Polaris invited us out to the Diesel Brothers compound in Utah for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the all-new 2024 Polaris Ranger 1500 XD! The new heavy-duty Ranger is a true 3/4 ton machine with a luxurious new interior and a brand-new three-cylinder engine, and we think it’s going to change the utility side-by-side market.
Check out the full feature at: https://www.utvdriver.com/reviews/polaris-ranger-1500-xd-exclusive-first-drive-review/
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Check out the full feature at: https://www.utvdriver.com/reviews/polaris-ranger-1500-xd-exclusive-first-drive-review/
For more stories, reviews, and first-looks check out https://www.utvdriver.com/
Want to see even more shenanigans from the UTV Driver team? Give us a like and follow:
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Alright, so yesterday Polaris flew us out to Salt Lake City and they wouldn't tell us why.
00:04 And then this morning we woke up in the hotel and they gave us an address
00:07 and the address took us here to this random industrial park on the outskirts of Salt Lake
00:12 and they still won't tell us why we're here.
00:14 We guess it's got something to do with what's going on in that building behind me.
00:18 [intro music]
00:23 So outside this random warehouse when we arrived we noticed a lot of production trucks.
00:28 This thing looks like there's a Hollywood movie being filmed in here.
00:31 So again, we're not sure what's going on, but look at this.
00:35 It can't be small. This has to be something really cool.
00:38 [sound of a saw]
00:40 Are you seeing this?
00:42 What is going on in there?
00:44 We have to be really quiet because it's an active setting.
00:51 [sound of a saw]
00:53 [sound of a truck driving by]
00:55 [sound of a camera being set up]
01:10 And action!
01:12 With these new Ranger XD 1500s it goes way beyond the stock vehicles and stock features.
01:18 Polaris has developed a lineup of more than 70 different accessories
01:22 that allow owners to build out the machines to meet their unique needs.
01:25 And at the heart of all those accessories is the new Lock and Ride Max system.
01:29 Let's cut.
01:33 Okay, perfect.
01:35 [applause]
01:37 So here's why we're here.
01:39 Polaris has invited us inside the Diesel Brothers garage outside Salt Lake City
01:43 to show us the new Polaris Ranger XD 1500.
01:46 Right now they're shooting the launch video for it and we've got exclusive access to the behind the scenes
01:50 and we're going to go over this rig in detail
01:52 and then we're going to drive it before anyone else gets the chance.
01:55 So this is a 2023 Polaris Ranger.
01:58 You all know what a Polaris Ranger XP looks like.
02:01 It is a stalwart utility rig.
02:03 Polaris has been building them forever.
02:05 They sell them in their legions because they're great.
02:08 They'll do anything on your farm that you want them to.
02:11 They're rugged, they're fun to drive, and
02:14 in Northstar, guys, like this, you get roll-down windows,
02:18 an HVAC, and a stereo, and Polaris' excellent ride command.
02:23 It's even a pretty comfortable rig for being as spartan and utilitarian as it is.
02:28 But there are a couple of problems with it.
02:30 So Polaris noticed that the Ranger is a little small for a lot of tasks.
02:34 A thousand pound bed capacity and two and a half thousand or so pounds of towing
02:38 isn't great if you've got cattle to move or a horse trailer to move around.
02:42 And a lot of people, a lot of their customers, said they wanted that
02:45 and they were often putting their Rangers away and going to get their pickup truck.
02:48 Well, that's not okay in Polaris' book.
02:50 So to fix that, they're introducing the Polaris Ranger XD 1500.
02:55 This thing is an all-new rig.
02:57 It looks like a Ranger, but writ large, maybe 25% bigger.
03:02 It's a brand new chassis and it's got a brand new engine
03:04 and an automotive-style CVT with a steel belt
03:07 so you never burn a rubber belt when you're out on the day working.
03:10 And what it's designed to do is tackle those heavier tasks
03:13 that you used to have to put your Ranger away for.
03:15 Now, instead of driving the Ranger to move hay bales and get the mail in the morning,
03:19 you jump in your Ranger XD 1500 and it's an all-day rig.
03:22 You can drag a trailer to feed cattle.
03:24 You can load it down with almost 1,500 pounds worth of stuff and go about your day.
03:30 It has all the comforts of the Polaris Ranger Northstar Edition.
03:33 You can get it with an enclosed cab. You can get it with electric windows.
