Waterfowl season is quickly approaching—and it might be time to consider a new dedicated vehicle to use on your property, club, or lease. While getting to your blind safety and comfortably in the pre-dawn darkness is the most important thing you need from a vehicle, there are other factors to consider, too, like whether you can haul gear and do other chores with it, and the cost of maintenance over the years.
While many folks opt for pickup trucks or ATVs, my favorite—and I think the most versatile—option is a utility vehicle. Last spring, I spent two days testing out the Kawasaki Ridge Crew XR, the brand’s first four-door utility vehicle, on mountain roads in Western Montana at the Ranch at Rock Creek. We drove through ice and mud, two types of terrain that most duck hunters will encounter throughout the course of a season. We also used the vehicle for tasks like plowing snow and dragging fallen trees out of the road to assess its functionality for work-related tasks on a property.
This review will focus on the Kawasaki Ridge XR Crew, which is the premium option, though most of it also applies to the slightly cheaper Ridge Crew. While I believe the Kawasaki Ridge Crew XR is a solid all-around hunting vehicle, I think it’s particularly well-suited to waterfowl hunting. Here’s why.
Ridge XR Crew
Key Specs:
- Engine type: 999cc in-line four cylinder
- Horsepower: 116 HP
- Torque: 73.8 pounds per foot
- Top Speed: 68 MPH
- Ground clearance: 14 inches
- Drive Modes: 2WD, 4WD, and 4WD with diff lock
- Towing capacity: 2,500 pounds
- Cargo bed: 1,000 pounds
- Seats: 4 or 5 bucket seats
- Price: $33,099 to $38,099, depending on options
What It’s Like to Drive the Kawasaki Ridge XR Crew
During testing, I put several hours and plenty of miles on a Kawasaki Ridge XR Crew. The roads we drove were decently steep, but overall, not too difficult. This is exactly the kind of terrain the vehicle is made for: rugged but not true off-roading. And it’s the kind of terrain that you’re most likely to encounter while going to and from a duck hunting spot.
With 14 inches of ground clearance, I never worried about bottoming out, even on a well-rutted dirt trail. The steel wheel wells are a nice touch, as you don’t have to worry about something puncturing them while you’re driving. These aren’t common in other brands and cheaper UTVs.
The vehicle boasts a classic Kawasaki 4-cylinder engine. The engines, which are manufactured in Japan, are known to be dependable and provide good power. The 4-cylinder is fairly loud and has a slightly deeper tone than other brands I’ve driven. The vehicle has three different drive modes: work, normal, and sport. Work is best for low-speed tasks, while sport has a sharper throttle response—though it’s still not particularly sporty. Normal threads the needle and is likely the one you’ll leave it on. The overall lack of a very sharp pickup doesn’t bother me when it comes to a utility vehicle, as reliability and functionality are more important.
The inside of the Ridge XR Crew is quite comfortable and has a fully functional HVAC system that quickly heats up or cools the cab, perfect for both hot early teal seasons and frigid January hunts. There are ample storage compartments to stash your stuff, though some of the holders were bulky in design. The bucket-style seats were comfortable, though they felt like you were on a perch, as is common in most UTVs. That said, the UTV seemed to have a lower center of gravity than others that I’ve tested, and I wasn’t as worried about rolling the vehicle on sharp turns. One thing to keep in mind is that the cab doors don’t lock, which could cause issues, depending on where you park it and what you keep inside. The Ridge XR Crew Limited comes with an 8-inch Garmin Infotainment screen; I didn’t mess with this feature much, but I can see the utility in pinning blinds and other features, especially if you are going to have guests driving it.
Why Opt for a Ridge XR Crew
There are a couple of reasons why a UTV like the Ridge XR Crew makes a primo option for a waterfowl property. For one thing, it’s way—way—more comfortable than an ATV. And it can safely fit multiple people and gear like decoys. I remember riding out to a rice blind with my friend on her ATV, and how cramped and uncomfortable it felt doing so. With a UTV, you can ride in comfort and still go on levees and other trails that don’t fit a full-size vehicle.
The other main competition would be a pickup truck, which are getting more and more expensive, so much so that even if you can afford one, you probably don’t want to beat it up. While the Ridge XR Crew does cost a pretty penny, maintaining it is cheaper, and you shouldn’t care about it getting dented and scratched up because, well, that’s what it’s made for. And replacement parts are cheaper. You can also easily wash it down—even the interior—which is helpful for the blood and mud that are inevitable parts of waterfowling. That said, it’s still damn comfortable, and the towing capacity of 2,500 pounds is plenty strong for almost anything that you need to do. As my friend RideApart’s Jonathon Klein put it, “the new Ridge Crew is a pickup from the late ’80s or early ’90s, capable, affordable, and has the creature comforts you’d want when the weather goes bad, but you have to still get after it.”
The Final Word on the Ridge XR Crew
The Ridge XR Crew is a premium UTV ideal as a workhorse vehicle on a duck or goose hunting property of any kind. It’s expensive—but cheaper to maintain than a full-size pickup, though it’s just as comfortable as one. If I had the money and place to use one of these, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it.