When it comes to traversing greasy mud holes in the trail element, it’s usually more about finesse and picking your way carefully over and around submerged obstacles until you finally emerge from the pit.
Provided you’ve got an ATV with decent mud tires, enough ground clearance and a good breathing apparatus, you can take a lower powered mudder anywhere you can take a big one and Can-Am’s Outlander L X mr 570 might just be able to do most things the big bores can do.
The 570 offers most of the classy features you get with a bigger-inch Can-Am mud ride including a potent SOHC Rotax V-twin that spools out gobs of bottom end.
Rated at 48-horsepower, the 570 is a willing mill that feels and sounds like a much larger displacement powerplant. Some of the credit goes to the calibration of the 570’s CVT tranny and the driveline’s gear ratios for both low range and high.
The happy marriage of engine and driveline makes the whole vehicle very competent in extreme mud conditions and we never felt like there was insufficient power on tap to get us over, under or through any kind of obstacle.
Keep in mind, no mud ATV is engineered to be a land speed record holder. Most of these vehicles’ life spans are spent plunking at lower speeds and negotiating near-impassable situations you’d never subject a normal trail ATV to. With this in mind, we have to give kudos to the designers because the 570 actually rides and handles well and can be put to more tasks than just mud-slogging.
It uses regular steel-bodied non-adjustable hydraulic shocks all around and with more than 12-inches of ground clearance and a 51-inch wheelbase, handles obstacles really well.
Some of its mud prowess is due to a set of very aggressively-lugged 28-inch Maxxis Mudzilla tires on 12-inch aluminum rims. These are 6-ply tires great for supporting those deep paddle lugs you’ll need for digging out of swampy holes.
Maybe not the most compliant trail tires, but on an ATV like this, they’re perfect. The rears use a 10-inch-wide rim while the fronts are eights.
Tri-Mode DPS is standard on the 570 and we’ve found it to be extremely beneficial, especially with a vehicle that weighs in at 843-pounds, dry.
An oversized radiator has been moved up high onto the front rack area and Can-Am has designed a special vented cover to protect it. Further protection comes from a massive tube-style front bumper that extends over the rad area.
One of Can-Am’s bonus features is the Visco-Lok QE (Quick Engagement) front differential that senses wheel spin and automatically locks the diff using a viscous coupling. This is a nice offroad benefit because you dont have to wrestle the handlebars with a locked differential when youre on hard packed or solid surfaces.
Just ride through them in 4×4 into the slickness and the Visco-Lok will automatically sense slippage and lock the front wheels. When you’re out of the slippery stuff it automatically reverts to unlocked 4WD.
Sadly, a winch is not part of this package and it’s one feature we know you’ll need. Don’t even think about mudding this ATV without either a Can-Am accessory or aftermarket winch. All the wiring is in place and there’s an excellent mount at the front but, doggone, a mud ATV without a winch? C’mon.
All things considered, Can-Am has come up with a vehicle that is affordable and well enough equipped to satisfy any rider who wants to challenge the worst of the worst riding conditions.
It’s much more than just a “beginner” mudder and has the goods to keep up with same-targeted ATVs costing thousands more.
