• last year
We LOVE rec-ute side-by-sides, and this year saw the addition of some new contenders with the Polaris Xpedition and Segway Villain. Are those two good enough to dethrone our long-time favorite, the Yamaha RMAX? Let’s get into it!

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Transcript
00:00 I'm Aaron, that's Zach, this is UTV Driver, and this is our list of our favorite recreation utility side-by-side.
00:07 Zach, this is not a crowded segment anymore.
00:09 You're right. It's funny, we're watching things sort of change a little bit.
00:13 Manufacturers aren't paying quite as much attention as they used to.
00:17 And the vehicles that are in this segment are getting a little long in the tooth.
00:20 Yeah, most of them are. Some of them are brand new, though.
00:23 The ones that are staying in this segment, I feel like, are getting a little bit sharper.
00:26 It almost feels like the utility segment is kind of bleeding over into this.
00:29 But for right now, we've got a list of our favorites.
00:31 Let's dive right in.
00:32 Number one, the 2024 Polaris Expedition.
00:36 Yeah, Polaris made some big news with this thing.
00:38 Yeah, so this is the second all-new machine that they released this year,
00:42 which is crazy that they did two ground-up redesigns in a year.
00:45 This thing, when we first saw it, we thought, "Is that just a redesign general?"
00:49 But it's not.
00:50 Brand new rig from the ground up, Polaris aimed this at the overlanding crowd,
00:54 which is basically like throwing down the recreation utility gauntlet.
00:58 It's supposed to do both things equally well.
01:00 We spent about 200 miles of Arizona desert in one earlier this year,
01:04 and I gotta say, it might be my favorite side-by-side of the year.
01:07 Really?
01:08 Yeah, it's that good.
01:09 Why?
01:10 They make a bunch of different versions, for one thing.
01:12 There's two-door and four-door versions.
01:14 They make an ADV model, which is like an SUV,
01:16 and they make the regular XP, which is like a truck.
01:19 If you need more utility, you can have an open truck bed,
01:22 1,000 pounds of bed capacity, all that jazz.
01:25 If you want something that's enclosed, you can bring your dog, your family,
01:28 keep all of your stuff inside and out of the dust, there's the ADV model.
01:32 And the coolest thing is, no matter which one you get,
01:34 they've got all kinds of accessories for the thing, including a rooftop tent.
01:38 That's pretty cool.
01:39 I mean, what a flex to just...
01:41 That's pretty rad.
01:41 So you've got all of that capability, and it's a luxury machine on the inside.
01:45 We've talked about the Polaris Ranger XD 1500 before,
01:49 and how good and how complete of a machine that is,
01:52 how many amenities there are in it.
01:54 The Expedition is the same way.
01:55 You can easily get power windows.
01:57 You can easily get HVAC, a boom and stereo, the whole bit,
02:00 all the comforts of home that you want, glass windshield,
02:03 windshield washers, that whole thing.
02:05 And it's a really well-realized side-by-side.
02:08 Again, unlike an older rig, which starts rattling after like a day,
02:12 Polaris spent a really long time making sure that this thing
02:14 had a really stiff and secure chassis.
02:17 So you drive it...
02:17 I mean, we hit G-outs at fast in the desert,
02:20 and it stayed completely composed, and it was loaded down.
02:23 I had two people in it, three people's worth of gear,
02:26 and I say it again, 150 pounds of tent on the top.
02:29 And we were smacking G-outs at 45 miles an hour,
02:32 and it did not miss a beat.
02:34 Yeah, well, when you think about this segment,
02:35 the thing that I love about it is that it allows you to explore
02:38 and have a good time and go out camping.
02:40 You can take all your stuff with you, right?
02:41 You've got the functionality of a bed.
02:43 So if you wanted to pack a stove and camping gear and chairs
02:46 and all the rest of that nonsense, a massive cooler,
02:49 all that stuff goes in the bed.
02:50 There's room for it where there isn't in a sport rig,
02:53 but you still have the flexibility and the fun
02:55 of a sport rig with good suspension, a playful motor,
02:58 all the rest of that.
02:58 And I feel like the Expedition really nailed that.
03:00 It really nailed that down, and it is very much a side-by-side still.
03:04 It will go places that your Tacoma won't.
