(PHOTO BY SCOTT ROUSSEAU)

If you think the 2008 Kawasaki Teryx 750 4X4 is nothing but a pimped-out version of the company's mainstay Mule UTV, you'd better think again. The Teryx is tough, fun and fully capable of handling some serious off-road thrashing.

Kawasaki is no stranger to the UTV market. Hell, the company essentially spawned it with the introduction of the Mule 450 back in 1988. The vehicle was tagged "Mule" because it was designed as a workhorse vehicle for farm, ranch, industrial work–even for transporting hunters into the woods. But it didn't take long for a plethora of aftermarket goodies to spring up, enhancing the performance of the Mule and its main rival, the Yamaha Rhino.

Kawasakis Teryx 750 4X4 comfortably climbs over smaller rock piles with ease. (PHOTO BY SCOTT ROUSSEAU)

The Teryx represents Kawasaki's answer to customers seeking a more sporting platform than the venerable Mule. Designed for performance riding, the Teryx is so different from the Mule that Kawasaki even slapped it with a new moniker, RUV or "recreation utility vehicle," to represent the fact that it's more sport than utility. With long-travel front and rear suspension, a motor that produces 44 horsepower and 40.8 lb/ft. of torque at 5,250 rpm and selectable 4WD with a lockable differential, the Teryx is clearly made for off-road performance, not basic chores.

Unlike Kawasaki's Mule models, the Teryx has no governor limiting its speed to 25 mph. Kawasaki says the Teryx tops out near 48 mph, and is designed to go head-to-head with its sporty contemporaries, such as Yamaha's Rhino, Polaris' Ranger XP and Arctic Cat's Prowler.

The Teryx also boasts a first-in-class V-twin engine. The 749cc, 90-degree unit is based on the company's KFV750 "Brute Force" ATV powerplant. Though we weren't able to gauge the peak speed of our test Teryx, we feel it offers more than enough power to not get left in the dust and plenty of grunt to muscle through turns.

Its engine is mounted in the middle of the chassis to evenly distribute the weight and provide a low center of gravity for maximum performance and stability. And the engine is mated to a constant-velocity automatic transmission (CVT) that Kawasaki says is re-tuned for the hard-acceleration shifting drivers will need when pinning the throttle through the dirt. It features two selectable forward speeds (low and high), neutral and reverse.

The Kayaba front suspension provides 7.5 inches of travel, which we felt performed quite well on rough and bumpy terrain. (PHOTO BY SCOTT ROUSSEAU)

The chassis is just wide enough to offer excellent stability while still being narrow enough to fit on most trails–or in the back of a full-sized truck. The large-diameter, thin-walled tubular frame provides rigidity with weight savings in mind, and yet it still meets SAE regulations as a roll-over protective structure (ROPS).