2019 Textron Wildcat XX vs. Polaris RZR XP 1000: By the Numbers

There is the old saying that if you should ever find yourself in prison, and I hope you never do, the first day you’re in there, you should walk up to the biggest, baddest guy on the cellblock and punch him square in the face. This will let everyone else know you’re a tough guy and they should all take you serious. With Textron Off-Road, coming into the high-performance market with a new machine means that sooner or later, you’re going to have to take the comparison to the Polaris RZR, the machine that invented the category and continually sets the benchmark. Let’s watch the Textron Wildcat XX and the Polaris RZR XP 1000 face off by the numbers and hope the guards don’t try to break up the fight.

The Cat’s Out of the Bag

The Textron Wildcat XX is not really a new machine in that we’ve all known about it for some time. Arctic Cat had been working on it for a long time before financial situations led to the buy-out and merger with Textron. We also know Textron was working on a few things before it bought Arctic Cat – the latest being the new Havoc X. Textron put the brakes on the XX’s launch because it knew that when it came out with a true performance machine, it had to come out swinging. The delays were worth it, as the new Wildcat XX is getting rave reviews from those lucky enough to have taken one for a spin.

The XX is a naturally aspirated (yes – no turbo charger!) 997cc inline triple pumping out 125 horses – the new title holder for non-turbocharged UTVs. If you were to take a close look, you’d actually find the engine to be very familiar, but Textron is pretty tight lipped about admitting it’s a Yamaha. Power delivery, from all reports, is extremely good. There are some keyboard warriors out there bemoaning the fact that it isn’t turbocharged yet, but anyone who has driven it says it does just fine without one. To think, just a few years ago, 125 horsepower would be unheard of. Now people think it isn’t enough. Relax. There will be turbo options available from the aftermarket probably by the time you read this.

What’s to say about the non-turbo RZR XP 1000? It runs on a 999cc, 110-horsepower, twin cylinder ProStar motor that we all know and are familiar with. The thing about being the big guy on the cellblock – you have to have the muscle to back it up or you don’t stay there for long. Polaris’ RZR is the benchmark. It makes great power and is the machine we compare all others to for a reason.

The Wildcat’s Wildcard

The legendary Robby Gordon was brought in to consult on the Textron Wildcat XX package and the results are easy to see. The suspension system, which uses Fox Podium 2.5 QS3 shocks, is amazing. The shocks also have bottom-out control and 18 inches of travel. They ride on offset front A-arms with an unequal length that adjusts the tire camber and ensures maximum tire contact with the ground throughout the suspension travel. There is a newly designed rear trailing arm setup that lets the tire move nearly straight up and down through the stroke of the shock. The Wildcat XX has 13.5 inches of ground clearance, too. Textron is marketing the Wildcat XX as a machine that can travel over anything, and from those that have driven one, that would appear to be accurate.

The RZR runs Walker Evans Racing Needle shocks with 16 inches of travel in the front and 18 inches in the rear. The shocks are 2-inch in the front and 2.5 in the rear. Again, as we said, setting the standard, the RZR has dual A-arms in the front and the rear suspension set up uses trailing arms. This system has been refined over the years and works exceptionally well.

Who Wins the Fight?

We do! Both machines are excellent and will stack up well against the competition. When Arctic Cat ran the show, the Wildcat machines were known to have really good suspension, but a few other quirks played down the popularity some. The Textron Wildcat XX has amazing suspension and the rest of the machine seems to be right in the hunt. Check out Rick Sosebee’s testimonial of his ride here. Is it enough to knock off the champ? That’s up to you. Both are solid machines.

The Textron Wildcat XX starts out at $20,499. A Polaris RZR XP 1000 starts out at $17,999 and there are optional packages available for the RZR that climb that price up to be pretty equal. Tell us, which one would you buy?