Going to purchase a UTV soon… but not sure what the best fit is for my needs. It will be primarily used for riding and hunting on my lease, which is within riding distance via a dirt road from my house. Quietness is helpful as I’ll be going in some places to hunt and a bench seat model will be needed. Terrain on the lease is rolling hills with a lot of gravel roads… but we do have some woods roads that I travel. Last, not sure if I need to buy new or used. What do you recommend and why???

Honda pioneer

Honda is quieter than a Polaris ranger. Ranger “drives” smoother b/c it’s not shifting gears on the go.

Both are fine machines and will serve you well. Some deals on used ones are popping up on Facebook marketplace now. I think inflation is catching up with some.

Brother has a 1000-5 Pioneer. The shorter wheelbase is handier than the long dedicated quad seat units. Only drawbacks I’ve found are it shifts kinda hard, backseat can be hot for passengers as they’re directly over the engine, and with the backseats folded up, there’s pretty much no bed space. Used prices on them seem to be pretty high.

Love my ranger. I’m a Honda guy but when I started looking and comparing I felt like I got lore for my money with the ranger. That’s just my opinion though.

As far as being quiet I’ve had several people comment on how quiet it is

Which model do you have?

I have had good service out of my Yamaha Viking. When we bought we looked at about everyone they make and the Yamaha hit all my marks over Polaris, Honda, Kawasaki, and Kubota which is what all we looked at

Honda pioneer. Shaft driven, relatively quiet, and it’s been out long enough to work over the bugs. The hard shifting works itself out with an oil change or two once it’s broken in. No trouble there. Just don’t miss the scheduled services. When it says it needs servicing on the display screen, then do it. They have the 520, 700 and 1000 with many options. Drove one for the state from 2015 until 2022. Bought one for myself in ‘21. I use it a lot from spraying to burning and it’s holding up quite well to the abuse. The 4 seater 700 is very versatile.

X2

I wouldn't say the shifting on the Pioneer is bad necessarily, just more noticeable than other machines I've driven. We're about to do the second service on it with oil filters, air filter, plugs, O rings, and full fluid change, be interesting to see if it helps it. It's had a little bit of spirited driving on it, but mostly just hunting and utility. I know it will do low 60s with two adults in it.

One other thing I've noticed about it I forgot to mention, the doors and bed rattle. Wrapped some electrical tape around the latch points, and it helps a little.

I bought a pioneer 700 last month. Only have about 70 miles on it but I am pleased with it so far. Prices are all over the place and they are selling as fast as they get them in. I got the best deal at Jackson Honda in Andalusia.

Can-am defender HD10

This. Have a buddy that uses these in his business and has had them all. Say can am the best.

Sit in the seat of them for around five minutes to see which one fits you. Independent suspension is a must.

1000 premium

Hondas electric shift still scares me. I’ve heard of several people that have had some issues. If I was looking again I would give can am a look. I didn’t before

Honda Pioneers are definitely reliable. But I hear several complaints about them being hot. The 700 top speed is only 43mph, whereas the 1000 will run about 67.

I have enjoyed my 2013 Ranger XP900. bought used in 2018, and with regular maintenance have had no issues. Quiet enough. Not a quad cab - need an acre field to turn quad cab around it seems- and I am not hauling more than one other person 99% of the time. If I was that close to my hunting property I would get and electric cart unless driving" off road" and into the woods to load a deer was a factor. I take my 900 down steep hills and back up, or through rough clear-cut where I probably shouldn't but it is a tank.