DRIVING IMPRESSION: With a retail price of just under £10k, the road homologated CFMoto UForce 600 is equipped with EPS power steering, four-wheel drive with diff locks, LED lights, trailer light socket, winch, and a roof as standard. Add optional screens and body protection and the price climbs to £11,055, still undercutting some other models in the nominal 40 to 50hp UTV category. Does this mean corners have been cut to offer value for money?
If you are in the market for an affordable UTV, then models such as the Polaris Ranger 570 EPS, which has a retail price of £12,590, or the Kawasaki Mule Pro MX 4×4 that sells from £11,678, will no doubt be already on your buying radar. With a road ready sticker price of under £10K, the petrol fuelled UForce as tested with screen and body protection options fitted will retail for £11,931. This is competitive pricing for a
nominal 40hp petrol powered UTV, which piqued our interest to get one out for a closer inspection.
The drive
As we used the CFMoto around the farm, we soon learned how to get the best from its motor. Or more accurately determine that the rocker marked ‘Normal’ and ‘Work’ on the dash has an impact on how the UTV drives. In North America, where this model is an increasingly strong seller, this same switch is marked ‘Eco’ and ‘Performance’, with ‘Normal’ offering a similar function to the latter on UK variants.
Keeping the rocker in Normal we found it delivered a fussy throttle response that needed a delicate foot in order to take up drive smoothly or, as we later worked out, a more determined press to engage drive. This worked better but it meant a brisk take off. Similarly, a light touch over rough ground was jerky and the throttle was sensitive to the slightest of input. When pressing on this was not a problem but it was frustrating in daily use.
Popping the rocker into Work changed this behaviour. Although it blunted the throttle’s action it did so in a positive way. Get up and go was reined in by a notch or two but not by enough to make it worth sacrificing ease of control that came with it. After a bit of use, we mainly left the UTV in Work mode. As an aside, the ECU on road homologated models restricts the UTVs top speed to around 45km/hr, this 28mph top speed being the legal limit for a ’quadricycle’ on UK roads. An off-road specification ECU is available that will release the full potential of the power unit but it is not legal for on-road applications.
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