03:06 The first thing a lot of Overland people said when this came out was,
03:10 "Well, just buy a Tacoma," because this is a pretty expensive rig.
03:13 But I got to say, you will do things in this,
03:15 out of the box, without any modifications,
03:17 that a Tacoma that you have spent 15 grand modifying will not do.
03:21 You can flop it on its side, just like another side-by-side,
03:24 roll it back over and keep going.
03:26 We don't condone that, but things happen.
03:28 And if things happen to this, it's got plastic body panels,
03:31 and, you know, again, you don't have to rely on it to get you home.
03:34 Well, we say that as former Tacoma owners.
03:36 - Right, exactly. - Like, both of us have owned
03:37 current generation Tacomas, and we did wheeling in both of those rigs,
03:41 and I can tell you right now, the difference capability is night and day.
03:45 I don't care if you've got a TRD Pro.
03:47 I don't care what you've thrown at it.
03:48 You just can't do what these do.
03:50 Right, and these are smaller.
03:51 They don't feel smaller on the inside, but they're shorter, they're narrower,
03:55 they're not as tall.
03:56 All of those things help you get down trails that you,
03:58 if even if you would take your truck down,
04:00 you'd have a hard time getting down there,
04:01 and you can go further in a day.
04:03 When you're overlanding and the trail gets gnarly,
04:05 sorry, man, it's going to take you two hours to get through some of these rock gardens,
04:07 and the Polaris does exactly what UTVs do,
04:10 which is just bounce on through.
04:11 You know, the drawback is cost.
04:13 They are expensive.
04:14 - So what are we talking about? - It's pretty easy to spend 45 grand on one.
04:17 The starting price is down in the low 30s, so...
04:20 - That's not bad though. - No, but to get all of the amenities you want,
04:23 you know, you're talking 40 grand.
04:25 You're easily going to be talking 40 grand, so that is something to think about.
04:28 But again, Polaris has recognized a market for it, and it went for it.
04:32 It's worth noting that this is the only side-by-side you can buy right now
04:35 that is out of the box, outfitted for overlanding, and I think that's huge.
04:39 Before we go any further, do us a favor,
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04:52 All right, so let's move on to number two, a long-time favorite of ours.
04:55 Zach, you want to take this one?
04:56 Oh yeah, this has been one of our rigs of the year for the past two years running.
05:01 Yamaha R-Max.
05:02 R-Max 2, R-Max 4, doesn't matter.
05:04 They are absolutely excellent.
05:06 You know, Yamaha is based down in Georgia,
05:08 and they do a lot of development here on the East Coast,
05:10 which is where we ride, and the R-Max really shows that.
05:14 That thing is happy as can be in this neck of the woods.
05:17 It's got plenty of capability, it's super refined,
05:20 and the interior is still really nice,
05:22 and it has some of the best articulation of any rig we've tested.
05:25 It has been a chief of our RTI test for three years or so.
05:30 Like, the only things that beat it were my crappy 48 Willis,
05:34 which is not safe to operate in any conditions,
05:36 and the Maverick X3 once we took all of the sway bars off.
05:40 Right, which is also not super recommended.
05:43 Yeah, not something we recommend,
05:44 and also that's not an out-of-the-box rig anymore.
05:47 And let's go back to the CJ for a second,
05:49 because the R-Max has shadows of CJ in it.
05:52 It's very short, it's very narrow,
05:54 and that helps it get through just about any trail you can aim it at.
05:57 What is it, 64 inches wide?
05:59 So again, out here on the East Coast, we see them testing at Windrock,
06:02 and yeah, they have built a machine that will rock crawl all day,
06:05 and then go home and haul hay bales, and you know,
06:08 fence wire, and whatever you want to do around.
06:09 It's a really, really well thought out proposition.
06:12 Yeah, and you know, the things that we love about it are,
06:14 it's out-of-the-box capability,
06:15 and that includes the fact that it has a true front locker.
06:18 Yes.
06:18 You know, a lot of the machines that we talk about,
06:20 especially in the sport side,
06:21 it's either an e-locker, or it's a viscous limited slip sort of situation,
06:25 so you have to wait for one wheel to spin before it goes.
06:28 With the R-Max, you push the button, that sucker is locked in,
06:31 and you will billy-goat up whatever you want to go up.
06:34 Yep.
