In the ad, the most striking aspect is that the Ridge gives a mullet to every living soul that it passes. The sheer automobile charisma grows a mullet on seemingly impossible surfaces, such as a tortoise and the shiny bald head of wrestling legend Stone Cold Steve Austin. Kawasaki says the Ridge aims to take “off-roading comfort to new heights.” Armed with a detachable tailgate and tilting cargo bed, the latest side-by-side from Kawasaki comes in multiple editions. There’s the sporty, open-air Ranch Edition model, while the HVAC model targets all-season workflow comfort with a sealed cabin that delivers facilities such as heating, ventilation, air conditioning, powered glass windows, dome lights, and more.
There’s also a Ridge Limited trim, built in partnership with Garmin. This one stands out courtesy of an 8-inch Garmin Tread off-road navigation kit, a four-speaker audio system, a group ride radio hardware, a WARN VRX 45-S Powersport winch, and cameras on either side. The first side-by-side from Kawasaki to offer a four-cylinder engine, the new Ridge lets the driver pick between three power modes to best adapt to the surrounding conditions, accordingly adjusting metrics such as throttle response and acceleration. Capable of accommodating three passengers, Kawasaki says, “Sliding behind the wheel feels like getting into a car.” Notably, electric power steering is standard across the board on the Ridge. The 2024 Ranch edition starts at $23,999, climbing up to $33,499 for the Limited configuration. At that asking price, Kawasaki’s latest offering aims to one-up the likes of Polaris Xpedition, both in terms of size of size and the net dent on your wallet.
