Looking to buy a 2026 gas powered UTV but main criteria is the quietest brand or type out there for hunting and leisure on my hill country ranch. Might consider electric but not sure they are reliable yet and lack of electricity on hunting ranch in Colorado makes gas powered better option. Kawasaki mule rancher platinum, Can-Am Defender probably best from research I have done, maybe Polaris. Any experiences with different types out there for 2026 models?

I think the CanAm is going to be hard to beat for reliability and I say this as a Polaris Ranger owner. I've had zero problems (knock on wood) with mine but they can have their own issues.

I do like the improved power train on the new models and if I had $40-50k to blow, would absolutely get an XP1500 or the top of the line CanAm model.

I mean, that is the top of the line cab with A/C editions. They're still probably going to run you $25-38 for the regular ones

I was 100% in this camp until I had to get a UTV for duck hunting and now I will never go back. Deer lease in the UTV is so much better too but I hunt in an area that has some pretty gnarly terrain on parts of the ranch.

OP,

A ranch in Colorado I have been to a few years has a CanAm HD10 that had like 12-15,000 miles on it. They freaking loved it and sold all of their rangers.

Our Kawasaki mule has been good for 3 years. A good friend has the newer Kawasaki mule with cab/ ac and said it's the best of several other brands with cab/ ac he's had. I've always wanted one with ac to completely keep dust out but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

I have a 24 mule ranch platinum. Sweet rig. Great balance of utility and capability. The ability to slide the back seats forward and maximize bed space is really nice. Quiet and floats over bumps.

Can-am's are good machines too, go drive both and decide

Another Can Am user here. Got a Can Am Lone Star Edition-have had two.
Have a Polaris EV and like it too.

I have 2 Polaris Rangers, 800 xp and 1000 xp crew cab. Zero issues in 13 years on the 800 and 6 years on the 1000. The only other brand I would consider besides a Polaris is a Can-Am. Try them all and make your pick. I think the Polaris reliability thing is way overblown, with the number of units they have sold and the number of idiots in this world there are going to be some problems out there on Polaris machines.

I've had a Kawasaki Ridge crew for a few months. So far I love it. Very comfortable and lots of power. AC works great. No issues so far.

It can be a bit loud in the cab and some heat comes in from the back wall under the seat but it's not bad especially with AC on. A lot of people have been insulating the back wall.

I've been seeing some decent deals on leftover 25 models. Even better than I paid.

If I had the coin, a Tomcar.

It's hard to beat a Kawasaki Mule!

I googled TOMCAR. Holy crap, never knew something like that existed.

honda. never had issues.

There are silencers out there that attach to oem exhaust. I don't have any experience with them, but maybe someone on here does. My intuition is that they might hurt performance a bit - but if you are just putting around the lease, that probably doesn't matter.

My Polaris ranger 1000 has been reliable. I put it thru hell and never had problem. It's chipped,clutched, lifted and bigger tires. Polaris have battery drain issues so I added a perko switch

Ive owned multiple of everything out there in South Texas and East Texas. Ive hunted in several different thi gs in various mountain and high altitude hunts. Here is my opinion.

For quietest gas...kawasaki mule pro.
Best value, fun, etc... multiple canam options -bought 2 more last year to replace Polaris Rangers that i really liked and had no issues with.
If you really want quiet- have to go electric. We thermal hunt with Bad Boy Buggies. They are basically just highly capable golf carts.

The reality of where atvs are, you can buy gently used jeeps, trucks, subarus whatever. Prices are insane.

Goodest Poster said:

---

Ive owned multiple of everything out there in South Texas and East Texas. Ive hunted in several different thi gs in various mountain and high altitude hunts. Here is my opinion.

For quietest gas...kawasaki mule pro.
Best value, fun, etc... multiple canam options -bought 2 more last year to replace Polaris Rangers that i really liked and had no issues with.
If you really want quiet- have to go electric. We thermal hunt with Bad Boy Buggies. They are basically just highly capable golf carts.

The reality of where atvs are, you can buy gently used jeeps, trucks, subarus whatever. Prices are insane.

---

Yeah for the price of these enclosed cab four seat models you can buy a pretty nice gen 2 Raptor. I don't see how they can command those prices when you compare them to what you get out of a similarly priced street legal vehicle.

SunrayAg said:

---

I'm really liking the Honda pioneer 1000.

---

The non belt drive transmission is a huge plus, and also the Honda reliability.

Mahendra Roxor

https://www.mahindrausa.com/products/roxor

We have both a Can Am Defender and a CF Moto U10 pro XL
Both are great.

I would choose the CF Moto again…better bang for the buck and drives better.

Both are great options.

Kawasaki is good as well but pricier imo

Ag8086 said:

---

Might consider electric but not sure they are reliable yet and lack of electricity on hunting ranch in Colorado makes gas powered better option.

---

how scarce is electricity at your ranch in CO? Possible to just use your pickup truck in CO and keep the UTV in TX? I got the Landmaster AMP crew wilderness edition and it's been pretty great. Supposed to get over a 50 mile range on a full charge, but I've never maxed mine out, but it can work all day long on hilly terrain and not drain down all the way. ...the machine is quiet as a mouse, red light bar for night time hunting, gun/tool rack over the dumper bed, front winch and rack, etc.

Hey do you mind sharing where you got it and how much it cost? I'm looking at getting a new UTV and this seems to be the electric of choice. I'm familiar with the Polaris electric, but it looks like they've given up on new models.

Feel free to shoot me an email.
Mrmryan1 at gmail
Thanks

I got mine at Lakeway EV in Conroe. Call and ask for Don. He's got some in stock right now.

I'm leaning towards a U10 Pro XL, but my two reservations are the lack of cup holders/storage with the center console folded up and how the touchscreen holds up to water and the elements.
I'm used to just hosing them off.
Any input on those?

Front seat there is one cupholder on each side if middle is folded. Back seat holders are easy to access though. Never been an issue for us

Screen has been rained on, washed, covered in mud and washed again numerous times with no issues. Honestly everyone prefers driving it over our CanAm Defender Max.
I would absolutely buy another U10 Pro XL

That's good to know. Thanks for the reply