Honda announced last month that they will be entering into the 1000-class in the UTV market. This is a first for Honda who in the eyes of many have been behind the class leaders.

Honda Pioneer 1000

Honda fans have been waiting for the 1000-class engine for quite some time now. Honda and its Pioneer 1000 will come standard with a 999cc Unicam twin-cylinder engine, six-speed fully automatic DCT with high/low sub-transmission, four-wheel drive and a four-mode differential lock. The Pioneer 1000 starts at $13,999. At $15,199, the Pioneer 1000 EPS gets Electric Power Steering, tilt steering wheel and colored body panels, as well as manual paddle-shift and sport DCT modes.

Honda has come in lower than the rival companies. With a lower price and then the option to carry five people with the Pioneer 1000-5 allows more people to jump in and enjoy the fun. The Pioneer 1000-5 will sell for $16,199.

The Honda Pioneer 1000 allows for three people, which all other manufactures only offer two seaters.

The Pioneer 1000-5 will offer Honda’s exclusive QuickFlip convertible seating and self-leveling rear suspension, and the top-of-the-line Pioneer 1000-5 Deluxe, with an SRP of $17,199, boasts 14″ aluminum wheels, 27″ radial tires, colored body panels and LED headlights.

Ground clearance for the Pioneer 1000 models is 12.9-inches (12.4-inches for the Pioneer 1000-5), while curb weight varies between 1,519 pounds for the three-person Pioneer 1000 and 1,709 pounds for the Pioneer 1000-5 Deluxe.

Honda and its Pioneer 1000 are a little behind the rest of the market which released their turbo charged UTVs for 2016. We will need to sit this out and see if Honda will be able to stand strong in a very competitive UTV market.