The Good, Bad and Ugly - Can-Am Defender 3-Month Review

We lived with the Can-Am Defender for three months to see how this utility side-by-side really works. In this video we'll share our experiences with the Can-Am, both good and bad..

Let us know your thoughts on the Can-Am Defender in the comments below.

#CanAm #Defender #sidebyside

[LonnieMcCoy-gt]

Just purchased the HD 9 DPS this past Thursday so far we love it learning all its gadgets so far so good wish us luck .

[markflaugh]

Glad you got to do a long term review with this machine and we get to see some issues that might come up for a future owner.

[michaelcurtis]

Ive drove many types of side by sides. Can am has been by far the best. I now own one and have has zero issues.

[wg]

Excellent real life review. I own a 2022 Defender and so far it's been great. I bought it for working around the property, but I wanted something that also was trail capable. I have gone on about eight trail rides with varying terrain. It is quite an impressive machine. Our trails have a 65 inch width limit and it gets quite close sometimes between trees or gates. I'm surprised at how many owners immediately put bigger tires on their machines. The stock tires work well and the machine already has good ground clearance. I agree 100 percent with your assessment of skipping on the power windshield and way overpriced audio roof!

[marksjunction]

I have owned a Can am Defender X MR since 2020 and just replaced the battery this month. I have had zero issues with my unit and it is fun on the trails and is a work horse on the acreage. I find the batteries from the factory are not the greatest in some cases, i.e. my son’s Outlander Max 1000R. I replaced with a AGM battery from Costco and it works great again!

[BillGlasgow-pc]

I own a 2018 outlander xt 1000 and a 2024 Defender Limited. Neither has been back to a dealer since they were purchased.
Both smooth running, powerful and reliable machines to this point. I have owned pretty much every brand in the last 25 years. Have had both a Yamaha Grizzly and a Kawasaki brute Force 650 that started burning a fair bit of oil before 2000km. No issues with the one Suzuki, 3 Hondas and multiple CanAms I have owned.

[daviddrennan]

I had an hd8 and went flying throught the air so often i trusted it to do that for around 3yrs.😊

[X]

2006 CanAm Outback 800 owner. I just had to replace a small section of fuel line this week. That’s it. It’s been Reliable

[unclebilly]

I have a 2021 can am defender hd10 limited. It has almost 10 thousand miles on it. I'm big on maintenance. I do a lot of trail riding with my wife and two pugs. So it's important we don't brake down in the middle of nowhere . It's the most expensive vehicle i have ever owned. But they are toys. I have upgraded everything that has worn out or broke.
Steering rack and tie rods.
Suspension
Front a arms
Fuel pump(warranty)
Bushings.
Clutches
Cooling leak
AC limit switch
Rear CVs and axles.
I don't recommend this machine to anyone unless you have deep pockets to keep it running. But I'm retired and can spend the time and money keeping it dependable. I'm still not sure why I keep it. But it goes anywhere in comfort. And it is fun. And we take it all though out the southwest. Good luck to anyone who owns a defender.

[LucGagne-fl]

i have a 2018 Can Am Defender cab hd10 with 678hrs and 14689km with no issues so far. i changed engine oil every 100 hrs and diff oil and gear box oil every 200 hrs. i greased the roller bearing in the primary clutch at 13000 km. I beleive all brands have their issues eventually. I love riding and trying different brands. Bashing a brand cause a failure is not my thing to do. Mechanical machine will brake down at some point but preventative maintenence will lower your chance of walking back from the woods.

[annapolisvalleytrails]

Can you update on the what happen with the defender?

[Joehofer-yr]

Yes I just bought a can am defender max limited haven't got it yet will see hope it turns out

[stevenrussell]

that ev silverado is awesome. i will go look for your review on it

[jimfleury]

I have owned a 2020 defender hd10 since new. This thing gets beat up on now has 5, 700 k on it battery was replaced around the 4 k mark that’s it other than bearings and bushings (typical maintenance). Keep in mind I have forward a arms with 32” system 3 xtr 370 tires. Bike has been on its side a few times and did great at minded off road park. I ride with my 23 and 25 year old boys riding built renegades with wet shot and nitrous. Soooo when I say this thing takes a beating I’m not kidding !!!

[RolandHill-czwd]

I own a 2021 can an defender hd8 max 4 door the only problem I've had with it is the fuel pump completely destroying itself I had problems with the engine not getting fuel so I lifted the bed and checked the gas tank by simply unscrewing the fuel pump and as soon as I bearly went to lift it it just fell apart we did have it replaced it's been going good ever since and me and my family have put a total of 9500 miles on it we have slightly abused it like you were doing in your video maybe a little bit more abuse but it has took it well and has served me and my family greatly because we live on a farm with a bunch of dirt road so we just take it riding some days go get it buried or just use it for farm work and this thing has pretty much took almost everything we have thrown at it other than that fuel pump and it is stocker than stock the only none stock thing is mirrors that I put on it the only other problem I had was the belt which wasn't a canam problem it was my fault because I totally abused it because I tried to and did pull a probably 1ton log in reverse with the winche that came with it and I destroyed the belt but that is my fault i also replaced that to it works wonderfully in my opinion if your looking for something reliable and to give jsut a little bit of abuse to it would be a can am defender

[benderman]

I have uses them long term at work, the major issues include, hard shifting, broken shift linkages/ extremely poor set up, this is with the entire canam line up, lots of this has to do with 1way on primary needing service, you will break the linkage or brackets if you try to force it. Garbage door latches and door stopper/cable, doors will open on there own while driving with zero warning, then the tiny cable breaks and then the hinges are bent and door will not close, had about 25 units do this, every machine we had on site, very poor heat management, get the limited with ac/ this is not brand specific, these manufactures need to start giving us what we pay for, 30-50k for a piece of garbage that will cook you out of the cab? Rattle, bang, body flex, squeak. Visco lock 3wd junk, the worst front diff in the industry

[YourOldDog]

I've had the same problem, the fix wasn't cheap. May upgrade to the 850watt charger because snowplow winch wants better charging system . Mine is a 2021 HD8 and like you, great unit other than charging issue.

[coldragoon]

I ride with many defender owners. Never had those issues

[karnvir]

I’m the Security Manager for a large 150-acre campus that includes office buildings, event venues, parks, and an amusement park. Our Campus Security team covers the entire site, primarily driving on asphalt, and averages about 20 km per shift. The vehicle will be in use nearly 24/7, as our guards work in three 8-hour shifts.

I’m considering the Defender Limited as a patrol vehicle for the team and would like to know if it’s a reliable and comfortable option for continuous use in this kind of environment. Any feedback on its suitability for this type of operational demand would be appreciated.

[francoislaporte]

I had the very same problem….mine is a 2022 with 1200 km….keep us posted with your dealer response.