Whether you need a recreation ATV for working hard on your land or playing dirty on the weekends, you’ll probably want decent suspension travel and ground clearance. We did a deep dive of every major manufacturer’s 2022 model ATVs to find out where you should spend your money. Here’s our list of the best value suspension setups on this year’s recreation ATV from each brand.
If you just want to know which model has the most suspension, we’ll tell you. It’s the Arctic Cat Alterra TRV 700 with 10 inches front and rear. However, it’s not the best bang for your buck. If you’re interested in why, then read on.
2022 Can-Am Outlander 650/850/1000
Ranking: #1
Price/Suspension Travel Inch: $959.49
Price/Ground Clearance Inch: $863.55
The Can-Am Outlander, in its base form, takes the top spot on our list as the best value in terms of cost-effective suspension performance. Middleweight to heavyweight Outlander trims feature the same suspension travel distance, so you’re really only paying for the other frilly bits and engine size when you jump up to a more expensive rig. If your primary concern is crawling over technical terrain, the Outlander should be near the top of your shopping list. It strikes a solid balance between cost and performance on paper.
2022 Polaris Sportsman 850
Ranking: #2
Price/Suspension Travel Inch: $975.51
Price/Ground Clearance Inch: $869.48
The Sportsman 850 takes the No. 2 spot in our list of best suspended rigs for your money. While it doesn’t strictly have the most suspension travel on the market, the Arctic Cat Alterra 700 bests it by 1 inch in the front, it does come very close with a fraction of an inch more rear axle travel than the Alterra. It’s the $9,999 price tag that makes it the runner-up of our list. You’re paying $975.51 per inch of suspension travel. That’s a bargain in the utility ATV world when combined with its 11.5 inches of ground clearance.
2022 Suzuki KingQuad 500 AXi
Ranking: #3
Price/Suspension Travel Inch: $999.87
Price/Ground Clearance Inch: $754.80
Suzuki’s up toward the top of our list of value rigs with cost-effective suspension setups because of one reason: It’s rig is affordable. It uses the same suspension hardware in almost all of its KingQuad models meaning you can get the most suspension travel it offers in the middleweight 500 rig that’s thousands of dollars cheaper than other brands.
It provides run-of-the-mill travel lengths and ground clearance. Components are admittedly budget-oriented. This isn’t pro-grade suspension built for taking on the Erzberg Rodeo, but it does get the job done and for less money than everyone else. If your only concern is spending less while having adequate suspension to keep your molars in, look no further. We’ll never turn down a ride on a KingQuad.
2022 Arctic Cat Alterra TRV 700
Ranking: #4
Price/Suspension Travel Inch: $1,029.90
Price/Ground Clearance Inch: $936.27
Arctic Cat’s Alterra lineup delivers solid suspension performance straight from the factory. However, only the 700 model reaches an industry-leading 10.0 inches of suspension travel on both axles. That’s the most front suspension travel money can buy on a recreation class ATV by nearly a full inch.
The Alterra TRV 700 falls into the two-rider touring class of recreational ATVs and slots in with a $1,029.90 per inch of suspension travel. However, it doesn’t keep the cost per inch of ground clearance low, offering industry standard levels of belly room below the rig for a slightly higher price.
2022 Honda FourTrax Foreman Rubicon 4×4 Automatic DCT
Ranking: #5
Price/Suspension Travel Inch: $1,040.07
Price/Ground Clearance Inch: $936.06
Honda’s venerable Rubicon slots in near the middle of our list with its par-for-the-course suspension components. Stepping up to the more expensive Rincon model doesn’t net you any additional shock travel, it actually decreases slightly. Dropping down to the Foreman or Rancher means giving up rear independent suspension for a solid swingarm and single rear shock.
By all accounts you’re paying more for the rest of the rig on this contender. That higher price combined with old-school suspension specifications means it’s not that great of a choice when it comes to our list of cost-effective suspension setups.
2022 Yamaha Grizzly EPS XT-R
Ranking: #6
Price/Suspension Travel Inch: $1,241.65
Price/Ground Clearance Inch: $957.54
Yamaha has an interesting offer with the stylish 2022 Grizzly XT-R. While it’s one of the most expensive recreational ATVs per inch of suspension travel, it’s also one of the cheapest for ground clearance. The Grizzly also offers tunable preload suspension components on both ends of the machine in a utility chassis. Something you don’t often see. It’s also a bit lighter and offers a midsized footprint compared to some of the other large-bore ATVs on this list.
Strictly speaking, it’s an expensive option, but perhaps you get what you pay for with the Grizzly.
2022 Kawasaki Brute Force 750 4x4i
Ranking: #7
Price/Suspension Travel Inch: $1,333.20
Price/Ground Clearance Inch: $1,063.72
Rounding out our list is the classic Kawasaki Brute Force 750. Not a lot has changed since inception with this model of recreation ATV, and its numbers back that up. This quad is the most expensive unit for the least amount of suspension travel and ground clearance. Regardless, we never felt like we needed more suspension during our review earlier this year. The Brute Force might be long in the tooth but at least Kawasaki keeps a big-bore ATV around for those diehard green fans out there. We’d happily thumb that throttle into the sunset.
