2012 Arctic Cat WildCat Test & Review by Joey DiGiovanni // UTVUnderground.com - Pics by Vincent Knakal // Mad Media
Well UTVUnderground finally got to wrap our hands around the most highly anticipated UTV to be released this year, the 2012 Arctic Cat WildCat H.O.. We got the invite a month or so ago to meet Arctic Cat executives in the high desert of California, Barstow, CA to be exact. Our goal was to hook up with AC and do some test riding of the WildCat, be impressed, and give our honest opinions back to AC and all of you, our readers.
Dan from Magnum Offroad was my guest for this trip and I couldn't have had a better co-driver with me. It's nice to have a fellow UTV enthusiast and expert with me to also drive and help me with making sure we get all the coverage we can.
We started the day off with a quick presentation from Arctic Cat about the WildCat. Here was where we got to pick the brains of the AC engineers about the machine. So before I go to far, let me tell you what I learned. I made sure to ask some of the questions you all proposed to me here on UTVUnderground.com.
Some Facts:
- Horsepower numbers are not confirmed. Arctic Cat claims to still be going through emissions testing on the unit so therfore they have not finalized HP ratings. I will tell you that power is slightly down on the WildCat in comparison to the XP900. It does have some have some great useable power and we did have it up to 70mph!! If you need to go faster then 70mph then you probably should not be buying into a UTV. lol It was FAST, not XP fast, but FAST!
- The wheelbase is in fact 95" and it really helps through the big bumps!!
- The WildCat has an all new stator on this engine. It puts out 510watts and 38amps, perfect for powering up all your accessories. The Wildcat comes with front and rear LED lighting which is awesome and draws little power when running.
- They consider all the suspension pivot points as NO MAINTENANCE points which means no zerk fittings to grease. The bushings are a combination of Delrin and will last a lifetime. All the mounts look stout and built to last. It is a good thing they are no maintenance because with that 5 link suspension there are a TON of pivot points!!!
- The doors open and close with ease. I LOVE THE WAY THEY CLOSE. The latch mechanism seems like there could be a future issue with dirt and grime. The button could be improved upon but overall I like the doors. Me personally, I would be excited to see an aftermarket company make a full panel door but the opening did allow for extra cool air into the cab so in hot weather riding the stock setup is a plus!
- The chassis is a full tube exo-chassis built out of what I think was 1 3/4" HDLA tubing. These cars are built on a jig and when disassembled look like any other buggy or race car chassis. It is really a well built chassis and after getting a close look it has a ton of design potential. Dan was already drawing up designs as I was taking pics!! I actually like the cage. It already has 6 points connected to the main tubes which means it will definitely take a good roll IMO. It also means it is pretty darn close to meeting ISA rule standards for Production 1000. All it needs is a roof I think and some window nets!
- The Wildcat has an 8.2 gallon fuel tank positioned adjacent to the exhaust muffler. This is a little bit of a concern to me in a racing situation where fear of being bummed or ran into comes into play. It could easily be smacked in a rear collision. First thing on the build plan for me will be a rear bumper. While talking fuel I will say that fuel economy is on par with any big CC UTV out there. We burned through a little more than a tank on our 100 + ride day. The digital cluster has a fuel meter for you to see where you are gas wise in your machine.
- The WildCat has all new intake and exhaust from the prowler. A 50mm throttle body powers the air into the engine with a ceramic coated single sport exhaust blowing the power out the back! The sound is deep and throaty and power was very useable. It had some bark on the bottom end. In the thick was like sand it didn't have the power I wanted personally but when getting up to speed it did great. I have a feeling that the tires were the biggest limiting factor in the soft terrain.
- The Transmission is the same as what was on the Prowler except this tranny has a Parking break. Shifting was done with ease in a strait forward to back motion. No "H" pattern or hard notches to get around. I will say its almost too easy and if bumped can be easily knocked out of gear. Despite some hard hits we never did knock the UTV out of gear on its own and we never did accidentally hit it so my point is a non issue for now. I liked its car like design, it makes you want to grab gears when driving!
