Six Different Variations
No doubt the flagship model in Honda’s side-by-side lineup is the Pioneer 1000, which comes in six different variations (1000, 1000 EPS, 1000 LE, 1000-5, 1000-5 Deluxe and 1000-5 LE).
Who doesn’t want the feature-rich Pioneer 1000 LE (or 1000-5 LE) with its I-4WD (Honda’s sweet brake traction control system that includes hill start assist and electronic brake force distribution) and every other bell and whistle the company offers as standard equipment?
Feature-rich comes at a price, though, to the tune of $4,600 more for the 1000 LE vs. the 1000 EPS. We’re purposefully not using the base 1000 as a comparison because, well, we’ve already told you how we feel about EPS vs. non-EPS.
Just because the 1000 EPS doesn’t come with all the bells and whistles as the 1000 LE doesn’t mean it’s a stripped down shell of a side-by-side. Far from it. Here are eight standard features that are common between the two Honda vehicles:
1. 999cc liquid-cooled twin-cylinder Unicam four-stroke.
2. 6-speed Automatic DCT with six forward gears as well as reverse. Four drive modes include 2WD, 4WD, turf and diff lock. Paddle shifters offer three shift modes: standard, Sport and manual.
3. High/low subtransmission.
4. EPS
5. Tilt steering wheel.
6. Manual shift mode; this goes along with point No. 2. You can shift from automatic to manual on the fly as you traverse the trails. This is one of our favorite features of the Pioneer side-by-sides.
7. “Sport” mode. When in Sport mode, the shift points on the transmission are changed slightly so that the engine revs higher, giving the feeling of a little quicker/more responsive engine.
8. Colored door/bed panels.
So if you think you can get by without I-4WD, which is an awesome bit of technology that you can feel when driving the Pioneer equipped with it, and without the Fox QS3 shocks, you can see by the listed eight common features, there’s a lot youre not missing out on. Of course, those eight common features aren’t the only things the Pioneer lineup share. We’ll admit, if we were choosing the Pioneer EPS, we’d upgrade the suspension to the Fox QS3 shocks. Those shocks work very well and are easy to adjust.
As melancholy as we might be about missing out on the QS3 shocks (if we were staying stock on the 1000 EPS), we’re equally as excited about two features (Nos. 1 and 2) that are common between the 1000 EPS and 1000 LE
We’ve gone into detail in previous Pioneer 1000 stories about the potent Honda powerplant so we won’t do so again here. We will, however, rave a little on the 6-speed Automatic DCT. The 6-speed automatic dual control clutch (DCT) with paddle shifters and the option to be in automatic (AT) or manual (MT) make this so much fun to drive. We like to use the manual transmission with the paddle shifters but always make a point to use AT. While both are effective and useful in different driving and trail conditions, we find MT more engaging. It makes us feel more involved in the ride. AT works great and with it being an all-gear transmission (no belts), it is essentially maintenance-free.
All the Pioneer 1000s have their place and a tip of the hat to Honda for providing a little something for all kinds of tastes. So what’s right for you? You simply decide what you need vs. what you want and see where that fits in your budget. Chances are, there is a Pioneer 1000 for you.
