Yamaha's new machine hits all the right notes
The increasingly popular UTV/side-by-side sector offers a wide range of choices for farm or rural mobility, which has been made even broader with a new machine from Yamaha.
Following a quad accident to a family friend who was left disabled, Hamish Gilbert set about looking for a better alternative; the result looks like a reworking of North American sports derived machines. The idea was to build a machine more suitable to New Zealand conditions in durability, noise and speed.
Gilbert quickly found that durability and lower noise could best be achieved by taking components from the automobile industry, on the premise that they were well tested and engineered, and freely available at a sensible price.
The development over the last four years has resulted in a large step forward for Avatar with the recent signing of an agreement for worldwide distribution with Sinomach, of Luoyang, China. It is part of a manufacturing group that includes the YTO Company, the first to manufacture tractors in the country
Recently landed on NZ shores, clearly the machine has been well thought out, with inspection of the chassis and A-arm suspension units revealing that everything is galvanised and should be durable. This durability is confirmed when you notice that the A-arms are greaseable, and the petrol-heads will notice that the 32mm drive-shafts started life in a Mazda 626.
It's available powered by a 62hp diesel or 800cc petrol. The former uses a 3-cylinder turbocharged and intercooled unit commonly used in 1.5 tonne trucks from the Chery stable with technical input from the likes of Mitsubishi, GM and Chevrolet; and the later takes its design lead from a Canadian off-road specialist.
In the diesel variant the engine is laid over on its side, and is said to produce 62hp, compared to its nearest rival in this segment whose units produce 24hp, so no problems on the power front. Transmission on the diesel variant is centred about a 5-speed manual gearbox, sourced again from the delivery truck sector, with a top speed of around 85km/h, with speeds 2 and 3 covering most farm applications in the 1800 to 2500 rpm sector with a minimum of noise. The 800cc petrol unit sticks with the more conventional layout of a CVT style transmission, with the bonus of an advance engine braking system.
In terms of operation daily maintenance sees the liftout bench seat give way to easy access to the engine bay, and the daily normal checks for air cleaner, battery, and engine oil level, whilst a low level indicator takes care of radiator levels.
Once on the move there is selectable 2 or 4 WD, and a choice of individually activated front or rear diffs. Parking up even in difficult locations is looked after by a dashboard activated, electronic park switch which acts on the rear discs.
The driver's area is well thought out with saloon style doors for easy access to the roomy bench seat, an adjustable steering column to suit all sizes and a full width opening front windscreen. Individual seat belts make sure everyone is safe, further enhanced by substantial headrests behind each occupant. The roll-bar further enhances the safety package, and combines with a rear glass panel; an HD roof panel and rear view mirrors complete the look.
As part of the development package the company took special care to ensure that the vehicle was cost effective to operate, with a service interval of 250 hours, and a full service, including labour, filters and fluids, coming in at about $490.
Bringing up the rear is a manually operated tipping deck which appears well thought out. Gone is the electric tipping mechanism that proved to be unreliable in previous models; in are tie down rails and hooks to make sure the load is secure.
Available options include a front mounted winch system, full enclosures for the cab and a range of tyre options for difficult terrain.
With the diesel version tipping the scales at 720kg as opposed to the petrol option nudging 680kg, each version is able to offer a healthy 500kg payload on the rear tray, and towing on the rear ball, whilst the ground clearance of 290mm and suspension travel of 8 inches should see the Avatar well able to tackle the toughest terrain with ease.
