On a negative note, the Polaris's steering did feel a slight bit too easy and light at times. Yes, this could be considered a personal-preference issue, which is exactly why we loved the idea of being able to switch back and forth between modes on the Can-Am. When it came to crossing or exiting gnarly ruts, hitting obstacles at speed or navigating rock gardens, the Sportsman similarly matched the performance results of the Can-Am.
Conclusion
After a full day of pounding these two monstrous utes through extremely punishing terrains, I expected severe exhaustion and soreness to kick in on the drive home as that's just part of putting in a good day on the trails. Admittedly, I was a little tired, but I barely felt even a hint of the near debilitating aches in my shoulders and throughout my body that I normally do after a hard ride. Although I'm still a believer in keeping things simplistic, we never experienced a problem from either machine, and the benefits of this modern technology proved to drastically enhance the overall riding experience.
EPS In The Future
We've...
EPS In The Future
We've all seen those hats that claim "one-size-fits-all" but probably don't fit 10 percent of people, much less all. This fact stands true for EPS systems as well. We hope all manufacturers would take notice of this innovative dual-mode system developed by Can-Am as it has huge potential for the future. It's likely that additional modes or the ability for all riders to personally dial in their own preferred settings is just around the corner.
Before we kicked off our testing, I had no idea how close of a matchup these two machines would end up being. Although both brands use differing mechanical methods to accomplish EPS, we felt that their real life performance and effectiveness were pretty dead even regardless of terrain difficulty, which made our decision painfully difficult. With that said, rider comfort and ease of use would be the categories that revealed our answer. We felt that the ability to switch between modes on the Can-Am was downright genius and useful, but the EPS motor portrayed a slightly awkward and unnatural feel to the steering. The Polaris only offered the one setting (which we'd love to see expanded upon in the future) but we felt it was dialed in more precisely while also portraying a smooth and natural feel. As the day wore on and we switched between the two machines, the natural feel, comfort and the near perfect amount of assist on the Polaris Sportsman slightly edged out the Can-Am.