If it’s essential to get a buck again to camp or pull an open trailer stacked with snow goose decoys throughout a muddy Arkansas rice subject, there are few machines that get these jobs accomplished higher than a Polaris Ranger side-by-side. Conversely, in the event you’re touring the sand dunes of Baja, the place velocity, dealing with, and luxury are paramount, the Polaris RZR is the final word alternative. But people curious about a machine that mixes the options from each platforms didn’t have an actual choice till Polaris launched the General in 2015.
A 2023 Polaris General XP 1000 arrived at my guardian’s farm in early spring—simply in time to until a two-acre wheat subject for planting. We used it to scout for turkeys in April and May, plus drive right down to the fishing gap in summer time. In the autumn, my cousins put the General to an unauthorized velocity check, discovering out simply how briskly it might go (it was quick). During deer season, we used the winch to pull an 8-pointer out of a brush-choked gully and cargo it within the quick mattress of the Polaris.
The General proved to be a machine that everybody in my prolonged household might get pleasure from, which was the purpose in creating this multifaceted UTV lineup. It caters to everybody, from hunters like me, to my younger cousins simply out for a pleasure journey. The General can also be able to going off path whenever you want it to.
Polaris General XP 1000 Specifications
- Cab Capacity: Two riders (four-passenger choice out there)
- Engine: 999cc liquid-cooled four-stroke DOHC twin-cylinder
- Horsepower: 100
- Drive System: On-Demand True AWD/2WD Versa Trac
- Transmission: Automatic (P, R, N, L, H)
- Weight: 1,690 kilos
- Payload: 1,100 kilos
- Bed Capacity: 600 kilos
- Ground Clearance: 13½ inches
- Wheelbase: 83 inches
- Tow Rating: 1,500 kilos
- Front Tires: 30-inch Pro Armor Crawler XGF or ITP Ultra Cross R Spec
- Rear Tires: 30-inch Pro Armor Crawler XG or ITP Ultra Cross R Spec
- Wheels: 15-inch aluminum
- Brakes: Four-wheel hydraulic disc
- Front/Rear Shocks: Walker Evans Velocity collection
- MSRP: $26,999 (beginning)
The Polaris General XP 1000 Is Built for Any Terrain
Just by wanting on the General, you possibly can inform it’s an aggressive UTV. It’s outfitted with 30-inch Pro Armor Crawler tires and has a large 64-inch wheelbase, plus 13½ inches of floor clearance. Add within the 100-horsepower liquid-cooled 999cc engine, and you’ve got a really succesful side-by-side. It may also tackle elevation modifications, drive by way of river bottoms, and traverse slippery hillsides with ease.
At my dad and mom farm, you possibly can transition from grass, to chop ag fields, to unfastened gravel, and blacktop multi function fast journey. What I discovered unbelievable in regards to the General, is it dealt with a lot the identical on all these surfaces. Sure there’s a distinction making an attempt to crawl up a slick two-track after a thunderstorm versus flat, dry pavement, however the XP 1000 made it practically indistinguishable. The tires’ skill to seize maintain of soppy or arduous surfaces—and the engine’s skill to ship the correct quantity of energy in all these circumstances—was phenomenal.
Polaris Engineered the General XP 1000 to be a Multi-Purpose UTV
For the final decade, I’ve nearly solely used Rangers for looking. They are invaluable instruments for duck hunters—my major out of doors pursuit—due to their sturdiness and efficiency in flooded fields or on muddy levees. But there are lots of UTV consumers who don’t use a machine for only one pursuit. And the General can fill a number of roles. It can be utilized for looking, but additionally farm work, towing fishing boats or rafts into hard-to-reach waters, and path driving.
It had no concern pulling a 500-pound disc tiller by way of our two-acre wheat subject earlier than planting. I additionally used the General for hauling chopped wooden from a downed oak again to the cabin a number of occasions. The solely concern there was the mattress was not very lengthy (simply over two ft), so I needed to make extra journeys than I’d like.
The Polaris General was additionally an accommodating journey for anybody who merely wished to drive it. The Walker Evans rear and entrance shocks made the General float throughout harvested bean fields and trails round our farm.
Is the Polaris General XP 1000 a Good Fit for Hunters?
Most hunters purchase a Ranger as a result of the bottom fashions are comparatively inexpensive and highly effective. For occasion, a Ranger has extra torque (140 foot-pounds on the 2023 XP Kinetic) than the General (Polaris doesn’t have an official torque score on the XP 1000, however it’s much less). With a top quality set of aftermarket tires, you possibly can draw much more energy from a Ranger’s engine.
If you’re strictly a deer or duck hunter, or solely want a UTV for farm work, shopping for a Ranger is the precise name. But in the event you’re on the lookout for a UTV that does greater than haul and tow, check out the XP 1000. It can do lots of the issues a Ranger can, simply not as effectively, particularly on payloads and pulling heavy hundreds. However, it’s a machine that your total household will really feel comfy utilizing, as a result of the General is extra like driving a small automobile than a four-wheeler.
What Accessories Should You Add to the Polaris General XP 1000?
How you’ll use the General XP 1000 is determined by what equipment it would be best to add, however listed here are a couple of Polaris affords that shall be helpful on the farm or on the path.
Bed Extender: This steel-tube body extender lets you add 30 p.c extra cargo by letting down the tailgate and putting in it. You might match two does or a big buck comfortably within the mattress with this feature. It additionally would have made hauling all that firewood a lot simpler for me.
Rhino Rack: I had this accent on my check mannequin, and located it invaluable when there was a mattress filled with dust or chopped wooden. You can use tie-downs to maintain a shovel or chainsaw in place throughout transport. Without the rack, I’d have had bother hauling these instruments round with out them falling out of the mattress. It would even be helpful for a trailrider who wanted to deliver a spare tire and tire jack alongside.
Ride Command Edition: Polaris’s 7-inch touch-screen show lets you map out your path journey, sync up with different riders (so the place they’re), and consists of GPS navigation. You may also run UTV diagnostics, it’s bluetooth succesful, and even has a backup digital camera, a useful software in the event you’re within the backcountry navigating rock ledges.
Final Thoughts
The Polaris General is a perfect machine for anybody on the lookout for a flexible UTV. Of course, with that versatility comes some limitations. It can’t haul or tow the poundage of a Ranger, and it’s not as quick and doesn’t deal with in addition to an RZR. But total, it has extra makes use of than both of these automobiles.