To say the all-new Can-Am Commander has been long anticipated is an understatement; this is the most talked about new SxS vehicle this model year. Can-Am has been working the press for over 18 months with tiny information teasers in advance of the Commander’s arrival.

The new Commander is both fast and powerful. Even in base trim and when equipped with the smallest available Commander powerplant, the potent 71-horsepower 800R V-twin currently used in the Can-Am Outlander, it’s still a rocket.

The 800R Commander is capable of pulling even with the current crop of mainstream RUVs including Arctic Cat’s 75-hp XTZ 1000 and Polaris’s Ranger RZR S 800HO with 65 horsepower.

Here’s the bad news if you own one of the competition’s horsepower cannons. The Commander is available with an optional 1000cc 85-horse V-twin reactor and it’s capable of propelling the Commander in a way only professional desert racers experience when belted into a race-prepped SxS. For sure, we’ve never ridden any SxS that comes close to the wheel shredding power and thrust of the Commander 1000. Nothing.

Even though the Commander X will occupy the Pure Sport designation along with the RZR S, it can do more. It’s fully a utility UTV equipped with a unique dual mode dumping cargo box with two tailgates! The box has a false floor and opens to Big Gulp dimensions. With 85-horsepower on tap, hauling top soil becomes immeasurably more interesting.

The Commander is also an ergonomic homerun, featuring the nicest seats in the biz – removable for use around the campfire. The steering wheel and instrumentation tilt in concert and the control placement is superb. A drive-by-wire throttle allows for two separate throttle response programs and a 10-mph limiter if the driver’s seatbelts are not fastened.

There’s much more to say about the new Commander, and you can be sure we’ll be saying it in All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine and on Dirt Trax Television over the next few months.

* CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT THE COMMANDER
* CLICK HERE TO WATCH A PREVIEW OF THIS TEST RIDE

I’m a big fan of ATVs and have hauled a substantial number of moose and deer out of the bush with them over the past 30 years.

Looking back, I’m amazed at the loads we’ve been able to carry through some of the dirtiest holes to get our game out instead of having to drag it or quarter it and pack it out to camp. Honestly though, I cannot imagine life at the camp without having the use of a side by side!

Does this mean the tried and true ATV has fallen out of favor with me? Absolutely not, but over the course of a calendar year I will put more miles on an ATV than a SxS because where I live, a UTV is not road legal. On the other hand, ATVs, with certain restrictions, are. I don’t agree but I grudgingly accept it.

The sales of SxS vehicles are growing rapidly and the more I use them, the more I find the versatility of a UTV meets the requirements of my lifestyle. We’re seeing a wide spectrum of specific duties from the Polaris Ranger HD with its multi-use accessories and even electric powered UTVs are becoming popular for the simple reason they’re so quiet.

One of my favorites is the amphibious Argo, and while not a traditional UTV, it’s been around for many years and is continually being refined. The rubber track kit transforms the Argo into a 4-season workhorse. Being amphibious makes the Argo a very popular choice for many a hunt camp as they will get you in and out of otherwise inaccessible places. What truly amazes me is the toughness and long life of an Argo. They’re like the Energizer bunny; they never quit.

Lately, I’ve been leaning more towards using our UTV press units at the camp because of the ways they make my recreation time more enjoyable. Working on trails in and around the camp is much easier because I don’t have to use an ATV trailer all the time and because there’s less need to continually secure equipment with bungee cords.

The roll bars make carrying brush and liming saws a breeze and they also make a great boat rack for our 14-foot square stern Sportspal Canoe. Their wide-box cargo capacity makes getting gear into camp an easier task and UTV dump boxes make quick work of minor trail repairs. Besides all that, getting those Whitetails back to the hanging pole at camp is a much easier task.

UTVs have been a homerun with the older (cough) hunters in camp and with Brogan’s daughters who feel they’re more user-friendly to operate because they’re so similar to driving a car. With the cargo box, the girls don’t have to fasten their packs down, either.

I’ve heard some complaints about people who doubt the capabilities of a SxS: “They won’t go where my ATV will go!” Others claim they’re too wide. For the record, we have had to widen a few of our trails marginally but so far I have yet to find anywhere a SxS has been at a disadvantage.

The last couple of seasons we’ve experienced above average snowfall in bow season and, in my opinion, the UTVs have handled the snow better. Last winter we installed a set of Camoplast tracks on our Polaris HD and groomed snowmobile trails with it. One thing is for certain, in adverse winter conditions, side by sides are a warmer ride and with all the enclosed cab options available they can be made downright cozy.

Oh, and besides all of this, camp owners will find a UTV makes a great vehicle for visits after a day of hunting. It’s perfect for those times when you head out to another camp to tell those big buck stories.

While you’re en-route you can get your stories, lies and excuses straight with your buddy riding beside you. As you can tell, I’m a big fan!

I wonder if, back when Kawasaki first introduced the Mule, the company had any idea of how far this segment would expand.

The ATV business always seems to land on its feet. Despite the deepest economic recession in 30 years, the ATV segment has an ace card in the recreational powersports industry.

Among all other powersport vehicles including motorcycles, snowmobiles, watercraft, boats and RV’s, the UTV segment of the ATV industry has come through the recession with sales momentum intact.

We, along with a ton of industry insiders are looking closely at what’s behind the SxS success story. There are some contradictions at play here – not the least of which is this reality: UTVs, without exception, carry the highest suggested list prices in the ATV industry. Simply put, they aren’t cheap.

In fact, the higher prices of these vehicles may be a big reason they continue to sell strong in a bad economy. Obviously, the demographic group still buying new side by sides has been less impacted by job losses, mortgage crunches and cutbacks. These people can afford the higher MSRPs of SxS vehicles and their buying power has not been undermined by the recession.

Another reality of the SXS biz is this: amazing practicality. Okay, we’ve spoken many times on these pages of how an ATV is the ultimate off-road-work-play vehicle.

We’re not backing off on this conviction, however, we’re going to update it with this statement: If an ATV is a practical multi-purpose purchase, then a UTV is a multi-purpose practical purchase times two.

Look at what you can do with a side by side for a few grand more than an ATV. The ability to carry three people in many models and even more in some four-place versions eliminates purchasing multiple ATVs.

The ability to carry big payloads in the box is unequalled in the off-road world right now. The flexibility to perform yard work, job site work, hunt camp chores and trail rides all in one vehicle is incomparable. Throw in the ability to plow snow with a 6-foot blade and you can actually justify getting rid of the pick-up truck.

Their versatility boggles the mind. For sure, SxS vehicles are not cheap, however, take one look at next year’s prices and it looks like the UTV market is going to do nothing but grow.

In a conversation about three years ago, Matt Homan, Vice President of Polaris’ Off-Road Division, commented he would not be surprised if one day the UTV business actually exceeded the ATV biz in unit sales volume. I like Matt, he’s smart and insightful but when he made this statement I took it with a large grain of salt, given he had just been put in charge of Polaris Ranger business.

Today, with SxS sales still climbing, new segments of the UTV market emerging and more manufacturers coming into the game, Homan is looking more like a visionary than I thought. His prediction is getting closer to reality daily.

If you haven’t experienced the fun and versatility of a UTV, we hope you decide to pursue a test ride sometime soon. Once you experience it, there’s no turning back.