I've only had this for about a week, and I must say I'm pretty happy with the purchase.
I sold my FJ about 1 year ago as I decided I wanted something a little more dedicated to wheeling and something I was less likely to cringe at when it was pinstriped, dented or otherwise "injured" on the trail.
Those who have wheeled with me can attest to my reckless abandon with my 2011 FJ
My goal was to find a 4x4 that I could take on long trips and get my family more involved now that my kids are a little older (4 and almost 3).
Anyway, long story short, my search for the right 4x4 for my family took me in a 2013 Rubicon test drive (meh), and I looked at other sXs/UTV's on the market as well.
Ended up deciding that my beast Tundra can get the whole family to the trail in comfort and with all gear necessary, even if it is cold. This opens up longer trips to Moab, CA, or even Alaska by towing the Pioneer (named "Ladybug" by my 4 year old girl).
So far, so good with 1 trip under my belt (Bill Moore Lake yesterday).
The PROS of the Pioneer 700-4 so far:
*Very comfortable. Good suspension setup, comfortable seats, plenty of room for 4 normal sized people.
*Safe. Real seatbelts, roll cage, safety nets.
*Feels solid. Has decent skid plates covering everything except front and rear A-arms (on the short list of mods). Fit and finish are very "Honda". Doors feel like car doors.
*Capable! Amazing approach and departure angles; and the best breakover angle of any other 4 seater SXS out there. Locking front differential. 10.5" ground clearance; and stiff enough suspension that I didn't have any trouble with bottoming out. Plus, with the full skid plate underneath, when I did scrape (only twice) it was not a big deal.
*Versatile. The rear seats are also a dump bed when converted (takes like 15 seconds); the dump bed is rated at 1,000 lbs, which is nuts in my opinion.
*Reliable. This is the only SXS with a "real" transmission, not some crappy CVT like everything else. 3 speed automatic.
*VALUE. At $12k, this thing screams value. Mods seem a lot more palatable when your machine costs this much. The Can-Am Commander is more like $22k out the door and in my opinion it's not worth it. I'm already looking at buying a winch, bigger tires, lower gears, etc. And unlike my FJ, I don't have to drop $1,000 to get a decent set of anything. (Ahem, BudBuilt Skid plates).
CONS:
*So far, power. It's only 675cc, and it just doesn't have what I would like it to. There were a couple pretty steep hills yesterday where I thought it had no more to give... but it had enough guts to get us up the hills ultimately. I could be wrong, but it felt like it was close to giving up and making me ask my family to walk up the hills. I plan on gearing it lower so this is not an issue in the future. I'm not concerned about losing top end (top speed is 43mph, and I will never hit that on the trails I run anyway).
*Exposure to the elements. It's fine for me, I can dress warmly, but for the little kids it's more of a challenge. They were champs though in our trip to Bill Moore Lake; and that trail definitely has some exposure to the cold and wind once you get closer to the lake.
*Transmission. Was a pro listed above, but the jury is still out in my mind. It seems clunky shifting into Drive, Neutral and Reverse. I'm going to see if it's something simple like the linkage not adjusted properly. I know these things come in a crate and maybe the dealership didn't put it together quite right, I don't know.
*Lack of power steering. Didn't bother me, but I thought I should list it because I could see it bothering other people. If you're driving through a field of volleyball and basketball sized rocks I could see it getting old--Bill Moore Lake trail has a few sections like that, but I did not have any trouble. I think Honda setup the steering geometry very well.
[/URL
