The 2022 Kubota Sidekick RTV-XG850 Is a Gas-Powered Multitool

Spring has sprung in my neck of the woods, and that means taking advantage of good weather to work through a backlog of projects around my house and 20-acre woodlot. While I don’t have miles of fence to check, there were plenty of opportunities for our 2022 Kubota Sidekick RTV-XG850 loaner to prove itself. It did not disappoint.

Normally, chores around the house fall to my trusty, daily-driver 2003 Toyota Tacoma, but when Kubota offered me the chance to review the Sidekick, I was excited to try it out. You can read all about the technical specifications of the Sidekick in our First Look, but overall, like the Tacoma, this is decidedly a work rig.

There were myriad chores to take care of around my little estate while I had use of the Sidekick, but I primarily wanted to know how it would fare splitting light landscaping duty and more involved work in the woods.

First up was a dump truck load of mulch to move to raised garden beds and flower beds around the yard. Normally, this involves filling the Tacoma’s 6-foot bed and delicately Austin Powers-ing around the yard between landscaping, bird feeders, clotheslines, and sheds. The Sidekick instantly impressed me with its turning radius and assisted dump bed as it flitted around the yard between obstacles on its way to depositing substantial amounts of mulch. Point, Kubota. I would have loved to see a more robust assist mechanism on the dump bed, though.

The cavernous bed and burly suspension tempt you into loading well more than you, or the dump-assist shock, can lift. Once it was time to unload, I found the best way was to remove half the mulch by hand and then power-clean the dump bed handle to get rid of the rest. Dirt and detritus have a tendency to get stuck in the tailgate channels where the latch strikers are, preventing it from closing, which is mildly irritating. It’s a simple design that could be easily reimagined to prevent the user from having to clean the tailgate after each load. The selectable rear diff locker was a welcome feature when working in the yard and around the house, as the Kubota had no impact on my grass, even with its aggressive 440 Mag off-road tires.

With yardwork out of the way, it was time to tackle the woodlot. Early this year, we were hit with an intense ice storm that blew down numerous trees and choked up the access trails to the back of the lot. I decided to take the opportunity to harvest some of the scattered scrub pine for fence posts, which meant getting the sticks out of the woods and up to a clearing where they can be milled. This would have been a tall order in the Tacoma given the tight, wooded trails back to where the trees lay but lands right in the Kubota’s wheelhouse. Kubota 2, Tacoma 0.

On the way in, the optional plastic roof did receive a few new pinstripes courtesy of some overhanging hollies due to the 82-inch overall height of the rig. The height of the Sidekick proved challenging at times in the dense brush, but may be welcomed by taller drivers. Granted, at 5 feet, 11 inches I’m no monster, but I found the 4 inches of headroom I had with a helmet on to be overly generous as the quick electric power steering, relatively narrow track, and high center of gravity can make for a somewhat squirrelly ride once you get moving.

Once I was back to where the trees lay, I realized that I would need to remove some stumps to clear a path to get the logs out. Normally to pull stumps I put a tow strap on the Tacoma’s hitch and engage in an arduous series of pulling at the stump, chopping at the tap roots with an ax, repositioning the truck and hoping that when the stump finally comes free that it doesn’t catapult itself through the back windshield. This time, I decided to employ the Kubota’s 3,500-pound Warn winch that comes tucked neatly up in the burly front bumper. Maneuvering the rig into place was easy thanks once again to the tight turning radius and quick electric power steering. The generous access holes in the front bumper made toggling the free-spool switch easy, even with gloved hands. A tug with the winch revealed the remaining roots and after a few swipes with an ax and another steady pull from the winch, the stump toppled over with no drama.

Even with the Sidekick’s listed tow rating of 2,000 pounds I had anticipated dragging a 20-foot section of pine out of the woods to be an eventful chore, but the Kubota handled it without any fuss whatsoever. I slipped a shackle into the 2-inch hitch receiver, choked the log with a tow strap, engaged the locker and set off in low range. Rinse and repeat a few times, and I had my fence post materials. Thankfully, when there is some weight in the bed or dragging behind, the twitchy throttle evens out considerably. I had no trouble keeping an eye on the load thanks to the upright seating position and short bed. Although our loaner came equipped with optional side-view mirrors, I often found myself checking on things behind me by looking over my shoulder as the mirrors tended to get caught on brush on the side of the trail. Fortunately they fold in easily and securely to prevent damage.

The ice storm also provided a stark reminder of how important a well-stocked wood pile is when it left us without power for five days with highs in the 30s earlier this winter. We stayed warm thanks to our wood stove, but it put a pretty good dent in our firewood reserves. Fortunately, the Kubota is a near-perfect companion for cutting and moving firewood.

Picking my way through the woods to get to a downed Red Oak required hopping some rotting logs across the trail, which surprisingly proved somewhat tricky for the Sidekick. Even unladen, the Kubota tends to drag the skid plates over trail obstacles, which is a problem I had not encountered with the Tacoma. What it lacked in ground clearance, the Sidekick made up for in maneuverability and well-thought-out utility. The underseat storage and glove box provide convenient places to store a few tools, like a small chain saw kit with screwdrivers and files.

The burly headache rack allowed me to huck the large oak rounds into the bed with abandon, and provided peace of mind when bouncing back down the trail that nothing was going to crack me in the back of the head. I found the easiest way to load the bed down was to position the rig as close as possible to the cut wood, which meant a lot of getting in and out. The doors are cleverly designed to allow easy ingress and egress with handles that can easily be manipulated by a gloved hand from inside or outside the cab. Coupled with the high, church-pew seating position, repeatedly climbing in and out didn’t feel like a circus act. I managed to fit about a dozen 50-plus-pound oak rounds in the bed at a time, and even with the weight the trip back to the woodshed was uneventful. If you told me I couldn’t do anything with the Kubota but move firewood, it may very well still be worth the asking price.

It only took a glance at the Kubota to tell that it was built with serious work in mind. From the heavy-duty, winch-equipped front bumper, the full-body and control-arm skid plates, and even burly brake light covers, Kubota has spent a good deal of effort protecting high-wear areas. These little details may be inspired by Kubota’s years of experience producing dauntless industrial UTVs, but the Sidekick’s roots give way to a much more user-friendly machine than its predecessors. The punchy engine and stiff suspension were great when hauling and dragging heavy loads in the woods, but didn’t feel ungainly when putting around the garden beds.

I won’t be getting rid of my old Tacoma anytime soon—after all, you can’t commute in a UTV—but the Sidekick has been a pleasant realization for me as to what you can accomplish with a modern utility rig. Throw in the fact that all that wear and tear is no longer being heaped upon my daily driver, and this rig makes a compelling argument for its place on the farm or ranch.

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