I am looking at purchasing a UTV. I mainly want to use it for riding the trails at the cabin, light work on the property and cruising around the lake I live on. My friend has a Kawasaki mule 610 and it would work great for me. I am just wondering if anybody has other suggestions. I don't know a lot about the brands that are selling these. If I purchase used i'd like to spend around 4,500 and if the old lady lets me go new I would like to spend about 8500.I would also prefer something that is 4x4. Thank you for your help.

 

I think all SxS (side by side) are 4x4.
The best price I heard of is a Guy on this site bought a new Honda 2015 Pioneer 500 for 8300 out the door. https://atvconnection.com/forums/hon...w-machine.html its a 500 but with its low gear and 5 speed and has a Towing Capacity of $1000lbs. http://www.atvreviewnetwork.com/enth...cleCode=412619
I,m sure it will run around at 45mph easily and in the lower gears pull anything you want. It would be all I need if I was into them.

An other good priced one is the Polaris 570. http://www.atvreviewnetwork.com/enth...cleCode=426758 it has much more a powerful 44hp motor DOHC vs Hondas 28hp OHV and a tow capacity of 1500lbs with its low range option and larger 25" tires vs Honda 24".
It also has a box on the back not a ATV rack like the Honda.

Not sure if you can get it for $8300 out the door but maybe close to it.

 

The Ranger ETX has 31 HP,low range,dumping bed and 8600 msrp. I'm sure it could be had cheaper.

 

If you go new, that ranger etx is a pretty good deal. I just put 60 miles on one the other day. The little 330 motor makes great torque and had no trouble turning larger wheels or making it up some pretty good hill climbs. It looks a lot cooler than a mule too.

The Honda pioneer 500 looks like a nice ride too. Being a Honda it should give decades of service and paddle shifters are cool.

Going used you will need patience to find a decent unit for 4500. If you could find an older 660 Rhino that could be a nice score, or possibly something more work oriented, like the mules.

 

A 325cc in a 1,100lb SXS!(Then add two people in the seats) Sounds just to odd to me. You would need to be in low range most of the time. http://www.atv.com/specs/polaris/utv...se/detail.html
How they get 31hp out of a 325cc must mean its one high rpm stressed out motor because that's the same power as a 455cc Sportsman.

Kind of reminds me of those two other failed short lived underpowered experiment models.
The 421cc Yamaha Rhino and the 335 Sportsman.

 

Nope you are wrong. We had 350 lbs of persons on ours, no problems with some nasty steep hillclimbs at Hatfield Mccoy. And it was turning 26" bighorns on 14" wheels. That little 330 is a torquey beast. I was climbing hills faster than the 500 outlanders and spotting them plenty of weight (rider comfort may have played a factor here.) I can honestly say I ran out of suspension before motor plenty of times. Is it a monster mudder, probably not. It can trail cruise at a respectable pace, and has plenty of low end to tow/haul via gearing. Pretty sure this will smoke a 450 Rhino. I have never been a Polaris fanboy, but these prostar motors are impressive.

 

I know they have ways of getting high hp numbers out of small displacements now ,mostly through high rpms.
The new 450 Outlander is rated at 38 hp which is the same as a 680 Rincon but I,m sure the Rincon can make that power under a lot less stress with lower rpms (Torque).

Like the old saying says, "There's no replacement for displacement".

 

You take a 450 motor, replace the ti valves with steel, and redesign it to operate with a long skirt piston and add an extra ring. You won't loose much power but will gain a lot of long term reliability. Add some extra oil capacity for good measure. That extra weight in the motor will hurt revability, but add torque. You basically just made it a 450 Raptor. Time will tell, but then again you can get a na v6 Camaro or mustang today that will compete very favorably the v8 models of the 90s and earlier...

Time marches on.

 

I picked up my pioneer 500 about 2 weeks ago. Its 50 inches wide, seats 2 comfortably has more than enough low and mid range torque for the trails and is just a blast to ride.

I originally had the same mindset as TLC on this one. "How can a 29hp engine haul 2 full sized people and its 1000 pound mass up hills?" Well the simple answer is gearing along with engine tuning. These SxSs are tuned to make more power at the lower rpms then the Atvs that they share engines with and are geared significantly lower. The little pioneer will only go 41mph as opposed to a foreman which will go 55 but it's got low enough gearing thru its 5 speed auto clutch transmission to keep the Rpms up and the tires moving. It won't get you there as fast as a sport quad but it's a totally different experience that everyone should try.

 

You would love our trails up here, there are not to many places where you can get over 30 mph for more then a few seconds at a time.
Gearing has a lot to do with it. . my old 350 Big Bear had a nice 10 speed sub tranny and would snap a axle before it would run out of wheel turning power in the lower gears.

I ride my 350 Grizzly with my friends on a 660 grizzly and 800 Outlander and there is not section of trail where they can actually go any faster them myself.

Unlike my snowmobile I find the sport of ATVing is not about speed. Your do not get those smooth groomed trails or a flat frozen lake where you can hit 90 mph safely in spots.

Here is a go video from Specta that shows the type of trails we deal with up here also , point being it shows that a 80 mph atv will never get a chance to show it's stuff.