Polaris Releases New 2012 RZR, Ranger and Sportsman Models

Home Page Slide Show, Polaris — By Tom Kaiser on July 27, 2011 at 2:57 pm
Can mighty Polaris be stopped in its continuing onslaught of new off-road product? That’s a problem for the other manufacturers to lose sleep over. Consumers must simply sit back and enjoy the succession of new products that has recently brought a wide range of new Rangers including the EV, the successful Sportsman XP models, updates to popular “value” models like the Sportsman 500 H.O. and Scrambler and, definitely not least, an expansive family of RZR sport side-by-side models.
With no signs of letting up, we bring you news of the company’s latest off-road news: an all-new RZR 570, more power out of the 850 twin-cylinder ATV engines (77 horsepower!), new Limited Edition Rangers, engine braking on the Ranger HD 800, a diesel-powered Ranger Crew, small but meaningful updates to all RZRs and a smoother Sportsman 550. It’s enough to make off-road riders foam at the mouth, and enough to force Polaris dealers to carry note cards to keep it all straight.
We begin with a quote, and then will tackle the basics that you can read in much greater detail — with first-hand ride impressions — in the upcoming October issue of ATV Magazine.
“Polaris has become the industry leader by aggressively introducing new products and continuing to innovate our product lines. Model year 2012 will be no different,” said Matt Homan, vice president and general manager of Polaris’ Off-Road Division. “From the hardest-working, smoothest riding off-road utility vehicles and ATVs, to side-by-sides built for razor sharp performance, Polaris offers the most complete line-up of off-road vehicles on the market.”

The all-new 2012 Polaris RZR 570 starts a hair under $10K, with a 4-second 0-35 mph acceleration time.

All-New RZR 570

Billed as an all-new, trail capable machine — at a friendly 50 inches wide — the new RZR 570 seeks to capture customers that like a sporty ride and compact dimensions, but don’t need the wild thrust of the standard 800-class parallel twin engine.
Starting at $9,999, the RZR 570 is powered by an all-new ProStar 570 engine that’s a 4-valve DOHC unit that shoots the little buggy up to 35 miles per hour in a claimed 4 seconds, which sounds good to us. Although the new engine is a single cylinder unit, it is based on the wild 900-class engine on the RZR XP 900. That engine hauls the mail, and feels like it has a lot of performance yet to be exploited in the future, so we expect similarly good things for this new mid-range mill.
Other features include a new, lightweight transmission, 9 inches of suspension travel front and rear, front and rear anti-sway bars for flat cornering, on-demand all-wheel drive and, most importantly for some with narrower trail regulations, it is only 50 inches wide.

Ranger

The full 2012 Ranger lineup now includes: Ranger XP 800, Ranger XP 800 EPS, Ranger HD 800 now with standard engine braking, Ranger 6×6 800, Ranger Diesel, Ranger 500 EFI, Ranger 400, Ranger EV, Ranger Crew 800, Ranger Crew 800 EPS, all-new Ranger Crew Diesel and Ranger Crew 500. That’s quite a range of Rangers, eh?
Here’s what Polaris has to say:

Powered by a Yanmar diesel engine, the new Ranger Crew Diesel puts out 24 horses, with 90 percent of peak torque available at 1600 RPM.

The RANGER line, with its flagship RANGER XP 800 model, continues to be the leading Side-by-Side brand in the world due to hardest working attributes such as powerful engines, On-Demand True All-Wheel drive, monstrous towing and large dump boxes coupled with smoothest riding features such as Independent Rear
Suspension, high ground clearance and superior ergonomics.
For Model Year 2012, Polaris continues to build on the success of the RANGER brand with the addition of the Polaris Engine Braking System (EBS) on the RANGER HD 800 and the introduction of the new RANGER CREW Diesel.
The RANGER HD 800 is the pure utility work horse of the RANGER full-size line  with its self-leveling, Nivomat rear shocks, Electronic Power Steering and all the attributes that made RANGER the Hardest Working, Smoothest Riding vehicles on the market. For 2012, the RANGER HD 800 brings the addition of Polaris’ Engine Braking System (EBS) to make it work even harder. The Polaris EBS controls downhill braking to give you optimum control and smooth, even deceleration during descents, making carrying large loads even easier.
For 2012, the RANGER HD 800 will be available in Sage Green. Other full-size models offered for 2012 include the RANGER XP 800 in Sage Green, Solar Red and Polaris Pursuit Camo; the RANGER XP 800 EPS in Sage Green and Solar Red; the RANGER Diesel in Sage Green; and the RANGER 6×6 800 in Sage Green and Solar Red. The RANGER XP 800 Limited Editions include Magnetic Metallic, Pearl White, Boardwalk Blue and the first-ever RANGER XP 800 with a shock package, the RANGER XP 800 Walker Evans edition. The RANGER XP 800 EPS Limited Editions include Sunset Red and Browning Edition Pursuit.
The RANGER CREW Diesel shares the same 904cc, three-cylinder YANMAR diesel engine as the RANGER Diesel, with the ability to carry six adults in total comfort. The engine is rubber-mounted to transfer minimal vibration to the operator, and
provides low-speed torque to work harder.  The fully-sealed, fixed center distance clutch driveline keeps water out of the clutches and provides better performance than competitive models.
RANGER CREW Diesel’s work ethic also includes a 55 amp alternator that gives the operator the ability to run many hard working, higher electrical load accessories, such as plows, extra lights, cab heaters and fans at the same time. It boasts a
monstrous one-ton towing to tackle the toughest jobs and comes standard with a 2-inch hitch receiver to tow accessories with ease. Its 1,000 lb/454.5 kg capacity rear dump box has gas-assist dumping operation and accommodates many hard-
working PURE Polaris accessories that go on and off in seconds.

