Can-Am Outlander

You can’t accuse Craig Weston of doing anything halfway. When the Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada man set out to customize his 2013 Can Am Outlander XMR 1000, he intended to create a machine that would turn heads. “I wanted to turn it into something people couldn’t imagine,” he says. “I wasn’t looking to take it up a small amount - I was looking to make it absolutely crazy.” Mission accomplished!

Can-Am is known as the luxury manufacturer in the powersports world, whether it is with their watercraft, snowmobiles, or off-road vehicles. While it’s true they do offer some high-end models with all the bells and whistles, their pricing is pretty much in line with every other manufacturer, sometimes a little more, and sometimes a little less.  In the last two years, Can-Am has broadened their horizons by offering new, very budget friendly models with many of the same top-end features.

There is a bit of a renaissance going on with ATV development lately and rather than all R&D being concentrated at the top of the food chain, this work is squarely in the middle. We call it a “back to basics” movement and a few progressive manufacturers have been concentrating their development on mid-sized machines that are versatile, capable, and offer great features in a very value conscious package.

Can-Am’s Outlander Max 650 so impressed us during our first test rides, we named it ATV of the YEAR last season. There isn’t a single feature that puts it over the top, but as a package, it works extremely well and on the trail it feels as if you’re born to be behind its handlebars. While there have been Outlander Max models for many years, some even so well equipped we call them “trail luxury” ATVs that can be considered the trial Cadillac CTS of the trails, the Outlander Max 650 is something special.