06:34 It is truly impressive.
06:35 You know, we love the fact that it comes with rock sliders,
06:38 that are true, true rock sliders.
06:40 It's not like you've got a piece of plastic,
06:41 or a piece of tube that's part of the chassis out there.
06:43 It is an integrated rock slider with a kicker.
06:46 Depending on the trim, you can get true bead locks.
06:49 I mean, it just remains one of our favorite machines.
06:52 It is super fun.
06:53 You know, and a lot of times,
06:55 I would prefer to have one of those versus a sport rig.
06:58 Oh yeah, absolutely. I agree.
06:59 I mean, we took one, a dead stock R-Max XTR out to Moab,
07:03 bashed it around all week,
07:05 and it was our favorite rig on that trip, I think.
07:08 By a wide margin.
07:10 Yeah, there was nothing that we could point it at,
07:12 that it was worried about.
07:13 And it's comfortable, it shifts easy.
07:14 It's just a good machine.
07:16 Yep, high quality.
07:17 So that's why it's number two.
07:19 Moving down the list, we're going to talk about Can-Am.
07:21 Now, the Can-Am Commander.
07:22 Ooh, that's a good rig.
07:23 Yeah, that's a lot of fun.
07:24 It's a good rig, yeah.
07:25 This definitely takes the wreck part of wreck utility to the front, I think.
07:30 Maybe the best handling wreck I've driven, aside from the Expedition.
07:33 It's just super stable.
07:35 You can go out and do rally car stuff in it all day long.
07:37 And again, you sit lower in the thing, which pros and cons, right?
07:41 You feel more stable.
07:42 At the same time, you lose a little forward visibility.
07:45 So if you're doing like more rock crawly stuff, that's going to be a detriment.
07:48 If you're out in the desert, just hauling tail, it's going to be great.
07:50 If it feels really nice to sit down low in that sucker.
07:53 It looks good.
07:54 It looks like a proper machine.
07:56 And yeah, we like it a lot.
07:57 There's 600 pounds of bed capacity to take all your camping gear with you.
08:01 So yeah, if you're going to go way out into Joshua Tree, you could do worse.
08:05 Yeah, exactly.
08:06 Again, two inch receiver, just like the other rigs that are out there.
08:09 You can tow whatever you want to put behind it within reason.
08:12 Yeah, we've loved it.
08:13 And then throw your mountain bikes on it, do whatever you want to do.
08:16 That brings us to number four, the Polaris General XP1000.
08:21 The only reason that this machine is that far down the list is that it's starting to
08:26 get a little long in the tooth.
08:28 But there's a reason it's long in the tooth, and that is that it just works.
08:32 It is excellent.
08:33 Polaris has not seen a reason to mess with it.
08:35 And we think they're right.
08:36 Yeah, I mean, we used a four seater as a support rig when we were out in Utah this year,
08:41 and that thing did not miss a beat.
08:42 Nope.
08:43 You know, we were tackling some pretty, pretty fun, gnarly stuff.
08:46 And even for a four seat rig, even being absolutely bone stock, it did not bat an eye.
08:52 Nope.
08:52 Even while carrying all of our camping gear, all the coolers, the fuel, the camera gear,
08:57 all of that stuff, it was just perfect.
08:59 And it did all that.
08:59 And then we used it as a recovery platform.
09:02 You know, we didn't intend to do that, but we needed it for that.
09:05 And it, again, it didn't miss a beat.
09:07 It sat there.
09:07 It was super solid.
09:08 It was the XP1000 model, so it had a winch from the factory.
09:12 It was indispensable out there.
09:13 You give up a little bit in fit and finish here and there, but really, you can just rely
09:17 on them all day.
09:18 It's got a proven powertrain.
09:20 Polaris' Parallel Twin 1000, which is an excellent engine.
09:23 It's got their PVT in it, which has been in every side-by-side Polaris has made for the
09:27 last, like, 10 years.
09:29 So you know that it's going to be reliable.
09:30 You know that you're going to be able to get parts should you need parts.
09:33 The wheel and tire package is excellent right out of the box.
09:36 It's just really hard to argue with.
09:37 I could just keep going down the list.
09:39 Yeah.
09:39 You know, it's worth pointing out that this comes with Ride Command.
09:42 Yes.
