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Top Hybrid UTVs of the Future

Using current automobile, street bike and snowmobile technology, these UTVs will reinvent the UTV industry

September 25, 2015

If total off-road domination is a plan, Yamaha has surely gotten the ball rolling with the introduction of the 2016 Yamaha YXZ1000. The YXZ is pivotal, as it will not only take the sport UTV industry to the next level, it has also become the litmus test that will force the hand of other manufacturers to rise to the new standard. Much like the Honda TRX250R reinvented ATVing in the 1980s, the YXZ should get the nod for doing the same for the UTV industry.

Arctic Cat SPEED RMG Wildcat

Arctic Cat SPEED RMG Wildcat: With Robby Gordon and Todd Romano aboard, things at AC are about to get real. The Wildcat chassis is a step in the right direction for Arctic Cat. A look into their sled offerings reveals a 1056cc, 180HP monster mill that could inexpensively and easily be modified for use in a high-performance UTV. If AC goes this route, it will be interesting to see if they utilize a CVT or farm out a manual transmission from elsewhere. CVT’s on sleds handle the high horsepower well, but on a UTV weighing much more, keeping them cool and intact can be challenging.

Honda Odyssey 1000

Honda Odyssey 1000: Honda’s gonna do it. Honda has to do it. Honda will do it. But…what are they going to do and when will it be done. Our best guess is within the next year, you’ll see a high-performance Honda UTV that will rival the performance of the YXF. It will definitely have a manual transmission because Honda doesn’t use CVT’s. Our guess is paddle-shifters with the option (or not) of running it in “auto” mode. For power, Honda could easily use its CBR1000RR power plant from the superbike platform.

Kawasaki H2 Variant

Kawasaki H2 Variant: Kawasaki could make things REALLY interesting in this category if they can keep the price down on a high-performance machine based on the insanely popular Ninja H2. The supercharged power plant is the talk of the town in the street bike community, with gobs of power and such a limited availability that even at $50,000 they’re all sold before they hit the showroom floor. With that engine and Kawasaki’s manufacturing expertise, they could easily bring the world’s first factory supercharged UTV to market.

Polaris Civilian Dagor/Slingshot Hybrid

Polaris Civilian Dagor/Slingshot Hybrid: Polaris has a stout off-road chassis currently used by the government called Dagor. Their current three-wheeled Slingshot motorcycle “thingy” is powered by a four-cylinder GM EcoTech enging and manual transmission capable of some serious performance on its own. Imagine the possibilities of a lightweight Dagor-like vehicle powered by the EcoTech, with gobs of wheel travel and a short-throw manual transmission!

Yamaha YXZ 1000 R1 Variant

Yamaha YXZ 1000 R1 Variant: In terms of performance and overall execution of design, the YXZ is leaps and bounds beyond any UTV that was previously built. But…as motor heads, there’s also a guarantee that someone will “NEED” more horsepower. The only other engine more badass and appropriate for the YXZ could be the current inline four cylinder that Yamaha uses in their R1 street bike. With turbo and tuning it can easily surpass 300 horsepower. We’ll have to see how easy/feasible the switch is once we get our hands on one for longer than a few hours.