03:36 They're going to put HVAC in this thing that has modes.
03:39 It's got ride command, all the normal stuff that you love about Polaris.
03:42 But what they told us was they made the cab bigger, they made the bed bigger,
03:46 and they focused really on comfort and heavy-duty utility.
03:49 There's one in this building behind me, and we're going to go take a look.
03:52 All right, we're here with Chris Hurd. He's Polaris' Director of Product Planning for Utility.
03:56 He's going to give us a quick walk around on the Polaris Ranger XD 1500.
04:00 Chris, this thing is so awesome.
04:02 It's kind of a lot to talk about. It sort of depends how long we have here.
04:05 You want to start with the Northstar or you want to start with the Polaris?
04:07 Let's start right over here.
04:08 Show us what you get if you just go in the showroom and say, "I want one of these."
04:11 So why don't we start off with you sitting inside?
04:14 That sounds great.
04:15 Introducing that new cab, new seating position, entirely new cockpit.
04:19 Get a load of all that knee room.
04:21 There's so much room in here. There's so much headroom.
04:24 Yeah, this definitely feels more like a truck than a UTV.
04:28 You sit in a smaller Ranger, and yeah, it's a church pew.
04:32 This is a much more comfortable, ergonomic cabin.
04:37 What is this? Tell me what that is.
04:39 This is your drive mode control.
04:41 With the new steel transmission, instead of having to have a low and a high gear
04:44 and having to worry about, "When do I need to be in which one?"
04:47 You do all the stuff through modes.
04:49 Changing through all the different modes changes how the transmission is going to function,
04:53 changes how the vehicle is going to feel and the work that you do.
04:56 The cool part is if you're towing something big, you just press tow/haul.
04:59 Super easy.
05:00 If you want to be driving sporty, you just change to sport mode.
05:03 Or comfortable, back to comfort mode. Regular, back to standard mode.
05:06 Super easy, super intuitive, and it's also right next to your all-wheel drive controls.
05:10 The cool thing here, instead of the three-position switch, which a lot of vehicles have these days,
05:14 you have ultimate control here.
05:16 You can have your rear diff locked or unlocked while you're in all-wheel drive,
05:21 so your front diff is engaged too, which gives you the ultra-tough,
05:24 which is that three-wheel kind of all-wheel drive.
05:27 It's super trick to be able to have that capability but then not tear up the grass
05:31 and the choice of all those different modes.
05:33 Your shifter is just drive, reverse, and park.
05:36 So then you do everything else from here?
05:38 Yep.
05:39 Okay, where's my low range?
05:40 Low range is your tow/haul.
05:41 So just put it in tow/haul.
05:42 So the transmission then figures out and works the ratios internally and holds the RPMs
05:47 and does all those things that a low gear would normally do, but it does it all its own.
05:51 So now, this isn't a standard UTV transmission, aside from the fact that it's got a steel belt
05:55 and it's all liquid-cooled and enclosed.
05:59 You were telling us something pretty cool last night. It'll hill-hold?
06:02 So it's got this functionality where when you move, it will move on its own.
06:07 So you take your foot off the brake and it will creep along.
06:10 That's useful for a couple of different things.
06:12 It gives you phenomenal low-speed drivability.
06:14 So think about being able to load a trailer or go over a rock crawl
06:17 without having to keep stabbing the throttle and engaging regular clutches.
06:21 The other cool thing it gives you is basically the engine is able to add torque,
06:25 so it will hold you and give you an assist on a certain incline.
06:29 So it'll just figure out where--
06:30 So if you're immediately rolling back, it can hold you to a certain extent.
06:33 Now, it's not going to do it all the way to 90 degrees, but a pretty reasonable slope works great.
06:37 And then it works on the downhill as well.
06:39 So the engine torque is basically helping the transmission hold the vehicle back,
06:42 whether it's roll back or roll forward.
06:44 I want that. That's rad.
06:46 It's really cool.
06:47 And then will this-- I don't know, modern EFI systems all do this,
06:50 but will this kind of learn your driving habits as you go and kind of figure out--
06:53 But now you've got two factors.
06:54 You've got the engine and the transmission learning.
06:57 So they're both learning how you drive.
06:59 Okay. Now, is that constantly adaptable?
07:01 So say I get comfortable with it and I start driving a little harder than I was before, can it--
07:05 It will basically adapt over time.
