I would probably put it more in the defender limited and northstar category based solely on the HVAC. Hopefully they get some market share and bring canam and Polaris back to reality on their pricing

Nice Unit! These UTVs are becoming so elaborate with high price points, so many choices in the UTV World these days! For UTVs I like mine basic and more open air, keeps price, weight and complexity down, but the consumer is so demanding if manufactures are focusing on these types of machines!

For 35k dollars, its competition is pretty much a base model Wrangler or Bronco lol and i would 100% take one of those over the Ridge. I could at least justify the price by driving a bronco or Jeep to work lol

Definitely a ranger/defender opponent. The shocks alone should explain that.

Been waiting for your take on the Ridge!! I think it’s an excellent offering from Kawi and will strongly consider getting one once they come in a 4-door. Lots of people complain when reviews state it competes with an Rmax. I’m sure those commenters will show up here too! Haha…. I’m glad to see Kawi bringing out new machines and they now stand alone as the only Japanese manufacturer offering a fully cabbed, HVAC equipped sxs. Good for them! They make great vehicles, stand behind them with the industries best warranty and with new offerings will be even more competitive!!! Thanks for the review DT!!!

Prices are making the cfmoto uforce 1000cc look better everyday, especially if they eventually if they could opt in for the full cab with AC/heat.

Are you guys hoping to get your hands on the new Brute Force anytime soon? I know the powertrain is unchanged but it’s still pretty cool that they gave the super reliable Brute an update.

Ridge is a Ranger and XR a General

There is lots to like about this new ridge, accept maybe price. Kawasaki needs to offer a superior machine at a competitive price or maybe a bit below its competition. I think most people are going to be more excited about the more horsepower in the XR model, but they're going to be disappointed in not having the big touch screen and or in some cases like me not having the three seater option. I think Kawasaki missed the mark a little bit by not making this machine more like the Yamaha rmax. A Yamaha rmax type machine with a sealed cab, heating and air conditioning, would be an awesome rig and one I think a lot of people would have an interest in. And of course all these companies are way too conservative when it comes to horsepower in these non-sport side-by-side models.

They are using a bigger engine cuz it’s all about displacement. My car guys should be following me on this idea. Bigger engine means, plenty of power and less screaming. It doesn’t have to push as hard to get that power.

I really like the Ridge. It has a lot going for it. It's almost identical in size to a Defender and priced almost the same. I did a video a few weeks ago comparing dimensions and box sizes of the Ridge, Ranger and Defender. I think it will cause both Polaris and Can Am to up their game with the interiors of their machines.

I think they had the Honda Pioneer in their sights when designing the Ridge. They like to compete with Honda and always go above and beyond when they build what they are trying to compete with. Like the KRX vs. the Talon for example. Look at the similar motorcycles they sell. I have no idea how many Pioneers they sell a year but i can tell you that last week i was out riding and passed 10 machines all day and 5 of them were Pioneers. Yes HVAC models are trying to take a piece from Polaris and Can Ams pie too. It’s funny people get all worked up about what it competes with. I would hope when someone goes to pay this kind of money they did some research and are buying what they want. I had a Pioneer for 7 years and traded it for an Rmax. Both do really good trail riding. You have to be pushing it above 35-40 to really feel a difference imo. Yes the Rmax is more comfortable and be pushed harder but at the end of the day i loved the Pioneer too. I think they will sell a lot of these to guys who want a cross over machine that can a little of everything.

Not including a front diff lock on the limited is so dumb, not offering a XR limited is equally dumb. But I am sure they will fix both next year leaving everyone who pulls the trigger this year upset which will keep me from buying one.

My thoughts on that sway bars: if they aren't intending these high speed running and are geared more towards work or rough off-road the lack of bars would be a comfort and articulation bonus.

Looks good but we need a 4 door. Guess we'll keep our defender limited max for a while.

Wow, when I was a kid we though we were in heaven when we got to use a 3 wheeled golf cart in the woods! I have no idea why power steering and ac would ever be wanted. But again, I just find anything with a motor and wheels a plus. Seems the Mule is still the best for the minimalist.

I think it's a nice machine but I disagree with what you call it's competition. I'd say a closer competition is the Defender or Ranger 1K HVAC models are closer in competition. I'd imagine that it will be more reliable than those machines at least. It's not enough recreation focused to be considered competitive against an R-Max or General.

You guys should do the Sierra Echo R- Spec

Luke: Darren here... I rode with you for your CFORCE 1000 episode at Gopher Dunes. I pre-ordered one of these for pick up in May. I'm in the process of retiring from the forces, and we bought a farm near Sudbury. If you guys are interested in filming on the farm and testing it for utility and trail environments, all on our private property, you are welcome. I have an RMAX and a RZR as well.

Make the XR with 3 seats I’d I’d take one.

THERE IS NO WAY IN HAITIS that the Ridge is comparable to the General, Commander or Rmax. Its a fancy Ranger at best.

His that the new norm, fully enclosed cabins hvac,pwr windows and wipers utvs? just asking for a friend 😊

It reminds me on the Artic Cat Hovoc. Due to its price, this unit will be equally as popular 😂

Do you know what I would recommend to the Segway Super villain.

is the Garmin available to add to the ridge XR

How is the interior noise compared to defender limited

Have you guys considered doing a sxs shoot out where you go through them all together and use a scoring system and see which one is the best. A bit like how channels do it for trucks. A sport category and utility category would be good to do seperately too.

This thing is listed at 84" tall. Good luck getting in an enclosed trailer.

To me this looks more comparable to the polaris ranger northstar and can am defender limited

Im sure the 4 cylinder is much quiter than the twin thats huge for us older fellas

The tire size is inadequate. To me at least. It looks weird.

definitely in the defender and ranger category, a sport machine it is not lol at least not in the same league as the general XP and commander or Rmax

Kawasaki seems nice but boring. Please do a review on the Honda pioneer. 1000-6

I don't understand these Japanese manufacturers that have incredible engine and suspension setups available to them and they stay status quo. Yamaha should have a yzx that dominates against the x3 amd mav r and Kawasaki should too.

Looks more like a Ranger or Defender competitor, not Commander.

And get a good run at it

I wanna know when Government is going to allow us to drive these on the road.. They are after all bigger then a 1990's Suzuki Samurai Or geo tracker

This is what the Gator RSX was

There is no way that this thing will out perform an RMAX. It's a cool machine, but not as sporty. I do think that that Kawasaki is going to run this engine configuration for a few years before they modify it a bit and dump it into something like the KRX. That I4 could make 150 horse pretty easy knowing Kawasaki, so the future may be bright.

I have owned a Kawasaki mule pro MX and also a Kawasaki mule pro FXR I traded for a Can-Am defender the can am will be my choice so far with a Can-Am defender never had any issues the Kawasaki's I have had multiple issues

Price is proof that the Dollar is lost it's value. Soon it will be cheeper to use than toilet paper.

After 30 years building clutches. I’ll stick with my experience on that one.

whats this once a month shit should be once a week video lol its almost like every company just wants to make utvs and forget about the atvs example antique 750 brute force price goes up every yr b ut been the same since 2005 beside efi n power steering n headlights oh boy

Kawasaki missed the mark for me, just like Yamaha keeps missing the mark with the YXZ. I want a non Polaris machine to make me question keeping my X3.

How much did kawasaki pay you? 😂😂

We won’t even bother mentioning the 2024 brute force that thing is a ugly joke