2019 Can-Am Outlander 1000R XT-P Review- Track & Trail Baked Into One ATV

Twenty-nineteen proved to be a big year for the Outlander. The Outlander took the title of the most powerful production utility ATV ever, coming in at 91-horsepower spouting out of its 1000R Rotax V-Twin engine. “Overhaul” was the name of the game as the Outlander received its first big update in several years, which included a new suspension, the addition of iTC aka Intelligent Throttle Control, and slightly upgraded plastics. This makes the Outlander smarter and more comfortable than ever, all of which is welcome news.

Let’s be clear though, the Outlander 1000R XT-P is not just another everyday Outlander. It is an Outlander for those who want to ride hard, love serious power, and want a suspension that can be honed to utilize that power exactly the way the rider wants it. The Outlander 1000R XT-P is special as Outlanders go, and very special in the world of ATVs in general.  Yes, it is a utility ATV that can tow a trailer or haul some wood, but buying an XT-P model for those purposes would be like using an Exacto knife to cut a piece of wood rather than a handsaw. It doesn’t make sense. The Outlander 1000R XT-P drips with power, is bathed in technology, and is the creme-of-the-performance-crop of utility ATVs. It also looks the part of a power-breathing ATV with the hard-cut body lines and black with yellow accents look. I am a fan.

A Performance Monster

There are those of us out there that are pretty good riders, and have times where we like to grab a handful of throttle in order to “get with it”. Then there are a few utility ATV riders who want to live on the ragged edge with a need-for-speed similar to a fighter pilot going through Top Gun school. If you are the latter, then the Outlander 1000R XT-P is your ATV! We are talking a 91-horsepower Rotax 1000R V-twin engine here. When you throttle this ATV at any speed the torque will break the tires loose without any effort at all, making this kind of power just insane in the best way. The Rotax engine family is known for that kind of earth-shattering power, but the 1000R is the king of that earth-shattering power. There is no other utility ATV on the market that does power like the Outlander 1000R.

Engine Smarts- Though power is the name-of-the-game when it comes to the 91-horsepower Rotax 1000R engine, it has “smarts” also. The engine can sense engine-knock and adjust how it uses the fuel within the engine to get the best performance.

During the miles I have ridden on the Outlander 1000R XT-P I have had plenty of times where I couldn’t help stabbing the throttle to let the horses run. Being able to steer an ATV with the rear wheels is so much fun, and so is power sliding a corner at will. What truly surprises me is that the rest of the time, when I am just enjoying a trail ride without riding aggressively, that the Outlander 1000R XT-P is happy doing that also. It is a bit of beauty and the beast, which makes me happy. You know what also makes me happy? Knowing that at any moment I can hit the throttle pulling the power out of the engine.

Click to watch our 2019 Outlander 850XT Video Review

XT-P Equals A Customizable And Comfortable Ride

Several things about the suspension were changed for 2019 on the Outlanders. The width was increased to 48-inches, the suspension geometry was improved, a front sway bar was added to work in tandem with the rear sway bar, travel was increased to 9.2-inches front and 9.9-inches rear, and the front a-arms were arched for more usable ground clearance. That is a mouthful covering the Outlander’s suspension overhaul. I can tell you that those improvements alone made the ride smoother and tighter, but for the XT-P that is just the starting point. 

To adjust the suspension, just turn the dial to the setting you are feeling.

Stepping up from there, FOX 1.5 PODIUM QS3 piggy-back adjustable shocks were bolted on along with adjustable springs making the Outlander 1000R XT-P race ready from the factory. You really can dial in all four corners of this ATV for whatever terrain you want to tackle. The QS3 part of the suspension means there are three settings you can quickly and easily adjust to take the ride from smooth to normal to firm all with a “click” of the wrist on all four shocks. All you have to do is click and go, requiring no education as a rocket scientist.

My first experience on an Outlander 800 years ago was a rough ride coupled with a an overwhelming desire to be done with riding after a day of it. So much has changed since then. I have ridden two different 2019 Outlanders now, and the ride is where it should be from a comfort perspective. It is a comfortable ride for all-around riding conditions, and the XT-P model takes this to an “eleven”! I have found myself keeping the QS3 shocks at the middle setting overall, and then on occasion bumping it down to an even cushier setting. The normal “middle” setting allows for a comfortable ride plus the ability to throw the Outlander 1000R into a corner and still stay in control. If I am feeling the need for some sport then clicking the QS3 to the firm setting does the trick for that sporty feel. The whole XT-P suspension setup makes the Outlander so adjustable to riding styles, and I like that. It is just a ton of fun to have that kind of flexibility to tackle trail or track with a single ATV and ten seconds to click the suspension into place.

iTC (Intelligent Throttle Control) can easily be adjusted on the fly with a finger. 

