2018 Wild Cat XX vs. The Speed Cat 77

There hasn’t been much information circulating about the Wild Cat XX since it has not yet been released on the market. Though there are photos that can be found online, the only version our staff has actually seen in person to prove its tangibility is Robby Gordon’s  Speed Cat 77 race vehicle. It is a similar model to the XX but a little wider and racier, there are 12 on the market currently but the price tag is a whopping 120k.

The XX will be available to consumers sometime in mid 2018 with a much more reasonable price point, ballparked at 20k.The XX uses something similar to Yamaha’s inline three cylinder dual overhead cam engine, but will still have a CVT unlike Yamaha’s 5-speed manual and paddle shift units. With its 998cc’s this machine produces 130hp.

Although we haven’t seen these vehicles on the market yet Textron, which now owns Artic Cat, has already confirmed that a factory and bolt-on turbo accessory kit will be available for the XX. The turbo is warranted to output around 215 horsepower. The natural aspirated stock machine is said to reach 83mph on the top end.

Textron wanted a sport vehicle that could hold a candle to what is already on the market, so the ’18 XX is race inspired and comes with some serious hardware to show it. The hefty Y-shaped rear trailing arms are from RG Pro are made for speed.  With dual front pivot mounts and no radius rods they can easily handle all the power that is put to the wheels. A dual A-arm suspension system up front with lower A-arm mounted shocks and front-mounted steering helps to keep your ride smooth and controlled.

The hefty King coilovers that adorn the race inspired vehicle are sure to dominate the dirt with their honed valving and dual-rate springs. When it comes to travel, it can often come down to quality over quantity for an effortless ride. That is why the XX is rigged with double shear mounting points for all each of the suspension links, to trump the single shear components of the original Wildcat. Textron refused to take the easy way out when they decided to use front mounted steering. By placing the steering rack in front of the axle rather than behind, bump steer is essentially eliminated.

Every good race vehicle needs a good place for a spare, but any machine should really be equipped for one as well. The new deep bed with tie down points will be capable of holding a 30″ inch spare when laid flat. This machine adds protection with the stock features including full doors and a roof. This machine is 64 inches wide but its brother the Speed Cat 77 is named for its width at 77 inches.

 

The XX will be one of the first UTV’s to come stock with an intrusion bar cage. The 1.75″ main tube cage also comes equipped with a center support bar and cross bracing. Although these features make it seem like this machine is box stock race ready, the stock cage is bolted on and is technically not race legal, but that is easily remedied and still very safe.

Although the color options for consumer will be limited at a monochrome matte gray/black and a brighter lime green/black scheme, Robby Gordon stuck with his signature surface of the sun “Speed” orange for his exclusive XX.

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