Wow, thanks for all the feedback guys! This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for! I wanted to get real world answers from people who actually drive these machines and know what they are talking about.

Now, from what I can gather from the previous posts these would be my very general observations so far:

1. Honda's are the most reliable atv's out there, however they are also the least powerful, and have the least amount of features (locking differential, true 4wd, tow hitch, etc...) Simple and easy. The less you have I guess the less that can go wrong...

2. Polaris have the most new features and innovations as well as many different models and configurations, but seem to be the least reliable (at least in the beginning but are much more reliable recently, from what I can gather..)

3. Yamaha are good all around quads. Good power, good features, good reliability. I might be oversimplifying though...

4. All the other's are lagging behind (kawa and suzuki) or too expensive (can-am)

Did i get that about right? or am I oversimplifying it and generalizing??

Right now, I seem to be favoring the Yamaha Grizzly right now with the Polaris sportsman a close second. The Honda is in third based simply on the reviews of others for lack of power, no true 4wd, lack of other features, plus they are a little pricey.
Also, for the Honda's, what is the difference between the Rancher and the Foreman exactly? What would be the better fit for my needs listed in my OP. Again we will be mostly using it for hunting, towing logs, clearing trails and brush, light trail riding, etc.


No I haven't been to a store or dealer to look or test drive. Again, I am a first time buyer so I wasn't sure how the test drives work. Do all dealers do test drives? which models? do they use demos only? do some dealers rent atv's for like the weekend so I can see how it works for a day or too? some info on what to look for in a dealer and what to look for when buying would be helpful as well. Again, thanks for all the feedback guys.

 

Egautr1, the first part of your post is right on! Glad to see you are still leaning towards the grizzly 700, you will not be disappointed. From my experience which is very little with atv dealers because i buy used, is that most will let you test drive some are more picky than others but i do not know of one that will let you rent for the weekend.

 

I like honda and am somewhat biased towards them but it's only because I've driven/ been around the rest and I just don't like the belt drive cvts. Noisy, squealing , high revving and generally a cheaper design but if If your somewhat new to atvs then you may not mind it. After riding my rubicon I just can't go back to cvt. Some people hate honda atvs and prefer the cvt so it really is all about preference and what is most important to you. With that said, If I was to go out tomorrow and buy a non honda atv it would either be the grizzly or a can am. They both are great bikes and they bring a lot to the table. The grizzly was just redesigned so I imagine it's even better then previous versions. Yamaha really did a great job with the grizz 700 and IMO it has the best belt driven cvt on the market
Now onto polaris. You couldn't pay me to own one. Just the way I feel. Soo many problems over the years with their quality control and apparently the new XPs are even less reliable then the budget line sportsmans.moving production to Mexico could really only make things worse IMO. Watch this video and you will see what I mean. Obviously since it's a yamaha video there will be some stretching the truth but some of this crap is just unexceptable. You can judge for yourself. Honda may not be the fastest/smoothest but at least you won't see stuff like this
► 11:07► 11:07
Aug 5, 2011 - Uploaded by DHY Motorsports
Yamaha responds to tough talking Polaris and their Sportsman 850 EPS ... Sportsman XP 850 ...

 

Again, thanks for all the info guys. Got some clarification for what we are looking for.

We are looking at quads in the 500-400 cc range and in the price range of 4000-8000 max. So none of the 700 class machines.

Right now I like the Grizzly 550 with the Honda Foreman being a close second. I just like the more power of the Yamaha. What do guys think of the Grizzly 550? any thoughts. thanks for the help guys.

 

Yamaha makes good quads. I'd take one over a Honda.

 

I almost purchased the grizzly 550 back in 09 when I instead got my Rubicon. It's a great atv and has a great motor. Yamaha has the best belt driven CVT in the business and they still care about the overall quality of their bikes. What's keeping you from looking at a rubicon btw? Just my opinion but it's a much better match for the grizz 550 than the foreman since it's automatic and slightly more powerful

 

Been on a Grizzly 550. It, like the 700, is a great all around atv. Rides pretty good, is pretty reliable, and has decent ergonomics. Pay the extra for the power steering if you can find one within your budget. It makes a good quad even better.

 

I ride with a grizzly 550 and it is the EXACT same thing as my 700 except obviously a 550 motor i mean the fram all the plastic and controls its all the exact same. But in that price range are you looking at new fourwheelers? If so that new foreman is pretty bad because honda is finally trying to catch up with everybody else and actually got diff lock. With that being said if i was you id still get the 550 or look really hard and just go ahead and get the 700, you cant go wrond with more motor

 

The smaller 450 Grizzly beats out a 500 Foreman and Rubicon let alone a 550 Grizzly.

4x4 ATVs Comparison Test Report - What's the Best 500 Utility ATV?

and
Reviews of Motorcycle, ATV, Snowmobile and Watercraft vehicles
There older reviews but Hondas do not change much. The 450 Grizzly has not either.

Every shootout I read with a Honda 4x4 they come in last or close to.

These long discontinued ATVs that have been replaced by improved models like the old 600/660 Grizzly, 500 Vinson,450KQ and now 500 Sportsman that are better performers then the 500 Foreman, that is how far Honda is behind the curve.

 

Well I just said the Foreman since it is a little cheaper and the Rubicon only has 25 more cc's than the Foreman (475 vs 499 cc). And according to the Honda website the Foreman is listed as base 7,099 and the Rubicon is 7,999. I don't really think 75cc's is worth another $1000! I am sure there are other differences but I don't really see them right now just looking on their website. Maybe someone can explain the other differences between the two?
I would rather just pay a little bit more for the Grizzly 550 with more power and more features.