There are worse places to contemplate the state of the powersports industry than Lake Arrowhead, California. For starters, there are mountains, trees, winding trails through the San Bernardino National Forest, and a beautiful lake. And apparently, there are quite a few celebrities who call the area home, too. I didn’t see any celebrities during my visit. I did, however, spend a day in a $9,999 UTV. And honestly, that was probably more memorable.
I was in Lake Arrowhead in late August for the media launch of Denago Powersports’ new RanchHawk 650FI. The media group had plenty of jokes about what the RanchHawk needed to be perfect. A few more beer holders, for starters. And maybe some NOS (Just a little bottle of nitrous, ala Fast and Furious). But after spending a day riding it through the San Bernardino riding area, the reality became pretty obvious: Denago doesn’t really need to turn the RanchHawk into a sport machine. It is already a remarkably well-equipped basic farm vehicle or work machine.
At $9,999, the RanchHawk 650FI brings a 623cc engine, 4WD, locking differentials, electric power steering, adjustable remote-reservoir shocks, a winch, windshield, doors, bumpers, cargo rails, towing provisions and a 10.25-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. That’s a lot of UTV for $10,000.
And it reminded me why the side-by-side category took the powersports industry by storm in the first place: versatility. The early success of the SxS wasn’t necessarily about building the fastest or most technologically advanced off-road vehicle. It was about creating something people could use for almost anything.
The RanchHawk fits that philosophy. Could it use more power? Sure. If you’re buying a UTV primarily for recreation, you’ll notice that the RanchHawk isn’t going to deliver the same punch as a dedicated sport SxS. But that’s not really what it was designed to do. Denago’s David Garibyan told me the engine has been conservatively tuned to meet CARB and EPA requirements, which leaves some room for relatively easy changes to make the RanchHawk more responsive off the bottom. The company is already considering improvements as it continues to develop the machine.
But let’s be honest: Nobody is going to mistake a RanchHawk for a Polaris RZR Turbo or Can-Am Maverick X3. And that’s OK. Those are sport machines designed to thrill. The RanchHawk is designed to work. That distinction gets lost sometimes when we talk about the UTV market because the high-performance side of the category gets so much attention. The horsepower numbers, suspension travel and increasingly sophisticated technology make for great headlines — and even better social-media videos. But there is a huge market for people who don’t need to do 80 mph across the desert. They need to get things done.
That’s what makes the current UTV market so interesting, particularly as we look at the second half of 2026. As you’ll read in our UTV market feature this month, manufacturers continue to put significant emphasis on utility side-by-sides. And when you look at the second-quarter results from the major OEMs, affordability has become an increasingly important part of the conversation.
The industry keeps building more expensive products. Consumers don’t necessarily want to pay for them. That’s where Denago’s strategy gets interesting. Garibyan told me Denago originally targeted the Polaris Ranger 500 when planning the RanchHawk. The company identified what it believes is a shortage of affordable powersports vehicles, noting that there are fewer than four models currently available below $12,999.
Rather than simply stripping equipment from a machine to hit a price point, Denago went the other direction. It loaded the RanchHawk with features that traditionally require stepping up the price ladder. That doesn’t make it a premium UTV. It makes it a value proposition. And I think that’s an important distinction for dealers heading into the second half of this year.
The premium segment isn’t going away. There will always be customers who want more horsepower, more suspension, more technology and more everything. But not every customer needs — or can afford — the most expensive machine on the showroom floor. Sometimes the customer needs a UTV that can work Monday through Friday and still provide some fun on Saturday.
Maybe that’s the lesson from the RanchHawk. The powersports industry has spent years figuring out how to make UTVs faster, more powerful and more luxurious. Those products have their place. But the category’s original appeal was its ability to do a little bit of everything. The RanchHawk gets back to that idea.
Garibyan told me Denago now has 220 dealers and expects the second half of 2026 to be its strongest yet, with year-to-date performance more than double last year’s level. Obviously, we’ll have to see how that translates at the dealership level. A media launch is a snapshot. Long-term reliability, parts availability, dealer support and customer satisfaction will determine whether the RanchHawk earns a lasting place in the market.
But after a day on the trails, I’m convinced Denago is asking the right question. It isn’t asking how much performance it can cram into a $9,999 UTV. It’s asking how much UTV it can give a customer for $9,999. That’s a question the rest of the industry might want to start asking, too.
Because maybe the future of the UTV market isn’t about building everything for the 1% who want the biggest, fastest and most expensive machine. Maybe it’s about remembering why side-by-sides became so popular in the first place. And if Denago adds a couple more cupholders and finds a little more bottom-end response along the way, well, maybe we’ll finally have that perfect UTV.
Power Hour Ep. 54: How AI is reshaping the dealership experience
In the latest episode of Power Hour, Powersports Business Editor-in-Chief Brendan Baker sits down with Hayley Hollen, director of product marketing at LeadVenture, to discuss how AI is transforming dealership marketing, website performance, and the customer buying journey. Hollen shares practical advice on using AI to improve lead quality, create more personalized customer experiences, and free up dealership staff to focus on selling. The conversation also explores common misconceptions about AI, where dealers can find quick wins, and what the technology could mean for the future of retail. Whether you’re just beginning to explore AI or looking to get more from your dealership’s digital strategy, this episode offers actionable insights you can put to work today.
Power Hour Ep. 53: Performance Brokerage Services discusses the buy/sell market
Brendan sits down with Performance Brokerage Service’s George Chaconas, Juan Pardo, and co-owner Jesse Stopnitzky for this edition of Power Hour to discuss the health of the buy/sell powersports market in Q1.
The Dealer Lab Ep. 35: Building a Dealership DMS With AI
In this episode of The Dealer Lab, Max and Justin riff on food habits and Huey the dog before diving into dealership operations and why powersports feels stuck in an echo chamber while other industries pursue creative fixes. Justin describes returning to the showroom floor, seeing customers frustrated by outdated processes like four-squares, and counting how many times customer data is re-entered across the CRM, test-ride forms, finance, and the DMS, arguing that speed and accuracy now matter more than drawn-out processes.
The Dealership Fixit Podcast: Why you shouldn’t miss DealerConnect 2026 with NPDA’s Tigra and Steve
DealerConnect runs Sept. 19-21 at the Hilton in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Podcast host Jacob Berry has been to every DealerConnect since the beginning. In this episode, he sits down with two people from the NPDA, the National Powersports Dealer Association. Tigra Tsujikawa is the events director who builds DealerConnect every year. Steve Gotoski just joined as membership and marketing director after over a decade at the AMA. Together they break down what the event is, what you will learn, and why a dealer should make the trip.
Boat Industry Insider: The next wave for pontoons with Polaris Marine President Ben Duke
In this episode of Boating Industry Insider, David Gee sits down with Polaris Marine President Ben Duke in Lake Wawasee, Indiana, in between the company’s annual Bennington, Godfrey and Hurricane dealer meetings. They look beyond the latest model introductions to examine the bigger forces shaping the pontoon market, from affordability and changing consumer expectations to innovation, demographics, and the challenge of giving today’s buyer a compelling new reason to get on the water.