I am sure this has been asked before, but does anyone have any real world head to head comparisons between these two machines? I would like to keep this factual and not a " I own this so it's better than that" reply. And I mean in all catagories such as mudding,technical riding and just in general.
This will also be posted in the Can am section to get more opinions.

 

I think the closest thing you will find is Dirt Wheels Jan 2010 issue Big Bore Magazine shootout.

 

Are you looking to buy, or just wanting to start an "interesting" conversation?

EDIT: I see in your post in the Can-Am forum you interested in buying. Anyhow, good luck finding a honest, unbiased comparison of the two machine side by side under all the conditions you mention.

 

contact "high octane", i think he is a member here, i know he is on highlifter.com. he has owned both the 09 850 and a 2010 can am 800, 2 seater though. i believe he liked the can am better, but he can give you a real world answer.

 

I would not call the Jan Dirtwheels "Big bore shootout" anything close to a real world or factual comparison. It was an amusing read though. Makes for great toilet paper.
There are a number of guy's on can-amforum.com that have has the XP and went to the Outlander ( go there and post your question, I'm sure some of them will chime in ) Possibly the best unbiased opinion to be found is jacobs atv magazine ( this is his 2010 pick of the year 2010 Quad of the Year My Pick...
This is his online magazine site www.jacobsatvmagazine.com

 

If you are like me and that we could care less what one person or magazine or internet site chooses as there favorite bike. What does matter and what I do get from these type of articles is how well a bike performed in certain riding conditions for the way you/I like to ride our bikes. All these articles are of opinion that someone has contributed to there job/article. Just because one man/magazine says that a certain bike is great does not make it gospel. Just because it worked great for them does not mean it will work great for everyone! We ALL have different wants and needs in a bike and what we should be concerned about is when we will be riding next and with who! If you don't start worrying about this you will soon have nowhere to ride at all! Anyone up for a ride? I know I am!

 

It sucks that you can't take a quad out for a weekend test ride and put it through its paces. Sure you can maybe take a ride in parking lot but to a certain extent then they all feel the same. Its like buying binoculars or a rifle scope. Even the cheapest tasco's will look great under flourecent lights but then you buy it and figure out too late that it doesn't perform the same in the field.

 

Bill, Take an XP850 or an Outlander 800 out for a rip in the dealer's parking lot.....You will feel within seconds of hitting the throttle that these rigs are different. No, you won't know all the details, but you'll get a good idea how smooth and powerful they are. I hear ya though on being able to take one for a real ride.

 

Not being able to take a test ride in realistic conditions is a serious problem and one that really needs to be remedied by dealers and manufacturers.

Take a new XP at $10,000, a Razr S at $14,000 or a Ranger HD at nearly $13,000. You can buy a good used car for that kind of money. Would you walk into a car dealership and purchase a car after only being allowed to drive it around the showroom or parking lot? Of course not. You need to be able to take that car onto the roads and drive it in the conditions that is is designed to operate in. With an ATV we're being asked to buy the thing without the slightest idea of how the thing actually handles, rides or performs in the environment it is designed to be used in. That is insane and needs to change.

Dealers either need to provide an area with varied terrain to test drive vehicles on or have some sort of loaner program. I realize that you just can't be handing over 10,000 dollar machines to everyone who walks in the door. If you can prove that you're a serious prospective buyer by passing a credit check or showing a bank balance or simply by fanning out 10 grand in cash then you should be allowed to test ride the vehicle. Sign whatever liability waivers, even require a deposit but dealers/manufacturers have to start allowing people to try before they buy. Even a one or two day rental program of some type would be preferable to what we have now. You just can't expect people to spend 10 or 15 grand on something they can't even test drive. That is insane. We wouldn't consider that acceptable for any other vehicle and we shouldn't for ATVs either.

 

your right this has been asked before and debated! try doing a search and i'm sure you'll find dozens of ideas