CFMoto are a Chinese company that produces all-terrain vehicles. What's the ZFORCE 550 EX buggy like to drive on a rally stage in Jamaica?
You can’t escape it, the heat and humidity, it’s intense and extreme. Outside, the blazing hot Jamaican sun beats down on everything it touches. As I stand at Jam West Motorsport and Adventure Park watching a briefing video, there’s a sticky sweat starting to spread across my skin. The shaded area I’m under offers some shelter, but the atmosphere absorbs energy from the sun, which still affects the thermal comfort of the human body. In ecology, the species most responsive to change survives, which is otherwise known as evolution.
This ability to adapt is also an instinct that applies to buggy driving. Dealing with rugged and jagged terrain is not as straightforward as you might imagine. There are submerged boulders that you bash and crash over, stones scattered sporadically which you skate over, dust clouds that blur the trail ahead, craters so wide and deep that you drop down into, and puddles of dirty water that you splash through. To navigate the path of least resistance across this assault course of obstacles, you must "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" to quote Muhammed Ali.
It's different to driving on smooth asphalt surfaces. The uneven terrain constantly changes, and always challenges your capabilities. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, forcing you to react to the track ahead, as you venture across unknown territory. You can’t anticipate your next move, as you don’t know what to expect. Taking the task head on is the most assured approach. However, the degree of difficulty depends on the type of all-terrain vehicle you have at your disposal.
Looking across the dusty track through the simmering heat are a collection of buggies under a canopy of trees. My curiosity compels me to gravitate towards them, as I’m keen to inspect the brand of buggy I shall be driving. As I walk over the smooth, soft, sandy surface, the silhouette becomes clearer and more distinct. The manufacture is CFMoto, a well-known Chinese company founded in 1989 that makes motorbikes, quadbikes and all-terrain vehicles.
"There’s a roughness and toughness about them, they have a tenacity and resilience that turns you into a street fighter"
There’s a selection of products to choose from, but the model that stands out to me is the grey coloured all-terrain vehicle called the ZFORCE 550 EX. Just glancing at it, you notice glimpses of exposed internal componentry that reveals its inherent nature, which is designed and developed for hard treatment. Yet at the same time, it’s approachable and usable, this isn’t the most hardcore buggy CFMoto produce, so it has a soft side that appeals broadly. It’s not an intimidating machine.
That impression is reinforced by the single cylinder, liquid cooled, 4-stroke, 4-valve engine, which has a 495cc displacement. It’s a modest unit size that produces just 36bhp and 40nm of torque. These stats define the ZFORCE as more of an all-terrain toy rather than weapon. But it’s not to be underestimated or dismissed. I know from my considerable experience driving buggies that they are feisty machines that pack a punch. There’s a roughness and toughness about them, they have a tenacity and resilience that turns you into a street fighter.
They take punches like a heavy weight boxer would, and I expect the same sort of demeanour from this CFMoto product. With a curb weight of 580kg and a low centre of gravity, there’s reason to suspect the ZFORCE should be dynamic to drive, and therefore an enjoyable encounter in general terms. I should find out soon enough. The rally stage I shall be driving is 7.5 miles long, and it will take me through some quite spectacular landscape, as well as rural villages. The route should offer an unguarded insight into Jamaica off the beaten track.
But first it’s time to get more closely acquainted with the ZFORCE. There are no doors on this particular CFMoto, so you simply step into the cabin. The interior is a condensed space, there’s no room for comfort here. The dimensions really are rather small. With the length and width measuring 2870mm and 1510mm respectively, the proportions in theory make for good manoeuvrability. But this philosophy is fundamentally flawed if it comes with a catch, which it does on the ZFORCE.
The enclosed concept means that the driving position is compromised, as you are sitting at an inward angle in order to operate the accelerator and brake pedals. Not only is this uncomfortable, but far from ideal when you are driving quickly across brutal terrain, and you want to be focusing on the conditions facing you ahead. When this realisation comes to me sitting and positioning myself in the seat, it's an unwelcome discovery that makes the rigorous pursuit I’m about to undertake more challenging. To cope with this awkward driving position, I shall have to adapt as best I can.
To get the most from the ZFORCE, there’s no other choice. I strap myself into the seat and proceed to turn on the engine. It sounds like a mini explosion as fires into life. You can feel the vibrations surging through the buggy and into your body, as you sense adrenalin starting to pump around your system. I’m ready to go. Grabbing the gear leaver, I put the continuously variable transmission into drive mode, and release the handbrake. Pressing my foot on the accelerator, the CFMoto lurches steadily forward, and we are on our way.
I’m part of sizeable convoy that is about to embark on the rally stage, and the initial impressions of the ZFORCE are suitably adequate. We drive across the dirt field and through a clearing in the trees. Here we exit the confines of Jam West Motorsport and Adventure Park, and enter the dirt track. To explore the capabilities of the CFMoto product more extensively, I leave a substantial gap between my buggy and the one in front of me. Now separated by some distance, I open up the throttle for the first time. The ZFORCE struggles for traction on the surface, but manages to grip up.
