2025 Can-Am Defender XT/MAX XT

Real hard worker; powerful, quiet engines; standard roof and winch; fully protected underbody; brake-hold mechanism.

Plain-Jane plastics, chintzy technology features like halogen lights and a 4.5-inch gauge display.

The Defender trim to buy if you don’t want to install your own aftermarket accessories.

The Defender XT is a DPS HD9 or DPS HD10 that comes with a hard roof, front bumper, 4,500-pound winch, and full-length skid plating. The $2,000 price differential means it’s nearly a wash pricewise to buy the DPS and add the extras on your own, but what you gain in personalization you give back in the installation time, especially with the full-length skid plates.

The only feature you can’t add afterward is the brake-holding mechanism. This lessens tedium on the jobsite by keeping the vehicle stopped without the driver having to hold down the brake pedal or put the transmission in park, and can make precise trail maneuvers easier to execute.

But it’s really the factory-installed winch and skid plates making the case for the XT, enabling it to get further into the hinterland and come back under its own power—a key consideration for the hunters this rig targets.

Every Defender in the lineup gets an adjustable electronic speed limiter to ease farm and ranch tasks like spraying and spreading.

For colors, Fiery Red and Stone Gray are no more. Dusty Navy joins the palette, and Timeless Black is replaced by Stealth Black.

2025 Can-Am Defender XT HD7 MSRP: $16,399

2025 Can-Am Defender XT HD9 MSRP: $18,999

2025 Can-Am Defender XT HD10 MSRP: $21,599

2025 Can-Am Defender Max XT HD9 MSRP: $21,399

2025 Can-Am Defender Max XT HD10 MSRP: $23,499

Get the HD10 if you can swing it. Yes, that means spending either $2,100 or $2,600 above the HD9. But that also means getting 17 more horsepower, 10 more pound-feet of torque, an inch more suspension travel front and rear, two more inches of ground clearance, and XPS Trail King tires instead of XPS Trail Force tires. We have never heard any UTV owner say they wanted less power, ground clearance, or suspension travel. Camo adds $300 to the price tag.

In Cam-Am language, HD7 signifies a 650cc single-cylinder Rotax engine spooling out 52 hp and 42 lb.-ft. The HD9 represents a 976cc twin-cylinder Rotax making 65 hp and 59 lb.-ft., while the HD10 is a more potent version of the HD9 pumping 82 hp and 69 lb.-ft. of torque.

The HD7 bolted to a pDrive CVT with engine-braking and electronic drive belt protection. The HD9 and HD10 shift through Can-Am’s Pro-Torq transmission with an extra-low gear and a Quick Response System (QRS) that limits driveline windup. Further belt-minding measures include software programming to monitor belt condition, and high-airflow ventilation to manage transmission temperature.

Can-Am fits the base HD7 with its Visco-Lok QE front differential, which locks up quicker than the standard Visco-Lok on the HD9 and HD10. The HD7 goes down to a Low gear, the HD9 and HD10 offer an Extra Low gear. Otherwise, drive modes on all three include 2WD, 4WD, a turf mode that opens up the rear diff to protect lawns, an Eco mode that tamps throttle response to save fuel, and a Work mode to smooth throttle response, prevent jumpiness at launch.

Twin-tube gas shocks do the telescoping work on all variants. The XT HD7 and the three- and six-seat versions of the XT HD9 sit on double A-arm front suspensions and torsional trailing-arm (TTA) rear suspensions with 10 inches of travel at both ends. The XT HD10 and Max XT HD10 sit on arched double A-arms and arched TTA designs with 11 inches of travel front and rear. The HD10 trims also get 13 inches of ground clearance, 2 inches more than the other powertrains.

Every XT rolls on 14-inch cast aluminum wheels shod in 27-inch XPS tires. The HD7 and HD9 get Trail Force tires, the HD10 gets the better Trail King tires.Suspension, Handling

The HD9 is served by double A-arm front and TTA rear suspensions with 10 inches of travel from twin-tube gas shocks at both axles. The HD10 sits on arched double A-arms and arched TTA designs with twin-tube gas shocks tromboning through 11 inches of travel.

The HD9 rides on perfectly fine XPS Trail Force rubber. The HD10 gets even better XPS Trail King tires.

Every axle sports a pair of 220mm rotors, no matter the powertrain. The three-seater models clamp those rotors with hydraulic twin-piston calipers on the front axle and single-piston calipers on the back. The Max versions put twin-piston calipers on the rear axle.

Cabin amenities expand ever so slightly with the XT. The eye test earns better marks thanks to a reinforced XT seat skin applied to the plastic thrones. And these models add driver’s seat fore-aft adjustability to the tilt steering available in lower Defender trims. A three-person bench puts a flat jump seat between contoured chairs; during two-up riding, the center backrest can be lowered to reveal a cupholder and storage. The passenger’s seat bolster flips up to offer more storage space with underside hooks. The glove box doubles as a portable toolbox.

Outside of California, the cargo bed can accept 1,000 pounds of payload, capacity dropping to 600 pounds inside the Golden State. The tailgate is rated to support an additional 250 pounds. Can-Am rates towing capacity at 2,500 pounds.

The 4.5-inch single-color digital display shows a speedometer, tachometer, odometer, trip- and hourmeters, fuel, gear position, Eco/Eco Off/Work modes, seatbelt status, 4x4 indicator, front and rear diff-lock indicators, diagnostics, clock, battery voltage, and engine temperature.

The four halogen headlights emit a sufficient 140 combined watts. Taillights are LED units. A 650-watt magneto keeps the battery charged and supplies 12-volt power to all accessories. Two 20-amp, 12-volt outlet power mobile devices.

Can-Am recommends most consumables (clutch, brake pads, air filter, etc.) be changed after 200 hours of normal use or 100 hours of severe use. The maintenance schedules and repair procedures are in line with the competition.

A one-year limited warranty comes with purchase, Can-Am offers extended service coverage for up to 30 months.

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