It's been a few days since we returned from Arizona and our first ride of the incredible Polaris RANGER RZR. Now that we've thawed, here's the quick look. Polaris has designed a Side-by-Side for play first, work second with a 50 inches width to fit on trails (odd how concerned everyone was about Suzuki's LT-R450 50 inch width fitting), a light weight of 945 lbs and a low center of gravity and a patented engine design that puts the 800 Twin EFI engine behind the seats which puts riders at least seven inches lower than they would be in other side-by-side vehicles.
The machine also touts an all-wheel drive (AWD) system that automatically engages when the rider needs more forward traction and reverts back to 2WD automatically when AWD is no longer needed. Speaking of handling, the RZR has 9 inches of travel in the front, 9.5 inches in the rear and 10 inches of ground clearance due to its double A-arm front suspension with an exclusive, front anti-sway bar and a rolled independent rear suspension (IRS). For comfort the engineers threw in tilt steering, adjustable seats and passenger hand rail.
Yeah, it's pretty radical departure in design and appears to be exactly what consumers have been clamoring for. Offered in green and red, the early release 2008 RANGER RZR will retail for $9,999. We will have the full story and what we really thought of the RZR in our May issue. In the meantime, here are few photos to whet your appetite.