2017 Can-Am Defender HD5 Preview

If you like the looks and capability of the Can-Am Defender line of Utility UTVs but were hoping for a more affordable option, you are in luck. BRP has introduced the newest member of the Defender family – the Can-Am Defender HD5.

Featuring a new 427cc Rotax single-cylinder engine that produces a claimed 38 horsepower, the HD5 is the third engine option for the Defender, joining the HD10 and HD8.

It comes available in two different packages – the base Defender HD5 and the Defender DPS HD5. Best of all, the MSRP comes in at $9,999. For comparison, the base Defender HD8 retails for $10,999 and the base Defender HD10 carries a price tag of $13,799.

“The 2017 Can-Am Defender HD5 side-by-side vehicle provides full-size functionality and unmatched versatility at an attractive price point,” says Marc-André Dubois, Global Marketing Director, Can-Am Off-Road. “This addition of the handy Defender HD5 packages helps us expand the Defender family lineup to meet market demand and also grow the Can-Am footprint in the highly popular utility-recreation segment of the industry.”

The new HD5 engine is maintenance free for one year, or up to 1,865 miles or 200 running hours. It comes mated to a belt-driven CVT that comes standard with Park, Reverse, Neutral, High and Low ranges. Can-Am’s Electronic Belt Drive Protection is designed to monitor the CVT belt and alert the driver when to be in low gear.

BRP built the Defender HD5 around a low-alloy steel chassis. Controlling the ride is a double A-arm front suspension and Torsional Trailing A-arm (TTA-HD) rear suspension. Twin-tube, gas-charged shocks offer up 10.0 inches of suspension travel at all four corners. Available ground clearance is 10.5 inches – a half inch less than the Defender HD8 and HD10.

Connecting the Defender HD5 to the ground are 25-inch Maxxis tires wrapped around 12-inch steel wheels, while selectable 2WD / 4WD Visco-Lok auto-locking front differential allow the driver to control how the machine will deal with the terrain ahead.

Built to get work done, the Defender HD5 can tow up to 1,500 pounds and offers a payload capacity of 1,200 pounds, including up to 600 pounds in the rear cargo bed. Those numbers are down slightly from the larger Defenders (2,000-pound towing capacity, 1,500-pound payload capacity, 1,000-pound cargo bed capacity), though it does share the same massive 10.6-gallon fuel tank.

Other features include a open dash configuration, truck-inspired VERSA-PRO bench seat (room for three adults), under-seat storage, under-dash storage and water-resistant toolbox mounted in the dash.

The Defender HD5 is available in green.

For buyers looking for more features, the Can-Am offers the Defender DPS HD5 package for $11,399 ($12,199 for water-dipped Mossy Oak Break-Up Country Camo). As expected, this package is built on the addition of Dynamic Power Steering (DPS). However, it also includes Auto-locking Visco-Lok QE front differential, which provides faster engagement of the front differential and boasts the ability to lock up to 100% with no rev or speed limiter.

The Defender DPS HD5 also comes with upgraded 12-inch aluminum wheels and more on-board storage space.