RZR

Every model in the 2012 RZR lineup was updated. The full line now includes:  RZR 800,  RZR S 800, RZR 4 800, RZR 4 800 EPS (Robby Gordon Edition), RZR XP 900.
Here’s what Polaris has to say:

All RZR models now have a refreshed front clip that includes a removable front grille.

Since the introduction of the RANGER RZR 800 in 2008, Polaris has continued  to evolve its RANGER RZR line by aggressively launching new models for every  recreational segment. Model year 2009 saw the only-sport RANGER RZR S 800 and  2010 the only 4-seat performance sport Side-by-Side, the RANGER RZR 4 800. This  past January, Polaris upped the ante again with the introduction of the only-Xtreme  performance Side-by-Side, the RANGER RZR XP 900. For 2012, the company will  make upgrades to the RANGER RZR 800, RANGER RZR S 800, RANGER RZR 4 800  and RANGER RZR XP 900 to make the line even more razor sharp.
The newest member of the RANGER RZR family, the RANGER RZR XP 900, introduced the industry to a whole new class of Side x Side that took the ultimate combination of power, suspension and agility to the extreme. The RANGER RZR XP 900 will continue to offer all of the aspects that make it the most extreme
performing Side-by-Side on the market; 900 Twin DOHC Electronic Fuel Injected (EFI) engine, 3-Link Trailing Arm Independent Rear Suspension (IRS) with 13-inches of ground clearance and 14-inches of travel, and a light vehicle weight with a low center of gravity for unmatched cornering with the addition of few upgrades for 2012 to give the unit even more extreme performance. For quick suspension adjustments, the Fox 2.0 shocks feature new, convenient compression adjustment knobs for tool-less tuning. To reduce driveline noise, the unit has a new, rubber isolated prop shaft. For less steering effort and increased maneuverability at slow speeds, Polaris redesigned the front suspension geometry. In the cab, all units feature a new passenger grab bar tube with an anti-rattle bushing for reduced noise.
The Only Trail RANGER RZR 800, Only Sport Performance RANGER RZR S 800 and Only 4-Seat Sport RANGER RZR 4 800 also will see improvements for 2012 including the new grab bar, improved cockpit fit and finish to reduce dust and heat on the operator, a front drive cage made from zinc for added durability, a durable dual clutch inlet for low and high speed cooling, and a 33-percent thicker skid plate. The RANGER RZR 800 also will receive a rubber jounce bumper in the shock assembly for improved durability and the RANGER RZR 4 800 also will feature the improved Fox 2.0 adjustable shocks with compression adjustable knobs.
All RANGER RZRs are available in Indy Red as a standard color, with the RANGER RZR 800 also available in Polaris Pursuit Camo. Limited Edition models include White Lightning with Red Rally Accents, Magnetic Metallic and Boardwalk Blue with electronic power steering for the RANGER RZR 800; White/Orange Madness and Liquid Silver/Red for the RANGER RZR S 800, both featuring Fox Shocks, back by popular demand; White/Orange Madness Robby Gordon with electronic power steering for the RANGER RZR 4 800; and White Lightning and Orange Madness for the RANGER RZR XP 900.

