New Member needs advice which UTV to buy! Help me!

[steventhorn33]

Hello Everyone,

My name is Steven and I am from Oklahoma. I just sold my Harley Davidson. I sold it because we had a friend killed in a accident close to the family. I am using the cash to buy a UTV. I am going to be using it for hunting purposes. I need every ones opinion on what I should buy. Pros Vs. Cons. I dont want to start an arguement. Everyone's opinion will be read and considered. Please help. This is a very big decision and the financial commitment is huge. I want to know what Make and model would best suit my needs. I will be doing the following with it and have it in following conditions:

1.Hunting

2.Haulling material (in bed and trailer)

3.Possible multiple passengers

4.Needs winch

5.I will need attachments (mowing attachment, plowing attachments, disc attachments, etc)

6. possible windshield and cab enclosure

7. tilt bed with 600 bed weight capacity

8. towing capacity 1000 lbs.

9. bigtime horsepower

I look forward to everyones advice. I hope I can get atleast a couple. Thank you for your time!

[rocmoc]

Get a used Yamaha Rhino. Lots of used ones and great machine for the uses you have stated. Lots of aftermarket attachments available.

rocmoc n AZ/Baja

[steventhorn33]

OK, Thanks. Anything else you can think of?

Get a used Yamaha Rhino. Lots of used ones and great machine for the uses you have stated. Lots of aftermarket attachments available.

rocmoc n AZ/Baja

[rocmoc]

Rhino is going to be the best deal for the dollar. There are couple different motor sizes but only diff is mostly top speed. They all preform well. There is a lot out there so find a deal.

rocmoc n AZ/Baja

[rocmoc]

Bump

[Dawn]

Get a used Yamaha Rhino. Lots of used ones and great machine for the uses you have stated. Lots of aftermarket attachments available.

rocmoc n AZ/Baja

Just a Little FYI, Yammaha Rhino's may be having a re-call on their machines, especially the used ones. Alot of death's and accidents reported. Not trying to discourage, but been reading a few articles about it, and poor design. It tips easy, (from what I'm reading and doing research on)

[Darryl]

Just a Little FYI, Yammaha Rhino's may be having a re-call on their machines, especially the used ones. Alot of death's and accidents reported. Not trying to discourage, but been reading a few articles about it, and poor design. It tips easy, (from what I'm reading and doing research on)

For hunting or utility purposes, the Yamaha Rhino is far from being the best machine. It only has a 400lb bed capacity and doesn't have a 2inch receiver hitch as which most aftermarket rear implements need.

1.Hunting

2.Haulling material (in bed and trailer)

3.Possible multiple passengers

4.Needs winch

5.I will need attachments (mowing attachment, plowing attachments, disc attachments, etc)

6. possible windshield and cab enclosure

7. tilt bed with 600 bed weight capacity

8. towing capacity 1000 lbs.

9. bigtime horsepower

Based on what you are looking for, I would say, you need to look at either a Polaris Ranger, Arctic Cat Prowler HDX or John Deere XUV 825i. All 3 of these machines have 600-1000lb bed capacity, are suitable and outfittable for hunting, have rear implement attachments available, have 44mph+ top speeds and have the ability to use receiver mounted winches that can be wired to work both in front and back. All 3 have bench seating available for 3 persons.

So give serious thought to these 3 before accepting the Rhino. The Rhino is a fair sport and light utility machine, but not near having the capabilities that you requested.

[jpm]

For hunting or utility purposes, the Yamaha Rhino is far from being the best machine. It only has a 400lb bed capacity and doesn't have a 2inch receiver hitch as which most aftermarket rear implements need.

Based on what you are looking for, I would say, you need to look at either a Polaris Ranger, Arctic Cat Prowler HDX or John Deere XUV 825i. All 3 of these machines have 600-1000lb bed capacity, are suitable and outfittable for hunting, have rear implement attachments available, have 44mph+ top speeds and have the ability to use receiver mounted winches that can be wired to work both in front and back. All 3 have bench seating available for 3 persons.

