ATVConnection Reviews the 2015 Kawasaki MULE PRO-FXT

A couple of weeks ago, the nice folks at Kawasaki invited me to Lincoln, Nebraska to test out their new-for-2015 Kawasaki MULE PRO-FXT. After getting really excited about some upcoming UTV seat time, a question began to manifest from the penetralia of my imagination. The MULE, which stands for Multi-Use Light Equipment, is a side-by-side meant to be your trusty assistant while working, but how much fun has been infused into the new MULE PRO-FXT? Can this “man’s best friend” type of vehicle play fetch, too?

The answer is yes. You first realize the MULE wants to play ball when you treat the accelerator pedal like an empty soda can headed to the recycler. OK, it doesn’t have the nightstick-to-cranium power delivery of a Ferrari, but the 812cc three-cylinder, fuel-injected motor generates the type of acceleration that tells your butt cheeks to clench and hang on. Luckily, your cheeks won’t be working that hard to keep you planted in the seat while traversing the rough stuff; in fact, your glutes will actually be pampered. At first glance, the mule’s bench seats appear to be plain, but appearances can be deceiving. Once your bottom hits the padding, you can tell there’s probably some form of space-age foam coddling you. It reminded me of a Tempur-Pedic mattress, as it molded well to my bony backside. Had I been traveling along the section of trail pictured above at, say, 45 mph, threatening the MULE’s automotive-style passenger doors with a good dirt-scraping, then perhaps I would have needed a racing-spec Recaro seat with five-point harnesses, but that’s not what the MULE PRO-FXT is about. This side-by-side is more of a cruiser, but it will play with you if you desire.

At first, the MULE errs on the side of caution, and caters to users less familiar with limit handling. Enter a corner like the bogeyman is hot on your rear bumper, and the MULE will understeer on turn-in. Keep egging it on, however, and the UTV will reward you with a wag of opposite lock. This vehicle is very controllable in tail-out situations. The transition from understeer to oversteer is very smooth; not snappy. Once I had about 17 degrees of opposite-lock dialed in, the MULE really began to impress me with its suspension tuning. The vehicle felt as though it was doing a lot of the work to hold the slide. My steering input and throttle modulation was kept to a minimum. Mind you, we’re not talking about a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 with Performance Traction Management that is using heavy processing power to control a drift — this is simple, organic, good ol’-fashioned chassis tuning done right. Not only did the MULE mind its manners while sliding, but once it held the slide, it felt as though it magically lowered its center of gravity. Suddenly, I became aware of how balanced the vehicle felt, helped in part to its rear-engine configuration, which really speaks to the Porsche 911 enthusiast in me. I did not expect such tantalizing sports-car manners from a UTV. This leads me to believe that at least one of the Kawasaki MULE PRO-FXT’s engineers pictured below owns a Scion FR-S/Toyota 86.

Forgive me if this reads too much like a review of the latest BMW M product, but I am really amazed by how Kawasaki has managed to make a utilitarian vehicle so fun. With this MULE it is apparent Kawasaki believes a putt-putt to the hay bale or wood pile should involve some fun.

Once you’ve had your fun en route to the worksite, the class-leading 48 lb-ft of torque will ensure you have fun getting back. I invited my colleague Jamie Shrum of Humps N’ Horns Bull Riding Magazine, along with four of the Kawasaki engineers, to ride along with me on a few trail loops. I wanted to evaluate how this MULE hauled and handled with a fully occupied cab. First, I looked at how the suspension soaked up the bumps. It didn’t matter if I was flying solo, or if I had six people in the cab — this suspension soaks up bumps and ruts with aplomb. I have no problem nicknaming the MULE’s suspension “ShamWow” … it really is that absorbent.

After the MULE demonstrated its super-absorbency, I was compelled to strain every one of those 48 lb-ft. Flying solo, four-wheel drive engaged, rear diff locked, the MULE can make a molehill out of a mountain. Load the cabin full of human weight, and it climbs a steep grade with a surprising amount of confidence. Sure, it climbs a little more slowly when encumbered with bodies, but the effects of six people weighing you down are less than expected. It’s no surprise, then, that this vehicle can haul 1,000 lbs. in three-passenger mode, and 350 lbs. in six-passenger mode. The MULE also offers a 2,000-lb. towing capacity. If you’re wondering, I was able to hit 34 mph with all those people accompanying me. With a long enough straight, I think I could have achieved 40 mph.

When you’re traveling at the upper reaches of the MULE’s capabilities, sooner or later you are going to have to use the brakes. Nothing to worry about there. Front and rear, Kawasaki is generous: 212mm (8.35-inch) rotors come standard at all four corners. The discs are clamped down by dual-piston calipers up front, and single-piston calipers at the rear. The hydraulic disc brakes did a superb job when I had to stab the hell out of them after barreling through the hay bales to generate plumes of smoke behind me for photographer Kevin Wing. Additionally, the binders worked just fine down the steep grade pictured above. The Kawasaki MULE offers enough stopping power to render a hill-descent control system unnecessary, but the off-roader’s CVT is designed to give you some engine braking downhill to assist the brakes. In order to utilize the CVT’s engine braking function, there has to be a light application of the throttle while heading down the hill. I would love it if the engineers turned up the dial on the engine braking, especially with six riders in the cab. When I first tried engine braking down a steep slope with everyone riding along, we descended the hill a bit too quickly, and I ended up frightening one of the engineers sitting behind me. When we got to the bottom, I heard him utter something in Japanese. Hopefully he said, “Let’s add some more engine braking to the CVT.” In subsequent tries, I was able to develop a better command of the CVT’s engine braking; still, I think there should be more because as it is now, it really isn’t that noticeable.

To you future MULE PRO-FXT owners: just use the brakes — they can handle the steep stuff.

After you’ve had your fun hot-shoeing it to and from the jobsite, the MULE PRO-FXT will continue to impress, especially with its innovative Trans Cab. In six-passenger mode, you get 22 inches of cargo bed length. In three-passenger mode, the bed length increases to 42.7 inches. Kawasaki calls the Trans Cab feature a “1:1:1 system”, meaning it takes one person in one trip around the vehicle less than one minute to convert the cab from a three- to a six-passenger configuration, or vice-versa, all of which can be done with zero tools. In my first attempt, with some assistance to locate the locking/unlocking points, I was able to complete the reconfiguration in exactly one minute. With experience, you can get your time down to about 34 seconds.

Starting at just over $15,000, the MULE is pricey, but with the Trans Cab system, it’s like having two vehicles in one, so if you look at it that way, the MULE offers pretty good value for money. Factor the fun you can have while using it for work, and the Kawasaki MULE PRO-FXT becomes an outstanding choice among the competition.

images [Kevin Wing] exclusives [Manuel Carrillo III]