Yamaha Grizzly vs Kodiak 700: Differences, Prices and Which to Buy

The Yamaha Grizzly EPS and the Kodiak 700 have the same heart: a 686cc liquid-cooled, fuel-injected single driving through Yamaha’s Ultramatic belt transmission with engine braking on all four wheels. What you pay extra for on the Grizzly is the chassis around that engine: more front suspension travel, 26-inch tires, more ground clearance, rear disc brakes, LED headlights and power steering on every trim.

For the 2027 model year, Yamaha lists the Grizzly EPS at $10,599 and the Kodiak 700 at $8,099, or $9,499 with EPS. The fair comparison for most buyers is Grizzly EPS against Kodiak 700 EPS, a gap of $1,100. If you ride rough trails for hours, the Grizzly earns it. If the machine mostly works, the Kodiak EPS does the same jobs for less.

Grizzly vs Kodiak 700 specs side by side

All figures below come from Yamaha’s 2027 US specification pages for the Grizzly EPS, Kodiak 700 EPS and Kodiak 700. The Grizzly EPS and base Kodiak 700 figures are unchanged from the 2025 and 2026 model years.

What is actually the same

More than the price gap suggests. Both machines share the 686cc engine, the 44mm fuel injection, the Ultramatic transmission with high and low range, the 49.2-inch wheelbase, the 81.5-inch overall length, the 4.8-gallon tank and the steel racks rated at 308 lb combined. On the EPS trims, the drive system is also identical: Yamaha’s On-Command switch for 2WD, 4WD and fully locked 4WD, plus a diff-lock override button.

Towing is rated at 1,300 lb on both the Grizzly and the Kodiak EPS, with a 2-inch receiver standard. Warranty is the same too: a 6-month limited factory warranty plus a 10-year V-belt limited warranty. That belt coverage is worth knowing about, because the belt is the part owners of any CVT quad worry about most. Read Yamaha’s terms before relying on it, since limited warranties exclude abuse and some conditions.

Yamaha’s marketing does describe the engines differently: the Grizzly’s as tuned for recreational trail riding, the Kodiak’s as geared for low-rpm cruising. In practice owners describe the Grizzly as the livelier of the two, but no one buys either for outright speed.

Where the Grizzly earns its price

Front suspension travel and preload. The Grizzly has 7.6 inches of front travel against the Kodiak’s 7.1, with 5-way preload at both ends. Rear travel is the same 9.1 inches on both. Half an inch sounds small, but on a rocky trail at speed the front end is where you feel it through the bars.

Tires and clearance. The Grizzly EPS rolls on 26-inch Maxxis tires and has 11.3 inches of ground clearance, against 25-inch tires and 10.8 inches for the Kodiak. The Grizzly EPS XT-R and Camo go further, with 27-inch Maxxis ‘Zilla tires on 14-inch aluminum wheels and 11.8 inches of clearance.

Brakes. The Grizzly has dual hydraulic discs at the rear as well as the front. The Kodiak uses a sealed multi-disk wet brake at the rear. Discs give a more direct feel on fast, steep descents. The wet brake has its own advantage, covered below.

Equipment. Every Grizzly has power steering and LED headlights. The XT-R and Camo trims add a large all-LCD instrument cluster and a WARN VRX 25 winch. Yamaha also lists three storage compartments on the Grizzly.

All of that suits a rider who covers real distance on rough ground: mountain trails, long hunting days, rutted two-tracks. It is the same conclusion as our full Yamaha Grizzly 700 review.

Where the Kodiak 700 is the better machine

It is easier to live with. The Kodiak’s seat is 33.9 inches high, 2.2 inches lower than the Grizzly EPS. If you climb on and off 40 times a day to open gates, check fence or load a sprayer, that difference adds up. Shorter riders also find the Kodiak easier to handle when it gets stuck or starts to tip.

It is narrower. At 46.5 inches wide, the Kodiak is nearly 2 inches narrower than the Grizzly EPS (48.4 inches) and 2.7 inches narrower than the XT-R. Many public ATV trails restrict vehicle width, so check your trail system’s limit before buying the wider trims.

The sealed wet rear brake. A multi-disk wet brake runs in an enclosed housing, so mud, sand and water do not get at it. For a machine that lives in a barnyard, a creek bottom or a muddy woodlot, that means less brake maintenance than exposed discs.

It costs less. The Kodiak 700 EPS saves $1,100 over the Grizzly EPS at 2027 MSRP, and gives you the same engine, drive system, power steering, racks and towing rating. For work use, that is most of what matters. Our Yamaha Kodiak 700 review covers ownership in more detail.

The base Kodiak 700: know what you give up

The $8,099 base Kodiak 700 is the cheapest way into Yamaha’s 686cc engine, but it drops two things that many owners later wish they had.

• No power steering. On a 659 lb machine with a heavy front rack load, steering effort and kickback on rough ground are noticeably higher. For long days or older riders, EPS is the upgrade that matters most.
• No locking front differential. Yamaha’s 2027 specs list 2WD and 4WD only. For deep mud, steep ledges and plowing snow on a grade, a diff lock is the difference between walking out and driving out.

Yamaha also does not list a towing rating or standard receiver for the base model on its spec page, so confirm the hitch setup with the dealer if you plan to pull a trailer. For flat ground, light chores and a tight budget, the base model still makes sense. For almost everyone else, the extra $1,400 for the Kodiak EPS is money well spent.

Prices for every 2027 trim

MSRPs exclude tax, title, prep and destination charges, and dealer pricing varies by region and season. Yamaha often runs incentives on utility ATVs, so check current offers before you negotiate. One detail worth noticing: the Kodiak 700 EPS XT-R costs just $100 less than the Grizzly EPS. If you want the Grizzly’s suspension and tires more than a winch and aluminum wheels, the Grizzly EPS is the better buy at that price.

Maintenance and reliability

Because the engine and transmission are shared, the ownership basics are the same on both. The belt is the wear item to understand. Use low range for towing, plowing and slow crawling, keep water out of the belt housing after deep crossings, and do not ride at walking pace in high range, which slips the belt continuously. The engine itself has a long record: a version of it also powers the Raptor 700 sport quad, which uses a manual gearbox instead of a belt.

Follow the service intervals in the owner’s manual for oil, final drive and differential fluids and air filter, and shorten them if you ride in dust, mud or water. The wet rear brake on the Kodiak and the rear discs on the Grizzly each need checking at the intervals Yamaha specifies.

Who should buy which

• Buy the Grizzly EPS if you ride rough trails for hours, hunt in steep country, want the bigger tires and clearance, or plan to add a winch and plow and still want trail performance.
• Buy the Grizzly EPS XT-R if you would otherwise buy a Grizzly EPS and then add aluminum wheels, bigger tires and a winch. Yamaha’s package costs $800 more and includes all three.
• Buy the Kodiak 700 EPS for farm and ranch work, property maintenance, plowing, food plots and moderate trails. It is the best value in the pair.
• Buy the base Kodiak 700 only for flat ground, light work and a strict budget.

If you are considering a sport quad instead of a utility machine, the Raptor 350 and YFZ 450R are different tools entirely: lighter, faster, and with no racks, no 4WD and no towing rating. The last check before buying either utility model is simple: sit on both at the dealer. A 2.2-inch difference in seat height is something you feel in the first 10 seconds.