ATV/UTV vs. Jeep vs. Truck
 

Any off roaders out there?

How about UTV/side by side owners?
The Kawasaki Mule has my attention, along with those electric versions..., anyone feel one side by side is hands down the utv winner? I've been in a polaris which was nice, sounds like guys love the Kawa Mules though...?

After buying an atv, it leaves me wanting a UTV/side by side, which are almost like a small truck nowadays, and new you're looking at $13k?

I'm sure you could buy a Jeep or Truck and lift it etc...and probably have a better vehicle, go anywhere just about, sure an atv could probably cut through woods better, but on trails/roads, also you'd have heat/AC and storage etc..

Also a quieter vehicle compared to an atv... although an electric vehicle would be super quiet.

I'm thinking maybe a Jeep Cherokiee, or Grand Cherokee, or maybe small truck like a ford ranger, etc...

btw this is mostly for private land, could be full time off road, ie lift it, big tires...and you're probably way ahead for a 13k new UTV....

Polaris Ranger - HD. I have had excellent experience and service from my 2 year old model. I do not raw-hide it or do "off road" as such, but it gets a ton of use in rough stuff, up and down hills, through heavy deep clay muck bottoms ... hauling 500# of people most of the time and being used to do all sorts of off season work. Only issue I have had has been the factory tires .... on the two rear tires, the knobs separated from the rest of the practically at the same time.

to me a suzuki samuri is the only way to go..it was a utv before utv's....its a 4 wheeler with a roll cage and can haul you, yer buddy and 20-30 bags of anything, the feeder and the legs. super low 4X4 gears. can be totally street legal, and will out climb a jeep...done it.

I have a little 1988 toyota pickup 4x4 that works great. Gets about 23 MPG with 33" tires and a lift. Can pick one of these bad boys up for around $3k and dump less than $2k to have a good rig...

Plus you can carry about 5 deer in the bed....not like i have done that... :)

My parents have a Polaris Ranger 800 and that thing is a beast. Is hard to get it stuck (Ive tried). Towed a 4x4 S10 out of a muddy field no problem.

I own a Cherokee Sport, not a fan of the Grands, but love the Sport. I had a buddy who had a Samurai, also a very capable vehicle, but a lot smaller, not that Cherokee's are that big. One of the questions you have to ask is how much access do you have to driving off trails. On public land, not much, of course, so an atv/utv doesn't give you much of an advantage. On trails, might as well have the bigger vehicle (heat, hauling, security).

The new UTV side by sides are nice,You can get into tighter/rough areas,use an ATV disc and other implements for planting in out of the way areas and they are very nice to have!

My slightly modified Taco is a beast.

Get one of each and see which you like the best. :D


I'm more of a quad guy myself.

I have an old fashioned Kaw. 650 4X4 and it does for me. I have a friend that bought this old Suz. Samuri and uses it. It is great! Looks like crap but it will get there and can haul friends and stuff too. He keeps it street legal so it is also a back up in case the car is somewhere else. I second Half Baked, the Samuri is great.