Maybe it’s not the most ideal analogy but we think the Kawasaki Teryx is like a pair of our favorite blue jeans. Nothing really flashy but we feel very comfortable in them.
That’s how we feel when driving the Kawasaki Teryx—our media loaner for this year is the 2018 Teryx Camo model—it’s just comfortable to drive and ride in, especially when you choose riding areas ideally suited to the Teryx.
Look at the features and spec sheet from the 2017 Kawasaki Teryx and the 2018 version and you won’t see any differences. So we were very comfortable when we hopped in our Camo version recently and headed to the mountains near Howe, ID.
We dialed up a lot of miles on the Teryx that day as we traversed high desert hills and mountain trails that took us up to just past 8,800 feet. The Teryx was predictable in all the riding situations we put it in, including rocky sections and rutted out trails. It was as familiar as our favorite blue jeans.
After riding the 2017 Teryx for a lot of miles and then swapping it out for the 2018, there are four features we would highlight on the 2018 Teryx Camo, in no particular order.
1. Electric Power Steering
On some of the miles we rode near Howe, the trails were not tough or technical. Some you could drive a high-clearance four-wheel drive pickup on. Others, not so much. Those trails were tight or rutted or littered with sharp rocks—or a combination of two of those and sometimes even all three. Kawasaki’s EPS is a very good unit and is light but not too light as you can feel the trail beneath you through the tires and EPS. We like that but what really stands out about Kawasaki’s EPS is the damping effect where you experience very little jarring or other feedback through the system.
Kawasaki’s EPS eliminates the need for a traditional power steering pump, which means no additional draw on the engine’s power. Kawasaki uses input from the vehicle’s speed and torque sensors to determine how much steering assistance is needed. Smooth, high speed (ish) trails? Not much assistance is needed. Rocky, rutted trails? All the assistance you need is provided. This EPS does the work so all you have to do is focus on the trail.
2. Roomy Cockpit
You definitely don’t feel like you’re wedged into the cockpit of the Teryx. It’s roomy and offers plenty of places to store stuff. There is plenty enough room for two adults in the cab to sit comfortably in the high-back seats. And, thanks to the layout of the cab, we were able to put our Pelican case camera bag in the center, a little back from the seats between the storage boxes which seat behind the seats. This may not seem like a big deal to some, but it is quite handy for us as we don’t have to put the camera case in the cargo box, which is inconvenient to get to and doesn’t offer as much protection as does the cab area.
We could easily store most of that stuff, i.e., extra goggles, gloves, etc., somewhere in the cab. And the larger items, like our coats (it was a bit chilly that day we rode near Howe), we put in the dustproof and pretty much watertight storage containers behind the seats and in front of the cargo bed. Those storage containers are quite large and hold a lot of stuff. And what we can’t fit or need a little more room for can easily fit in the cargo box.
