Once upon a time, it took a mighty pull of a cord—sometimes repeatedly—to start an all-terrain vehicle (ATV for short). ATVs of yesterday required strong arms to steer and navigate over and through their off-road environments. They were cumbersome beasts at best. Much has changed since those bygone days. If you can drive a car, you can easily operate today’s user-friendly ATVs. There are even SUV-like all-terrain vehicles called UTVs, also known as Utility Task Vehicles or side-by-sides, that can haul big loads and seat a number of passengers in comfort.

That makes these off-road kings more popular than ever. Electric starters, electronic fuel injection, power steering and on-demand 2/4WD and all-wheel drive are just a few of the many features making them appealing to a wide audience.

ATVs rank as the most popular choice for their mobility and ease of operation. Referring to ATVs as the off-road, pint-sized pickup truck of the woods accurately describes their many uses. ATVs take landowners where they can’t go on a tractor. They take individual hunters from their camp to the deer stand. Landowners use them to ride around and survey their property.

All the above holds true for the mightier UTV. The name alone implies big-time multitasking, as UTVs are beefed up versions of ATVs. Carrying passengers, heavy load hauling and more power are obvious UTV benefits.

Which is right for you? The answer all depends on budget, intended use, and believe it or not, driver age.

Spencer Helms, a Certified Sales Consultant at the Bass Pro Shops/Cabela's Boating Center in Springfield, MO, is here to guide customers through those decisions. At locations across the country, his colleagues are eager to help you discover the right ATV or UTV for your needs.

Get started by taking in this helpful advice from Spencer with a primer on these do-it-all four wheelers.

What do you plan to use it for? Most customers come into the showroom already knowing those answers based on filling their needs.

“Most of our customers are looking for an ATV that can do several things on their property,” adds Spencer. “They want to go places they cannot get to in a truck.”

Fishing, hunting and doing light chores all fit the bill for ATVs. 

“It comes down to engine size, horsepower and what features the customer needs in the ATV,” says Spencer.

“ATVs have come a long way,” Spencer adds. “All you do is press the start button and it fires right up, the throttle is on the handlebar and you even have electronic fuel injection, just like your truck.”

All it takes is a boarding ramp to load most ATVs into midsized and larger pickup beds. Bigger models can ride on a common 5x8 utility trailer with ramp.

UTVs, also known as side-by-sides, get their name from their seating configuration. UTVs come in models that’ll carry two to six passengers and have payloads running up to 1,500 pounds. Power is a plus. 

“If there is anything close to a workhorse, like a pickup of off-road vehicles, the UTV is it,” Spencer sums up.

“The beauty of our locations are we service what we sell,” Spencer says. “We run off the same service and warranty computer server system as the manufacturer, so all the customer history is available to us.”

Servicing your ATV or UTV at the same location where it was sold is a benefit of doing business at Bass Pro Shops/Cabela's Boating Centers. Another benefit is the Power Pros, factory trained and certified by Textron to provide the best and most up-to-date service and technology available. Extended warranties and maintenance packages are available all in one place.

“We sell complete kits for do-it-yourself maintenance like oil and filter changes,” he says. “When they buy those at our dealership, the information is recorded in the shared system for warranty purposes.”