I'm toying with the idea of adding a 2nd to the stable,
uses will be mainly as a quad that my girls & wife can ride, then I can use as a backup when I need it.
They prefer automatic trans, but it really makes no diffrence to me. all of these are going to be within about 200-300$ of each other in price,
I realize that all are 2wd, but for my purposes, that is fine. I really don't need 4wd
I know that they all will NOT compare to my prarie 650 in performance, but I'm not expecting them to.
all except the quest weight from 550-575 lbs, quest is 750 lbs.
I'm more familiar with the brake setup on the prarie 650, so the 360 is the same.
if an automatic I would prefer high/low range, I know the kodiak does not have this.
I prefer disk brakes over drums, liquid cooled over air, oil/air cooled over air only
not really brand loyal, just looking for best bang for $$$$, if honda, it will be Manual shift.
what can I expect for top end on each of these?
how light is the steering?
any experience with each of them?
plusses and minuses for each?
this will be more of a trail bike than pure utility, the 650 is the work bike
will it pose a problem for the kids to ride it, probally not the oldest, or the wife, but what about the youngest (12), & oldest 16?
I don't want to get one too small that I can't use as a backup for my needs.
Looking for something that would open up trail riding for the family.
thanks for your input

 

My Suzuki Eiger 400 4x4 has been great, and fun to drive. It doesnt look like a 400cc ATV at all, it weighs about 577lbs. It has plenty of power to offer also, i have 26" Vamps on it and it still gets down when i hit the throttle.

 

The rancher 2wheel drive manual shift actually weighs just under 500lbs.They steer very light and are qite easy to manouver.I had a 4x4es before buying my rubicon and found it to be extremely dependable and easy on fuel.

 

Oh and the Top end on my Eiger is about 52-55mph, with tires i dont know havent tryed yet and probbaly wont.

 

Of your list, I'd eliminate the Quest due to the weight. 750 pounds could be tough for many women and a real challenge for either a 12 or 16 year old.

I'd also cross off the Big Bear, simply because the Kodiak is a better bike for similar dollars.

These bikes were all available when I bought my Eiger, so that would be my first choice. It would make a great bike for what you are looking for, as even mine with 4wd has very light steering, is easy to handle and is very sporty for a utility. It's got discs up front & the oil cooling system has never let mine overheat. So I'll admit to being biased, but that's my vote.

The Eiger and the Rancher will both handle the best. One of the big advantages of the P360 has always been the front dif locker but that's gone if your looking at the 2wd model. That leaves the P360 with that nice sealed rear brake as it's only real advantage over the others. Not enough advantage IMHO. The Eiger, Rancher and Kodiak will all run in the low 50's with the Prairie being just a few mph slower. For myself, I would not put a 12 year old on any one of these. My oldest son is a very experienced 11 year old yet whenever we choose to move him up from his Honda 90 it will be to something no larger than an Ozark or Recon. The thought of an 80 pound rider on a 500 pound, 400cc bike is too much for me to consider safe. Even if you could limit the throttle, I think the weight is too much for that size & strength of a rider to handle. No problems with the 16 year old though.

Have you considered the Ozark/ Z250 or Recon/250EX? They could handle the range of 12, 16, wife very well. I'm 6'-2" and 200lbs and have spent a fair amount of time on a Recon with good results on the trail. For what you are wanting to do I would rank these two above your other choices. Plus you'd be looking at about $800 less.

From your original list my opinion would be:
1. (tie) Eiger or Rancher
3. (tie) Prairie or Kodiak
5. Big Bear
6. Quest

Jaybee

 

A guy i know has a rancher, but he has many problems with it.. i used to own a big bear 400 but sold it to buy a kodiak.

They're both very good quads, i would recommend the kodiak automatic trans.. i have had no complaints with mine yet