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COPYRIGHT 2005 Ehlert Publishing Group
The entry-level sport market has become crowded with new entries in recent model years. What once consisted of the Honda TRX250EX and Suzuki LT-Z250. Now the segment contains five models from the major manufacturers. But there are other players in this segment that are not the major manufacturers.
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Taiwanese and Chinese companies are flooding the North American market with entry-level sport ATVs and youth ATVs. It isn't something we can ignore, and while some companies are not doing such a great job on making a quality product, some are trying.
Recently, Polaris made the decision to add some Taiwanese-built ATVs to its lineup. The Polaris Phoenix 200 is one such ATV. While the ATV is manufactured in Taiwan, Polaris assures us that it is manufactured to its strict standards. This ATV is manufactured by AEON in Taiwan.
Kymco, on the other hand, doesn't have any contacts with North American companies. At least none of which we know. The Mongoose 250 is a machine we have tested on its own, but never against any other entry-level sport ATVs.
So with a Phoenix and Mongoose in our stable of test ATVs, we couldn't resist comparing the two. After all, if Taiwan is becoming the new Japan, then we better start seeing how the product is turning out.
We decided to do a full-on test of these two machines in a variety of conditions. So we headed to Arkansaw Cycle Park in Wisconsin because it has a lot of great trails and a mild motocross track. We figured it would be the perfect place to get the best overall picture of each ATV's performance.
Ride Test
Ergonomically, both machines felt similar. The Phoenix was a little more comfortable as it felt...
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