A Look Back At the SxS That Started It All

A look back in time.

If someone asked you to name the first side-by-side of all time, how would you answer? It’s a simple question with a very difficult answer. Why so tough? Because a lot of qualifies as a SxS has been around since the very earliest off-road vehicles – and no, we aren’t talking about the Honda US90 from the early 1970s, either.

Some of the very first machines built to tackle trails seated multiple occupants, were multiple-wheel-drive, many had roofs or roll bars. Further muddying things up is the fact that dedicated utility vehicles (UTVs) like the Kawasaki MULE were around for decades now.

Any one of these answers wouldn’t be incorrect.

Perhaps the vehicle closest to kicking off what we now consider the modern SxS would be the Yamaha Rhino 660. The concept of sitting two abreast and enjoying 4×4 performance may not have been invented with the Rhino but Yamaha knew bringing over a lot of their then-current ATV goodies into a chassis that resembled a small Jeep would fill a void in the market. Like all new innovations – the idea would either go on to great success or silently sink into the annals of time.

As we know now, it was the former for the Rhino and before long every brand had something similar on their line. Of course, these days the SxS market has become so massive that we have specialized machines from which to choose: Those configured for work, mud, sand, racing etc.

But let’s take a moment to look at that original Rhino, which was produced from 2004-2007. It maintained its 660cc mill, independent rear suspension, locking front differential and bulletproof reliability for all four years of its life before an update that bumped the displacement up to 700cc for 2008 (to 2012).

2004 Yamaha Rhino 660 Automatic 4×4 SPECS
ENGINE
Type 660cc, 4-Stroke Single, Liquid Cooled w/Fan, 5-Valve SOHC
Bore x Stroke 100mm x 84mm
Compression Ratio 9.1:1
Carburetion Mikuni 42mm BSR
Ignition DC-CDI
Starting System Electric
Transmission Yamaha Ultramatic V-Belt w/All-Wheel Engine Braking; Hi,Lo,N,R
Drive Train Yamaha On-Command Push Button 3-Way Locking Differential, 2WD/4WD/4WD Lock; Shaft
CHASSIS
Suspension/Front Independent Double Wishbone, 7.3” of Travel w/5-way Preload Adjustment
Suspension/Rear Independent Double Wishbone, 7.3” of Travel w/5-way Preload Adjustment
Brakes/Front Dual Hydraulic Disc, Twin Piston
Brakes/Rear Hydraulic Disc, Self Adjusting, Shaft Mounted
Tires/Front AT25x8-12
Tires/Rear AT25x10-12
DIMENSIONS
L x W x H 112.2” x 54.1” x 73.6”
Wheelbase 75.3″
Turning Radius 153.5″
Ground Clearance 12.1”
Fuel Capacity 8.5 Gallons
Dry Weight 1049 Lbs.
Bed Capacity 400 Lbs.
Towing Capacity 1,202 Lbs.
OTHER
Instrumentation Fuel Gauge, 4WD Indicator Lights
Lighting Dual 30W Multi-Reflector Headlights & Dual 21/5W Brake Lights
DC Outlet Standard
Colors Hunter Green, Realtree High-Definition Hardwoods Hunter Edition
Warranty 6 Month (Limited Factory Warranty)

While 660cc is considered on the small side for SxS engine displacement these days, during its early years, the 660 actually represented the big brother of the line, with a more affordable 450cc option have been available from 2006-2009.