Should you spend loads of your time well off the beaten path, hauling mulch or sowing seeds, likelihood is you are not doing it in a large pickup truck. You are likely in a side-by-side or UTV, those long-suspension four-wheelers with windshields and beds which might be increasingly eating up the “individuals who actually do work outside” market once held by pickups — from farmers to the Bureau of Land Management. Should you’re seeking to start doing that sort of work, Can-Am desires to be your UTV of alternative with the 2026 Defender HD11. The corporate’s even added an additional cylinder to point out you the way serious it’s.
Since its introduction, the Can-Am Defender formula has been largely unchanged, using a single cylinder or V-twin engine with its power sent to all 4 wheels through a CVT. With the HD11 motor, the primary three-cylinder for the model, Can-Am desires to up the aptitude of the brand new Defender by adding that third cylinder to the equation without changing displacement all that much. The brand new engine displaces 999 cc’s, up from 976 cc within the HD10 V-Twin engine, and torque is almost unchanged between the 2 with 70 pound-feet for the HD11 versus 69 lb-ft for the HD10. Horsepower, though, sees the massive difference: The HD11 makes 95 hp to the HD10’s 82 hp. That every one makes the Defender able to 2,500 kilos of towing and 1,500 kilos of payload capability.
More cylinder, more fun
The Defender HD11 still uses a CVT, but Can-Am claims it’s a brand new unit to match the brand new engine. The corporate says its goal with the brand new powertrain was to wash up low-speed power delivery, which needs to be smooth over terrain like mud or loose dirt. That powertrain is held on beefed-up suspension, with Can-Am claiming 50% larger double A arms for optimum clearance. The brand new suspension has 12 inches of travel front and rear, just like the 2025 model, with 15 inches of ground clearance being a 1-inch increase over last 12 months. That is all stopped by greater brakes with twin-piston calipers, upped to 10.3-inch rotors in front from the old model’s 8.6-inch units.
Inside, Can-Am claims the brand new Defender is the neatest yet. It features 10.25 inches of touchscreen in the middle of the dash, with features from a back-up camera and music to GPS tracking for other side-by-sides in your area. It’ll even do navigation, if you could have the associated BRP app in your phone to drag directions from. Oddly, despite all of the phone connectivity, Can-Am doesn’t claim CarPlay on the brand new screen, regardless that it’s available on the identical-looking touchscreen used on the corporate’s motorcycles.
The Can-Am Defender HD11 guarantees to be the corporate’s best utility UTV yet, but that comes at a price. While the 2026 Defender starts at $13,399, the HD11 models start at $22,699 and reach as much as $39,699 for the top-spec Defender Max Lone Star Cab HD11. Granted, the next-step-down HD10 engine cannot be had for lower than $19,599, however the upgrade continues to be a reasonably penny. Should you’re a farmer on a large, sprawling farm, it’s probably value it. Otherwise, it could be a tougher sell to upgrade to the newest and biggest.
This Article First Appeared At www.jalopnik.com
