The Polaris Ranger has been the benchmark for the utility-class UTV market for some time. The company sells them by the ton, and thanks to the wide range of models available, the Ranger can be found for almost any use and budget. It's a stable and proven workhorse that's also very capable on the trail, so much so that it blurs the line between a utility vehicle and a recreational vehicle. We've spent a lot of time in various Ranger cars over the years and have been impressed with many of them. When Polaris offered us a seat in the new Ranger XP 1000 Crew, we immediately agreed.
Ranger Crew models have been around for a long time, with the full-size cars offering space for six people. For a time, the largest car in the Ranger lineup was the XP 900 and its Crew version. When Can-Am launched the Defender HD10, it was only a matter of time before Polaris switched to the more powerful 1000-class engine. They did so in 2017, but last year they shocked everyone by launching the new XP 1000. The Crew version of the new machine waited until 2019 and there are many differences between it and the Crew it replaced.
IN EVERY WAY.
When we start talking about the improvements to the Ranger XP 1000 Crew, we need to look at where Polaris started with the standard XP 1000 model. They took over 100 ideas from current Ranger owners and turned them into innovations for the new models. These ideas and suggestions have been taken up by the new Crew in a big way.
Polaris created the new XP Crew from a completely new frame design built from a single spar. The result is a stiffer chassis with increased load capacity. It can now tow up to 2,500 pounds and carry 1,000 pounds in the cargo area, for a total load capacity of 1,750 pounds. For those who wanted more capacity, they got it.
The engine is also impressive. It's a 999cc, two-stroke, four-cylinder ProStar that produces 82 horsepower and is a benchmark for quiet engines. Power delivery is smooth and controlled, but the XP can pick up speed very quickly. The engine is very similar to the previous model, but Polaris has made it smoother and a bit quieter.
As for the suspension, suggestions included increasing the travel, and Polaris readily agreed. The Ranger's wheel travel has been increased by an inch to 11 inches at all four corners. Shocks are mounted on double A-arms with a roll bar to keep the car stable.
The Ranger is also equipped with stronger tires. Polaris has noticed that many owners change tires for something taller and more aggressive, so they did it for you. The new Maxxis MU511 27-inch front and MU521 rear tires are very powerful and have excellent traction. These are some of the most aggressive production tires I've seen, except for tires designed for mud. The taller tires also help increase ground clearance to 13 inches.
INTERIOR
Polaris has completely redesigned every aspect of the flagship Ranger and Ranger Crew models. In doing so, they made a lot of improvements to the car's already great interior. Starting with the parking spot, the seats got more relief and the padding is thicker so the butt and back don't suffer during the ride. The seats are cut and sewn, so not only do they look good, but they will be very durable.
Seat belts may be the most comfortable in this category. They roll at the perfect angle and move well with you. Some seat belts cut your neck, but these are simply wonderful. It's a small detail, but you have to buckle up if you want the car to go more than a few miles per hour, and you have to do it for safety anyway. Since the Ranger is used by many farmers, ranchers, and men and women who work outdoors, you'll want to make the seat belts as comfortable as possible so there's no reason not to buckle up, instead of just putting them on and sitting on them, as I've seen some people do with other cars on the trail.
The dashboard and controls have also been revised, with everything centered around the driver. The shift lever has been moved to a more natural position, making it easier to shift from reverse to neutral, and the knob on the end of the shift lever is larger and more ergonomic. Inside the cab there is 13.5 gallons of storage space, with a two-level glove box and plenty of storage spaces slotted into the lower part of the dash. There are also plenty of pre-cut slots for adding accessory controls, which fits with the improved integration we'll discuss in a moment.
Polaris addressed a complaint we had about the previous year's XP 1000 Crew - steering feel. The old Ranger had a bit of steering lag, which sometimes made the car feel really hard, especially if you were accelerating. You had to really pull on the steering wheel to get it to turn. Polaris has solved this by making the steering much tighter and more precise. Whereas the previous Ranger felt monstrous and slow, the new car feels much tighter and the steering wheel feels smaller, even though it's actually the same steering wheel.
Speaking of integration. Polaris has pre-wired the Ranger for the usual accessories and made installation much easier with new access points. Adding things like light bars or a winch are basically plug and play now. Now you can install the accessory, run the wires to the fuse box and route them to the dash for the switch. Plug the right stuff in and you're good to go. Polaris now says that installing a winch, which used to take several hours, can now be done in 30 minutes with a moderate level of skill. That's great.
PLAYING WITH HORSES
We wanted to test the Ranger XP 1000 Crew in some real-world scenarios, so we first took it to a horse farm to spend some time on the farm. Farmers are great people for honest opinions on machinery, since they don't have time for nonsense. The work needs to get done, and as efficiently as possible.
The towing capacity of the XP has been increased to 2,500 pounds, with a standard 2-inch hitch. We pushed this limit as best we could around the farm, and we can say that the Polaris handles it without any problems. The crew's longer wheelbase helps spread the load on the machine, while the new frame shows no signs of flexing. We found it useful to increase the compression setting on the rear shocks when we actually put the load on the car. We even overloaded it, throwing several people, a flat load and a heavy trailer into it. The machine continued to perform as expected. Knowing farmers like we do, this machine has great potential for serious work.
Another really nice feature of the machine that cannot be overlooked. Horses can be easily spooked at times, and the farm where we tested was no exception. The farmer was slightly apprehensive about me driving the car around his animals, as he did not want to deal with overly stressed horses. This was not at all a problem, as the new Ranger crew is exceptionally quiet. The farmer said that often when he drives his quad bike into the pasture the horses run away and are immobilized, but we were able to get very close to them with the Ranger XP 1000 Crew and they seemed very docile. I don't know who was more impressed by this - us, the farmer or the horses.