09:42 And when you're out in the sticks exploring, the Ride Command really is the best infotainment
09:48 system out there.
09:49 Not only is it seamless integration for your phone, the navigation is excellent.
09:53 They have over 1 million miles of mapped trail.
09:56 You know, we are used to coming out to a new trail system, having to pull up Onyx, making
10:00 sure we've got all our downloaded maps, all that fun stuff.
10:03 Ride Command doesn't do that.
10:04 You just walk in and it's already there.
10:06 The new Generals are available with Ride Command Plus, so you can do map sharing between your
10:10 group.
10:11 You know, and you can also, they don't tell you this, but you can download it on your
10:14 phone.
10:15 So even if you don't have a Polaris, you can download Ride Command.
10:18 And so if you're driving with buddies who are in other manufacturers' rigs, you can
10:21 have them put Ride Command on their iPhone and then suddenly you're all connected.
10:25 That's so, you know, the Polaris leads the way.
10:27 We'll stop bleeding about how good Ride Command is.
10:30 It gets close to it.
10:30 Yeah, when there's another option that's better.
10:33 Aftermarket or OEM, there just simply is no better system than Ride Command.
10:38 It even comes down to just communication, you know?
10:40 In a lot of these places, you are far from anywhere with cell service.
10:44 You know, even if you do have cell service, if your buddy takes off and leaves you and
10:48 is riding, he's not going to hear his cell phone ring.
10:50 Nope.
10:50 There's no chance.
10:51 Ride Command, you can send a message directly from your system to somebody else's system
10:55 that's linked.
10:56 You can see everybody else moving on the trail.
10:58 You can tell exactly how fast they're going.
11:00 So you're not doing that thing where you come up to a junction, you're looking over your
11:04 shoulder waiting for somebody.
11:05 You can just look down and go, "Oh, Aaron's behind me and he's whipping along at 40 miles
11:08 an hour.
11:08 He's good to go.
11:09 He'll see where I'm going."
11:10 It's super slick and it's one of the things that make the General XP1000 really appealing.
11:14 Yeah, and we should mention that it is also available on the Polaris Expedition that we
11:17 mentioned earlier.
11:18 Another reason to go the Polaris route.
11:21 Number five, another brand new rig.
11:24 Yeah, or at least a heavily refreshed rig.
11:26 Yamaha this year put the R-Maxx engine in the Wolverine X2, sharpening that thing considerably.
11:31 Yes, and that just makes a little bit smaller package than the R-Maxx and a little bit more
11:36 affordable package than the R-Maxx.
11:37 A lot more affordable.
11:38 A lot more affordable.
11:39 It's more available to the masses and it has pretty dang close to the same capabilities
11:43 as the standard R-Maxx.
11:45 Associate Editor Jackson Cooper spent a bunch of time in one up in North Carolina.
11:48 Came away very impressed.
11:50 I think that this is going to be a really cool entry-level platform from Yamaha going
11:54 forward.
11:54 Can't wait to spend more time in one, but early signs are good.
11:57 Yeah, I mean, it's just right sized.
11:58 You know, it's a little bit smaller than some of the other rigs that are on here and
12:01 especially out east where the trails are super tight.
12:04 That's really a boon.
12:05 We've said this in some other videos, but $20,000 is a lot of money and the Wolverine
12:10 X2 comes in under that.
12:11 So when we talk about something being affordable in the mid-20s and you scoff at us, well,
12:15 go look at Yamaha getting a very capable rig for that.
12:18 You're not having to sacrifice or go bargain basement.
12:20 Well, and a super reliable rig.
12:22 Yes, just like the R-Max, the X2 has a 10-year belt warranty, which is insane.
12:27 We're still not sure how they do it, but we're glad that they do.
12:30 It's pixie dust.
12:31 I don't know.
12:32 Whatever, however it works.
12:33 So, you know, you're not going to be on the trail changing belts all the time, which is
12:36 a huge benefit.
12:37 And you also don't have to worry about the complexity of something like a dual-clutch
12:40 transmission.
12:40 No, you've just got a parallel twin CVT.
12:43 The parallel twin is dead nuts reliable and you've got a warranty on your belt.
12:46 So get after it.
12:47 Yeah, yeah.
12:48 So it's a good rig and that's why it makes number five on our list.
