Is CFMOTO Preparing a Three-Cylinder Polaris XPEDITION Competitor?
In its ongoing quest to steal UTV sales from the likes of Can-Am and Polaris, CFMOTO appears to be whipping up a competitor to the latter's XPEDITION overlanding-style side-by-side. Recent patent filings with the World Intellectual Property Organization reveal drawings and technical information for a UTV with a fully enclosed cabin, HVAC, and a three-cylinder powerplant.
It's not just one variant of this new SxS that CFMOTO is working on, as UTV Driver reports. Both two and four-seat models will be available, the former with a cargo tray behind the seats and the latter making use of the same area for passenger space. Most important in delineating this model from the rest of the rest of the CFMOTO lineup, it will come with a roof, windshield, doors, and side windows, meaning it will likely come standard (or with very little in the way of options) as a fully enclosed machine, not unlike a traditional road-going passenger car vehicle.
In turn, this means the vehicle should have fairly usable HVAC in the way of air conditioning, and we know this will be present on the vehicle thanks to the presence of a condenser sitting ahead of the radiator in patent drawings.
The new, enclosed CFMOTO also looks like it will come with a healthy powerplant in the form of a three-cylinder engine. Filings note that the brand is working on a turbocharged version capable of up to 215 horsepower per liter, with a capacity of 1.25 liters, or roughly 250 horsepower when all is said and done. There's no guarantee the turbo will be available in this machine, but we sure hope it is. What's more likely to be the base engine is a naturally-aspirated version of the same or a similar motor, but in either guise it should be more than healthy enough to motivate the side-by-side.
Should this come to fruition, the enclosed CFMOTO will mark a new direction for the company's UTV offerings. Instead of being work or sport-focused, this has the makings of a great overlanding rig-- something you'd be happy to spend long days driving in the sake of adventure, sight-seeing, and the likes, rather than outright performance or sportiness. Pricing will undoubtedly be on the higher side, likely over $30k with more than the standard kit, but its only real competition at this time will be the aforementioned Polaris XPEDITION. Time will tell.
Ross hosts The Off the Road Again Podcast. He has been in the off-road world since he was a kid riding in the back of his dad’s YJ Wrangler. He works in marketing by day and in his free time contributes to Hooniverse, AutoGuide, and ATV.com, and in the past has contributed to UTV Driver, ATV Rider, and Everyday Driver. Ross drives a 2018 Lexus GX460 that is an ongoing build project featured on multiple websites and the podcast and spends his free time working on and riding ATVs.
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