The New Can-Am Defender XT Is an Off-Road Spaceship

As fall approaches, most hunters and land managers are turning to capable and reliable side-by-sides to get their properties ready for hunting season or the fall harvest. The Can-Am Defender has been a go-to for these chores for years. And with some of the incredible updates made to their all new 2026 model, it will continue to be for years to come.

The brand-new Can-Am Defender XT has features that make your life easier, like Bluetooth, SMART accessories, optional HVAC systems, LinQ integrations, an intuitive infotainment system, and upgraded hardware to reduce maintenance costs and frequency. It’s designed to take on tight trails, rugged terrain, and access backcountry places that you wouldn’t normally be able to reach in a truck. I had the opportunity to get a first look at the new vehicle, taking it up steep trails, over rugged terrain, and through waterways at a press event. Here’s how it performed.

Infotainment System

The infotainment system in the Can-Am Defender XT truly blew me away. It was intuitive, easy to use, and had more features than my 3-year-old car. It comes with built-in GPS embedded maps and Group Ride that operates without a network so you can link up with other riders you’re sharing the trail or farm with to track their location. It also has BRP GO! compatibility for advanced navigation, and easily pairs to your phone so you can jam to some tunes while trail riding or getting work done around the farm. While all of those features are amazing, what really set this infotainment system apart for me was the ability to select and even customize my drive modes from the touchscreen. Whether I wanted it to be in sport mode with a locked differential, or work mode with an unlocked differential, I could make it happen with a few quick taps on the screen.

On top of the simple control over the drive and engine modes, the infotainment system also has the ability to link to the rear camera, making it easy to back up a hitch to a trailer, or monitor your passes while working on food plots or in the field.

Suspension

For the new 2026 Defender line up, Can-Am added a brand new 65-inch wide suspension design featuring a 50 percent bigger arched double a-arm, double bonded bushings to eliminate squeaking, and 12 inches of front and rear travel. This newly designed system gives you a smoother ride, better stability, and less steering kickback when riding through rough terrain. I got to really put that to the test during my test ride hitting rocks, stumps, and large root systems at speed. Throughout the test ride, the Defender XT remained the most comfortable ride I’ve ever experienced in a side-by-side.

Brand New Engine, Transmission, and Differential Options

For 2026, the Can-Am team really went above and beyond when designing the meat and potatoes of the Defender series. They built a brand new HD11 999cc inline 3-cylinder engine that puts out 95 HP and 70lb-ft of torque. With such a beast of an engine, they also redesigned the air intake system to keep dirt, dust, and mud from building up and slowing you down. To pair with their brand new engine, they also fully redesigned the transmission, adding a CVT transmission that gives you smoother shifting, a quicker response, and precise gear engagement to remove that jerking feeling you might get with older side-by-sides. It also comes with a utility speed limiter that gives you the ability to limit your speed for work applications.

As for the differential options, Can-Am added two new refinements to the 2026 Defender models. First being the new auto-locking Quick-4Lok front differential for the XT packages that gives you limited slip, is more reliable, offers a better dynamic behavior, and offers a new driver activated full-lock on demand. I can tell you from experience, being able to lock the front differential with the tap of a button saved my bacon once or twice when I was taking on some serious trails I hadn’t prepared for. With other packages like the X mr, Limited, and Lonestar, they’ll be offering a Smart-Lok front differential that offers a fully lockable, on-the-fly front differential with electronically controlled automatic modes.

Bumper and Winch Components

With a brand new heavy duty bumper design, bolted skid plate, and strong winch components, the 2026 Defender XT is ready to tackle almost any job you throw at it. The newly designed skid plate is 11.5mm thick and yet, to make your life easier, has 50 percent less attachment points than previous models. Rather than offering crappy plastic rivets, it is bolted on, so even with less attachment points, you can rest assured that the skid plate isn’t going anywhere. On top of that, the Defender offers a 4,500 pound winch with a newly designed synthetic rope that is easier to handle, more flexible, and it even floats. The winch system also comes with an auto-stop feature to prevent rope damage, simplify usage, and protect your fairlead.

Driving the Can-Am Defender XT

It should go without saying that driving any type of side-by-side or off-road vehicle is going to be a good time. I grew up driving a four-wheeler around multiple different dairy farms I had access to and I can’t remember ever having a frown on my face while I was doing that. But, I will admit that I have noticed certain things that differ in the off-road vehicles I have used like suspension, transmission, and general driving experience.

For example, my family currently has an older side-by-side that we use for firewood and certain applications are our hunting camp. While I love that thing when compared to walking and lugging around logs on my own, I can tell you that the suspension is brutal. The riding experience is reminiscent of being a goldfish in a plastic bag getting carried by a small child. With that, the family side-by-side does handle incredibly well on smooth trails and it has saved my back on more than one occasion by hauling out large logs or even deer for me.

But, if you were to offer me a straight up trade for the Can-Am Defender XT, I don’t think you’d be able to finish the sentence before I accepted. I spent two full days driving the Defender on trails, roads, and even through the open hardwoods a time or two, and I enjoyed every second of it. The suspension performed phenomenally, the different engine and drive modes made for a seamless experience getting everything set up correctly for basic trail riding or more extreme trails. Overall, I was simply blown away by how nice the driving experience was. 

Not to mention the touchscreen infotainment system making it easy to jam my favorite tunes, monitor other riders on the trail, and customize practically whatever I wanted to. The options felt limitless as I customized my driving experience and touchscreen layouts.

Final Thoughts on the Can-Am Defender XT

In the end, I’d be remiss to not mention that most side-by-sides on the market can rip up the trail, take on rough terrain, and cross most creeks with ease, but I’d be willing to bet that none offer as comfortable of a ride as the Defender XT.

With competitive pricing, you can rest assured knowing that you’re getting a fully redesigned Defender that offers top of the line internal hardware, external hardware, and electronics systems. I was blown away by how quiet the engine was, the power it carried, and the smoothness of the ride. If you want a top-tier side-by-side experience this fall, you won’t be disappointed with the 2026 Can-Am Defender XT.