Awesome Utvs

Polaris’ performance SxS UTVs are ready for wide-open runs and the roughest trails. Changes for 2025 include cabin air intakes, fang lighting, radiator deflectors, an upgraded dash and storage, and optional heated and vented seats for the RZR Pro R. Choose from the 64″ wide, 181 hp RZR Pro XP, the 74″ wide, 181 hp RZR Pro S or the 74″ wide, 220 hp RZR Pro R.

We tested the electric Polaris Ranger XP Kinetic in 2022, but the setting was limited. Writer Harvey Briggs drove it at Road America’s short off-road course, surrounded by a world-class racetrack. This time, Polaris showcased not only the UTV’s off-road abilities on more organic terrain, but we also experienced the debut of Polaris’ off-road EV charging network.

After last year’s redesign, the RZR XP is back with modest updates. The Premium grade gets Ride Command touchscreen nav, and there are new color combos like Storm Gray w/ Radiant Green (Sport), Storm Gray w/ Red (Premium), and Storm Gray w/ Lime (Ultimate). All trims have a 114 hp engine, 29″ or 30″ all-terrain tires, and Walker Evans Racing shocks.

Enjoy the suspension travel of a UTV but prefer watersports? Custom built by Shadow Six Racing, the Typhoon combines a Polaris RZR off-road vehicle with a pair of supercharged jet skis for high-speed thrills on the water. Despite its $250,000 price tag, its maker already has more than 250 reservations for the 800-horsepower titanium and carbon fiber beast.

After betting Travis Pastrana that he could run a mile in under four minutes, Jim York and his pals from Channel 199 came up with a cheat code. They welded a treadmill to the roof of a UTV, powered it with a generator, and then took it for a spin. It looks fairly tame on the pavement, but hanging on while doing an off-road jump looks a bit more sketchy.

The Polaris RZR XP has been redesigned for greater agility and durability. The angular, side-by-side UTV has a new 114-hp ProStar 1000 Gen 2 engine, a stiffer chassis, and Walker Evans Racing Needle shocks with 20.5″ of travel. Improved seating positions offer sportier driving and better rear seat visibility in the 4-seat model.

Mad Media’s Blade Runner and Road Warrior-inspired cinematic product film envisions a dystopian future where people flee cities and set up camps. The tribes put down their weapons and battle it out in their UTVs to win resources. At the heart of the film is an awesome custom-built UTV known as The Orion Car.

Road America may be famous for its 4-mile road course, but tucked away at the eastern edge of the complex is a gnarly off-road park that’s been used to test the mettle of everything from Wranglers and Broncos to Raptors. Last week, we ran those trails in something very different, the 2023 Polaris Ranger XP Kinetic.

This new addition to the Polaris General XP 1000 side-by-side UTV line offers the same versatility and capability as its brothers but at an entry-level price point. It has a 100-hp 4-stroke DOHC engine, on-demand AWD, 14″ of suspension travel, a 4500 lb winch, and a 600 lb capacity dump box. It comes in 2- and 4-passenger configurations.

While it’s unlikely to be more than a showpiece, we appreciate Lexus’ chutzpah with the reveal of their ROV (Recreational Off-highway Vehicle) Concept. The upscale 2-seater differentiates itself from other UTVs by running on clean-burning hydrogen that propels a custom 1-liter direct-injected engine.

Kawasaki’s side-by-side UTV packs 2.5″ Fox shocks, offering 18.6″ of wheel travel in front and 21.1″ in the rear, and has a longer wheelbase and wider footprint than the competition. It rides on enormous 31″ x 10″ tires, wrapped around beadlock rims, and looks particularly badass in Lime Green with Metallic Onyx Black.

The Can-Am Commander side-by-side may look like a golf cart, but it packs a 85 hp Rotax 1000R EFI engine, 11″ of ground clearance, 1,500 lb towing capacity, and 1,928 in³ of cockpit space.