You’re scrolling. You see a machine that looks like a golf cart on steroids, covered in mud, ripping through a trail that would destroy a standard pickup truck. That’s the hook. But honestly, looking at images of side by sides (SxSs) is a weirdly deceptive rabbit hole because what you see in a professional promotional shot is almost never what the machine looks like after twenty minutes in the real world.
Buying a UTV—Utility Terrain Vehicle—is a massive investment. We’re talking $15,000 to $45,000 depending on whether you want a workhorse or a desert-shredding turbo beast. If you're just looking at the glossy manufacturer photos, you're missing the nuances of ground clearance, suspension sag, and how cramped that "four-seater" actually feels when real humans are inside it.
Why stock photos lie to you
Manufacturers like Polaris, Can-Am, and Honda are geniuses at photography. They use wide-angle lenses. They position the vehicle on a slight incline to make the suspension look like it has more travel than it actually does. When you look at images of side by sides on a corporate website, the tires are pristine. The wheel wells are spotless.
In reality, the first thing you’ll notice when you see a "real" photo from an owner is the sag. Fill up a Polaris Ranger with a few hundred pounds of gravel or a couple of coolers and some gear, and that advertised 12 inches of ground clearance often shrinks to eight or nine. It’s the physics of springs. If you don't look at user-generated images on forums like RZRForums.net or MaverickAddicts, you’ll be shocked when your skid plate starts screaming against a rock that looked "totally clearable" in the brochure.
The ergonomics of the "Side by Side" reality
Let's talk about the cab. Most people search for images of side by sides to see the dashboard, but they should be looking at the floorboards and the shoulder room.
Ever tried to sit two grown men in heavy winter jackets inside a 50-inch "trail-legal" machine? It’s intimate. Too intimate. If you look at interior shots of a Kawasaki Teryx versus a Yamaha Wolverine, you’ll notice the Teryx has these massive bolstered seats. They look cool. They feel great. But they also eat up a ton of literal "elbow room."
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- Width matters. A 64-inch wide machine looks stable because it is.
- The 50-inch struggle. These are built for specific trails with gates. They look skinny because they have to be.
- The Middle Seat. If an image shows three people in the front of a utility rig, look at their feet. Usually, the person in the middle is fighting the gear shifter for legroom.
Comparing the big players through the lens
If you look at side-by-side images of the Polaris RZR Pro R next to a Can-Am Maverick R, the visual difference in engineering is staggering. The Can-Am uses a "tall knuckle" front suspension that looks like something off a trophy truck. It’s polarizing. People either love the aggressive, insect-like look or they think it looks like a mechanical nightmare.
Polaris tends to keep things a bit more traditional in their silhouette. Their images emphasize the cockpit's "connectedness"—big screens, Ride Command integration, and clean lines. But look closer at the "real world" images of these machines after a roll. That’s where you see the ROPS (Roll Over Protection System) strength. Professional photos will never show you a mangled cage, but owner photos will show you exactly where the factory steel tends to give way.
Utility vs. Sport: The visual divide
There’s a reason you don’t see many images of side by sides like the John Deere Gator jumping sand dunes. It’s not just the engine; it’s the center of gravity.
Look at the bed height. On a work-focused SxS, the bed is low for easy loading. On a sport model, the engine is often sitting right where a bed would be, or the bed is a tiny plastic tray meant for a single spare tire. If you see an image of a machine with a dump bed that sits higher than the tires, that’s a red flag for stability on side-hills.
What to look for in "Action" shots
When you see a photo of a SxS "sending it" over a dune, look at the tires upon landing.
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- Tire Compression: This tells you if the shocks are bottoming out.
- Body Roll: Look at how much the frame tilts relative to the wheels.
- Dust Patterns: This sounds nerdy, but look at where the dust goes. If it’s swirling into the cab in the photo, it’ll be in your lungs in real life. This is why "half windshields" are often better than full ones—they manage the vacuum effect that sucks dust into the back of your neck.
The aftermarket transformation
Honestly, the stock images of side by sides are just a canvas. Nobody leaves them stock. You’ll see images of machines with $5,000 worth of portals (gear reductions at the wheels) that lift the vehicle six inches.
Portals change the geometry. They make the machine look "leggy." If you see a photo of a SxS that looks impossibly high but still has factory-looking suspension arms, it’s likely running portals. This is great for mud, but if you see an image of that same machine trying to take a corner at 40 mph, it’s a recipe for a bad Saturday.
Lighting and Visibility
Check out night-ride images. Factory headlights on almost every UTV—even the $30k ones—are kind of trash. Most owners end up mounting light bars on the roof or "pilar pods" near the mirrors.
When looking at images of side by sides equipped with aftermarket lights, pay attention to the glare on the hood. A poorly mounted light bar reflects off a white or silver hood and blinds the driver. It looks cool in a photo, but it’s a functional disaster. Experts look for lights mounted further back on the roofline to avoid this "hood splash."
Maintenance: The "Ugly" side-by-side images
You need to see the photos of these machines with the plastics off. That’s where the truth lives.
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A Honda Talon looks sleek, but when you see an image of its gear-driven transmission compared to the belt-driven CVT of a Polaris, you see two different philosophies. Belts are easy to fix on the trail; gears are nearly indestructible but heavy.
Look for images of the air intake location. If the intake is low, near the rear tires, that machine is going to eat dust all day. If the images show "snorkels" rising up like periscopes, that owner is serious about deep water and mud.
Actionable insights for your search
Don't just search for "side by side images." Be surgical.
- Search for "SxS [Model] tie rod failure" to see the weak points in the steering.
- Look for "UTV [Model] tire clearance" to see what happens when someone tries to fit 32-inch tires on a machine designed for 28s. They usually rub the plastic till it melts.
- Check "Side by side trailer fitment" photos. A lot of people buy a 64-inch wide machine and then realize it won't fit between the rails of their 60-inch utility trailer.
Before you buy based on a photo:
- Verify the year. A 2022 and a 2024 might look identical in a thumbnail, but the 2024 might have upgraded knuckles or a different turbocharger.
- Check the "Stance." If the wheels look tilted in at the top (negative camber) in a photo, the bushings or springs are likely shot.
- Look at the Skid Plate. If you're buying used and the photo shows a clean body but a shredded, gouged plastic skid plate underneath, that machine has been "rock crawling," which puts immense stress on the frame.
The best way to use images of side by sides is as a diagnostic tool. Don't look at the shiny paint. Look at the CV boots for tears. Look at the radiator for clogged mud. Look at the seats for "butt-wear" that suggests way more than the 500 miles the seller is claiming. Pictures tell the truth, but only if you know where to squint.
To get the most out of your research, cross-reference professional walkaround videos with amateur "for sale" photos on Facebook Marketplace. The contrast between the two will give you a much more honest perspective on how these machines age after a season in the woods. Pay close attention to the frame welds in high-resolution shots; any sign of flaking paint near a joint usually indicates the metal has flexed or stressed beyond its limit. Check the air filter housing photos specifically, as a clean outer shell often hides a dusty intake tract—the number one killer of UTV engines. Focusing on these unglamorous details will save you thousands in repairs down the road.