Repeat after us: The new Kawasaki Mule Pro FXT is a work/utility side-by-side. It’s a work/utility side-by-side. It’s a work/utility side-by-side.
As utility side-by-sides are equipped more and more with small—but important—luxuries such as electric power steering (EPS), better suspensions, doors, power outlets and more creature comforts and look less and less like, well, bare bones work side-by-sides, it’s becoming increasingly harder to view them as work-only vehicles. You want to stretch their legs a bit and ride them more like high performance vehicles.
That is what the Kawasaki’s newest Mule, the Pro FXT (F=Force; X=Chassis; T=Trans) has become. This new Mule has come a long way from the first Mule, which was first designed on a napkin and built in 1988 and dubbed the “Pony Truck.” We’re just a short three years out from the 30th anniversary of the first Kawasaki side-by-side.
The Pro FXT is Kawasaki’s fastest, most powerful and definitely most comfortable Mule ever. The Mule has long been the company’s workhorse (work mule?) in its side-by-side lineup, but this Pro FXT is shedding some of its work-only image but none of the Mule’s work ethic.
Not to be overlooked is the ability of the Pro FXT to carry up to six people in two bench seats with the capability of folding up the rear seat so that you can carry more cargo. More on that later.
Providing The Kick
Making the Pro FXT Kawi’s most powerful Mule ever is a new 812cc, three-cylinder, fuel-injected (DFI) engine with 48 ft. lbs. of torque. Rubber engine mounts are used to reduce vibration, noise and wear—it may be a work vehicle but it doesn’t have to sound or rumble like one. The rear-mounted engine comes from Chinese auto maker Chery and indeed is quiet as we found out during a test drive in the Nebraska countryside. Any faint sound you hear from the powerplant sounds faintly like a diesel engine but this is a gasoline engine. The DFI automatically compensates for temperature and altitude so when you have had enough work for the day or you have the weekend off, you can take the Pro FXT to you favorite fishing hole or hunting spot in the mountains. Perhaps you should forget about our original chant of “The new Kawasaki Mule Pro FXT is a work/utility side-by-side.”
Backing up the most powerful claim, we were able to get our test unit up near the 43 mph mark, which is probably more than fast enough for any work situation, regardless of whether it’s the farm or worksite.
One of the more interesting breakaways from Kawasaki’s Teryx side-by-side is that the Mule Pro FXT doesn’t use a centrifugal clutch in the fully automatic CVT, which has a forward high and low gear along with reverse. The Pro FXT has a wide spread of drive ratios for quick acceleration along with ample pulling power (for the towing capacity of 2,000 lbs.) with the CVT specifically tuned for bigger loads. The times we most appreciated the engine braking was when we were carrying five passengers and were dropping down to a narrow bridge crossing. It was not a time we wanted to rely solely on the brakes.
Switching from 2WD to 4WD and back again or selecting differential lock was as easy as pushing a toggle switch on the dash. The Pro FXT dual-mode rear diff can be locked to provide better traction or increased pulling power. The gear shifter is also on the dash and the lever was easy to reach and easy to shift.
Just Press The Button
Just about as easy as the Pro FXT is to switch from 2WD to 4WD is the ability to transform the vehicle from a three-to-six passenger configuration or vice versa. Kawi’s catchy phrase for this is 1:1:1, meaning one person, one trip around the back of the vehicle and one minute to convert from three-to-six passenger mode. We did test the 1:1:1 and admit that we didn’t quite make the conversion in one minute but it was close, and the second time around we were easily able to make the switch. It is definitely a handy feature, depending on your work/farm/hunting needs.
When the rear bench seat is being used by passengers, they will notice the seat is elevated a little for an improved view and there are grab handles for all three passengers. Unfortunately, that’s not the case in the front, where the middle passenger has to hold on to the bar above his head, which can be a bit tiring depending on the terrain. The side passenger in the front does have an eye-level bar to hold on to that sticks out from the roll bar.
The Pro FXT is rated to carry 350 lbs. of cargo/gear with six passengers or up to 1,000 lbs. of cargo/gear with three passengers.
If you have followed Dirt Toys Magazine at all for the past few years, you know we’re big fans of electric power steering (EPS) and have shouted the praises of Kawasaki’s EPS as one of the best in the business. The Mule Pro FXT is no exception to Kawi’s reign over EPS. It flat out works and is so smooth, especially when carrying a load, in our case, five passengers. The Mule Pro FXT does come in non-EPS but we say it’s worth the extra bucks to get one with EPS. Besides, if you decide to go with the an EPS Pro FXT, you also get tilt-steering (with 40 degrees of adjustment), which doesn’t come in non-EPS models.
More Perks
Other perks of the Pro FXT include 8.7 inches of travel front and back (except for the left rear which is 8.5 inches), 10.2 inches of ground clearance, hydraulic disc brakes on all four corners, 26-inch Duro tires, multi-function gauge and storage under the front seat.
We were able to test the Mule with just us as the driver as well as with five passengers. There was plenty of suspension travel when travelling alone and enough when loaded with six adults. You could tell the difference when fully loaded with passengers but the Mule did its job and negotiated the trail, which included tight corners, big sweeping corners, downhill stretches and wide-open lengths, admirably. If the ride isn’t what you think it should be, the Pro FXT features twin-tube preload adjustable shocks that you can play with to find what works best for you and your load.
Remember, this is a work vehicle, but as you pore over the list of features you start to wonder if Kawi isn’t pampering the hired hand/farmer just a bit much. If you want to dress up your Mule a bit, Kawasaki offers more accessories than you can shake a pitchfork at.
The Mule Pro FXT comes with a three-year warranty. It is also available in four configurations. The non-EPS model comes standard with steel wheels and has an MSRP of $12,999. The EPS version, which also has tilt steering and comes in green or black, retails for $13,999. Next is the Pro FXT EPS LE, which features LED headlights, aluminum wheels, a composite sun top and two additional DC outlets for the rear-seat passengers, and has an MSRP of $15,599. Finally there is the Pro FXT EPS Camo model with its Realtree Xtra Green Camo, LED headlights and four DC outlets, and retails for $15,599.
One more takeaway from our introduction to the Mule Pro FXT: it was pointed out by Kawasaki officials that the company wanted to keep the traditional look of the Mule. The Pro FXT definitely resembles the Mule but its look has definitely updated and looks more modern. We like the new look.
First we got to watch the new Mule Pro FXT be built and then we got to drive and ride in them nearby Kawasaki’s plant in Lincoln, NE. Doing it in that order helped give us a better appreciation for the quality and workmanship of the new Mule, as well as for other Kawasaki vehicles.
Kawasaki product manager Bret Snider said, “It’s an evolution, not a revolution. It’s not toyish in appearance; it’s purpose-built.”
We would add, “And the Pro FXT injects some fun into work.”
