Always busy, the out-of-the-box thinkers at Polaris also came up with a better way to transport two people on an ATV – the Polaris X-2.

Why not incorporate a 2-passenger seat and a dump box in one tidy package? Wrap this versatile feature in an updated Sportsman chassis with Versa-Trak unlocking rear differential and drop in a 500 single with EFI and you’ve got an ATV for all reasons.

Tell us who you think should’ve won Best New Concept in All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine’s 2006 Best In Class Awards. Scroll down the page and cast your vote!!

Yamaha’s choice to utilize the bulletproof Kodiak 450 engine and transmission in the proven Rhino chassis created a lower price point for the UTV buyer who prioritizes ride and handling over jaw-dropping acceleration.

Still full featured and a ton of fun to drive, the 450 Rhino is a great idea and will no doubt, funnel a flock of new buyers into this segment of the sport.

Tell us who you think should’ve won Best New Concept in All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine’s 2006 Best In Class Awards. Scroll down the page and cast your vote!!

Also from Yamaha this year is the revamped Wolverine. By taking the proven 450 Kodiak driveline and combining it with a lightened version of the Kodiak chassis, the Wolverine name has taken on new meaning.

We predict this CVT equipped, great handling all-purpose sport 4-wheeler will create a new niche in the marketplace.

Tell us who you think should’ve won Best New Concept in All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine’s 2006 Best In Class Awards. Scroll down the page and cast your vote!!

It would be wrong to not mention in All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine’s BEst In Class Awards issue -the impact on the industry Bombardier’s new 800 Outlander Max will have.

Two factors are at play here and the first is power. This is the most powerful ATV built today – and that comment includes Pure Sport ATVs.

Second, the 800 Max is unashamedly targeted at the two rider market. Naysayers will complain it has too much power for its class but consumer demand for this ATV has already gone off the Richter scale.

It changed the rules and everyone else will have to decide whether or not to follow.

The pure sport market has been a tough battle for Polaris. Although the Predator is a great ATV with many features not available from the competition, it has struggled to compete with the incredible popularity of Yamaha’s YFZ-450 and Honda’s TRX 450R.

Instead of trying to fight on a level playing field, Polaris pulled the sheets off the new Polaris Outlaw and in one swift motion set the Pure Sport market on its collective ear.

The Outlaw has only one thing in common with the Predator: its rock solid 499cc twin cam, 4-valve liquid cooled engine driving a gear-on-gear manual tranny with reverse. The rest of the Outlaw is a completely new concept from the ground up.

The Outlaw debuts Polaris’ PRO IRS delivering 10 true inches of travel and a true 11.5 inches of ground clearance. The suspension system employs fully rebuildable Fox racing shocks all around with piggybacks in the rear.

The rear break caliper and sprocket are located up high within the Outlaw’s tubular frame and completely out of harm’s way. The front suspension is similar to the Predator’s but tweaked and lightened for maximum performance in the gnarly stuff.

The Outlaw’s aluminum silencer hangs dead-center in the rear of the ATV – generating a very “bullet-bike-ish” visual appeal which may be the only view you’ll get of the Outlaw on the trails.

While the white coat wearing Engineers at BRP are reluctant to put a number on the new 650 Outlander HO, it becomes immediately clear its smaller bore engine delivers between 52 and 54 HP which is pretty close to Kawi’s Brute Force 750.

With a huge performance margin already banked with the Outlander 800, BRP enters the 650 class with a vehicle that’s as powerful as the strongest ATV in the competitive segment. Simply, the 650 is a carbon copy of the 800 with a slightly smaller bore.

The engine uses the same Bosch EFI system, the same CVT and an identical Visco-Lok 4×4 system. You’ll remember Visco-Lok delivers full differential action in 4-sheel drive until 1 front wheel begins to lose grip then the front diff locks up producing true 4×4.