my review of the 2012 canam commander limited

1000 - 85 hp color blue- bone stock as i had been asked to give my thoughts after several seat hours, broke it in by the book, changed all fluids, and then played hard. i think i have 19 hours on it as of now.

I was lucky to have a friend in laughlin, nv who recently bought an xp900, so we meet up in a hard pack sand flat a few days back for some comparing as well.
the 2012 commander limited is an ABSOLUTELY AWESOME RIDE!!!! 100% happy, shocks cant be beat, i figured i had no real use for the killer radio that comes with it, well i was wrong there, listen to football games, music from my iphone, and the radio for weather reports and local events if your visiting from out of state. can you hear it with a full helmet on and going fast, yes you can, very much so, the down side is when you stop, your music is pretty loud until you turn it down. there is no struggle in hearing the radio i promise. gps works great, love it, no issues, can be seen pretty easy even with sun shinning in on you.

shocks, adjustable from a toggle switch to 6 positions, its neat and these shocks are the best you can buy, there great, what a surprise to see how well they work. brp gets the details right, makes things proper and does well in building these sxs. no squeeking noises or melting issues either

heat issues, the first 2-3 hours of break in- it is hot, i was told it would be and by 5 hours it would only be warm, i did not beleive that after what i have experienced with polaris heat issues, well i was wrong, at about 4 hours the heat had dropped by 60%. before it would BURN your hand to touch the center console area, after the break in i can hold my bare hand on it with out needing to remove it, its warm, but not hot, its a welcome relief!!! heat issues are no longer a issue.

the front half windshield and rear screen keep about 60% of the wind off you. the roof is nice as well with some map holders on it.

power, WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! maybe we dont have a need to go fast, but we have a need to have the hp to get up hills, around dunes, etc.... this one rocks. i have been read a few forums where they say the rev limiter is around 73 mph, well on the 12 model ( unless i got a freak one) i have not hit it. i clocked 4 runs, i will give you the lowest one, with 520 pounds of rider weight, 9 gallons of fuel and 50 pounds of cargo i hit 74, with one rider and 3 gallons or so i hit 76 and had to stop as i ran out of room. im sure the rev limiter was only a second or two away.

put in performance key, sport mode, and your a rocket. dunes with a breeze, hills and rocks, no sweat, mud and loose sand, no issues. canam has taken great steps to give the rider all they want or dont want, its there if you need it, they have done there homework and care about the buyer, the cockpit area is world class in fit and function, very nicely done all around, attention to details is second to none, in fact other oem's should take notice of canam on that. the only 2 issues i have, is not real issues, but worth mentioning.
1- that half window up front with scratch if you sneeze at it...lol...it scratches so easily.
2- you have to remove seat to get to the oil, which is not really hard to do, just would be nice to have it handyier.

is it worth 19 G, absolutely 100%. i was not sure until we rode it, and canams slogan is very true "The ride says it all". until you ride one for 30 mins, you wont understand it,

for those who think P is king, and there is no one even remotley close, think again, canam is sitting beside them and they dont even know it, and when they pull out a 4 seat version, there may be a new king. the form, fit and functions of the limited is awesome, while the xp900 is really poor cheap looking and so generic. i own both polaris and canam, and to be honest i have never been a fan of brp, until this machine made it clear, if im being honest with myself, this is the top of the heap!

as to racing the sand beds, i rode the commander 2 races and then the xp twice, we used gps also, in about a 3/4 mile run, the commander won all 4 races by 2-4 feet. they were pretty close tied the first 300/400 feet or so, then the commander slowly pulled away.

if one can get past brand loyalty and be honest and try it, you may be surprised.. i sure was! this machine is awesome. period.

as for storage, with that duo level box, i can carry everything i need, sleeping bags, tents, cooler, chairs, gas, it all fits well because of the duo level box. im sure it has most storage of any sxs 2 seater, and pretty close to the same storage as my ranger does! remove the bed and you have a deep storgae area. its all good on this one!!! i will be back for more in the future, especially if canam keeps doing it the way they are.