Hey everyone,

As the title suggests, I'm currently in the market for a UForce 1000 and I'm torn between the standard model and the XL. I'd really appreciate any insight or experience you all can share to help guide my decision. My primary use will be hunting and occasional road driving. Every now and then I might use it for small chores around the house—like hauling some dirt in the bed—but work use will be pretty minimal. The main goal is a reliable machine to haul me and my hunting buddy into the backcountry. The XL has my attention because we occasionally have additional friends join us, and it would be great to have proper seating for them rather than trying to rig up a spot in the bed. That said, my concerns with the XL are the increased wheelbase (jumping from 81" to 112"), how that impacts maneuverability on tighter trails, and the risk of high-centering. To mitigate that, I was planning to run 30" tires and add a 2" lift—but of course, that doesn't do anything for the extra length. So, for those of you who've been on ATV and off-road trails with either version—do you think the XL can handle them well, or is it just too long for that kind of use? Also, are there any other key differences or considerations between the two models that I might be overlooking? Thanks in advance for the help!

– BearDown

I do not own a UTV, however I have a riding buddy that owns a Can Am Defender crew cab and prior to that had a Polaris Ranger crew cab. I only drove the Polaris one time when my buddy decided he just wanted to ride for the day and not drive. I have to say that I was very impressed by the ability of the Polaris to handle the terrain. I'm not saying that high centering isn't a possibility for the machine, but I did not experience that in the terrain I was riding in, mountain roads, logging roads and roads that are typically only used by ATV's and motorcycles. I have seen through riding experience, that the length does make some areas a bit more challenging than a standard length UTV, that being said, the two crew cab UTV's have been able to go anywhere that I have gone with my ATV. I know my limited experience with the UTV isn't a whole lot of help, so hopefully someone that owns one can provide a little more insight.

[2015 Z Force 800 53/Trail EPS]

No actual experience myself except for what I see with my buds on the trail. What I see is that once you go with any UTV the mindset and abilities change in such a way that the extra length of a four-seater over a 2 is minor in the overall scheme of things. I myself have been looking for a deal on a four seater as my needs have changed over the years...so good luck.