Tested: 2005 Polaris Sportsman MV7

Every outdoorsman who went through a phase of his youth playing Army (or whatever you may have called it in your locale, but you know the game) has probably gone through, or may still be stuck in, a corresponding phase in which he lusts for military items. While the grass may seem greener on the other side for us civilians, we would venture that it's still olive drab in the military field. Polaris has taken the rare step of offering its military vehicle (MV) to the general public, a model based on the vehicle it currently sells to the Army. Designed to aid our troops in the toughest situations, the big green machine had us wondering whether it would satisfy our own special-ops needs.

Just as the Army molds the country's youth into battle-ready soldiers, Polaris sent its Sportsman 700 to an R&D boot camp. In order to create a machine capable of being deployed by being dropped from a helicopter, Polaris gave the MV a reinforced frame with heavy-duty external armor all the way around. Undercarriage components were also beefed up to hold the additional heft of the nearly 1000-pound machine. In order to aid in extraction, both the front and rear winches are 2500-pound-capacity models, operated by convenient handlebar-mounted switch-gear. Other super-sized pieces on the MV include heavy-duty racks front and rear, which are able to support a combined 450 pounds of payload. A 2-inch hitch receiver out back allows for a 1500-pound trailer load and 150-pound tongue weight, which makes the MV incredibly handy for moving equipment trailers without hooking up the truck.

What good are all these bulky additions, you ask? Well, aside from drawing those with a penchant for militaria, the MV has many features that make it quite attractive to those who are of the self-reliant variety. Hunters, adventurers and others who like to travel to out-of-the-way places will appreciate military-influenced upgrades aimed at keeping riders alive and on track while in adverse conditions. Dual gas tanks with a combined capac-ity of 8.75 gallons allow you to run long days without worrying about the location of the nearest supply depot. Ditto for the Good-year run-flat tires. While not the grippiest tires on the dust-covered terra extra-firma that we call Southern California riding areas, what the stiff sidewall tires lack in plushness the suspension more than makes up for in its compliance. In fact, for practical purposes, the MV offers a very comfortable ride, and unless you are trying to charge whoops, it remains well-composed.

With 683cc of power on tap, the MV can get to an accelerated pace, though the handlebars feel a little too light for our tastes at high speed. Shifting is simple thanks to the easy-to-operate gear selector. We won't belabor our gripe about Polaris' single-lever braking system because at the pace the MV shines, the brakes work just fine, thank you.

Polaris' MV may draw lots of looks from those who are obsessed with their own macho image, but it should attract even more interest from hunters, explorers and real-world rugged types. During testing, our MV drew envious looks from rangers, forestry workers and anyone else who had to depend on an ATV to be productive and who didn't mind trading the additional heft for a heaping amount of utility and self-reliance.

Polaris sportsman MV7
Retail price: $9699

Engine
Type: Parallel twin, four-stroke
Displacement: 683cc
Bore x stroke: 80x68mm
Cooling: Liquid-cooled
Carburetion: Mikuni 34mm CV
Lubrication: Wet sump
Starting: Electric with auxiliary recoil

Drivetrain
Drive system: Shaft, 2x4/4x4
Transmission: Automatic PVT with high/low range, reverse, engine-braking

Suspension (Type/Travel)
Front: MacPherson/8.2 in.
Rear: Dual A-arms, independent with swaybar/9.0 in.

Tires
Front: 25x8-12
Rear: 25x10-12

Brakes
Front: Hydraulic disc
Rear: Hydraulic disc

Dimensions
Wheelbase: 50.75 in.
Claimed dry weight: 992 lb
Ground clearance: 10.25 in.
Length/width/height: 89.0/47.0/51.0 in.
Seat height: 35.0 in.
Fuel capacity: 4.75 gal. front; 4.0 gal. rear

Load Capacity
Front/Rear rack capacity: 150/300 lb
Hitch tongue/Towing capacity: 150/1500 lb

Electrical
Taillight: Yes
Headlight: 50-watt high beam, dual 37-watt low beam
Instrumentation: Fuel gauges, speedometer, tachometer, tripmeter, hourmeter, odometer; high beam, gear, high-temperature, low-battery indicators
Color: Military Green