So give serious thought to these 3 before accepting the Rhino. The Rhino is a fair sport and light utility machine, but not near having the capabilities that you requested.

Look into the club car XRT 1550 , we own one and it the most durable thing we have ever owned, it will tow what ever you want, go where ever , its pricey but worth every penny , i have the intellitach version with the kubota desiel full time 4x4.

[brostar]

I have done a reasonable amount of research into the pros & cons of each UTV model against each other and feel I can add a bit here. I’m also a Joyner man through and through, so will only comment on the mentioned models.

Of the UTV models mentioned so far you can forget the Rhino for your needs. It would score high on 4,5,6 in standard form and 9 with big time $. The Rhino would score low on 1,2,3,7,8 and 9. (9 in standard form) The Rhino gets a 10 for cab enclosures and windshields because this UTV is well catered for with all aftermarket parts.

The Prowler would score high on 1 if it was just for small game like birds and rabbits. The Prowlers weakness is towing, hauling and poor quality and strength with it’s receiver hitch. The only thing going for a Prowler is good power.

The John Deer Gator 825i is the real deal for hunting. It scores highly for all you needs. The engine is very solid and is built to last. It has a good size tray, power to tow and load your bed. Out of the five so far, this would be my pick. The engine in this Gator, separates it from all other Gators and takes it to a new level.

Now the Club Car 1550. Really happy to see one of it’s owners on UTV Boards. These machines are true work horses and the only reason it did not beat the John Deere is the low score for enclosures & windshields (you can get them, but they are more expensive and you have a small choice compared to the Gator) and it is down on power from the Gator. The Kubota Diesel in the Club Car is a mighty engine and what it looses in speed it makes up for in low down power. The Intellitach system gives this UTV a 10 out of 10 for requirement 5.

I did the Ranger on it’s 800 2011 model. Other Ranger models in past years would of scored a lot lower. It would of come in front of the Gator if it wasn’t for the powerful Gator engine. The best engine out of the whole lot and one that will be going the longest is the Gators. You could drive this for decades I reckon.

I’ll rate the models mentioned below from 1 to 10.

1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8---9---Out of a poss. 90

6---2---2---9---9--10--2---1---4--- Rhino=45

6---3---1---6---6---3---4---3---8--- Prowler=38

8---9---8---8---9---9---9---9---9--- JD 825i=77

8---8---8---8--10--3---9---9---7--- Club Car 1550=70

8---9---8---8---8--10--9---9---7--- Polaris Ranger=76

1.Hunting

2.Hauling material (in bed and trailer)

3.Possible multiple passengers

4.Needs winch

5.I will need attachments (mowing attachment, ploughing attachments, disc attachments, etc)

6. possible windshield and cab enclosure

7. tilt bed with 600 bed weight capacity

8. towing capacity 1000 lbs.

9. big time horsepower

Steven, sorry to here about your friend and I hope this help you make up your mind. You might also like to look at some websites like http://www.utvguide.net/ but they will always be one eyed towards the big brands. Specifications speak volumes.

Cheers Mike

[Darryl]

I have done a reasonable amount of research into the pros & cons of each UTV model against each other and feel I can add a bit here. I’m also a Joyner man through and through, so will only comment on the mentioned models.

Of the UTV models mentioned so far you can forget the Rhino for your needs. It would score high on 4,5,6 in standard form and 9 with big time $. The Rhino would score low on 1,2,3,7,8 and 9. (9 in standard form) The Rhino gets a 10 for cab enclosures and windshields because this UTV is well catered for with all aftermarket parts.

The Prowler would score high on 1 if it was just for small game like birds and rabbits. The Prowlers weakness is towing, hauling and poor quality and strength with it’s receiver hitch. The only thing going for a Prowler is good power.

The John Deer Gator 825i is the real deal for hunting. It scores highly for all you needs. The engine is very solid and is built to last. It has a good size tray, power to tow and load your bed. Out of the five so far, this would be my pick. The engine in this Gator, separates it from all other Gators and takes it to a new level.

