2026 Can-Am Defender Adds A Third Cylinder For Even More Capability

If you spend a lot of your time well off the beaten path, hauling mulch or sowing seeds, chances are you’re not doing it in a massive pickup truck. You’re likely in a side-by-side or UTV, those long-suspension four-wheelers with windshields and beds that are increasingly eating up the “people who actually do work outside” market once held by pickups — from farmers to the Bureau of Land Management. If you’re looking to start doing that kind of work, Can-Am wants to be your UTV of choice with the 2026 Defender HD11. The company’s even added an extra cylinder to show you how serious it is. 

Since its introduction, the Can-Am Defender formula has been largely unchanged, using a single cylinder or V-twin engine with its power sent to all four wheels through a CVT. With the HD11 motor, the first three-cylinder for the model, Can-Am wants to up the capability of the new Defender by adding that third cylinder to the equation without changing displacement all that much. The new engine displaces 999 cc’s, up from 976 cc in the HD10 V-Twin engine, and torque is nearly unchanged between the two with 70 pound-feet for the HD11 versus 69 lb-ft for the HD10. Horsepower, though, sees the big difference: The HD11 makes 95 hp to the HD10’s 82 hp. That all makes the Defender capable of 2,500 pounds of towing and 1,500 pounds of payload capacity. 

The Defender HD11 still uses a CVT, but Can-Am claims it’s a new unit to match the new engine. The company says its goal with the new powertrain was to clean up low-speed power delivery, which has to be smooth over terrain like mud or loose dirt. That powertrain is held on beefed-up suspension, with Can-Am claiming 50% larger double A arms for maximum clearance. The new suspension has 12 inches of travel front and rear, like the 2025 model, with 15 inches of ground clearance being a 1-inch increase over last year. That’s all stopped by bigger brakes with twin-piston calipers, upped to 10.3-inch rotors in front from the old model’s 8.6-inch units.

Inside, Can-Am claims the new Defender is the smartest yet. It features 10.25 inches of touchscreen in the center of the dash, with features from a back-up camera and music to GPS tracking for other side-by-sides in your area. It’ll even do navigation, if you have the associated BRP app on your phone to pull directions from. Oddly, despite all the phone connectivity, Can-Am doesn’t claim CarPlay on the new screen, even though it’s available on the identical-looking touchscreen used on the company’s motorcycles. 

The Can-Am Defender HD11 promises to be the company’s best utility UTV yet, but that comes at a price. While the 2026 Defender starts at $13,399, the HD11 models start at $22,699 and reach up to $39,699 for the top-spec Defender Max Lone Star Cab HD11. Granted, the next-step-down HD10 engine can’t be had for less than $19,599, but the upgrade is still a pretty penny. If you’re a farmer on a massive, sprawling farm, it’s probably worth it. Otherwise, it might be a tougher sell to upgrade to the latest and greatest.