#2 Suzuki KingQuad 700 4x4
Sometimes, being second-best is good enough. As it is, being almost the best at just about everything left the KingQuad as ... second best. But just barely. If we had treated price as a separate consideration, worthy of its own vote (as it has been in past econo-shootouts), the Suzuki would have squeaked out a win by one vote. But this is the Open class, and only the best can be the best.
That said, there are a few things the King does best, though they may seem small. The most notable is the floorboards. Yeah, we know, the floorboards?! Currently, they are the best on the planet. Anchored by a traditional steel footpeg, the board has cutouts-but not very deep ones-so you can rest on your heel, as well as some nice, grippy spikes along the edge. One thing we can't stand is floorboards that are slippery or slope downward at the outside edge (cough, Polaris).
And have you seen that motor design? The forward-canted, fuel-injected, big-air-filter-havin', dual-overhead-cam single may not set the world on fire in stock trim but looks to have as much potential as anything here, with the exception of the Brute. Still, the stock unit gives good thrust in most situations, though it seems a little peaky for a utility-quad motor. It's a bit softer than the torquey Grizzly on the bottom but way better on top. The Sportsman and Brute manhandle it, however.
The suspension was second-best in the test in a sporting sense but is on the harsh side in bumpy fast riding. Handling was also a mixed bag; the bar tended to turn uphill on off-camber downhills, but otherwise the quad offered very solid low-speed stability. On higher-speed trail, the front end is a bit vague and disconnected but, again, very stable due to a low cg.
While we like Kawasaki's trigger-style front differential lock best, the Brute pairs that with a very lazy differential that actually requires the use of the trigger. The King's front diff is actually rather aggressive, as with the Honda's (and unfortunately has heavy steering effort in 4WD to go with it). But better than the Honda, it has a diff-lock. It's like the Grizzly's with a push button and a paddle switch but easier to use.
The handlebar switchgear was not particularly easy to find, but the rest of the ergonomics package was decent, with a wide seat and a good balance of relaxed and aggressive ergos to suit most everybody. EFI mostly doesn't come into play, but with no choke with which to fiddle and trouble-free running in our 13,000-plus-foot shootout last issue, it definitely adds some value.
So it sounds like a midpacker, right? Wrong. At $7199, it's the same price as the Grizzly and a whopping $1400 less than the Sportsman! And it is, very nearly, the best 4x4 made. We thought long and hard about whom to crown the victor. But it's like comparing a Saturn to a Benz: Sure, in most categories they're comparable, but all those extras just add up, leaving another quad on top of the heap.
+ Best EFI system available on an ATV
+ Killer little details
- Some handling issues
- Not that exciting
= At $7199, one of the best values in ATVing
It's almost as if Suzuki decided to update the Grizzly for Yamaha and sell it on its own. Better shocks, handling and power, but kinda that same middle-of-the-road machine with no real shining spots, other than its very-responsive fuel injection.
Suzuki KingQuad 700 4x4
Retail price: $7199
Engine
Type: Single-cylinder, four-stroke, four-valve DOHC
Displacement: 695cc
Cooling: Liquid-cooled
Carburetion: Fuel injectionLubrication: Wet sumpStarting: Electric with auxiliary recoil
Drivetrain
Drive system: Shaft, 2x4/4x4
Transmission: Automatic CVT with high/low range, reverse, engine-braking, diff-lock
Suspension (Type/Travel)
Front: Dual A-arms, independent/7.1 in.
Rear: Dual A-arms, independent/8.1 in.
Tires
Front: 25x8-12; rear: 25x10-12
Brakes
Front: Dual hydraulic discs; rear: sealed hydraulic disc