PLASTER CITY, CALIFORNIA: “Stop the car! You’re lost…” I was riding alone, full speed, trying to catch up with a group that, unbeknownst to me, wasn’t out front…but in fact, they were about 20 minutes behind at a turn I’d blown past while fumbling with my action camera. And not wanting to drift too far back, I let the heavy-duty cased cam bounce around for several miles after it’d fallen off on a section of whoops before it found its way behind my brake pedal.
Fine, I’ll stop. But this is when the caravan of 2026 Kawasaki Teryx H2 side-by-sides, the most powerful UTV in the segment, fell out of sight.
The ambient temperature hovered around 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Dust shimmered around me in the low-slung morning sun; dawn still had its hands on our shoulders, hovering over us as its light steadily pushed up into the sky. We’d started early. The high was projected to be in the 110s, and we couldn’t trust who could handle the heat.
Machine and I alike were at the mercy of summer.
Photo by: WESTx1000
Chasing after that telltale silty contrail I thought had merely settled, but which had never been churned in the first place, my anxiety crept in fast as I wondered, foot to the floor, why I wasn’t catching up. My music was keeping my nerves at bay, but every few miles the sound cut out in chunks, making me glance away from the sandy two-track, trying to fuss with the 8-speaker audio system found on the H2 Deluxe trims.
Call me a bit of a snob, but I was—only a tiny bit—disappointed at what the sound had to offer.
While the top end of the volume was sufficient to circulate my songs in the cab at higher velocities, the Garmin infotainment didn’t offer an option to adjust the EQ. It’s a little thing, but why go out of your way to provide music to your users if you’re not going to let them customize the concert to its venue?
To add salt to the wound, the audio seemed to disappear every few minutes, rudely interrupting the playlist I’d curated to help me keep tempo. And in one such instance, I picked up my phone for inspection only to read a text, “STOP THE CAR!”
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This interruption was not a result of technical issues, but a colleague calling me a hundred times in a row, trying to grab my attention. I was…oblivious. And a wee bit embarrassed.
Like a robot reverting to its factory settings, I pulled to the side of the trail, came to a halt, and turned the key—sitting silently, waiting for the chase vehicle to pull up beside me, likely full of irritated passengers. It turned out I had been lost for a solid 20 minutes, which set the schedule back over half an hour. My intent to catch up to the pack set me at a pace a bit too “unhinged” for the sweep to reach me sooner.
I felt both remorseful and unapologetic: sorry for wasting time; not sorry for having free rein on a deserted track.
Selfishly, those extra miles alone on-course allowed me to warm up to the side-by-side properly and find out firsthand just how hungry this beast really is. Subsequently, I pushed the H2 to 60 MPH, then 70. The wash narrowed to two-track already, but a light, smooth layer of sand covered the path, and there were no whoops in sight, so my right foot carried on at the helm while my left foot took a break. My initial thought: 60 miles-per-hour felt like 60 miles-per-hour; 70 miles…felt like 70 miles… Until a few kinks in the road helped me reset my perspective.
Now 70 miles an hour felt closer to a comfy 50 or 60 mph, and so on. Soon, I was averaging 85 as if I were making a casual grocery run. To the Teryx H2, this was nothing. A first course. A taste of what’s to come at the feast.
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The 2026 Teryx H2 is powered by a 999cc liquid-cooled, inline four-cylinder, DOHC, 16-valve engine producing 253 horsepower at 8,500 RPM with a 9,500 RPM redline. Top speed exceeds 90 MPH. I saw 95 MPH by the end of the day, playing catch-up yet again, while my buddies claimed to hit the rev limiter at 99, confident it would blow past that should Kawasaki allow it. [Winky face.]
Its in-house supercharger—the first UTV supercharger developed entirely in-house—uses a planetary gear set to spin a 69mm forged aluminum impeller at up to 13.6x crankshaft speed, generating 2.4 bar (or around 35 PSI, which is nuts). The result is instantaneous power delivery with zero turbo lag. That nanosecond delay you get from a turbocharger may seem insignificant when you’re accustomed to this response, but let me tell you how immediate delivery changes the game. It felt more akin to driving a rally car, but lighter, with a multi-dimensional weight distribution.
The engine is a purpose-built unit with reinforced internals: robust crankshaft, cams, pistons, connecting rods, steel intake valves, and Inconel exhaust valves. Fueling is handled by a dual-injector system per cylinder for optimized efficiency and power. Fun, fast, challenging, and oh so good when you get into the rhythm.
And by pairing an effective braking system with responsive acceleration, you and the car obtain a harmony, which lets the two of you dance into turns with control and chase through kinks like those hips don’t lie. Yes, that’s a Shakira reference, bear with me. But it applies to the picture we’re painting here, nonetheless. When you can anticipate its reaction and trust the timing, then maneuvering the vehicle is a mere matter of throwing its weight around and maintaining proper eye contact.
This, to me, is where the fun begins.
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On the Teryx H2, this little performance is accompanied by its own curious percussive sounds. Nothing to be alarmed by, but if you’re not accustomed to it, then the repetitive chirping and growling noises might catch you off guard. Lifting off the throttle at high RPMs, expect a distinct, sharp chirp. And at lower, steady speeds, you’ll hear a deep growl.
