well I have been stalking around here reading posts for a while and decided to join and share my experiences so far with my new outlander. After giving up on waiting for a green one I decided to buy a red one when Bombardier offered the 3 year warranty deal. I have only ridden the machine a couple of times but here are my impressions. The 400 HO is both quick and responsive from mid throttle. The top end of this machine is faster than I want to run so far. I have been in the mid to upper 50's with some room left. The ride is incredible. The suspension on the outlander is truly amazing. I have ridden in the snow, on some side hill and general off road terrain. So far I have been completely comfortable on it and it has stuck to the slopes. THe EBS is really an awesome feature. In low range on steep terrain I think you could get off and walk beside the outlander without any worries. It handled nicely in the snow, handling 8 inches of old snow very easily. I really have not tested the vis-lock system but I can tell you that you do not get much feed back in turns when in 4wd.

One worry I had was all the plastic, however on my first ride I was on a gentle side hill in tight quarters and hit a short stump with my floor board. First thing that ran through my mind is "great, first ride out and already busted some of the plastic". Upon inspection I not only did not break it but did not even really leave a mark.

One other ride bit of info, there is virtually no body roll. Instills a lot of confidence when you ride it.

To sum it up I am totally impressed, Had an absolute blast on my first two rides. If you are in the market give it a look. My humble opinion is the other 400's are going to have a tough time competing with the features and feel of this one. Great machine.

 

Had my first real look at one to-day, VERY IMPRESSIVE. Good gc , very narrow in the footboards for an automatic, only two complaints, one is the crappy tires but most manufacturers are that way, two is the plastic around fenders, looks a little too thick to be flexable enough but I guess time will tell, I think come spring It'll be a very tough choice between the 400 Outlander or 400i Cat to sit beside my 300 Cat???? Ohh and three is very limited space to put wider tires on front.

 

I totally agree with Pike 40 about the Outlander 400. I've gone on two long rides on mine so far and have the same comments. I feel it will be the 400 class utility ATV to beat. The Honda Rancher AT 400 is coming this spring, but I don't think it will hold a candle to the Outlander because the turning radius on the Outlander is much tighter (12 ft vs 21 foot circle) and the Rancher is still a solid rear axle. I have heard about the "lack" of compression braking issues on the new Hondamatic (on the Rincon and now Rancher AT) but I haven't rode a Rincon yet. The compression braking on the Outlander is also excellent.

I haven't had any plastic damage issues yet and I've scraped many branches. My only complaint is that the foot pegs/floorboards don't have enough teeth to grip my motorcycle dirt boots when I want to really lean in turns.

 

Good review. I am very interested in the Outlander and have been looking at them. I haven't ahd a chance to ride one yet but have only heard positive things. How are the brakes? Are they well protected being positioned where they are? do the pads release so they don't squeek? This is my only complaint on my AC is the brakes squeek all the time. How are the ergonomics on the quad? Is it comfortable to ride for long periods?

 

ttaylor....the brakes are very protected and work very well. I have not noticed any brake noise but if you grab the brakes hard you WILL notice that, they work very well. As far as comfort goes, best feeling machine I have rode, the seat is really plush and the ergonimics are very comfortable for just traveling along.

endoman...see you are from washington, me as well. Glad you are also enjoying the outlander!

 

ttaylor - I agree with Pike40 on the brakes... They work really well and for the rear, conceptually it makes sense (and it's bold) that it's on the shaft. I haven't had any noise squeaks so far, but my Z400 does! ha ha. The ride is outstanding, especially on LONG rides. The seat itself is pretty cushy.

Pike40 - Yes I'm in the Seattle area. I ordered the front and rear rack extensions but haven't received them yet!

 

How doe's reverse work?? In the 400 Cat, you have high & low range in forward but reverse is only high which of course really sucks, some guys with bigger tires say it won't even turn them in the mud.

 

pike40, endoman,

I know Polaris used to mount their rear brake up on the transmission housing. To me it felt like everytime I used the rear foot brake when slowly desending down a hill it would try and kill the engine. Does the inboard mounting location have this same effect on the outlander? Have you guys used the EBS in low range? I know my parents have the Polaris Sportsmans on their machines the EBS is so strong that it will actually lock the rear wheels up (when desending downhil). The skidding actually creates a loss of control and the rear end tries to pass up the front. You guys have mentioned that the EBS is strong on the Outlander, does it cause the rear wheels to lock up and skid in low range?

 

The reason Pol skids the rear wheels going down hills with brakes is because the 4wd system kicks out unless the rear tires are rotating 10% more than the front. It's kind of a goffy system but thats what Pol use.

 

SX6,
I don't understand why you feel the EBS is effected by the 4WD system? The way I see it the EBS should work the same whether or not the ATV is in 4WD or not. People have commented that the EBS on the Outlander is really strong. I am just wondering if the Outlander will suffer from the same effects, in low range, because it is so strong. Since this is a new machine and I haven't been able to ride one yet I appreciate everyone else posting their experiences.

I am aware of the Polaris only engaging 4WD based on the excess rear wheel spin. This is why I am interested in the Outlander, Similar suspension (IRS), comfortable ride, true 4WD, lighter weight.