SXS Review

Kymco UXV 500

You couldn't match a better location with better weather for a run on a Kymco UXV 500.

Nic Wilke

With the exciting growth of the Utility side by side vehicle market in Australia, the Kymco UXV that Quadsales.com.au has on long term demo is a formidable player in the hot market. Quadsales loves the UXV for a few major reasons, and the first reason is that it looks good. We know that asthetics play a big part in purchasing decisions, and the UXV looks great with distinct characteristics of some ‘North American’ brands. Kymco design department needs a good pat on the back with bringing this UTV to production in such a smart looking package.

We’ve been playing and working on the UXV for over a month now,  and testing it in various situations give us a feel for how this utility vehicle will fair in a real world.

This machine isn’t a toy. There’s a lot of machines available from China that look good, but will fail soon after you fuel them up. Kymco has the reputation and years in the industry to pitch this model up against some of the big names from Japan and the USA.

What does Quadsales.com.au think?

Engine & Transmission

The engine and transmission combination in the UXV has worked flawlessly for us. In all the month we’ve run the UXV, there’s never been an issue with starting and running. Although the 500cc engine is smaller than some of its larger competitors, for the type of use this model is pitched at, it has adequate power.. To our surprise, the UXV pushed past 70km/h, and topped at 75km/h on a slight decent. That was laden with 2 bails of hay, two big blokes of over 95kg’s each and a border collie!

The engine is a dual overhead cam 4-stroke that actually comes in at 498.5cc with an impressive 36HP at the shaft. You’ll find a simple CVT transmission with high, low, reverse, and neutral. There’s also shift on the move four wheel drive and a selectable front locking differential, as well.

In short, the engine and transmission didn’t miss a beat during our testing. Although it’s still carburetted, it seems to have no trouble starting or providing smooth power delivery throughout the rev range. The only thing we’d like to see different is the access to the CVT in the event a belt breaks. Right now, the way it’s designed, it would require the fuel tank to be removed to replace a belt. If this could be changed for the future, that would be a nice improvement, but not a necessity.

Braking

Stopping this 530kg UXV is with hydraulic dual discs up front and a hydraulic disc in the rear. The parking brake is a simple pull lever up underneath the dash. The handbrake was a little tricky to get the hang of, and at one stage, we believed it may have been broken, but it wasn’t, it had been engaged too hard by the previous rider. The handbrake is a little bit discreet in its location, so hard to find for people who aren’t familiar with the model. Similar to the Polaris Rangers, Kymco have been able to disable the engine’s power while the handbrake is engaged. This prevents the operator from burning up the parking brake. The brakes had a great feel to them with little to no brake fade when pushed hard or submerged in water and mud.

Suspension

The suspension on the Kymco UXV is nothing short of awesome. The suspension seemed to be one of the best rides we’ve had in a factory utility ATV. Take a look at the suspension shots in the video we’ve produced, and be as surprised as us to see it soak up the largest bumps and undulations without bottoming out. During slow speed work, the UXV seems to ride on a cushion of air, a good combo of its balloon tyres and preloaded struts. From the Kymco factory, it comes with a dual A-arm setup front and rear with 20cm of travel for each. For a lot of UTVs, the rear end has a tendency to kick a little when hitting bumps or corrugations, but we couldn’t get it to do this in the Kymco.

We can similarly compare the Kymco UXV with the Kawasaki Teryx, but even better at slower speeds. That should give Kymco a smile from ear to ear to hear, as the Teryx is a great machine that many farmers will bank on for reliability. The other nice thing about the UXV was the 31cm of ground clearance. In the bush, it had no problem traversing the toughest of obstacles with little to no trouble.

Looks and Ergonomics

Walking up to the Kymco UXV, you’ll immediately notice how it looks like a cross between a Prowler and a Rhino. To us, it’s pleasing to the eye from every angle you look at it. Once you take a seat in the cab, you’ll notice the lights and 4wd button to the left of the steering wheel and the ignition key and diff lock lever to the right of the steering wheel. Although it doesn’t have a tilt steering wheel, it has a comfortable driving position. In the center of the dash, you’ll find the digital dashboard, choke, and a 12V power outlet. Unlike some UTVs, the digital dash comes standard with a fuel gauge, speedometer, odometer, trip meter, high beam indicator, neutral/reverse light, and a high temperature light. In addition to this, it comes with a healthy 150W alternator, which should be plenty to run any accessories, such as lights, radios, etc. The towing capacity of 550kg was maxed when we towed a trailer full of bails, and its was struggling to get going without a complain, but eventually took off. The tilt bed capacity of 190kgs is very handy for a few bails of hay that you want to drop off in the top paddock also. The UXV has a large glove box in addition to the deep open cavity in the dash, very handy for all the things like riggers gloves and other sundries. It’s always nice to have easy to reach storage in these UTVs, and Kymco didn’t disappoint in this area. Last, but definitely not least, the side nets aren’t necessarily the easiest things to get in and out of, but they do their job very well to keep your legs inside in the event of a rollover. Sometimes we have to sacrifice some ease of access for safety. I personally didn’t like struggling over them, but it’s a well though out proposition, and serves it purpose.

Test Drive

As mentioned above, we were very impressed with the ride quality of the UXV. The suspension was very plush, soaking up the largest of bumps all while providing a good ride at slower speeds. In tight corners the turn radius suffered a little, but overall the steering was spot on when driving at speed. We tested the UXV on dirt farm roads, washed out creeks, wet paddocks, deep water, and we can report it handled it all with ease. The power from the engine was there ready when you needed it. The transmission is a good match for the engine, working in harmony to produce powerful, yet fluid performance with starting and stopping. While off road, we noticed it had nice ground clearance and plenty of low end torque to pull us up hills and steeps. The 4x4 system worked flawlessly with the diff lock, providing very positive and noticeable engagement. (again look at the Video to see it effortlessly climb steeps).

Final Thoughts

While coming into the Australian UTV market late, Kymco has established itself as a reputable brand among a country of buyers that wear the Japanese brands on their sleve. The Taiwanese manufacturer is leaps and bounds over all of the cheap knockoffs you may have seen on eBay at the present, and is not a toy, it’s a tool. With a growing network of dealers around the country, Kymco is moving in the right direction with their new UXV. They have done their homework and built a nice looking machine with good performance to back it up. With its class leading suspension, great ergonomics, economical price tag, and a great combination of work & play, We’ll say you’re going to see a lot more of these units on the land.

Quadsales Rating: 4 Quads.

• Well built
• Comfortable ride on the rough
• Climbs like Spiderman
• Aesthetically pleasing

published 4/10/2010