I am looking for a ATV for my wife. She is not comfortable with a big ATV but I want something that's 4WD. What is a good ATV for a smaller female to handle, but that is still 4WD? It needs to be a utility style of course. I would prefer something new or like new. Thanks!

 

Kawasaki Bayou 360. 2013 Prairie® 360 4x4 Sport Utility - Kawasaki.com Has a straight axle in a mid-size machine with automatic transmission.
Honda Rancher is not as big as a Polaris or Can-Am. 2013 FourTrax Rancher AT Overview - Honda Powersports
Yamaha Grizzly 350 or 450. IRS for a comfortable ride. Mid-sized chassis.
2013 Yamaha Grizzly 350 Auto. 4x4 Home, information
2013 Yamaha Grizzly 450 Auto. 4x4 Home, information

 

My wife is 5'2", 105 lbs, and rides a 500 Scrambler 4x4. She loves it. It has enough power to "play with the big boys", and still nimble enough for her to maneuver. She can go everywhere I can get my 800 (and a few places I can't, lol).

It's not exactly a utility quad, but it's not a sport quad. What kind of riding will she be doing?

 

Most of the riding we do is through wooded trails. There is some mud, but not that much. There are also some fairly steep hill and rock climbs (live in the mountains). All in all, the trail riding is fairly straight forward and not too difficult.

I have a Polaris Sportsman 500 HO (2012) and she would like something a little smaller.

 

Sounds like your riding is very similar to ours. The Scrambler is a very capable machine for this.

Does she want a smaller engine/ powered machine, or smaller body size ? The "older" Scramblers are slightly smaller than the utility quads of the same engine size. My wife was originally looking for something "smaller" because she thought she wanted something "easy to handle for her size". She test rode quite a few utility quads (500cc and below), but for whatever reason she didn't like the feel (felt to heavy and hard to maneuver to her), and the smaller sport quads felt "slow and weak" to her, plus the auto trans options were very limited. She rode a friend's Scrambler and fell in love with it. She rode it more than he did that weekend, lol. Anyway, he was looking to get a bigger bike, so he sold us the Scrambler. She LOVES this thing and has never looked back.

The key is going to be find something she enjoys riding and WANTS to ride. If she doesn't enjoy riding it, she won't be happy. And we all know if momma aint happy, nobody's happy.

 

Any mid size 4wd would work for you. Just make sure its a mid size ATV and not a Full size chassis.

Example is a 450 Grizzly or 420 Rancher is a smaller mid size ATV while a 450 King Quad or 450 Sportsman are full machine that are the same ATVs as a full size 750 KQ and 800 Sportsman but with a smaller motor.

 

I'll trade you my ATV for her, is she good looking?

 

If you like polaris or that is your local dealer, try the trail boss 330. Utility that is light and nimble.

 

Outlander 400, would still have a fair bit of power, nice atv's.

 

i would think a scrambler 500 or a sportsman 400 both are very reliable.