Are you ready for something new and exciting? Are you cool with not knowing exactly what it is?
Kawasaki just dropped a bomb on their YouTube channel. It appears the company is releasing a new UTV model and is being super coy about it like a silent Tinder date.
While we know it will arrive on October 7, 2019, we don’t have much more information than that. Let’s take a look at the Kawasaki Mystery UTV and the 2020 Kawasaki UTV lineup to see if we notice anything special, anything missing, or anything at all worth buying.
Just kidding.
The New Kawasaki UTV is a UTV, That’s for Sure
If you want to grab a look at the mystery Kawasaki video on YouTube, then you can be in the dark just as much as we are right now. This teaser gives no information about what this machine will be capable of, or even how it will look beyond the general notion that it’s not a car, boat, or hovercraft.
If that left you wondering what’s to come, you aren’t alone. Us cool, connected, industry types are in the same boat you are. Instead of dwelling on what we don’t know, how about we take a look at the 2020 Kawasaki UTV lineup that has been revealed so far and try to identify a hole.
Mule PRO Series
The MULE PRO series offers the fastest MULE side by sides ever produced. There are both single or two-row models to choose from. Here are some of the model variations:
MULE PRO FXT: two rows, seats six, transforms to a single row for extra cargo room
MULE PRO-FX: one row, seats three, with a big bed for cargo
MULE PRO-FXR: premium styling and increased abilities
MULE PRO-MX: mid-size option
The MULE PRO series features an 812cc three-cylinder engine that produces 48 lb-ft of torque. Prices start at $11,999. There are also a couple of diesel-powered variants for 2020, which thank God they aren’t electric, right?
Just kidding. Electricity is the future, so get with the program.
Mule Series
The base Kawasaki MULE series comes complete with the SX lineup, four-wheel drive models and rear-wheel drive side by sides.
Some of the new MULE SX variants feature available digital fuel injection. Aside from that, the MULE SX lineup comes complete with a standard winter kit. Users can easily fit the MULE SX into a full-size truck bed for simple transport. Choose from seven configurations, starting at $6,699.
If you choose a MULE 4000 or 4010, you have access to a host of Kawasaki Genuine Accessories which further add more capability, convenience and comfort. Choose from a hard or soft cab, skid plates, winches and windshields.
This entire lineup is assembled in Lincoln, Nebraska, which is cool because ‘Merica.
Kawasaki Teryx
We don’t have much information about the 2020 Kawasaki Teryx, but if it is anything like the 2019 model, it’s pretty impressive. This UTV is known for its strong performance and maximum versatility. It includes Fox Podium 2.0 shocks, a CVT with automatic engine braking and is included in the Kawasaki STRONG 3-year warranty.
Starting prices for this year were $14,999 and we expect that will be around the same amount next year.
All we know is the Teryx is not the mystery Kawasaki UTV in the video, because the video’s description says the new UTV will be unveiled to the world on October 7, 2019.
I’ve been working out, can’t you tell? | source
So, What the Hell Is It?
With roughly 69,000 different Kawasaki models currently available, one might be hard-pressed to find anything that isn’t covered.
But if you zoom out to the bigger picture, there’s one category missing altogether: performance UTVs.
Every model we just talked about is designed for hauling hay, rocks, wood, hunting equipment, or even water, but certainly not ass.
Kawasaki is one of the most respected names in the world when it comes to performance dirt bikes, yet they have been suspiciously absent from the high-performance UTV game. That is, until now.
The new Kawasaki model is a high-performance UTV.
That much is clear from what little we can see of its silhouette - tall, thin, and rocking tons of ground clearance. That’s a great recipe for many things in life, but especially when it comes to a performance UTV, those are the absolute most important factors one can possibly have.
That athletic build is telling stories that words never could. This is no farmhand, no jobsite warrior. This is Kawasaki’s first foray into high-performance UTVs.
Tune in this October for an “I told you so” party hosted by yours truly.
Probably not.
I mean, if you throw the party I’ll be happy to be there.
But I’m not setting it up. Party stores make me break out in a rash.
How will the new Kawasaki UTV perform?
How should I know? I can’t even see it.
What I do know is that Kawasaki doesn't do anything halfway.
If they released this teaser and are building hype intentionally, they know better than to let us down.
We will have more news for you as it becomes available. Hopefully, they don’t actually make us wait until October 9th to see the thing in the daylight. Try putting that in your Tinder bio.
Do you love the smell of freedom and the sound of a revving engine? Same here, but electric UTVs are coming either way.