Taking a whole new direction aren't they. Trying to compete with Polaris, etc.
I'm curious. My closest dealer is about 40 miles away. When he gets one I'll go take a look.
How disappointing.
Nothing special, it looks like very other UTV out there these days.
How disappointing.
Nothing special, it looks like very other UTV out there these days.
I think it sounds freaking awesome!
I agree, it is clearly being positioned to grab a piece of the UTV market. There is a ton of money to be made there and I guess I can't blame Kubota for that.
But for me, I'd like to have seen the R+D dollars go to increasing the HP and a better trans in the RTVX, as Symphony mentioned.
One thing that might set this Sidekick apart from its UTV competition would be if it uses no belts. From a very long list of UTVs, it is what is what helped me narrow the choice down to either Honda or Kubota RTVX. I am 100% happy with my choice.
I can't imagine running our tree farm without the RTVX. We moved thousands of pounds of firewood last weekend and dragged a 50ft sycamore that was as big around as me. It took diff lock and 4wd with these stock tires but the RTVX moved it where I needed it. I can't imagine something with a centrifugal clutch doing that.
As for this new unit coming in the spring, it will never be a replacement for the RTVX. Its great that Kubota has entered the sport UTV market but I believe that is where the Sidekick will find most of its buyers. I would love to have one as a toy if I had 20K burning a hole in my pocket. I am sure it will be well made.
I am ok with the new sidekick but i would not trade my x1100c for one. i hope the sidekick is just another machine to add to their lineup and not a replacement. heck Kubota may as well have a pony in the race for that sort of consumer too. i hope they do well and the folks that buy them enjoy them for what they are.
If the specs and features listed in the BW article are accurate, this is a major disappointment and so I won’t be purchasing the new RTV. They clearly positioned this vehicle to complete in the multipurpose UTV segment but failed even before getting out of the gate. They have done nothing to differentiate this new RTV from the Polaris Ranger, CanAm Defender and other manufacturers’ offerings (Viking, Mule, Gator). On a spec to spec, feature to feature comparison, the competition looks far more attractive.
They had a great platform to start with (RTV-X) and all they needed to do was increase engine power (turbo diesel or gas) and add a more efficient torque converter PTO transmission. Throw in some selectable locking diffs with turf mode and in my view, the RTV would be a formidable competitor.
I'll still wait for the full specs and continue to hope that that it turns out to be better than the purported specs in the BW article.