Weve been blasting the trail systems surrounding the Dirt Trax World Headquarters for the past week aboard Textron Offroads Havoc X.
As usual weve formed some strong opinions and before we bring you a full-on review on the show, we thought youd be interested in a short list of what we think are the highlights of the Havoc X and some areas we think Textron could do some work on.
Here we go…
HIGH – Engine:
This engine is strong. The 957cc twin is fast revving and churns out 100 horsepower, which nobody doubts. It only takes one press of what is quite possibly the smoothest accelerator in the biz to get you moving, like REALLY moving. This mill feels powerful and we like it.
LOW – Door Handles:
Not a huge fan of this design. It works well enough – although at times latching the door takes a few extra slams to close. We just feel the rudimentary design could use a little more showroom sizzle. Its a small thing, but a vehicle in this class needs to score high on style, not just performance.
HIGH – Suspension:
The Havoc X comes stock with King 2.5-inch piggyback shocks. These are a high-quality product with mucho adjustability that add considerable value to this vehicle. Not as plush on the smallest stuff as wed like, but they do a mind-blowing job of soaking up the big stuff… including 60-foot table tops.
LOW – Seating:
This one was as immediately noticeable as putting your underwear on backwards. The seat feels like its positioned too high at the front and too low at the back, plus the backrest feels too upright creating the sensation of feeling a bit squished forward. Furthermore, the lack of bolstering in the seat cushion and backrest provides little support to keep you in place when cornering. We did notice that after a period of riding, we got used to it, but then we when moved over to a RZR, we were just like, “Oh ya, thats better.” We wonder if seats from a Wildcat in a more laid back position might be a perfect fit for the Havoc X… maybe even a set of PRP seats to add to its value.
HIGH/LOW – Behind Seat Storage:
Love this. We love it on the Stampede too. Having a relatively secure location to carry bags or gear (my camera bag fits perfectly back there) provides peace of mind and leaves the entire bed open for utility purposes. Our only gripe is the relatively rudimentary design of this area. We think theres so much potential here, like adding tie-down points for better securement, or a rubber mat or grippier floor so gear doesnt slide around to name a few. Bottom line, for a low, it still scores high.
Were really liking Textrons approach to the offroad industry. The company is aggressive and is bringing new products to the market with the intention of building the brand rather than sitting stagnant. The Havoc X exemplifies this and as an initial offering we think the companys engineers are onto something big. With a few more model years of incremental progression Textron Offroad is will steal market share from its competition. Right now though, were pretty sure the Havoc X is keeping some of other OEMs up past their bed time.
Keep in mind this was just a short list of things we noticed. Theres way more to say about the Havoc X so stay tuned for a full evaluation coming soon on Dirt Trax Television!
