Well, I have had the Outlander 450L with no power steering for just over 11 months now, have 3007 km on it. So I thought it may be time to do a short review.
Overall it has been a very reliable ATV. I have never broken down and been stranded anywhere, and never once went for a ride with any doubts that I will make it back to the truck. In the whole time I have had it, the only thing that went wrong is the fan. It did not fail or anything, just had a nasty loud sound to it when it kicked on, it is being replaced under warranty right now as I type this.
The Good Stuff:
- Reliable (3007 Km with no breakdowns, just the fan getting replaced under warranty)
- Fuel Economy is great, majority of my rides are over 100 km at a time, the most I did in one ride was 185 km and I still had quarter of a tank of fuel left.
- Comfortable ride, the suspension is soft and makes for a very comfortable ride (more on this in the bad section though)
- Power, the power is not bad for a small machine, there is not a single thing on the trails that I have not been able to make it through or over, but it really struggles in thicker mud and with my weight (245 lbs) it really has to work up steeper hills. But I have always been able to make it. Bottom end is not bad, mid range it pulls good, I top out at 96 km/hour with the throttle pinned. (more on this later too)
- It has always started, every time, whether its +30 degrees celsius or -25 degrees celsius
- Build quality seems to be very good, the plastics have held up great with very little scratching or scuffing.
- Very easy to do your basic maintenance on it, oil and diff fluids are easy to get to the drain and fill plugs, air filter is easily accessible.
- Air intakes and vent lines are all ran very high out of the factory which is a bonus, you can cross fairly deep water and mud with very little worries.
The Not So Good:
- I never had any problems with the power of the 450 until last weekend, I drove my uncles Kawasaki Brute Force 650 for about 30 kms, having that type of power is addicting, it pulled super hard from the second you hit the throttle right until the time you decide to let go. After that, getting back on the 450, it felt very sluggish and powerless. With the big twins, that low end feels like you could absolutely crawl through or over anything and now will be upgrading. Not having to pin the throttle on hill climbs and to get over stuff is a big advantage and also gives you more confidence in what you are trying to tackle. A few times, in low range, 4x4 on, on climbs that may have an obstacle part way up I was afraid if I eased back on the throttle I would not be able to make it over the obstacle safely and complete the climb, but with the power on the bigger machine, I just didn't have to worry about that, it had the power to let you ease off the throttle, get over the obstacle and get going back up the hill. Maybe its all in my head, and I am just not the most skilled rider, but either way, the power takes away some of the doubts, which in turns make things seem easier.
- The soft suspension, while it is comfortable, even with the preload set to max, I had a bad time bottoming out on the rocky more technical trails I ride.
- Can ams come with no protection from the factory underneath them, I had to go out and buy a set of skid plates. Its disappointing because even my friends and brothers polaris ATV's came with a basic though thin factory protection underneath.
- These little guys are loud, man do they whine. I don't know if its the cvt or what, but there is always a constant, loud whine to them. Its even worse in low gear, the only time you don't notice it is when the engine is under heavy load like going through a mud hole. I have watch countless videos on youtube and every can am seems to have this sound, but on the 450's it seems to be more noticable.
- Another thing is power steering, this is my fault, I chose to buy mine without power steering because I have never had it before and wouldn't miss it. Even though this guy is light and I find takes no effort to steer normally, I had a chance to ride an ATV with power steering and now I do know what I am missing. But this isn't really a negative against the ATV itself, this is more a negative against the choice I made. Once I upgrade I am getting power steering for sure on the next one.
- Rad location sucks, not so much the location, but the angle they sit it on. I ride with a big group of guys and pretty much every brand of ATV out there, at the end of the day after a long trail ride, My rad looks like its coated in concrete and you can not see the fins underneath the mud, but everyone elses look like barely any mud has stuck to theirs. This has caused me to overheat and go into limp mode 2 times in the last 11 months. I clean my atv and especially the rad thoroughly after ever ride. With saying that, even though I over heated and went to limp mode, you are able to very slowly drive back to the truck, so I never had to be towed.
To sum thing up, the Outlander 450L is a very good, reliable ATV, if you can get past the few annoyances. In the 11 months and 3007 km, it has performed and held up good. We will see how it is holding up after another 3000 km on it though. If you know you don't need or want the power of a big bore ATV, this is a very good choice. But if you even think you may want more power down the road, just go buy the bigger machine, because once you try a more powerful ATV you will not want to go back to this.
I am happy with my purchase and do not regret it. I will be buying a much more powerful machine in the next month or so, but I will be giving this one to my father who likes to ride with us a few times a month. It is definitely great for some one who only rides occasionally and will also use it for work around the property. Plus the price is right for someone who is not an enthusiast and goes riding every chance they get.
