A few observations here-
I have owned both ATV's and SxS UTV's, and currently have a Polaris General 1000. My previous machine was a Polaris RZR 800 Trail model, with 50" width. Great machine, took myself, my wife, and dog everywhere. My only complaints with the machine was the feeling of instability in some situations, due to its width, and not as much clearance as I would have liked. I originally bought it, in 2013, with the thought that it would allow us to ride the 50" restricted trails, but found that here in CO, there are just not that many such trails. Most can be easily ridden with wider machines, like my 60" General. We have used it for riding in Moab, Taylor Park, 4 Mile Rec area, Texas Creek, Seep Spring, Penrose Commons, trails around Woodland Park, Poncha Springs, Silver Cliff, and a host of other trail sites, with no trail restrictions. If I actually lived in an area where most of the trails had the 50" width restriction, I would probably still have the RZR 800.
The SxS machines offer a lot of advantages over ATV's , such as the ability to take 2 or 4 passengers, room for dogs, cargo, etc., particularly with machines like the General.
A roof comes in very handy in inclement weather and to ward off direct sunlight, as do a windshield, doors, etc.
