There's a New Wolverine in Town, And It Has Nothing to Do With Deadpool

At a time when everybody's talking about Wolverine, the one that teamed up with Deadpool to shoot the Marvel movie over the one billion dollar threshold, this one hits the news as the most feature-rich Yamaha side-by-side ever made. And you can learn all about that below.

The Yamaha Wolverine range started out back in 2016 with the introduction of the two-seater variant, with the X4 models joining the range two years later. At first glance, not much has changed mechanically since that time, but the range has grown increasingly more potent, more comfortable, and more gifted with every incarnation.

The RMAX4 1000 stays true to its family's lineage, in that it is powered by a 999cc parallel-twin DOHC engine. Packing the YCC-T drive-by-wire technology and an Ultramatic automatic transmission, it is more than enough to push or pull the vehicle from the stickiest of situations and through the most spectacular sceneries in the country.

The engine can be set to run in one of three modes, namely Sport, Trail, and Crawl, which can be selected by using a simple dial. These settings come on top of the impressive figures the side-by-side naturally delivers.

By that, I mean a wheelbase of 118 inches (3,000 mm) and a ground clearance of 13.8 inches (35 cm). Complementing that is a suspension system setup comprising FOX shocks that deliver 16.9 inches of rear travel and 14.2-inches of front travel. The spring rate and damping suspension settings have been upgraded as well.

30-inch Maxxis Carnivore tires are what transfer all that mechanical prowess to the ground. They're grippy enough to allow the Wolverine to easily tow 2,000 pounds of stuff, with 600 pounds of cargo fitting nicely inside the piston-assist dumping cargo bed.

Yamaha will offer the Wolverine in two trim levels, namely the XT-R and Limited. They share a lot of the components, but there are things that set them apart as well.

On the commonalities front both versions of the Wolverin make use of the On-Command 4WD system. Already a feature in Yamaha vehicles, it has been tweaked so it now offers faster front-differential engagement and disengagement.

The system allows the vehicle to switch to 2WD, 4WD limited slip, 4WD full-differential lock, depending on needs, but it takes things one step further by adding something called a Turf Mode – it unlocks the rear differential to allow for more use cases. A Warn VRX 4,500-pound winch is something else the two models share.

From the travelers' point of view, the new side-by-sides are a major evolution from what came before. The Wolverine is now equipped with a seven-inch screen that offers info on stuff like navigation, readouts, and controls for the MTX audio system. The screen supports Bluetooth connections, and that gives people access to call and text notifications.

The rest of the vehicle's interior is packed to the teeth with features you normally find inside a passenger car. That includes interior lighting, adjustable seatbelts, center console storage, and even a dashboard wet storage area.

Speaking of storage areas, the rear of the vehicle also offers a new 23-liter dry storage location. It even has a USB port and cable slot to allow for the passenger's devices to be charged when there's need for that.

Because the Wolverine was meant to travel off the beaten path, it also features some elements you normally don't find in passenger cars. That includes soft touchpoints for knees, rear passenger grip handles, and textured footrests.

I said earlier the two Wolverine models come with differences as well. As you might have guessed, it's not about what the XT-R packs, but what the Limited, the top of the range model, adds on top of that trim.

The list of extras that are available on the Limited starts with a brand-new rearview camera, which does not exist, but is pre-wired on the XT-R. Then, we've got a new TFT meter that displays on a 4.3-inch color screen details like tachometer, water temperature, battery voltage, and even service reminders.

Yamaha is making the 2025 Wolverine RMAX4 1000 at its facility in Newnan, Georgia, and it says the first examples should be on dealers' lots this fall. Don't expect them to come cheap, though.

The 2025 Wolverine RMAX4 1000 XT-R will be offered in a sport paint job with matching interior and beadlock wheels from $27,999. The top of the range Limited, on the other hand, with all the extras it brings, will be selling from $29,199.