Now the Club Car 1550. Really happy to see one of it’s owners on UTV Boards. These machines are true work horses and the only reason it did not beat the John Deere is the low score for enclosures & windshields (you can get them, but they are more expensive and you have a small choice compared to the Gator) and it is down on power from the Gator. The Kubota Diesel in the Club Car is a mighty engine and what it looses in speed it makes up for in low down power. The Intellitach system gives this UTV a 10 out of 10 for requirement 5.

I did the Ranger on it’s 800 2011 model. Other Ranger models in past years would of scored a lot lower. It would of come in front of the Gator if it wasn’t for the powerful Gator engine. The best engine out of the whole lot and one that will be going the longest is the Gators. You could drive this for decades I reckon.

I’ll rate the models mentioned below from 1 to 10.

1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8---9---Out of a poss. 90

6---2---2---9---9--10--2---1---4--- Rhino=45

6---3---1---6---6---3---4---3---8--- Prowler=38

8---9---8---8---9---9---9---9---9--- JD 825i=77

8---8---8---8--10--3---9---9---7--- Club Car 1550=70

8---9---8---8---8--10--9---9---7--- Polaris Ranger=76

1.Hunting

2.Hauling material (in bed and trailer)

3.Possible multiple passengers

4.Needs winch

5.I will need attachments (mowing attachment, ploughing attachments, disc attachments, etc)

6. possible windshield and cab enclosure

7. tilt bed with 600 bed weight capacity

8. towing capacity 1000 lbs.

9. big time horsepower

Steven, sorry to here about your friend and I hope this help you make up your mind. You might also like to look at some websites like http://www.utvguide.net/ but they will always be one eyed towards the big brands. Specifications speak volumes.

Cheers Mike

Mike, I beg to differ with your analysis greatly. There are many areas in your evaluation that seem to be subjective of your own opinons.

You rate the Prowler only a 6 on hunting while the Gator and others rate 8. I have 5 customers that are professional hunting outfitter guides, they all chose the Prowler over the others. I will agree, the XTZ and XTX only carry 600lbs, but the HDX Prowler, which is geared to compete against the John Deere and the Ranger, also carries 1000lbs and has Fox Adjustable Shocks. The John Deere Gator XUV825i can have the Fox Shocks put on as it is an option.

Possible cab enclosure, you only gave the Prowler a 3??? Why, there are more cab options both thru AC and aftermarket for a cab than there are for a Gator.

And cheaper priced at that. Seizmik and AC both produce nice soft cabs, and AC has a hard cab available.

And the Prowler has a bench seat option as does the Gator, but the Ranger has the 6 seat option, but at a major sacrifice to off-road capability.

And why would the Prowler need a winch, it has more wheel travel and about the same ground clearance as the others, plus it uses detroit locker style diffs. Why do you think that most magazine testors say the Cat is the best mud machine out there.

And horsepower... you really are off base there, the Cat XTZ produces approx 70hp, the John Deere XUV825i produces 55, the Ranger makes 52 to 54hp.

And you list that the Prowler has less attachments than the others... AC has lots more attachments than the Gator or Club Car.

I didn't speak much about the club car because it's not really much competition in this market. I do know what I'm talking about with the others, I'm a John Deere and Arctic Cat dealer as well as having spent much time in the seat of a Ranger and have been involved with UTV development.

The John Deere Gator XUV825i, Prowler HDX or XTZ and the Ranger would all be good, viable options for Steven. He needs to go to each dealer and drive them, talk with the dealers and find what he feels most comfortable with. He needs to talk to customers of those dealers and find out which ones stand behind their product and will support him as the consumer. That is probably more important than almost any other factor in choosing a side-by-side.

A great machine can be ruined by a bad dealer.

Steven, it's been a few months since you first requested opinons, I do hope you have talked with many dealers and have or are finding good dealers that will take care of you and your UTV needs.

