Kubota has been making utility vehicles since the early 2000’s. If you look at their current line up before this machine, they build machines that were designed to work. They are very heavy-duty machines with very heavy chassis, very high towing capacities and are built upon tractor technologies. They took what they knew about tractors and applied it to the utility vehicle market. Which was perfect at the time. The majority of the market was for people who wanted these heavy-duty machines. But now the market has changed and one thing that Kubota do very well is keep up with what their consumers want. They very quickly adapt their machines to suit the changing market and to bring us machines and vehicles that do what we need them to do. Now in the recent years, there has been more interest in the high-performance end of the market. People wanting more versatility from their side-by-side and the ability to just run around quickly.
This brings us to the new RTV XG850. This is the perfect cross over section between the best of both worlds. The durable workhorse, but that gets around quicker than the previous models. This model still has a lot of similar sections to the previous models; a similar ROPS style, operating section and the underlining chassis. But it does have some differing features that is going to interest a lot of people.
This machine hosts a 48-horsepower engine and Kubota have finally delivered on what many people have been asking for – a machine that can reach up to 64 kilometres per hour!
The suspension on this machine is different from the other models with more travel and size of shock in the components for driving at faster speeds.
The other Kubota models are hydrostatic transmissions for high pulling power. To get a little bit more ‘get up and go’ with fast take off, the X850 is a CVT Plus belt drive transmission. It has a double cogged belt with a one-way clutch to get dynamic breaking. Everything is well covered up to keep the belts dry and there is a snorkel for it to breathe.
All the past big Kubota RTV models had diesel engines – but diesel engines cannot be as well suited as well to high performance due to being slow revving. So, what Kubota actually did with this model, is they went to Subaru to get this petrol engine. So now you have a well-built durable Kubota RTV, but with the power and speed you need to get the job done quicker.
The hydraulics system on the other models gave us the ability to have hydraulic steering. This system uses electronic power steering. The steering is speed sensitive which is very beneficial for use at low and high speeds.
There is a range of accessories as well that have been purpose built for this model to spec up your machine, so it is just right for you.
You may be sceptical as to how this machine will add up to the rest of the Kubota RTV line up or how it will compare to other machines in a similar category. But this is a machine that really goes! When you slam on the gas it has power to get you to that top speed in a quick minute. Kubota have an advantage in this line up by already knowing how to build durable and heavy powered side-by-sides using tractor technology, compared to other manufactures who have built a quad bike up into a side by side vehicle. This is where we feel you will really notice the difference.
But to really decide on what you think of this model, you need to test it out for yourself! We have now got stock of this new model in Tasmania at all our four branches and you can see how it really stacks up for yourself.
