The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is a prime area for driving your UTV. Not only do millions of people take advantage of these pristine mountains of sand, but so do manufacturers to test and promote their products. UTV Off Road was invited by Segway Powersports West Coast Marketing Manager Jake McGeorge to join them at the Winchester Bay UTV Takeover for a test drive of their newest 72” Villain two seat UTV. Here’s our Segway Villain SX-10 WP Test Drive.
Segway Villain SX-10 WP Test Drive
Segway? I thought they just made personal transporters.
Segway Powersports is the new kid on the block in the UTV world. Founded in 2019, the company’s motto is “FEAR NO PLACE,” and they aim to provide all-terrain mobility solutions with a focus on innovation and technology.
Segway has come a long way since its founding in 1999 by inventor Dean Kamen. Kamen could be an article all in himself. The man holds over 1000 patents for everything from dialysis machines and insulin pumps to personal transportation and water purification.
Segway Villain SX-10 WP Test Drive
Alright, so what do they have?
Segway Powersports has an impressive line of utility vehicles known as the UT line for all your basic hauling needs. In 2024 the Villain line came onto the market. The Villain is the brand’s sport side-by-side, engineered for high-performance off-road riding. The Villain is available in both 64 and 72-inch width models. The main difference besides track width is suspension performance. There is also the Super Villain, but that is a different test drive article coming soon.
What UTV Off Road was in Reedsport, Oregon to do was drive the Villain SX10 WP.
Segway Villain SX-10 WP Test Drive
Lets explore the Villain SX10 WP
A quick walkaround
The Villain SX10 comes in three colors, Tensive Red, Lunar Grey and Bold Black. The bodywork could be described as minimal mostly due to the “door” being a simple safety bar enveloped in a stylish fiberglass cover. The roof is also a simple design, but it gives the Villain a sporty look. From the front, the bodywork swoops down from the bottom of the dash line to come across the slanted headlights to give the Villain a mean look.
So, the Villain passes the eye appeal test. It is what is under the bodywork the really makes the Villain so impressive.
Segway Villain SX-10 WP Test Drive
Interior
You can use this link to get a 360-degree view of the Villain interior.
One of the first things that catches your attention inside the Villain is the massive 10.4-inch Infotainment Touchscreen in the middle of the dash. This system can link to the Segway Smart Moving App in your Apple or Android smartphone so you can review how your Villain performed. Above and beyond that you can also use the app to access drive settings and air lock, safety alerts and real time data.
I found the inclinometer to be a valuable tool to have up while traversing the mountainous dunes. In front of the driver is a car-like dashboard with speed and RPMs, a two- or four-wheel drive indicator, an odometer and trip meter, gear indicator and idiot lights.
The seats are a very comfortable bucket design, and the four-point harness works well like an automotive seat belt latch without the fuss associated with a true racing seat belt. However, if you want to switch over to a true five-point racing system it is easily done.
The passenger has a grab bar in case the driver gets a little too close to the line where talent and luck separate. If you have a good cap on your drink, there are two cup holders between the seats.
Segway Villain SX-10 WP Test Drive
The drivetrain
The heart of the Villain is the 1000cc 4-stroke parallel twin cylinder engine with double overhead cams. The liquid cooled, electronically fuel injected engine pumps out 105 horsepower and 95 N-meters of torque. Segway does not publicly publish its engine RPM range, and honestly, I was bouncing around and having so much fun I did not note that statistic. However, I did note that the bulk of the power was coming on mid to high RPMs.
The power is sent into an automatic Continuously Variable Transmission that can be operated by an on-demand two or four-wheel-drive system. From the transmission the power can transit to the front wheels via a constant velocity driveshaft to the front differential. The gear selection consists of Park, Reverse, Neutral, High and Low. In most situations you will only need to place the gear selector in high, the transmission handles the rest.
Segway Villain SX-10 WP Test Drive
Suspension
The suspension produces an impressive sixteen-inches of wheel travel in the front, and eighteen-inches in the rear. The front suspension utilizes dual A-arms with a stabilizer bar, while the rear utilizes a multi-link traveling arm with stabilizer bar. The shocks are a K-Man adjustable damper system. The adjustment controls are easily accessible. K-Man is both an OEM and an aftermarket shock absorber supplier specializing in off-road applications.
Segway Villain SX-10 WP Test Drive
Wheels and Tires
From the factory the Villain comes with 14-inch Aluminum bead-lock wheels. The OE tires are CST Stag line 8-ply rated tires, which indicates a durable and puncture-resistant construction suitable for aggressive off-road use. The size was listed as a 30x 10-14 with a block style tread that works well in all terrains. I was worried about the tall dunes and a lack of pure sand tires, but those fears were quelled immediately on the first medium sized dune. The Villain comes with four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes that are very responsive at all speeds.
