Hold on to your helmets and mud tires, Can-Am fans. The company has just dropped details on their 2019 lineup of ATVs and side-by-sides.
For 2019, the Outlander and Renegade are redesigned with increased performance and handling along with a few styling tweaks. The Outlander 1000R and Renegade 1000R ATVs feature a 91 hp Rotax V-Twin and new intelligent Throttle Control system, with three driving modes (Sport, Standard, and Work). There are a few people I can think of who need a ‘Work’ mode, so this is good news.
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The front suspension has been given a rethink with arched A-arms and a front sway bar. Out back, a torsional trailing arm independent rear suspension provides additional width and travel on all Outlanders deploying more than 650cc and on every Renegade ATV. Both the Outlander 650 and 850 ATVs received the same updates but now retail for $8,399 ($400 less than 2018) and $8,999 ($750 less than 2018) for American customers.
Those seeking hot 6×6 action should know the Outlander MAX also gets the new suspension pieces but the big news is its longer wheelbase, now measuring 90-inches. A new removable passenger seat allows for instantaneous and convertible two-up/one-up seating.
Restyling includes a new front grille that takes cues from the Maverick X3 side-by-side vehicle family, fresh aluminum bumper corners, specific wheel packages and the addition of mudguards. Someone at Can-Am found a new box of crayons, imbuing the ATV lineup with different color combinations for 2019.
Over at the side-by-side half of the Can-Am showroom, customers will find a new and stout 2500lb tow rating on machines with either the HD8 or HD10 engine. Specifically, the Defender HD8 now has a standard lockable rear diff and 27-inch Maxxis Bighorn 2.0 tires. Defender XT cab and MAX XT cab vehicles get a revised 12-inches of ground clearance that’ll allow additional space for overcoming demanding obstacles.
The specialized, mud-ready Defender X mr – your author’s favorite – is fortified with the industry’s top ground clearance at 15-inch suspension travel and a new larger shock bore. A new lockable rear differential system, with eight total selective modes, makes the specialty X MR even more capable in and out of the mud. The system is said to be calibrated to prevent turf tearing, so feel free to head on over and aggravate the nerds at the golf course (actually, don’t do that. At all.)
Fancy-pants Maverick X3 and Maverick X3 MAX with the super-sport X-package receive Smart-Lok, a fully lockable on-the-fly front differential with electronically controlled automatic modes. The Can-Am engineering team redesigned the front sway bar link to be more durable, which also enhances cornering. A new electrical cover better protects the engine control unit, a common complaint leveled at the machine by its owners as they sink into a watery mudhole.
The expansion of an existing co-branded partnership agreement with Lonestar Racing and S3 Power Sports have grown the Can-Am accessory lineup for 2019 as well. Customers can now splurge on MTX speakers, window nets, and batteries accessories. The ATV crew must’ve chared their new crayons, as the side-by-side units also get new color combinations for 2019.
Can-Am’s parent Canadian company has been building off-road machines since founder Joseph-Armand Bombardier decided to strap a couple of skis and a track onto a truck-sized cab for purposes of traversing the snowy Quebec wilderness. The Can-Am brand itself was pasted onto ATVs and side-by-sides starting in 2007.