Kawasaki didn’t redesign the Teryx H2 lineup for 2026. It didn’t bump horsepower. It didn’t tweak suspension geometry or rewrite the supercharged narrative. It added a new color. And that's it. Probably a safe bet, given there's a "Stop-Drive and Stop-Sale" recall on the UTV at the moment.
But the 2026 Kawasaki Teryx 4 H2 and Teryx 5 H2 Deluxe eS are now available in Ice Gray, joining the existing Lime Green and the darker Flat Ebony trim on the five-seat Deluxe eS. That’s the headline. That’s the update. And if you’ve driven one of these, you know the color isn’t really the story.
The first time I got behind the wheel of the Teryx H2, I wasn’t thinking about paint codes. I was trying to recalibrate my expectations. A supercharged 999cc inline-four in a side-by-side sounds excessive on paper. Two hundred and fifty horsepower sounds like marketing bravado. In reality, it felt smoother and more composed than the numbers suggest.
The engine is the centerpiece, and it’s not subtle. Borrowed from Kawasaki’s H2 motorcycle lineage, the supercharged inline-four pushes this platform into rare air in the side-by-side world. Yet the power delivery isn’t chaotic. Routed through a continuously variable transmission and selectable two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive system—with a locking front differential—it feels controllable. Fast, yes. Wild if you ask it to be. But not unpredictable. That surprised me.
The Teryx 4 H2 carries four passengers. The Teryx 5 H2 Deluxe eS stretches that capacity to five and layers on additional tech, including electronically controlled Fox Live Valve suspension. With more than 23 inches of travel up front and 24 inches in the rear, it soaks up terrain that would normally turn a family-sized side-by-side into a bucking experiment. The Live Valve system actively adjusts damping in real time, and it works. You feel the machine settle instead of react.
Rolling on 33-inch Maxxis Carnivore Plus tires mounted to bead-lock wheels, the stance alone tells you this isn’t a casual trail machine. The ladder-type tubular steel frame underneath reinforces that message. It’s built to absorb abuse.
Inside, the Deluxe eS trim feels more intentional than many performance UTV cabins. The 10-inch Garmin Tread infotainment screen is more than decoration. It integrates trail mapping and vehicle data in a way that feels cohesive rather than tacked on. A 7-inch TFT instrument display feeds you boost pressure, drive mode, and engine information without clutter. There are USB ports, DC outlets, cup holders, and enough storage to make long days realistic rather than theoretical.
When I first drove it for my RideApart review, what stuck with me wasn’t just the acceleration (though there’s plenty of that), it was the balance. A machine with this much output could easily feel top-heavy or unruly. Instead, it felt planted. The chassis communicates. Steering effort stays manageable despite the tire size. It never felt like it was trying to impress me. It just did what it was engineered to do. That context matters when we talk about something as seemingly minor as a new color.
Ice Gray tones down the visual aggression a notch. Lime Green remains for riders who want the traditional Kawasaki signature. The Flat Ebony option on the Teryx 5 H2 Deluxe eS keeps the darker, more understated aesthetic in play. None of these change the machine’s capability. They change how loudly it announces itself.
Pricing reinforces the positioning. The 2026 Teryx 4 H2 starts at $37,199, while the Teryx 5 H2 Deluxe eS climbs to $43,699. Those numbers put it firmly in the premium performance side-by-side category. This isn’t entry-level. It isn’t positioned as a ranch-only tool. It’s a high-output recreational machine that happens to seat four or five.
And yet, for all the performance credentials, it doesn’t feel theatrical. That’s the part that stayed with me after my first drive. The Teryx H2 doesn’t need to scream to prove a point. The supercharger whine does that for it. The rest of the platform feels measured. Thought-out. Surprisingly livable for something capable of launching you forward with the kind of urgency normally reserved for sport bikes.
Of course, this urgency comes with a significant caveat. In February 2026, Kawasaki issued a stop-drive and stop-sale recall for all 2026 Teryx H2 models after reports of potential continuously variable transmission (CVT) failures. According to Kawasaki’s recall notice, under certain conditions, the drive converter sheave can break apart, expelling fragments within the engine compartment and creating a serious safety risk. Owners are being asked to park their machines and wait for a verified repair solution, which the company says it is actively developing. It’s a stark reminder of just how bleeding-edge this 250-horsepower supercharged platform really is.
So yes, for 2026, Kawasaki added Ice Gray. But once that transmission fix is deployed, the more relevant reminder is that this remains one of the most technically ambitious side-by-sides on the market. A 250-horsepower, supercharged inline-four platform with adaptive suspension, large-format infotainment, and genuine passenger capacity doesn’t become less interesting because it gets a new shade of paint or experiences early-adoption growing pains.
If anything, it gives us an excuse to look at it again. And if you’ve already had the pleasure of driving a Teryx H2, you probably don’t need much motivation to jump into one again.
