just curious as to what the experienced riders out here think the best overall 4x4 trail riding machine is....

or....what is your favorite from your experiences.....

 

You'll get a lot of answers.

I started out with a 2wd Warrior. Quickly found out that I wanted 4wd. Got a Suzuki KQ 300 which seemed 'perfect' at the time. Good, go anywhere quad......slowly. Moved up to a Suzuki Eiger - much better trail machine than the KQ - faster, more controllable etc. Current bike is an Outy 800 - by far the best ride I've ever had. Plenty of power, great suspension, huge fun factor when I want it. I would consider the Outy my ultimate trail machine, the only possible change would be to try out power steering.

That's for me. Others will feel differently.

 

Most comfortable ride is Polaris. CanAm typically has the most HP per cc and a good ride. Yamaha makes a good overall package in the Grizzly. Honda is usually most reliable although all the major makers have good products now. My son loves his CanAm Renegade. Nice mix of power and nimbleness along with 4wd when it's needed. Frame is the weakest of the makers in my mind. But, there are a few companies that make a frame insert to strengthen the box frame. We did this to my son's Renegade. If it were me I'd be looking at a Polaris X2 850 but it's a heavy work oriented quad. Reason Polaris is heavy is they have a very strong frame. Suzuki King Quad is usually about the best bang for the buck. Kawasaki Brute Force is a strong motored quad.

 

I have arthritis in every vertabrae so I need a smooth riding machine. I love my Sportsman but would like to get an XP.

 

it all depends what you're looking to do and do most. if you mostly go fast but also like to go through gnarly terrain, a can-am renegade or scrambler might be your best bet. both can work also, but the can-am has low range also. the wolverine looks like a great tight woods 4wd quad too. for the ultimate in comfort and the quad that started it all, get a sportsman 500. they are selling cheaper now then they did in 96 and are one of the best values on the market and is still pretty fast and can do just about any job thrown at it... anyway, they're all good quads these days!

 

It depends on what you are going to do with it; there are trails and then there are trails. A utiltiy quad with four wheel drive and independant rear suspension seems to fit most applications fairly well. power depends on weight being hauled, speed designed and, well you thirst for power. Yamaha makes a nice overall unit and the 550 or 700 Grizzly will likely not disappoint you.

As many have said - they're all pretty good now.

 

Comfy Womfy = Polaris. I tried them all.

 

Where does Arctic Cat stand in the "overall best" lineup? Cats don't seem to come up very often with "best this, best that" discussions. Apparently their power steering setup came out the latest, but is the best to date. They also get my vote in terms of looks, especially the 700 Limited (Viper Blue paint, aluminum wheels, etc. ARCTIC CAT - 700 LTD). But I have absolutely no experience with new ones.

 

build quality on cats has a lot to be desired in my opinion. that is the obly brand atv i never owned

 

when you say build quality, do you mean the design of the machine ? or the quality of the parts ?

and can you give some example ? thanks