2012 Sportsman Lineup

The full 2012 Ranger lineup now includes: more powerful Sportsman XP 850 H.O., more powerful Sportsman XP 850 H.O. EPS, Sportsman 550, Sportsman 550 EPS, updated Sportsman 800 EFI, updated Sportsman Big Boss 6×6 800 EFI, updated Sportsman 500 H.O., updated Sportsman 400 H.O., more powerful Sportsman Touring 850 H.O. EPS, Sportsman Touring 550 EPS, Sportsman X2 550, updated Sportsman Touring 500 H.O., Scrambler 500 4×4, Trail Blazer 330, Trail Boss 330 and the Phoenix 200.
Here’s what Polaris has to say:

The updated 850 twin puts out a healthy 77 horses, putting it closer to the top of the big-bore heap. Let the horsepower wars continue!

For model year 2009, Polaris introduced the all-new Sportsman XP and saw the Sportsman XP 850 become the No. 1 Big Bore ATV winning various accolades throughout the industry. For the past two model years, Polaris has been building on
the success of its Sportsman Premium models by continuing to innovate the offering. For model year 2012, Polaris 850 models will have the most power in their class with the introduction of the 850 Twin EFI High Output engine.
All 2012 models featuring the 850 engine receive a new airbox which is combined with new throttle bodies resulting in an approximate nine percent increase in power from prior years.  With this new intake package, the 850 engine now delivers delivers 20 percent more acceleration off the line. This combination allows more air to the engine and results in a machine that accelerates faster, provides even more extreme performance with a clean fuel burn while delivering incredibly smooth power across all RPMs. The power upgrade is available on the Sportsman XP 850 H.O., Sportsman XP 850 H.O. EPS and Sportsman Touring 850 H.O. All premium ATV models continue to offer hardest working features such as Polaris’ exclusive On-Demand, True All-Wheel Drive with Active Descent Control and high towing and carrying capacity while providing smoothest riding features such as comfortable ergonomics, exclusive anti-kickback steering with a dual A-arm front suspension, Rolled Independent Rear Suspension, high ground clearance and available Electronic Power Steering (EPS).
Colors for 2012 premium models include Indy Red, Green and Polaris® Pursuit Camo for the Sportsman XP 850 H.O. and Sportsman 550. Both models also will feature Maxxis tires and steel wheels.
The Sportsman XP 850 H.O. EPS and Sportsman 550 EPS models feature automotive- style paint, cast aluminum  wheels, 14-inch 489 II tires and will be  available in Sunset Red, and two new colors, Magnetic Metallic and Bronze Mist.
Polaris’ value line offers the best features at the best MSRPs. For 2012, Polaris will add more functionality to the line with the addition of integrated storage on the Sportsman 800 EFI, Sportsman 6×6 800 EFI. Sportsman 500 H.O., Sportsman Touring 500 H.O. and Sportsman 400 H.O. The new integrated storage offers 6.5 gallons/24.6 liters of capacity letting the  rider stow loads of gear and still have access to it, even with items tied to the lid. The storage upgrade represents a 21-percent increase in capacity versus the Lock & Ride box that was standard on last year’s Sportsman 500 H.O, Sportsman Touring 500 H.O. and Sportsman Big Boss 6×6 800.
The value line will continue to offer the hardest working, smoothest riding features that set them apart from the competition including On-Demand True All-Wheel Drive, impressive towing and hauling power, Independent Rear Suspension and high ground clearance. For Model Year 2012, the Sportsman 400 H.O. will be available in Indy Red and new Boardwalk Blue. The best-selling Sportsman 500 H.O. will be available in Indy Red, Green and new, back-by-popular demand, Yellow option, the Sportsman 800 EFI will be offered in Indy Red and Yellow, and the Sportsman Big Boss 6×6 800 will continued to be offered in Green.
The 2-up line will see the changes found on the value line for the Sportsman Touring 500 H.O.  The model will be available in Green and Red. The Sportsman Touring 850 H.O. EPS will be offered in Boardwalk Blue and new Solar Red, while the Sportsman Touring 550 EPS is available in Boardwalk Blue and the new Solar Red. The Sportsman X2 550 will be offered in Sage Green and Indy Red with Maxxis tires and steel wheels standard.
Polaris also will offer several limited edition Premium, Value and 2-up models including an Orange Madness Sportsman XP 850 H.O. EPS and Sportsman 550 EPS, Browning Edition Pursuit Sportsman XP 850 H.O. EPS/550 XP EPS, Sportsman Touring 850 H.O. EPS Bronze, and Sportsman 500 H.O. in Polaris Pursuit Camo with Polaris’ Engine Braking System.
Also offered for 2012 will be the Scrambler, Trail Blazer and Phoenix which will sport a new White/Blue plastic and the Trail Boss will be available in Blue.
More information about Polaris’ whole line of Off-Road Vehicle offerings can be found online
at www.polaris.com.