It becomes clear straightaway just how special the surroundings that I’m driving through really are. The dirt track that is cut out threads between indigenous trees. It feels like the real heartlands of Jamaica. It makes for a surreal environment to drive in as the trees line the edge of the track, so if you lose control and suddenly veer off course, the consequences could be unfortunate and regrettable. It’s an aspect that you compartmentalise as you are focused on driving the CFMoto, so my mind doesn’t contemplate such scenarios.
"as we approach a small coastal village, which is like an outpost in the wilderness, the dirt track becomes more of a dust bowl"
Instead, I’m thinking about the ZFORCE, and how it operates compared to the brief that an all-terrain vehicle comes with. Trundling along briskly, the buggy contends relatively well with the undulations. It has a ground clearance of 305mm, which is sufficient enough to contend with the conditions it’s subjected to here. To help combat the terrain, it has double arm independent suspension at the front and rear, as well as coil spring and air damping shock absorbers. These components help cushion the brunt of impacts, so that it's in essence bearable, but not necessarily comfortable.
Considering the tough and rough terrain, the ZFORCE doesn’t act out of place. It performs respectably and will react compliantly to the inputs you make. The same goes for the steering. As a result of the condensed dimensions, the buggy is convenient to position where you want it on the dirt track. That ability to place the CFMoto is the source of satisfaction that comes from when you drive a buggy, and it means you can push harder by driving faster and taking more risks.
The actual dirt track itself is narrow with forest foliage and overhanging branches along the route. Tree trunks define corners at certain stages, so you can take the racing line through effective chicanes. The reward is a feeling of fulfilment as you zoom through tight areas at faster speeds. There are smoother surfaces of the rally stage too. As we approach a small coastal village, which is like an outpost in the wilderness, the dirt track becomes more of a dust bowl, presenting a different challenge to what I’ve been accustomed to until this point.
This terrain change affects the responsiveness of the steering. It turns much spongier on the soft surface, as resistance on the tyres becomes a drag on progress. There’s switchable two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive to select from depending on the type of terrain you are driving over. I already have the ZFORCE engaged in four-wheel drive mode, yet even in this setting, the buggy slides over the surface. The track hardens up as the convoy slows down passing through the village. But there is more open space on the other side as we travel through sparse landscape.
We pick up the pace, and in terms of outright velocity, we drive the fastest of the rally stage here. It must be said that at these sorts of speeds, there is a noticeable disconnect between you and the buggy. It feels as if everything is out of control. It’s not the most reassuring feeling, but I manage to tame the ZFORCE enough. We approach our turning zone as we look to overlap and follow the same route back. I decide to test out the brakes. Stamping on them as late as I dare, they have a wooden texture to them, and you get the sense they can’t be relied upon when you depend on them if they are subjected to repeated heavy breaking.
Despite overshooting slightly, I make the long-banked turn to the left. On the right side is a white sandy beach that leads to the blue Caribbean Sea. It’s a beautiful backdrop that soothes my mind glancing at it. The turn is like a slingshot that fires me back down the same dirt track. There’s a satisfaction to how it plays out if you catch it just right. We stop off on our return journey for some water to drink, which is a convenient time to get some pictures of the ZFORCE in its natural habitat. It's also the first chance for me to properly reflect on this particular CFMoto product.
When thinking about it, I can’t help but compare the model to the equivalent produced by rival brand Can-Am. The Canadian marque is very accomplished at developing comprehensive all-terrain vehicles. In fact, they are probably the best company in the business. On objective evidence, the Maverick Trail I drove in Lanzarote in May this year is better than the ZFORCE by a considerable margin. This particular CFMoto is basic in contrast to what Can-Am can offer, and it lacks the quality and refinement too, which is one of the starkest differences between the two.
On that basis, there is no serious or credible contest here. The Can-Am company is comfortably head and shoulders clear of what CFMoto are currently capable of. To be honest, they are above and beyond, there is no other brand to consider if you want an all-terrain vehicle. That’s not to say the ZFORCE is atrocious, costing £11,329, it's reasonably good value for a buggy. But the choice is made simple and easy by weighing up the pros and cons, and the fact of the matter is that it’s an inferior machine when the Maverick Trail is in the equation.
I appreciate the CFMoto for showing me a side of Jamaica that I otherwise would not have seen. Nevertheless, my threshold of enjoyment has long outgrown the underwhelming performance of the ZFORCE. Its concept was devised for trekking across terrain, not racing across it. The Can-Am Maverick on the other hand is a high-performance all-terrain vehicle that would be just the ticket to meet my need for speed. The stars are yet to align for that experience to come into fruition.
Photos: Callum Alexander
Comments