Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Can Am UTV

Can Am makes some nice machines, I have a Commander and have had zero issues in 5 years.

The jap machines are about half the HP, Polaris is about the only competition.

Had a 2014 Commander 1000. 4000 trouble free miles. Sold it and have a 2021 1000 Commander. Not many miles, but no issues yet. Also have a 2010 650 Outlander that has been trouble free as well. In my opinion, much better build quality that a Polaris.

CanAM Defenders here after years of running Polaris. We broke an axle per Polaris per year in moose camp. This will be our fourth year with CanAms and we have not broken a single axle. The CanAm is so much better there is absolutely no way to go back down to Polaris. They also are far better in serious deep mud.

2019 Defender HD8 XT. I’ve previously owned 2 other brands, and this Can Am has by far been the best of the bunch. Bought June of 2019 and been working it ever since.



Doc_Holidude

Bought mine brand new in 2017. Zero issues. It’s been a beast.

We have a couple of Polaris XP 1000's, use the heck out of them, and are more than satisfied.
Work, not play.

I own a 2022 Commander XT 1000 and use it as a trail rider and hunting rig. Plenty of power and fit & finish is better than the competition. Seats are laid back more like a sports car than many side by sides, making it a lot more comfortable on long rides (super important for my wife as she has had a number of back surgeries). A couple of things I wish I'd figured out sooner:

1. Cab gets really hot on hot days if you add a windshield and rear windscreen - creates a low pressure that draws hot air up through the shifter and into the cab. Closing the upper door panels fixes it, but then no air flow at all. I have a vented windshield and that helps a little as well. I've added a heat shield that covers the console and shifter and a fan mounted on the roof and that's pretty much fixed it. I hear this is an issue for the General and a number of other side by sides.
2. If I had it to do over again, I'd have ordered it with the street legal kit installed.
3. After seeing my buddy's General and my other buddy's RZR, I think the Can Am is a more refined vehicle, but the Polaris is a bit more rugged and easier to work on. I also like the idea of having all 4 wheels/tires the same size - the Commander has smaller fronts, so whatever spare size you choose to run, it's a compromise. I may be changing mine over to 4 same size when I wear out this set of tires.
4. While there are a lot of aftermarket goodies available for the Can Am, it seems there are about double the options for most things with Polaris rigs.


I did a bunch of research and talked to several local powersports mechanics before I bought. The latter were pretty much unanimous in saying the Can Am was more reliable and comfortable, but that if you were planning to really run it hard, the Polaris General is a bit more capable.

The Can Am was the right choice for us.

Yep heavy and overpriced, cities buy them

I like my factory Air Conditioning and Heat with a real solid cab.
but i use mine for work and not to play in..

It was the only one on the market that was Diesel and had factory AC/heat and it was less expensive than some of the Speedsters that are on the market.

Again I work mine and I did not get it to go fast because it is not built for that.

Every UTV owner has different needs and there is a UTV out there to just about fit every need.

Kubota does have a Gas driven Speedster and it can do work as well.
i think it gets up to around 50 MPH or so.

2023 can-am Defender Max Limited. Love it. 30” wheels came standard. Will see how it stacks up againts the Polaris it replaced, but not a lick of trouble yet.

That's what it boils down to.

I like more steel, and less plastic. I also don't need to drive it 70mph. Need it to haul weight and tow a trailer.

Want the engine heat to go out the back, not up beside the seat I'm sitting in. Power steering. Quiet operation. Reliable.

Be nice to have one that got good gas mileage as well, but I think that's a pipe dream. They ALL seem to get about the same mileage as a 2 ton truck..

My only experience was with a buddy’s 4 seat Maverick. We took it to Nevada in 2021 for a week of playing around out in the desert. That thing ran hot on and off all week it was very frustrating. He sold it when we got home and replaced it with a Polaris of some kind.

Cfmoto uforce 1000, trumps em all and for 7k to 8k less for a more loaded utv. One with a full cab will be about 18k.
Can am engine's are made by cfmoto.
Go test drive one.
Utube has tons of vids on them vs others also.
That is all.

Don't overlook the Yamaha Wolverine series, either.

Our 2016 R-spec EPS SE has been flawless.

Have a 22 limited defender. Been chasing cows in the blizzards all winter w it. Love it so far. Looking forward to summer w the ac. If Honda could come up w a cab w all the amenities that it has, I'd go w Honda. All my quads have been Honda and bulletproof. Nothing but issues w Polaris over the years ranching.

If you care at all about noise consider the Honda.... it has a real transmission with selectable gears and no belt. All of the other machines are hydrostatic? Or some form of it .... only high/low with belt drive..... they are so damn loud and whine..... i despised the Yamaha rhino my father in law had..... if it's just for work who cares.... they all have their pluses/minuses but Honda is the ONLY one with a standard transmission.

I hated that thing for hunting.... so much more noisy than my Honda foreman quad..... I have a buddy with a pioneer and that thing is super quiet just puttin along.

Just don't try to turn around facing downhill on a logging road.....

I don't have one but ride/drive one all the time. They're fast, loud, and reliable. But most I've been in have been loud.

I ride with a large group folks, and some of them are serious off roaders. If I were buying a Can-am it would be a maverick X3, i'd stay as far away from a defender as I could. the Talons are good machines just not enough accessories for my needs

The ranch has 5 Rangers purchased over the past years. The most recent was purchased and showed up last fall, a 1000cc North Star bought for advertised heavy build and toughness. It hasn’t been.

Meanwhile last year a partner of mine took possession of a 1000 Can Am sxs nicely dressed and frankly a lot more machine. The Can Am is far more quiet as well. I’m ordering a BRP shortly.

Osky