Hitting the rugged wastelands of Plaster City turned out to be far more cozy than expected due to the Teryx H2’s rigid frame, which integrates the ROPS as a stressed member, with full skid plates and steel wheel wells. The suspension offers 23.6 inches of front travel and 25 inches of rear. Base models feature FOX 3.0 Podium LSC Internal Bypass shocks, while Deluxe models use KECS semi-active FOX 3.0 shocks with acceleration sensors for millisecond adjustments. All of which helped the car absorb a smattering of trophy truck, off-set, and rolling whoops.
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The speed-sensitive EPS and quick-turn steering rack offer agile handling, making the vehicle predictable at high speeds and in technical sections. Combined with the 32-inch Maxxis Carnivore rubber slipped over 16-inch aluminum wheels with a 5-lug bolt pattern (or beadlocks on the Deluxe models), the Teryx H2 “sticks the landing” when the rear bucks on uneven terrain or launches off a ledge, gripping the ground immediately and sending you wherever you point the front tires.
The CVT, tuned with a 17.6mm belt and an idle collar, provides linear, jerk-free acceleration, while the dash displays its temperature for belt monitoring. When the gauge drifts into the red, there’s a large grace period; flashing indicates it’s time to cool the belt. Maximum unofficial belt temperature: 170°F. Considering that we finished our 60-mile loop in a swelter, I was impressed none of us lost a belt. Granted, a four-hour trek with hardly any elevation changes isn’t the most thorough test.
But that’s why this is just the first ride review.
What I can speak about right away are those interior and exterior features and luxuries that make a trim special. In my particular vessel that day, the Teryx5 H2 offered a spacious 5-passenger cabin with stadium-style rear seating, 4-point harnesses, adjustable driver ergonomics (D-shaped steering wheel with tilt, fore/aft seat adjustment), and the pedals are positioned low enough that someone mini, like me, can rest their heels on the floor and still apply inputs.
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Seats are grippy in the center, where you want the least movement, and more slick where limbs and your head need free range. The cabin itself seemed to carry minimal plastic intrusions and plenty of leg room front and back to accommodate riders from 5’2” to 6’2” comfortably. I didn’t need a booster seat (cough, Can-Am) either.
There are lots of compartments to store your essentials, even cupholders for each rider; Tool-less removal for key access points makes maintenance a breeze; you’ll find door handles inside and out for convenience; and for added protection, the crossbar comes with a buffer.
Deluxe models feature the 10-inch Garmin Tread infotainment system and 8-speaker audio, though note the Group Ride feature can lose signal in dense terrain. This was a hurdle I crossed both times I was lost on this ride. In the morning, when my action cam decided to dive headfirst under my brake pedal, I quickly lost the connection with the group but still saw them “ahead” on my map. So, I continued forward, realizing later, after they disappeared from my screen, that we’d been disconnected long before I missed my turn.
I was chasing an echo.
The tracks themselves were perfectly visible and accurate. I never had difficulty reading the display, even as the light changed. On my second mishap, I’d had a posse and saw a sharp turn, which presumably led to our next stop. A bit of confusion from the disconnect (again) of the group meant my comrades doubted the validity of the purple line on the screen. For one reason or another, this clear route was ignored, and we all found out the hard way that the Garmin was sending us in the right direction all along. So, we piled up near the next point on the GPS, sat in the sand to rehydrate, snack, and pontificate on the Teryx H2’s better features.
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Starting after sunrise and finishing by high noon, we didn’t have the opportunity to explore the lighting package, but you can be sure the Teryx H2s are equipped with LEDs. There are over 50 genuine Kawasaki accessories available, including bundled packages for Protection, Lighting, Recreation, and Cab enclosures. Among the add-ons are auxiliary LED light bars (12″ and 45″), pod lights, and installation kits so you can ride at night when it’s this damn hot.
When I’m behind the wheel and moving at speed, I could drive all day. But hiding from those rays in the shadow of my green and black side-by-side made me beg for it to end. And that should still say something about the Teryx H2. I found so much pleasure in the ride that had we stayed in perpetual motion, I could have suffered that god-forsaken climate until the cows came home.
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Back at camp, when asked, fellow writers mentioned things like, “I actually want to buy this thing” or “I don’t usually leave a press launch wanting to own the vehicle, but I could see myself with a Teryx H2.” My sentiments followed theirs. I’d already been planning stories to pitch so I could ensure more time behind the wheel. As for price, the base price for the Kawasaki Teryx H2 is $37,199. Though you’ll have to pony up $43,199 for the Deluxe trim.
The brand new, 2026 Kawasaki Teryx H2—stamped with the flagship Rivermark logo—is perhaps the game-changer the brand envisions after all. Kawasaki is hungry to push limits on the racecourse and find its place on the podium in yet another format. From sand to whoops to wide-open washes, the chassis feels sure and predictable. And the suspension soaks up the terrain, and the CVT plus supercharged engine offers smooth, immediate power delivery for aggressive or technical handling.
Getting lost twice wasn’t exactly on the itinerary, but the H2 never made it feel like punishment. In fact, it turned those detours into part of the adventure — proof that this machine makes even mistakes memorable. Next time, maybe we’ll get lost on purpose.
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