Watch: Kubota RTV X1110 put to the test

The Kubota RTV X1110 is powered by an 1,123cc three-cylinder engine built in-house by Kubota itself. This three-pot 24.2hp engine proved to be responsive. Its hydrostatic transmission had a top speed of 40km/h, the slowest of all the UTVs tested.

Cab

The Kubota had one of the most simple cabs out of all the UTVs tested. Itself and the Farmboss were the only two machines that had two seats, with the others having three. This allowed the Japanese firm to equip it with larger, more comfortable seats, which boasted a good driving position.

The Kubota was the only machine to offer a centre-mounted dash, something we weren’t too keen on. The control layout was very simple. Both the controls for the lights and indicators were mounted on one cluster, a simple approach which we liked. The wiper was also centre-mounted and offered good windscreen coverage.

The only fault we could find with the cab was the positioning of the 4WD and diff lock controls. The 4WD handle was positioned near the floor. We found this a little clumsy compared with the simplicity offered by some of its competitors. Similarly, to engage the diff lock the user had to press a floor-mounted pedal before pulling a handle located at the base of the seat.

Driving

The Kubota was the only test machine equipped with a hydrostatic transmission. Although it took some getting used to, once we got a feel for it, we liked it. The nature of the beast meant that once we got used to the transmission, the brake was rarely needed.

Unlike the other UTVs, the Kubota didn’t need the same level of engine rpm on acceleration thanks to the pickup of its hydrostatic transmission.

The power steering offered by Kubota is by far the lightest steering of all the machines tested. This and its good seating position left it as one of the nicest machines to drive.

Features

Although the Kubota didn’t come with an enclosed cab, noise wasn’t an issue. We put this largely down to the positioning of the engine to the rear of the machine. Not only did this offer increased soundproofing, but also good accessibility to the engine. The Kubota was the only machine tested which offered an easily removable screen for the radiator, something we felt was important if working in dusty environments.

The Kubota was also the only machine equipped with a hydraulic tipping cargo box. This was a nice feature, which has the potential to avoid physical strain on the operator when tipping a large weight.

Spec

Watch the full UTV test below