Can-Am adds power steering to Commander
Much-anticipated option offers buffer between base and XT
Since the debut of Can-Am’s Commander, dealers and customers have wanted a power steering package. For 2013, that option has finally come available.
“It’s been something that consumers and dealers have been asking for — power steering, improved control, improved handling, more efficient use,” said Jerrod Kelley, media and PR consultant for Can-Am.
The Commander’s DPS system, unlike the power steering system previously available on Can-Am’s ATVs, is a single-mode system. It offers variable steering assistance with less assistance at high speeds and more assistance at low speeds. To minimize steering lag, the DPS features a Direct Link setup, using advanced magnetic field sensors for faster response to steering input. It also features a high-capacity 50-amp motor, and a 50:1 final gear ratio offers less kickback and more trail feedback for the rider.
The DPS system also includes Visco-Lok QE calibration for quicker engagement of the front differential. It progressively transfers power to the gripping wheel and can lock up to 100 percent without a rev or speed limiter.
With DPS and Visco-Lok QE, Kelley said riders will notice reduced steering efforts and more efficiency at low speeds, better handling overall and more control of the steering in rough terrain.
The DPS package, which also includes 27-inch Maxxis Bighorn tires and 14-inch cast-aluminum wheels, is offered as a mid-range package between the base Commander and the XT, X or Limited models. With an MSRP of $1,000 more than base and $1,600 less than the least-expensive XT packages at both the 800 and 1,000 displacements, the DPS package not only offers a power steering option, but also a unique value proposition for customers.
“They cater to practically every buyer, and this affordability of the DPS package will help bring in the customers that may not have thought about it before,” Kelley said.
Media reaction at the DPS package’s introduction earlier this year was positive, Kelley said, and consumers are already getting excited about the model. The Can-Am Off-Road Facebook page received more than 60 likes on its post about the Commander with DPS.
And Kelley says dealers should be glad to see them on their floors when they’re delivered.
“Any time you can add innovation to the package that speaks better to the consumer — what they need or what they want, the ultimate experience of the ride, the ‘ride says it all’ mentality — the dealer should be happy getting a machine that’s more competitive in the marketplace,” Kelley said.