12:50 Yeah, number six is one that you're excited about.
12:53 So let's hear it.
12:54 Mahindra Rockzor.
12:56 Oh, the Mahindra Rockzor.
12:57 Look, you know, if we're talking recute, few things are more recute than an old school
13:02 Willis.
13:03 And what is a modern interpretation but a Mahindra Rockzor?
13:06 Turbodiesel four-cylinder, five-speed transmission, proper low range.
13:11 Let's go.
13:11 Old school wheeling, stick axles.
13:14 I mean, I went out and drove one around a parking lot and was immediately in love.
13:18 I mean, it just ticked every box on my idiot brain list.
13:21 It's excellent.
13:22 They're goofy looking, but they make little diesel noises with a little turbo and all
13:26 the rest of that.
13:26 Turbo whistle.
13:27 And what's more charming than an old tractor?
13:29 A lot of people may not be familiar with Mahindra.
13:31 Mahindra has been building agriculture equipment in India for over 80 years.
13:37 Yeah, a long time.
13:38 Long, long time.
13:40 They know how to build a solid diesel platform.
13:43 They know how to build ag equipment.
13:45 If you can build a tractor, you can build a Jeep.
13:47 Yeah, absolutely.
13:48 I think it is worth pointing that out again because this is not some strange company that
13:52 hasn't been around very long or anything like that.
13:55 No, they've been keeping Southeast Asia in agriculture for forever.
14:00 And keep in mind, this isn't a sport rig.
14:02 You're not going to be doing 60 miles an hour down a trail.
14:05 It's more for poking around.
14:06 You've got your significant other next to you.
14:09 You want to take a nice fall drive.
14:10 That's what the Mahindra is for.
14:11 You've got a little farm.
14:12 You need to tow a trailer around.
14:14 You need to tow a spreader, whatever.
14:15 Perfect.
14:16 Or you just want that old school Jeep charm.
14:18 Yeah, exactly.
14:19 Yep, exactly.
14:19 So anyway, I had to put that one on the list.
14:21 I'm still enamored with it.
14:23 I'd like to get one out on a trail and see how it does.
14:24 Yeah, we really need to get our hands on one long term.
14:27 Yeah, but we'll get there.
14:29 Those are our tried and true favorites, but there are a lot of rigs out there that still
14:33 are worth mentioning.
14:34 Yeah, worth mentioning.
14:35 Let's see.
14:36 We can start with the Segway Fugleman.
14:38 That's a new one.
14:39 That is a new one.
14:40 You know, you say Segway, people think Paul Blart and Wal-Mart.
14:44 Yeah, exactly.
14:44 But they're doing some really interesting, fun stuff right now, including with this Fugleman,
14:49 which is a, you know, tried and true platform of recuteness.
14:53 You know, a decent amount of utility, pretty decent drive train.
14:56 105 horsepower parallel twin.
14:58 They just came out this year with a crew model.
15:00 So you got a six seater if you want it.
15:02 And they come in again.
15:03 They're at that bargain price point.
15:05 They're less than 20 grand to start out.
15:07 I can't say enough about how valuable that is to the segment.
15:10 What else we got on here?
15:11 Kawasaki Terrix.
15:12 You know, that one's been around for a long time.
15:14 It's, you know, it's a tough as nails, a little rig.
15:17 Also sort of a Wolverine X2 competitor.
15:20 Yeah, in that range.
15:21 So in that neck of the woods, a Honda Pioneer 1000-5.
15:24 Again, another bargain rig that is just super, super solid.
15:28 Yeah, we've had a lot of fun in those.
15:30 Yeah, if you're out there looking for a recute rig, there are a lot of options out there.
15:34 This segment's been around for a minute.
15:35 Some of these rigs are showing their age just a little bit,
15:37 but there's also a lot of new blood, including stuff like the Expedition and the Fugleman.
15:41 Yep, and if you want to know more, we've got buyer's guides for all of these rigs
15:45 on our website, UTVDriver.com.
15:48 Head over there and check those out.
15:49 And if you need more shopping tools, we've got it.
15:52 We've got reviews.
15:53 We've got industry news.
15:54 It's all there five days a week.
15:56 And then you can hit us up on all of our social media channels seven days a week.
15:59 Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, you name it, we're on it.
16:02 Can't wait to see you there.
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