Lot’s Of Control

If you like control then you will like the Outlander 1000R XT-P because it is loaded with technologies that can be adjusted by rider to their liking. For years Can-Am has put Tri-Mode Dynamic Power Steering which allows the rider to choose three different levels of steering assist. Once chosen the Dynamic Power Steering adjusts the steering assist levels depending on wheel speed, trail feedback, etc. This year Can-Am gave the Outlander 1000R a rider-adjustable throttle control system called iTC, which stands for Intelligent Throttle Control. It allows the rider to adjust the sensitivity of the thumb-throttle (basically). Standard mode is exactly what you would think with a good overall control of the engine and some give in the throttle before it the engine responds to the input. Sport mode makes the throttle super-sensitive to any movement in the throttle, and Work mode makes throttle response much less sensitive to rider input giving more control for slow speed tasks.

Feeling overwhelmed with all of this? Don’t worry you don’t need to be. Most people will hop right on, start the engine, and leave everything in it’s original mode, which will be just fine. Most of the time I have done just that. For the DPS I leave it in Normal mode, and it has the right amount of assist for me wether I am hauling the mail or just puttering along. On the trails that setting is right on. I have found myself trying the Max setting when doing a little rock crawling. The DPS works well and it takes the hits out of the handlebars when I smack a trail obstacle. The iTC Normal setting is equally fine for normal riding. I have found the Normal setting allows for smoothing out throttle inputs from most trail riding, and it still gives me plenty of response to feel a connection to the engine. Sport mode is super super sensitive, and I only want that if I am really trying to haul. Work mode offers a bit of a disconnected feeling but I see the value in that for literal “work” like plowing, towing, or just on a super rocky trails. For almost all riding conditions, though, Normal mode works just fine.

Just Good-Ole Riding

I always come back to adventure trail riding as my go-to thoughts on an ATV or side-by-side, and the Outlander 1000R XT-P has the goods to do that very thing very well. The seat is comfortable and shaped in such a way that I like the feel of it, and the sitting position is both comfortable and commanding. Splash protection is excellent with wide footwells and overfenderws that keep the trail on the ATV and not me. The Outlander 1000R feels well planted even in off-camber situations, and it is rather tiddy in the corners even with some body roll. The 4WD is available at the flip of a switch if I need it, though I wish I had the option to lock the front diff. That said, the Visco-Lok system hasn’t let me down. The CVT connects well and engages in a way that is natural feeling and easily controllable. This also means the EBS is really really good, which gives me warm fuzzies that I can count on it to walk me down very steep declines. I will say that though it is better than in years past that the shifter can bind making it very hard to shift in certain situations. Other times it shifts really easy…go figure. I appreciate the storage in the rear that is water resistant, and it is a pretty descent size storage bin. I like the hand guards as added protection for my hands from trail elements and the wind during the cold months. I really like the instrument cluster as it looks so polished and fancy that it has a “cool” feeling to it. Finally, I appreciate the arched front a-arms that allow for the max ground clearance to spread further across the bottom on the ATV.

XT-P Package

The Outlander 1000R XT is a loaded machine, but the XT-P package does take it up a notch. First of course are the FOX PODIUM 1.5 QS3 shocks, which is the big step up the XT-P package gives. Next, there is the WARN 3000LB winch, and the sportier looking hand guards. The yellow front and rear heavy duty bumpers with matching colored springs and 14-inch beadlock wheels with yellow accents make the XT-P stand out.

You can tow a trailer with the standard 2-inch receiver hitch. 

And Utility?…

This Outlander will do utility work for you just like any of the Outlander ATVs will do utility work. Without a doubt it will haul stuff on its racks, tow a trailer, or plow a field. However, buying the XT-P model to do that is kinda like taking a supercar to the grocery store. It’s just wrong to do that and only that with such a powerhouse!

Bringing It Together

There is something about the Outlander 1000R XT-P that just makes me like it. I like the way it looks because it embodies the look of what a 91-horsepower utility ATV should look like. It looks the part in a way that matches its performance, and I love the Outlander 1000R XT-P’s performance! I love the power it breathes even though I don’t ride aggressively enough to even touch what it is capable of doing. It brings a smile to my face when I ride it that I can take a multi-day adventure on this ATV, count on it, and enjoy the ride. I can then take it to the track and turn it into a full-fledged race utility ATV with a few clicks of the shocks. That is just nuts! Knowing I can do that brings a smile to my face. I just know it is really powerful, I can steer it with the rear wheels, it will take me on any adventure I want to tackle, and the Outlander will bring me back when it is time to come back. It is not for everyone. In fact it really is only for a certain someone. It is for a “someone” that wants the most powerful utility ATV you can get, and an ATV with a racing-capable suspension that is highly adjustable for trail and track. If you are that “someone” then the XT-P has your name on it. Can-Am has got a special ATV in the Outlander 1000R XT-P, and I am a fan.

What about the price? Try $14,449.

For more information on the Can-Am Outlander 1000R XT-P check out Can-Am's website- https://can-am.brp.com/off-road/atv/outlander/outlander-xt-p.html

2020 Updates

During the time I have written this review, the 2020 Outlander ATVs have been released, and there are no significant updates to the family or XT-P with the exception of a new all-digital 7.6-inch wide display.