[brostar]

Darryl, good response to my post and what that tells me is that I need to research and quote on only the latest model released. You deserve an in-depth explanation on my ratings and thats just what I will give you. What I have said still stands, all be it a bit reckless in not quoting the latest model and most powerful engine in its line up. I was lazing in quoting older models to speed my post up. I was reckless yes, but not subjective of my own opinions, very much based on specifications and performance for each model I quoted.I was quoting a 09 Rhino 700 so had a look at the upgrades and not a lot has changed. Those marks stand.

The A.Cat I quoted on was also out of date. It was the A.Cat Prowler 700XTX from a couple of years ago. I didnt think much of it then, but with the 2011 updates and a new model called a 700HDX, it is a far more capable machine, but still a lot I dont like.

The Gator, Club Car and Ranger were all based on the latest model available.

I suspect that in your post, you are talking about the A.Cat XTZ with the 950cc engine. With this engine you would rank higher in 9 Big Time Horsepower, but I would like to pick up on a few things you have said.

All UTVs should have a winch and I quoted on that. The A.Cat XTZ has got only 10 of ground clearance, it needs a winch, no amount of H.P will pull you out if you have beached the bottom and with only 10 you will find it beached often in my terrain.

The Gator rates higher for hunting because of its higher towing and payload capacity. UTV Guide rate the A.Cat XTZ 950cc, 3 out of 10 for centre of gravity rating and that is very poor. This rating is bad, due to the low ground clearance and very high seat height of 34 . What will happen if you are loaded to your limit with a couple of hogs or deer in the tray and you go around a corner to fast? Thats why I said its good for birds and rabbits.

Why did I give the Prowler 3 out of 10 for Cab Enclosures and Windshields. Im in the business of selling enclosures and windshields . I have asked my manufactures about the Artic Cat and why we dont stock them and it comes down to numbers. There is not a lot of call for them. John Deere on the other hand is well catered for by us and every other enclosure manufacture out there. We sell 10 different J.Deere enclosure configurations in 5 different colours (that = 50 J.D Enclosures)

including 3 Camo colours. We have no Artic Cat enclosures, however I wished we did. We will be adding Artic Cat this year.

The fuel economy for the A.Cat 700 or 950cc models is far poorer than the Gators, that means either you go further with the Gators superior fuel economy or you need to carry fuel cans for the Cats at the risk of tainting your game.

The Gator and Cat can not compete against the Club Cars Intellitach system for attachments and the Cat gets a low score because of its poor quality and strength with its receiver hitch.

As you sell both models, I hope this gives you food for thought anyway.

Personal, I dont like Rhinos or Artic Cats so am I one eyed? Could be, but the problem is you can not hide or change each UTVs specifications. Specs are facts and I have only used specs on each vehicle.

See http://www.utvguide.net/utv_comparison.htm and look on the comparison chart. When you read this, UTV Guide agrees with what I say about the Prowlers. The Cat had the lowest ground clearance the lowest score for centre of gravity, dam near the highest price. Further reading below this adds against the Prowler, a minus on weight, minus on seat height, they gave it a minus on width, Ill disagree and give it a thumps up here, a minus on locking/unlocking the diff and a big minus for its hitch (I would not tow an empty trailer with a A. Cat).

Given what you said about the bench seat option, I did not know that and will add another 7 points. Big time H.P another 1. There is no beating the fact that you have 5 pro hunting guides that have brought Artic Cat Prowlers off you, so Im willing to up Hunting up to a solid 8. That gives you a total of 51 out of 90.

Sorry Darryl, but there it is.

Cheers Mike.

[Darryl]

Darryl, good response to my post and what that tells me is that I need to research and quote on only the latest model released. You deserve an in-depth explanation on my ratings and that’s just what I will give you. What I have said still stands, all be it a bit reckless in not quoting the latest model and most powerful engine in it’s line up. I was lazing in quoting older models to speed my post up. I was reckless yes, but not subjective of my own opinions, very much based on specifications and performance for each model I quoted.I was quoting a 09 Rhino 700 so had a look at the upgrades and not a lot has changed. Those marks stand.

The A.Cat I quoted on was also out of date. It was the A.Cat Prowler 700XTX from a couple of years ago. I didn’t think much of it then, but with the 2011 updates and a new model called a 700HDX, it is a far more capable machine, but still a lot I don’t like.

