Polaris' Xpedition was built as a do-it-all vehicle, a Swiss-Army knife for the side-by-side world, as it can conquer land, rivers, and is perfect for overland adventures. Hell, it even came with a rooftop tent. And in talking with the brand's communications folks, I've learned that it's one of their best sellers, as more and more folks want the comforts of a truck without the truck prices.
It's still expensive as hell, though, which is why I think we're seeing this patent from China's CFMoto. I mean, if these drawings don't show a CFMoto version of the Polaris Xpedition, I don't know what you're smoking.
And if we're to gauge how much CFMoto will price its UTVs at from past experience, it'll likely be considerably cheaper than the Polaris. I'm not saying whether that's good or not, but another manufacturer in the space is certainly good for pushing this specific type of side-by-side to the next level. All right, Can-Am, where's yours?
The patent is titled a rather nondescript "All Terrain Vehicle," and much of the text is in Mandarin. There is, however, an abstract, which states, "Provided in the present application is an all-terrain vehicle, comprising a frame, a body covering member, a traveling system, a powertrain, seats, and vehicle doors."
Here's, however, where it gets interesting, "The all-terrain vehicle comprises a storage box, wherein the storage box is partially located below the seats and has a storage opening, the bottom edge of the storage opening being close to the vehicle doors, and the top edge of the storage opening being farther away from the vehicle doors than the bottom edge; and an included angle between an opening plane defined by the bottom edge and the top edge and a horizontal reference plane ranges from 10° to 60°. By means of the arrangements, the usage convenience of the storage box can be improved while the storage requirements are met."
Now, what that abstract is talking about is a roof that covers the rear storage compartment, ala the Polaris Xpedition. And while some may point out and question whether it truly falls within that specific style, look at the patent pictures, and you'll see the covering is far more integrated than others in the space, and even features windows and a rear window. It's also perfectly integrated in with the roof, and looks to make it a seamless addition. But the overall design is one that looks wholly new and not really something we've seen from CFMoto's UTV line yet.
There are some similarities to the brand's UForce U10 XL Pro UTVs, but the suspension is higher, too. So, again, this seems to be a patent describing a Polaris Xpedition fighter. Obviously, these are merely patent images, and CFMoto hasn't released anything yet. But it's definitely pointing somewhere, and that somewhere seems squarely at taking on Polaris. Here's hoping it doesn't cost the same as a 2010 Ford F-150, though.
