Extended, Compressed
Also, while watching Robby Gordon make a few jumps on the trail we were able to see the suspension go from fully extended to fully compressed. Recovery was quick and smooth. It’s obvious after spending a day in the desert that the more aggressive you ride the Wildcat XX, the better it reacts.
Gordon made a point to mention his opinion that shocks should be mounted on the lower A-arm—like they are on the Wildcat XX—not the upper A-arm. Just one of the reasons, he says, is the better angle (more up and down vs. more diagonal) allows the shock to work more efficiently, thus giving a better ride throughout the stroke.
Of course the shocks can’t do all the suspension work alone so to help with the chores on the front is an unequal length double A-arm suspension with 18 inches of travel while in the rear there are two beefy trailing arms—one on each side—that take a lot of punishment and continue to deliver 18 inches of travel. Because Textron uses the trailing arms in the rear, there are no lateral links on the rear suspension. Almost not noticeable are the “ridges” on the trailing arms, which Gordon points out, “might look a little odd, but what they do for strength with those ridges” adds to the beefiness of the arms.
Gordon’s fingerprints are all obviously all over the suspension and he told us, “We tried to put as many characteristics (on the vehicle) as we could from 30 years of experience.”
And while there is 14 inches of ground clearance on the Wildcat XX, it still has a nice, low center of gravity.
Point No. 2
Moving on to our second point—the engine—in why the Wildcat XX is a contender, we’ve experienced that engine on dirt and snow as it is the powerplant in the YXZ 1000R and Yamaha snowmobiles. The snowmobile version comes with a factory-installed turbo (which leads us to believe a turboed Wildcat XX can’t be too far off in the distance) and has amazing power.
Textron claims 125 hp on the Wildcat XX, which is a double digit horsepower increase on the non-turbo RZR XP 1000 and Can-Am Maverick XC. The power is deliberate, meaning it builds consistently across the powerband and is smooth, not peaky. We got the Wildcat XX up to 74 mph in the desert and knew there was more but the dusty conditions didn’t make it safe to squeeze any more out of the engine. We know it’s there though.
Gordon also pointed out how the engine “hangs” from the chassis, rather than sit on it. That makes it less susceptible to the effects of vibration.
When it comes to our point No. 3, there are a few things that really are standouts on the Wildcat XX. Those include:
- The tires are the same size all the way around, meaning if you carry a spare, you don’t have to guess whether you should take a front or rear tire. The tires are CST Behemoth 30x10x15 inches and come on 15-inch aluminum KMC wheels.
- The new doors are full size and keep the dust and debris from coming into the cab from the sides of the vehicle. There are handles on both sides of the door so you don’t have to reach out or in to open them.
- The cab is nice and roomy and the seats plush and very functionable. The driver’s seat is adjustable. The steering wheel is also adjustable and the gauges move up and down with the steering wheel so you can always see them.
- The rear cargo box is big (a spare tire lays flat in the box) and extremely easy to remove, allowing quick access to the engine and drivetrain.
- Standard electronic power steering (EPS), a must in desert driving.
We like the looks of the Wildcat XX (“There is definitely more plastic than on the competitors but we wanted to differentiate this vehicle from others.” – Robby Gordon) from front to rear and side to side. It looks solid and rides solid. That’s a good combo.
The MSRP of the Wildcat XX is $20,499.