The Gator, Club Car and Ranger were all based on the latest model available.

I suspect that in your post, you are talking about the A.Cat XTZ with the 950cc engine. With this engine you would rank higher in 9 – Big Time Horsepower, but I would like to pick up on a few things you have said.

All UTVs should have a winch and I quoted on that. The A.Cat XTZ has got only 10” of ground clearance, it needs a winch, no amount of H.P will pull you out if you have beached the bottom and with only 10” you will find it beached often in my terrain.

The Gator rates higher for hunting because of it’s higher towing and payload capacity. UTV Guide rate the A.Cat XTZ 950cc, 3 out of 10 for centre of gravity rating and that is very poor. This rating is bad, due to the low ground clearance and very high seat height of 34” . What will happen if you are loaded to your limit with a couple of hogs or deer in the tray and you go around a corner to fast? That’s why I said it’s good for birds and rabbits.

Why did I give the Prowler 3 out of 10 for Cab Enclosures and Windshields. I’m in the business of selling enclosures and windshields . I have asked my manufactures about the Artic Cat and why we don’t stock them and it comes down to numbers. There is not a lot of call for them. John Deere on the other hand is well catered for by us and every other enclosure manufacture out there. We sell 10 different J.Deere enclosure configurations in 5 different colours (that = 50 J.D Enclosures)

including 3 Camo colours. We have no Artic Cat enclosures, however I wished we did. We will be adding Artic Cat this year.

The fuel economy for the A.Cat 700 or 950cc models is far poorer than the Gators, that means either you go further with the Gators superior fuel economy or you need to carry fuel cans for the Cats at the risk of tainting your game.

The Gator and Cat can not compete against the Club Car’s Intellitach system for attachments and the Cat gets a low score because of it’s poor quality and strength with it’s receiver hitch.

As you sell both models, I hope this gives you food for thought anyway.

Personal, I don’t like Rhinos or Artic Cats so am I one eyed? Could be, but the problem is you can not hide or change each UTV’s specifications. Specs are facts and I have only used specs on each vehicle.

See http://www.utvguide.net/utv_comparison.htm and look on the comparison chart. When you read this, UTV Guide agrees with what I say about the Prowlers. The Cat had the lowest ground clearance the lowest score for centre of gravity, dam near the highest price. Further reading below this adds against the Prowler, a minus on weight, minus on seat height, they gave it a minus on width, I’ll disagree and give it a thumps up here, a minus on locking/unlocking the diff and a big minus for it’s hitch (I would not tow an empty trailer with a A. Cat).

Given what you said about the bench seat option, I did not know that and will add another 7 points. Big time H.P another 1. There is no beating the fact that you have 5 pro hunting guides that have brought Artic Cat Prowlers off you, so I’m willing to up Hunting up to a solid 8. That gives you a total of 51 out of 90.

Sorry Darryl, but there it is.

Cheers Mike.

Nothing to be sorry about. I still disagree with you on much. i know Jon Crowley of UTVGuide.net. His comparisons are outdated, most of them based on older machines and as evidenced by many more recent arcticles and tests, the Prowler isn't as bad on center of gravity as you stated. In fact, before it shut down, SideXSide Action Magazine did a test between a Prowler XTZ, a RZR-S and a Teryx Sport. The Prowler won. It was the fastest around the race track of the 3. Yes, it sits higher, but the testors also said it was the most predictable of the 3 on corners and was easy to control if you pushed it too far.

As for the engine power, even the Prowler XTX 700 is rated at 54 horsepower. Still up there. And ground clearance, the others are within an inch of the Prowler in GC. Plus, the Arctic Cat is the only one that features a ride in suspension, which is very similar in reaction to what a desert race car does. If you want to, you can do the same as the Gator and Ranger, and crank the suspension right up there to 13 inches ground clearance, much more than the Gator or Ranger are capable of.

