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| A
fleet of 2011 Polaris RZR XP 900's were
lined up & ready to be put to the
test in the Arizona desert |
Now, just three weeks after the announcement of
the new Polaris RZR XP 900, ATVriders.com had
the opportunity to test ride the XP 900 at a media
launch just outside of Phoenix, Arizona. Polaris
brought out their entire RZR lineup for us to
use as comparison for the new XP 900. We started
the ride day on the original RZR 800, and as I
rode the RZR 800 I was quickly reminded of its
narrow nimble trail capabilities. RZR S Inspires
confidence with its wider stance and increased
suspension travel. While RZR 4's FOX suspension
and long wheel base make for an ultra smooth ride
through the deep sandy whoops.
|
| The
one thing that caught our attention right
away was how responsive the steering is
on the RZR XP 900 with its 29% quicker
steering ratio. This worked awesome at
speeds over 15mph, but the at slow speed
the steering was very heavy & hopefully
Polaris plans on adding power steering
next year to fix this minor issue since
most the time you are driving at faster
speeds |
After getting reacquainted with the RZR 800 model
line we were ready to take our first test drive
of the new Ranger RZR XP 900. The first thing
that I noticed after starting down the trail was
an increased steering effort required at low speeds
when compared to the narrower RZR models. Once
you have to XP 900 up to speed any thing over
10 MPH the steering effort feels more normal.
The XP 900 is very responsive to steering input
thanks to its 29 percent quicker steering ratio.
This quicker steering allowed me to drive very
aggressive through the twisty trails without having
to remove either hands from the steering wheel
unlike the rest of the RZR family which can require
hand over hand steering input.
The RZR XP 900 handling is very precise when
traveling at a high rate of speed without even
a hint of push in the corners. You can also
use the rear end to help steer the XP 900 since
it has extremely fast throttle response and
ample of HP and Torque. The XP slides very predictably
and is very easy to bring back under control
if things get a little out of shape.
| |
| The
Polaris RZR XP 900 provides confidence
inspiring handling & suspension with
its precise steering & high performance
suspension that provides 13.5" inchese
of wheel travel up front & 14"
inches in the rear |
|
| Polaris
seriously raised the bar for perfomance
rear suspension on the RZR XP 900 with
its industry first, three link rear trailing
arm suspension |
The new three link rear trailing arm suspension
allows the rear camber angles to change while
going through their travel. This camber angle
change optimizes the tire contact patch on the
ground and increases lateral traction when compared
to competitors fixed trailing arms. Another advantage
to a three link trailing arm is that greatly reduces
the side forces and twisting torque forces applied
to the arm. The only down side I see to this trail
arm design is a small amount of wheel scrub is
produced that means as the rear suspension compress's
it increase to the width of the XP 900 beyond
its advertised 64 inch width which is measured
at ride height..
The RZR sharp performance is an understatement,
the XP 900 accelerates extremely fast. The engine
feels very smooth with lots of torque up to 6500
rpm but shortly after that is when it really comes
to life and quickly spins to its 8750 rpm red
line while making its own distinct sound that
sets it apart from the RZR 800 . Throttle response
is almost instant which allows the driver to loft
the front end over trail obstacles or blast from
corner to corner with ease.
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|
The
Polaris RZR XP 900's new 88 HP engine
provides more power than we have ever
experience in a stock SxS |
