This wasn’t our first time testing the Commander
XT for a long term review because we received one
the first year it came out in 2011, and we used it
extensively on the farm for everything from taking
care of the cows to hauling firewood and thrashing
the trails. We were impressed with it after several
months of usage, so be sure to check out our initial 2011
Can-Am Commander 1000 XT review.
This time around, we really wanted to focus our attention
on the new Dynamic Power Steering and how it would
perform as a hunting vehicle. As for the DPS, it made
a night and day difference in the handling over the
2011 model. The longer time you spend in the Commander
the more you will appreciate the DPS, because it really
reduces amount of fatigue you will feel in your arms
especially on a tight and technical trail where you
constantly maneuvering the Can-am Commander around
obstacles.
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The Dynamic Power Steering works
great at absorbing impacts such as logs, rocks,
and roots on the trail |
The power steering on the Commander is dynamic, which means it provides more assist at slower speeds and less at high speeds, which we really liked because at high speeds, we want a tighter feel, and at slow speed, you want those rocks and roots absorbed by the power steering to provide a more enjoyable drive.
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The
Dynamic Power Steering automatically changes
the amount of assist it gives the driver depending
on your speed. The slower the speed the more
assist, the higher speed the less assist, thus
creating better handling and less fatigue |
Also after several hundred miles of use, we haven’t
had any issues with the power steering and it continues
to perform just a well as it did when we picked it
up, which is also important, and with a heavy duty
50 amp motor, the DPS also hasn’t faded after
a full day of usage.
|
Even
after the many hours and hundreds of miles logged
on the 2013 Can-Am Commander 1000 XT, the DPS
still felt like the first day we got behind
the wheel |
After spending an extended amount of seat time in
the Commander XT with power steering, we feel it is
well worth the extra money because of how much of
a difference it makes in the handling, and for a serious
hunter, you don’t want any arm fatigue to cause
you issues with taking an accurate shot. We plan on
putting our Commander XT to the hunting test in January
with pro motocross racer, Josh Creamer, at Close
Encounters Whitetail Outfitters in Ohio for a
Muzzleloader hunt.
