Bennche Bighorn 700X Review

Posted on May 8, 2015

I teamed up with Joey from UTVUnderground.com and Troy from UTV Off-Road Magazine to cover the 2011 Mud Nationals in Texas. Since we drove all the way out from California, we really did not want to have to tow anything. Thankfully, we hooked up with Bennche and they supplied us with a brand new Bighorn 700X Crew for the week. Since there were three of us, plus a bunch of photo and video gear, we really needed a people hauler and the 700X fit the bill nicely.

Think of the 700X Crew is a value-based people mover that comes with some nice features right out of the box. For instance, if you are in a state where you can make a UTV street-legal, the 700X comes ready to go with windshield, mirrors, horn and blinkers.

Given a dry weight over 1500 lbs along with three big guys and all our gear, the 700X was by no means a bullet. The fuel-injected, single cylinder 686cc doesn’t put down huge power (rated at 33.5 HP), but it is adequate for moving people and supplies while hunting, exploring or around the job-site. I do think that it could benefit from some clutch tuning given the various demands on load capacity.

Although we didn’t jump into waist deep mud with the 700X during Mud Nationals, we did explore a few trails where we needed 4×4 and it seemed to pull right through. It was comforting to know that if we did get stuck, that it also comes standard with a 3,500 lb winch.

Since it was nearly 90 degrees, I really found the plastic molded roof to be a big plus to keep the sun at bay. We did find that the full windshield was not conducive to the dusty conditions this year at Mud Creek Off-Road Park, so we took it off so the dust would not swirl in the cab.

Given an MSRP of $9,250, the 700X Crew is a great value. I would like to see an option for Bennche’s 800cc v-twin powerplant for the 700X. This engine is found in the Spire 800, and has about 20 more horsepower and some really nice torque. With a single-cylinder standard and a v-twin option, Bennche could cover a larger market segment.

Bennche Bighorn 700X Crew “Media Wagon” at the 2011 Mud Nationals

Specifications:

Engine
Engine Type	Four-Stroke, Single Cylinder
Displacement	686 cc
Bore & Stroke	102 x 84mm
Compression Ratio	9.2:1
Fuel System	Fuel Injected
Ignition	CDI
Transmission	Automatic L-H-N-R-P
Drive Train	Shaft Drive; On-Demand 2WD/4WD; Locking Differential
Cooling	Liquid
Horse Power	33.5 HP
Fuel Tank Capacity	7.6 gallons
Battery	12 volts 32 amp

Dimension

Overall Length	155.5 in.
Overall Width	52.3 in.
Overall Height	74.8 in.
Seat Height	31.1 in.
Ground Clearance	11 in.
Front Tire	25×8-12
Rear Tire	25×10-12
Wheelbase	113 in.
Dry Weight	1540 lbs
Bed Capacity	330 lbs
Towing Capacity	220 lbs