Why a minus on weight for the Prowler, it is much lighter than the Gator and the same as the Ranger. If you compare it to the RZR, then yes, the RZR is a much lighter machine. But the RZR can't carry much load. And I don't know where you are getting the fuel economy ratings, the Prowler 1000 easily gets 140 miles off it's tank of 8 gallons, about the same as the Ranger.

Cabs, I've sold lots of cabs for the Prowlers. Curtis Cab makes them, Mammoth makes them, Seizmik makes them and AC makes 2 versions for them. I know, I'm a dealer for all those and I also sell cabs for other brands.

Oh, and the winch, Arctic Cat uses Warn winches. And the Cats are the easiest to wire up and install of most brands...I know, I sell Warn and other brands and we do a lot of installs on other brands.

Top that off with the fact that ATV Magazine just chose the Arctic Cat XTZ as it's machine of the year in the sport/work combo field. Over Can Am, over Ranger, over Rhino, over Gator XUV825i, over them all....

Oh, and try to load 1000lbs in the Ranger, it squats bad compared to the Gator. And in the pull drag test, the Ranger burned out their belt after two drag sled pulls, the Gator pulled several times further. The Cat's pull great too, and I don't know where you get your info on the hitch, the Cat uses a 2" receiver compared to most others 1.25" receiver. The Cat's is tough and even comes standard with a front 2" hitch.

I have spent many years, invovled with UTV's, from evaluating them, testing them and building them. For Stevens use, I would rate them Gator XUV825i first, Prowler HDX second, Ranger third, and the others (Prowler XTZ included) woudn't even receive a rating.

But as I said, the real test is in the Dealer.

We will all have our opinons and thoughts, but look at a much wider base of technical data and testing, look at more recent testing results. Early on, Cat didn't have the best repoire with testors and it showed. But now, Cat has earned the respect of many magazine test folk and writers. Joey DiGiovanni has written many positive articles in UTV Off-Road magazine and on UTVUnderground.com. I know Joey and Jon Crowley, and we have chatted often on these. In fact, some of the photos that Jon used in his UTVGuide articles on the Prowler, were my photos, as I had access to them before many in the magazine field. I helped Joey D get his demo Gator to use around his ranch in Cali. I have contacts to the folks in the know in John Deere and Arctic Cat. In fact, you will probably see my name invovled with race programs from AC and maybe in the future from John Deere (yes, John Deere is getting into desert racing with a full team, they will have a sport version Gator out very soon, and I can say it's awesome...specs that'll blow most out there away).

[brostar]

Darryl, excellent reply and thanks for taking the time to debate this for all of us here. You obviously know Artic Cat better than me, you have the passion for the brand and I like that. I have used Sides X Sides Data, as I have Jon Crowleys on UTV Guide to help put together a UTV comparison myself that I published on my website a couple of years ago. What you have shown me, is all the old data maybe out of date and I need to work on it or take it down. Ill take it down for now regardless. Thanks for that. I do use Jons two websites UTV Guide and UTV Weekly for updates on new models as they appear. Jon Crowley and Charlene Bower put together what I reckon is the best on-line UTV magazine with UTV Weekly. If Jon's data with Artic Cat is out of date, then Im out of date too. It wouldnt be that out-dated IMHO.

To reply to you and carry on the debate, the minus on the weight for the Prowler was from a Quote on UTV Guides comparison with sport UTVs. I happen to agree with you here and will say that weight is not a problem for the Cat. I take that back.

I will stick to what I said about fuel economy. How is it that the Gators fuel economy is better that the Cats when you consider that the Cat is lighter with a more powerful engine. If I didnt know the answer then I would say the heavier UTV with the smaller engine would have to work harder to do the same as the lighter more powerful UTV and in doing so, burn more fuel. Its actually the other way around and heres why.

The Cats engine is powerful but its drive train has to work really hard to get that performance. Its only got two pistons, four valves and a SOHC configuration. The Gator has three pistons, twelve valves and a more efficient DOHC engine configuration. 10,000 miles from new, you will have one type of engine outlasting the other and that would be the more efficient drive train outlasting the other one. There is no hiding from that. So the Gators fuel economy and engine life is a clear winner.

