2008 Ranger RZR - First Ride

Opinions
Bryan Nylander/6'/200 lb/IntermediateThis is probably the best Polaris model I have ever tested. It handles well, has a healthy motor and really amazed me with how ably it crawled over rocks and up hills. The 760cc engine had the RZR moving in a hurry-we got it over 40 mph before running out of straightaway-and if it's like the rest of the EFI crowd, there should be more power on tap with a fuel controller plugged in. My only snivels were the excessive engine noise (like riding in a Porsche, with the engine right by your ears); the difficulty in adjusting the seats (they're easy to remove, which is required, then you loosen the four screws on the side, move the seats to the new position, tighten and reinstall the screws and, if not correct, repeat); and being rewarded more than once with grinding gears when I shifted into high gear (even from a stop). That's my complaint list; I can't wait to see what the aftermarket has for it and then see what it's really capable of-much more, I'm betting.

Brian Purtymun/6'3"/170 lb/NoviceThe Polaris RZR isn't really an ATV-it's more like a big go-cart. Except instead of a 5-horsepower Briggs and Stratton engine and a crude frame with no suspension like the go-carts of my childhood, this one is packing more than 50 horsepower and lots of suspension travel. I think a lot of Jeep enthusiasts will love the RZR. It's not street-legal, but it's faster and more capable than a Jeep, and it's cheaper. You can take your wife or kid along with you, and the roll cage gave me a real sense of security during our high-speed high jinks. What's not to like?

After our brief test ride, I can tell the RZR has loads of potential to be made into whatever you want it to be-a desert runner, mud bogger, rock crawler or just a motorized ranch hand. The aftermarket will go crazy with Polaris' new model, and it'll be even more interesting to see how Yamaha counterattacks when it redesigns its Rhino. Also, other manufacturers will no doubt throw their hats in the ring to capture their share of this lucrative market. It's an exciting time to be covering the ATV and side-by-side arena, and ATV Rider can't wait to get its hands on an RZR for some extensive testing.

Adjustable cockpit, mix of amazing power, traction and AWD worked well. Shifter balky on occasion,adjusting seats a pain and still cramped for six-plus-footers. The next big thing in the side-by-side class