Segway Villain SX-10 WP Test Drive
Other things you want to know
Overall, the Villain is 133-inches long, 72-inches wide and 73-inches tall. The wheelbase comes in at 102-inches, which makes for a pretty smooth ride. With OE tires and ride height the ground clearance comes in at 15-inches.
At the rear of the Villain is a cargo bed measuring 24-inches by 32-inches by 12-inches and has a capacity of 200 pounds.
The unladen vehicle weight is 1,988 pounds, fully loaded with fuel and passengers the Villain is 2,868 pounds.
Each Villain comes with a 4,500lb rated winch at the front. Presumably this would be to unstick your friends who bought a lesser capable UTV.
The Villain SX10 WP line starts at an MSRP of $19,999. The 64-inch-wide Villain starts at $16,499.
Segway Villain SX-10 WP Test Drive
Driving Impressions
While I am familiar with the southern dunes, this was my first time driving in the northern end of the Oregon Dunes as well as my first time in a Segway product. Instead of just riding with me like some other marketing managers, Jake grabbed another Villain and took lead to get me familiar with this end of the dunes. Following someone so familiar with the Villain also gave me an idea of what the UTV can do. That is a nice way of saying he helped stop me from making any big mistakes early on.
Exiting the UTV Takeover vendor area the dunes go right into a speed zone as there is camping on the sand. It was nice to have a short cruise to get used to the controls, steering and brakes. After a short while the camping area ends and you can turn your UTV loose.
My guide took off right after the signs and a stuck my foot into the throttle to see how the 105 horsepower rocketed me over the sandy whoops that separated me from the bigger dunes. Not long after I got on it the speedometer indicated I was doing 52 miles per hour over the washboard terrain. The long wheel travel was working well and despite the wheels going up and down at a high rate I could still steer the Villain where I wanted it to go.
The dunes loomed ahead but between us were my favorite part of the Oregon Dunes, the small dunes that you drive between. It is like a rally road, and since I spent 30 years rallying, you can imagine my excitement. The road was twisty with high berms as we got into the small dunes, and I was impressed with how well the tires worked no matter how hard I was laying the Villain into the corner.
My Villain was set at stock factory shock settings in the K-Man shocks so I could fully appreciate the OEM version of the Villain. The thought of being able to dial in the suspension a little more to my liking had me smiling under my helmet. Up ahead loomed the bigger dunes.
We set off through a valley and weaved our way up toward the tall dunes. I was thinking about those stock tires as I started up a wall of sand, foot pinned to the floor, climbing straight up like a fighter jet pilot. Cresting over the top with enough momentum to get a little air under the tires stopped my worrying about the tires grip in the sand. One climb I turned up the dune a little late, scrubbing off some much-needed momentum and I was digging hard getting over the top. Even though I messed up the approach, the Segway and its engine and transmission and tires made up for a lack of talent on my part and made me look good in front of Jake.
At the top of the tallest dune we could find we hopped out of the Villains to take some photos with the ocean in the background and talk about what I had experienced. At higher rates of speed, I was having an issue with helmet lift, and it made it difficult to see the gauges, and sometimes the road, at speed. This was a tactical error on my part however, as I always preferred a motocross-style helmet, and I did not use the full-face shield. Pro tip – always use the full-face shield.
The approach and departure angles on the Segway are as good as any UTV out there. If you hit something hard enough at the right (or wrong) angle you can still find yourself with a lap full of sand. I am not complaining!
It was getting time to head back to the Segway display; we had more to drive that morning. Jake’s Villain had a little bit of shock tuning and true sand tires, and he offered to let me drive his back through the dunes and the fun twisty section as a comparison. I expected to see a big difference with the tires, but honestly, the sand tires gave me no real advantage over the stock tires.
The added shock tuning was noticeable over the OE setting, and I do not say that as a knock on the OE setting, you have to remember that Segway needed a OE setting to handle whether you were on the dunes, on a desert trail or a rock climb. The fun is in finding your setting for your particular kind of fun.
At the end of my time in the Villain SX10 WP I could honestly say I “fear no place”.
Segway Villain SX-10 WP Test Drive
In closing
What you have here with the Villain SX10 WP is a high performance UTV that can handle ever single challenge you throw at it. Whether you are duning, running the desert floor, climbing the rocky valleys of the Johnson Valley or Moab, or like Segway is doing this coming weekend, running the Las Vegas to Reno off-road race, there is a Segway for you.
Right now Segway has some incentives going for buyers like three-year zero percent financing or $4,500 off the price of your Segway. Add to that Segway’s two-year limited warranty on drivetrain and you can flog your Villain virtually worry free.