I had a look on the internet and I stand what I said about the enclosures. You however sell three types of A.Cat enclosures, so this is not a problem for you.

Warn winches are one of the best, not sure about the easiest to wire up, Joyners are pre-wired front and rear and slot right into the front or rear hitches. They arent Warn winches though.

The info on the hitch for the Gator came from the Side X Side shoot outs. The first time they tested below the rated value, the hitch broke on a brand new A.Cat unit. Jon also states in UTV Guide for the latest Cat (copy & paste) The Arctic Cat Prowler Hitch is 2", but is not strong enough to handle much of a load. This is what I understand too. If this info is out of date, good to here it, but I have not got proof that this is the case.

Good advice about the dealer for Steven and I get the feeling you would be in that category as one of the better dealers out there. For me, A.Cats just dont do it, as good as the 950cc maybe, but thats preference too. Plus I dont think Jon Crowley would be to far out of date, but stand to be corrected.

I would love to see more Cats racing and I know with the 950cc engine they will do very well. The Gator wont touch the Cat here, but also excited to here from you that Gators will soon be part of the racing action. Please keep us up to date with the progress.

Cheers Mike.

[Darryl]

Thanks for the reply Mike, I can agree that we are pretty close now in agreement on much of what is said.

I will tell you one thing that you will like, the new John Deere Gator XUV 825i, uses a Cheery motor, almost the same as the Joyner. Difference is, John Deere does it's own quality control and has made a few design and production changes.

The 3 cylinder in the Gator is by far a better engine than most, just needs to pare down on weight. I like how it sounds more like a small compact car rather than a cycle engine.

Jon's info comes from the original Prowler XTZ release. Joey D with UTVUnderground has a much more thorough review, having attended Arctic Cat's press release rides, which included a multi-day trip to the edge of the Grand Canyon by UTV. Check it out in the latest issue of UTV Off Road Magazine that just hit the newsstands.

I see the future of UTVs being even more exciting, especially with Arctic Cat's new sport machine coming out in June '11 and Deere coming out with a sport machine...

spy shot of new sport Deere...photo taken inside quanset huts at Deere's Washington test facility.

Desert runner based on an XUV825i, built by DragonFire Racing for Deere...

Thanks for the discussion Mike...

[brostar]

I agree and nothing like a good clean healthy debate. We didn’t even get to swear at each other. I did know about the Chery engine. I sold a Joyner Renegade to a farmer early last year and in six months put 5000 km on the clock. He had a few issues such as a master brake cylinder, but the engine was fine as it is now. I’m from New Zealand and over here most farmers use ATV Quad Bikes to do most of the work around the farm like towing 1/2 tonne feed out trailers, the result is the Quad bike is a spent force within a year. UTVs can handle the abuse far better the ATVs will. Plus with the high fatality with Quads in NZ too, even fun parks that hire out Quads are re-thinking.

Like you, I see a very bright future with UTVs. I hear all the time in the States that larger 4WD vehicles like Jeeps are getting sold and replaced with UTVs because they can’t keep up with their buddies on the trails who own a UTV. I personally would rather have an average UTV than the best ATV.

Thanks for the photos, wow, very nice. J.D is looking to get some customers back and I think they are well on their way. The Hood, Lights and Doors are a winner for sure. The Dragonfire Gator looks bloody good, but these guys could make on old Mule look nice. Not as hot as this Gator though. I can’t wait to see the new A.Cat Sport model too.

Stay in touch Darryl and thanks once again for the spy photos and our discussion.

With all this rambling on between us, Steven has probably gone out and brought another Harley.

Cheers Mike.

[rocmoc]

With everything you two have said I am now going to jump in.

IMHO, The Rhino is still a great machine. When we were at the UTV Rally in Moab, the Rhino climbed on the slick rock as well as any other brand there. Dollar for dollar on the used market, it is a very good deal!

Like Kinarfi said in another topic, the best UTV is the one you own and especially if it it paid for, LOL! AND I agree!

Enjoyed the great info in your post.

rocmoc n AZ