes of the western states. Some are filled with passengers enjoying a smooth and fun ride. Others have a single occupant enjoying the smooth, long-wheelbase four-seater’s handling and ride. Polaris has a variety of popular four-seaters, including models with three levels of suspension specification, turbo-inducted…

-- 2018 UTV TEST: Killer Can-Am for under $20,000 -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels, Photos by Pat Carrigan Can-Am has obviously hit a home run with the Maverick X3 platform. When it was released, it came in 64-inch- and 72-inch-wide flavors. In the end, 2017 was a banner year of race wins, championships and sales records for Can-Am. Soon after the initial releases, the Maverick X3 Max followed up with seating for four adrenaline junkies. It only makes sense that Can-Am would leverage the basic X3 platform with a…

-- UTV TEST -- American hot rod style -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels:  Dirt Wheels’ first experience with the Textron Stampede was back when the brand was called Bad Boy. Since then, parent company Textron has changed their name, though the impressive Stampede remains pretty much the same. Even though the Stampede is largely intended as a utility and recreation UTV, we found it pretty sporty, and twice during our time with it, we took it to the dunes. Dune running isn’t exactly what it was designed for, but…

-- As good as it looks --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels, Photos by Pat Carrigan Kawasaki is one of those dependable brands that we are able to trust to build impressive machines. The Teryx lineup has sold very well, and for good reason. It’s a well-built UTV that looks absolutely stunning in the Teryx4 Limited Edition brilliant Lime Green color scheme. The fit and finish are amazing, with automotive-style paint that rivals anything at a car dealer. It made us cry to take it on brushy trails, but we did! The Teryx4 is…

-- The fastest single-seater UTV from Polaris -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels One thing you can say about Polaris is that the company does not sit still. After basically creating the multi-seat sport UTV market, the “Big P” dropped the Ace single-seat unit on us. That first Ace featured the capabilities of a 4x4 quad that you sit in with a roll cage. Next, after a variety of compact Ace models, came the Ace 900 XC that was wider, longer and powerful with more suspension. It is close to the maximum performance you can…

-- Building a special UTV for a Dakar Rally veteran -- A famous racer claimed that the most important 5 inches in racing is the space between your ears. So much of off-road driving and racing is affected by your mind. Former off-road motorcycle star Chris Blais has the mind of a true off-roader and a racer. KTM is a rally powerhouse now, but when the company first got serious about the sport, KTM held tryouts in the desert. Blais impressed enough to earn a spot on the team for the Dakar Rally in South America. He…

-- UTV TEST --   By the staff of Dirt Wheels -- The Kawasaki Mule line has been around for 30 years, and for much of that time these were bare-bones utility machines that were all about work. Then Kawasaki introduced the Mule Pro lineup. Kawasaki fully intended for the Mule Pro line to be better-appointed utility machines but still basically worker bees. It wasn’t long before market research showed that Mule Pro machinery was spending a lot more time on the trail than Kawasaki expected. The new-for-2018 Mule…

-- FIRST RIDE: This Cat likes it rough! -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels Suspension has been a point of pride for Wildcat X models. When the X was first released, the 18 inches of rear-wheel travel and the 17 inches of front-wheel travel set the bar very high for the competition. Now, with Arctic Cat absorbed by Textron Off Road, comes the Wildcat XX—the first truly new high-performance Wildcat in far too long. While the Wildcat shares some residual DNA from the Wildcat X, the XX is a truly new machine built with a…