in your first post you asked why there is a $1000 difference between the outlander 400 and 500. I quickly read over the other posts and i just wanted to add the 500 has EFI and a v-twin on top of it being a bigger engine. The 400 is a single carb. or at least it was,they may have EFI on them now. I bought a used outlander 500 and its been a great machine but im not a fan of its 4wd. The newer QE viscolock (or whatever its called)system works better but i still see them work only the 3 wheels rather than all 4. In deep mud one front wheel still stops spinning as well as on rocks.

 

Well after thinking and looking at several specs i just do not like the body of the 400 it looks like a youth or 13 year old fourwheeler i think....so i am deciding to go with the outlander 500 but i have bought the rancher 420 back in the picture ....my biggest and main concern and what i keep hearing and readng is all the plastic and aluminum bends and breaks off and that kind of stuff like i said before i know how great a rancher is performance and body wise and im just trying to figure out if this outlander is gonna outdo it but i dont want stuff bending and breakin everytime i ride

 

ive never bent anything on my 500 outlander or broke anything. There is an aluminum tube in front which is kinda part of the front bumper. When i bought the bike it was broke off on the right side and the guy said he put a new one on but it broke also. the only issue ive got now is with the front suspension,it keeps "cluncking" which im thinking its maybe shot. other than that i use it for plowing snow although here in st louis we dont get much of that. its not what i would use for a work horse,but it will get me by if i needed to.

 

I haven't bent or broken anything other than denting my skid plates on the nice New England rocks. Rest of the metal and plastic is doing fine. I think I have about 650 miles on it since I bought it last year in June.

 

Ok boys the these number are getting out of wack, I ride with a 420 Rancher its a 27hp motor due to being a lower reving OHV motor. My Sportsman is a 55+ mph machine and there no way a 420 is hanging with it WOT especially if a long incline shows up.

The 500 Twin Can AM Outlander is a 40hp OHC Twin its a 60 mph machine but it pays by not have a much low rpm Torgue as a larger thumper,it needs higher rpm to make its 40hp peak.
A 550 XP also makes 40hp but it can do more lazily. Thats called torque.

The 500 Outlander is a better ATV due to its much more powerful motor,Larger Full size chassis (Same chassis as the 800 outlander), AWD system and a low range.

The 420 never gets match up with any full size 500 ATVs in shootouts .The 500 Outlander is just a more expensive ATV and is in a different category.

The 500 Oulander faces off with the full size 550 Grizzly.
The 420 Rancher faces off against smaller motored and chassis 450 Grizzly (421cc).

Don,t know much about the 400 Outlander same atv as there 500 but with a 400 single rated at 32hp.(in 2010) http://www.atvreviewnetwork.com/enth...2=138171&go=Go

The Can AM 400,s $2000 and the 500,s $3000 higher M.S.R.P. over a 420 Rancher you better expect to be happier either way you go.

 

Just got a 2013 renegade 500 (pretty much the same bike as the outty 500) and I absolutely love it. Never drove a 420 rancher but unless it is the AT model with PS, I doubt it can compare to the can am. Check it out in person before you judge the looks of the outty 500 though. I'm sure you will change your mind on the looks once you see it in real life