- The Walker Evans Racing adjustable 2.0 dual rate shocks are amazing!! Tons of potential and right out of the box I would be confident in saying you could tackle anything! Valving is not 100% finalized as Arctic Cat and Walker Evans Racing continue to work on their perfected suspension tune. By the time they are at dealers they will have the final tune in place. The shocks are completely rebuildable and tunable. They have a 16 way compression adjustment knob on the piggy back reservoir. Rear spring set up are 10" Eibach coils 400lb over 400lb. There is both pre load adjustment on the top of the coil as well as a secondary coil adjustment for even more fine tuning! These are the best shocks on a UTV I have seen to date. They are big and beefy and truly are aftermarket shocks on a factory car. They are the same shocks anyone can buy to run on their UTV's or buggies. I look forward to playing more with them!
- Electric Power Steering! NUFF SAID! EPS is a must for these wide units. At slow speeds you need to have it for ease of turning. I will say that lock to lock sterring radius could and should be improved on. The Wildcat's turning radius isn't the best but at speed it was very predictable and easy to menuever. In 4wd the thing really sticks and corners amazing!
- 14" Alloy wheels with Dura 26" tires made specifically for the WildCat. I would also look to upgrading the wheel and tire combination. The tires seem a little too thin for my liking. They are a 4 ply tire made for this unit. I would love to see a bigger, more durable tire on this machine with a set of nice beadlock wheels!
- 2 12" Spall fans cool the massive aluminum radiator behind the driver and passenger seat. We noticed a little overflow spilling on the cars after the long hot runs in the desert. With no temp gauge on the cluster we had no way to monitor our temps but everything seemed to be running fine!
- Automotive metallic paint in 2 colors, Green and Black. Love the paint, the green really pops in the sun!
- Custom high-back race inspired seats were comfy and did the job. They looked great too. Much like the commander they are ready to have harnesses laced through them, and that will be a must. The stock belts did allow you to slide a bit which I do not like especially when running at speed!
My impression:
At first I was a little shaky with the WildCat. It felt a bit squirly to me, especially in 2wd. But after settling into the car and learning its characteristics I really began to enjoy it. Anyone who gets to go drive it at the tour events really needs to get enough seat time to get familiar with the Wildcat. Again, at first I was a bit shaky with it but after you settle in it really comes alive for you and you begin to feel at one with the machine.
Its suspension is like no other UTV on the market and I mean that! There is no other UTV on the market that can eat up big whoops like this thing did. Even if you hated everything about the car you cannot hate on the fact that this thing MASHES in the bumps! Arctic Cat made its #1 focus on the machine its suspension and it showed. We hit some big stuff and it just continued to breeze through it. Some shock tuning is in order but overall you will not find a better riding UTV when traversing the big bumps.
As the day went on the WildCat only got funner. Its power steering was awesome and in 4wd the WildCat really shined. It cornered and it jumped with ease. The 60/40 weight distribution really proves itself when getting into the big bumps and shooting over rollers. I had never jumped a UTV as fast and as far as I did at the end of the day. Vinny with Mad Media was our personal photographer hired by Arctic Cat so wait until you see his pics! No joke we had to be flying 50-75ft!!! I hit the lip of the jump at about 67mph according to my co-dog!! It was amazing!
There are definitely some things I would like to see improved and that I would modify if I was an owner. A custom cage is a must, rear bumper, harnesses, and a few other odds and ins would be on my list. But I must say, Arctic Cat definitely did a great job with this UTV and I would highly recommend it to any Southwest based off-roader who wants to go fast in the big bumps and make big dusty while having loads of fun in an affordable and well built UTV.
For even more insight, pics, specs and information surrounding the release of the new Wildcat, visit our release thread here! http://www.utvunderground.com/f37/u...cat-widcat-utvunderground-exclusive-7080.html
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lTGH0_F0-tk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
And NOW, The INSANE Pics!!! Shots below by Vincent Knakal of Mad Media
Last edited:
