ATV? No ATP!

It was only a matter of time until this happened. A decade or so ago, someone in Detroit decided that dowdy, utilitarian trucks needed to become more sexy--or sporty, if you will--and the SUV was born. The ATV market responded in the late '90s, making over the massive utility segment into something a bit more sporty. With ATVs, all the talk of "sport-utility" isn't just marketing hype, it's real nuts and bolts, with recent-model utility machines (with a few exceptions) delivering the goods for enthusiast riders.

In the last few years, Detroit's been at it again, bringing the SUV full circle to its truck roots. Models like Chevy's Avalanche, Ford's Explorer Sport Trac and Cadillac's Escalade EXT all include a small truck bed to enhance the utility of their sporty full-sized cabs. Polaris is attempting to bring the same mindset to ATVs. Unlike the automotive SUV, ATVs have no pickup truck lineage to draw from, so Polaris started with a clean sheet of paper.

Beginning with the basic Magnum chassis, Polaris' new All-Terrain Pickup (ATP) adds some significant storage options to your traditional ATV. The most obvious is the pickup bed. Styled into the rear plastic of the machine (unlike some manufacturers' "box quads"), the bed is made to drop the tailgate like a pickup and tilt like a dump truck. Less obvious storage units include a pair of deep fender boxes and a semi-sealed front box that still acts as a cargo rack. More utility than ever? Hell yes! But Polarisians would like not to call attention to that. Instead, they point to ATV adventurists who spend hundreds of dollars outfitting their ATVs to improve the luggage capacity with rack bags and cases.

Another pure-utility feature is a rear differential Polaris calls "Turf" mode. Just like your family car, Turf mode causes only one wheel at a time to drive the ATV, which makes for tighter turning and easier steering at the expense of overall traction. This can be used on tight trails for less steering effort or so the ATP will cause less wear and tear on the riding surface, especially useful on lawns or golf courses. Turf mode comes in addition to the normal two- and four-wheel-drives. The innovative coup de grace is a receiver-style trailer hitch instead of just the ball mount utes had in the past.

Aside from these significant distinctions, the rest of the machine is based on Polaris' popular Magnum-series swingarm-equipped quad (as opposed to the IRS-equipped Sportsman models) with a few changes to handle the added load at the rear. A new, longer swingarm with dual shocks offers 6 inches of rear-wheel travel. The Magnum may only come in a 330 version this year, but the ATP comes in both 330 and a 500 High Output (H.O.) version. To the minds at Polaris, this model will compete not only with the very-niche (read: small production run) box quads that are out there but also with traditional ATVs for hunters, adventurers, campers and a variety of pure-utility roles.

To impress upon us the ATP's "quadworthiness," Polaris had us come out to the Diamond K Ranch in Beorne, Texas (just outside San Antonio), to run through a few of its preset demonstrations as well as some trail riding.

With cones and mowed sections of grass, we were shown how a 500 H.O. ATP turns inside the arc of a Sportsman 400 at low speeds. With three 60-pound sandbags on board the difference was more dramatic: The ATP kept roughly the same arc, while the Sportsman blew right out of the mown area. Trying to hold the likes of us at low speeds is a fruitless enterprise, however, and soon we were seeing how fast the two quads would do a quick turn. Turf mode, it turns out, is only for nonaggressive riding, as the ATP will spin and catch when aggressively cornered, much like the family station wagon (who drives those anymore?) might if cornered hard in the dirt.

Another favorite demonstration of ours was the obstacle course. For the purposes of this demonstration, we loaded an ATP and a Magnum with similar amounts of gear and rode around a short course. Of course, the ATP loaded quicker and more securely, due to its inherent design characteristics. The real fun was trying to make the camping gear fly off the two models. It was no challenge to do it on the Magnum; with items haphazardly bungee-corded together and to the racks, usually what was still attached to the quad was dangling off the side. On the other hand, try as we might, the ATP lost only a thermos from the pickup bed during even a devil-may-care run over railroad ties, rocks and cut branches. Over the same course, we also stowed a trio of sandbags into the bed to check loaded handling. It seems Polaris did its homework on the suspension as there is little handling difference loaded to unloaded.

After the controlled environment of the demonstrations, we were taken on a ride in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. Unfortunately, there's not much to report, as most of the trails were of the sort you could take your truck down: wide and mostly flat--it was Texas after all. We swiftly found on the trails that you can't wear a sizable backpack comfortably on the ATP, as it will hit the box. However, our photo gear easily and securely fit into said box and only needed one tie-down to hold it in place.

We tried out the Turf mode on the trails at the request of our hosts, but at enthusiastic speeds, it did more spinning and slipping than turning the steering light; there simply were no tight trails to speak of. For the most part, the terrain at our disposal was typically Southwestern: dry hardpack with the occasional mud puddle or stream crossing. Despite its long wheelbase, the ATP still likes to slide through corners in 2WD and had no trouble taking a series of switchbacks at a brisk pace.

To its credit, the ATP feels much like Polaris' Magnum: light steering and plushly suspended. We'd take the 500 H.O. at almost any cost over the 330 for the serious trail rider. With the added weight of the ATP configuration (719 pounds dry, as opposed to the Magnum 4x4's 637), the 330cc powerplant has trouble getting out of its own way in open country.

There was a total of one semi-steep rocky hill where we (barely) felt inclined to switch into all-wheel-drive. The ATP handled it ably, smoothly climbing the grade without any weirdness associated with the cargo box. In fact, in all situations available to us in this test, it felt no different from a standard ATV. Steep downhill grades were the one thing we were concerned about as some standard ATVs will smack you in the ass on drop-offs, but in our brief test this was not the case with the ATP.

Glancing at the spec sheet, we found the rear swingarm lost a bit of travel compared with the Magnum. For the added versatility of the ATP, you'll pay an extra $900 over the Magnum for the 330 and the same price as a 500 Sportsman for the 500 ATP.

We're withholding our final judgment of the ATP pending a test in a more challenging environment. Polaris claims it sees the ATP grabbing market share against even standard quads. Its unique blend of adding tons of utility (and usability) without sacrificing much (if any) sport character should be a hit. At least if ATVers continue to follow the lead of the Detroit automakers. Both ATPs should be in dealers' showrooms by the time you read this.