When Kymco brought the ATV media to South Carolina last February, we had our guesses at what we’d be looking at and, as expected, we weren’t disappointed.
First item on the agenda was the introduction of the not-so-top-secret UXV 500 side-by-side. We’ve been told, the trick with side-by-sides is to jam as much performance into the package without sacrificing utility functionality. The UXV nails it.
Its 498.5cc DOHC 4-stroke churns out an impressive 33 horsepower and features a CVT tranny with diff-lock and independent double A-arm suspension front and back.
When called upon, the box can haul a hefty 420-pound payload and the standard tilt bed makes unloading easy.
The UXV also features a standard equipment hitch that can pull a whopping 1212 pounds. Not too shabby. Cab seating for two people is decent and features a center console shifter and digital instrumentation. The seats are as comfy as any competitor’s are and 3-point safety harnesses keep both the driver and passenger in place.
There’s also a heavy-duty mesh safety guard to keep legs inside the vehicle. We’d actually like to see this mesh guard extend all the way from the shoulder to the foot wells to incorporate arm safety as well as legs. Frankly, as it is, this is a solid start and Kymco has gone further than almost every other OEM to ensure rider safety.
Independent rear suspension is a new concept for Kymco’s lineup and the engineers have done their homework. Parallel double A-arms front and rear allow the UXV to tackle rough trails easily and 12.2 inches of ground clearance will cover just about any trail obstacle without that annoying grinding sound.
Selectable 4×4 and a manual diff-locker make rocks and logs feel more like pebbles and twigs under the tires.
The UXV bridges the fine line between price and quality. The fact is, you can get a well-equipped UXV with a very large feature load at a very attractive price without compromising quality.
