Club Car XRT1550 IntelliTach - 2008 UTV of the Year

If you’re like me--and let me be the first to extend my condolences if you are--then you have two main concerns when you set out to buy a 4x4 UTV: (1) Can it reliably take me backwoods exploring? (2) How much back-straining work can it save me? The cargo carrying weight capacity is rated at 800-pounds. Although a 1050-pound capacity is an option.Well, for the second year in a row, Club Car’s Intellitach answers to both those questions garnered it the top honors as our UTV of the Year for being the most functional vehicle in the UTV class, "functional" being the key word. If candidates for UTV of the Year were judged solely on their backwoods trail capabilities, then the XRT1550 is simply not on par with the Cub Cadet Volunteer, Polaris Ranger or John Deere Gator. They and a few others are a little better for off-roading due to their higher ground clearance and longer-travel and independent rear suspensions. Don’t take it wrong, the true 4WD XRT 1550 can hold its own on tough terrain, but none of the others can hold a candle to its work capabilities, and that's because of its IntelliTach (Intelligent Attachment) system, a fully hydraulic, quick-changing tool attachment system that's so user-friendly it’s almost scary. The front end bucket will lift 500-pounds without any counterweight in the back needed.You can watch the video on our websitefor a complete demonstration of this system, but for now let's just say that you can literally drive right up to any of Club Car’s attachments and, with the middle console joystick hydraulic controller, engage and lift it, then get out of the seat and pull one lever to lock it on. That’s it! No lifting, no tools, no back strain, no colorful words filling the air after you mash your fingers. That’s slick, folks.

Going backwoods exploring? The hydraulics are so well designed that it will take one person less than three minutes to have them fitting snugly back into the front grill. The front-end loader is standard equipment, and there’s enough downward hydraulic pressure to lift the entire vehicle’s front end in the air for extra weight when heavy-duty scraping or back-blading is needed. A forklift, four-way snow / dirt blade, lawnmower and broom are other handy attachments. Although there are more powerful and higher-horsepower UTVs out there, we thought the XRT1550's 20-hp Kubota three-cylinder diesel to be the best engine available. It’s stealth-quiet and just purrs along the trail, but its incredibly efficient fuel usage puts it head-and-shoulders above all other diesels. We got close to six hours of run time per gallon of fuel--with a 6.5-gallon tank, that gives you almost 40 hours of run time between fill-ups!
The 4-way plow system

Want a few more reasons why we named this the UTV of the Year? How about the best legroom, a tilt steering wheel, aluminum frame and comfortable bucket seats with 13-position driver seat settings? In addition, you’re surrounded by a four-point certified roll-over protection system (ROPS).

No matter what task you're doing--bounding over the terrain in the back country or moving around piles of material on a work site--both driver and passenger will appreciate the comfortable bucket seats, first-class trim levels and sleek appearance. Factor in the aluminum frame and the Kubota diesel and this UTV will have a long lifespan and rock-solid reliability.

MSRP: $14,799

Just in case you’re wondering, Cub Cadet’s Volunteer finished a strong second place in the competition. Honorable mention goes to John Deere’s Gator and Husqvarna’s HUV 4421DXP.