07:06 So if you drove really aggressive for one day, it's probably not going to make much of a difference
07:09 if you're owning it for a long time.
07:10 But if you drove aggressive every single day or calm every single day, it would get used to that.
07:16 So it sort of tailors itself to you.
07:18 And you don't have to press a button to do that.
07:20 Yeah, and then you still have your other modes.
07:22 So you're like, "Oh, I'm going to cruise around with the family.
07:24 I want it to be nice and quiet."
07:25 You can chop those RPMs down, so you're in comfort mode.
07:27 Or you want to go for a sporty rip with your friends, you know, do something, you know,
07:30 a little more fun on the trails, great, go into sport mode.
07:32 That is awesome.
07:33 A total 3,500-pound trailer, easy as that.
07:36 Right there. Just push a button.
07:38 Man, this interior is next level.
07:42 This piano black stuff, I mean, this is just like-- it's classy in here.
07:45 And the cool thing is, as you step up trims, those piano black pieces become painted accents
07:49 both inside the doors on Nostos and on the dash.
07:52 And then on a camo vehicle, those are dipped camo.
07:55 So for the folks who like camo, it's a lot of camo.
07:58 Somebody did their market research.
08:00 All right, show me around the back here.
08:02 This is a big bed.
08:03 Yeah, there's a ton going on back here.
08:05 So you've got your lock-and-ride max system, which gives you this easy adjustment
08:08 to basically infinitely position all your different accessories.
08:11 There's the quick snap way to do it.
08:13 There's the tie-downs here where you just unlock it, slide it wherever you want.
08:17 Makes adding cargo and tying it down and doing all those utility things so much easier.
08:22 And then, you know, with that, you have a 50% bigger bed,
08:26 and you have another 500 pounds of cargo you can add.
08:29 So it's a true 3/4 ton utility vehicle.
08:31 Yeah, so when he says it's a 3/4 ton, it is literally a 3/4 ton.
08:36 You used to have to get an F-250 for that.
08:39 Yep, and oh, by the way, the 1500 on the side not only is the cargo,
08:43 it's also the displacement on the engine.
08:45 The engine, yeah, so we were looking at the cutout a minute ago.
08:47 It's a 3-cylinder.
08:48 3-cylinder.
08:49 So is that just a lopped-down Pro-R motor, or how does that work?
08:52 So think about it as a Pro-R motor with a cylinder taken off,
08:56 tilted over 50 degrees to minimize the box height,
08:59 but then also architectured in a way where it's making its torque and its power much lower down.
09:04 So a different riding experience.
09:05 In a Pro-R, you want a sporty experience.
09:07 In this vehicle, you want that work capability.
09:10 So torque down low, horsepower down low, not having to rev it to the moon to do anything.
09:14 Nice and easy to use.
09:16 And torque and horsepower right about the same?
09:18 So torque is 4,800 for the peak, but it's sort of pretty flat, starts early and sort of stays there,
09:23 and then horsepower is at 6,000.
09:25 How much are we talking about for each of those?
09:27 So it's 110 horsepower and then 105 on torque, so big numbers on both.
09:32 And if you compare that to sort of current industry players, it's a lot more.
09:36 That's like 30 horsepower on top of the other Ranger, let alone anything else.
09:40 Well, cool, and then all-new chassis, everything's--
09:43 All-new chassis, you probably noticed everything is just a lot bigger.
09:47 And with that comes some cool things.
09:50 So you've got the 5 lug wheels now.
09:52 You've got a boosted brake system, radically different than what we've had on current XP1000.
09:59 But all of that adds to the capability, the durability, and then the comfort inside the cab as well.
10:03 The suspension architecture is reworked to a much more updated design.
10:08 That works with the chassis.
10:09 The chassis works with the engine, the transverse.
10:11 The whole thing just comes together.
10:13 All right, Chris, this is the engine from the Ranger XD1500, right?
10:16 It sure is, Pro Stuff 1500.
10:18 Cut away a little bit.
10:19 Tell me what we've got going on here.
10:20 There's a lot of stuff here that doesn't look like normal UTV stuff.
10:24 Is this an enclosed accessory drive?
10:25 Yeah, it is.
10:26 So the cool part about this is it gives you the ability to add all those things that you get with, say, air conditioning,
10:32 bigger alternators, things like that.
10:34 It allows you to run bigger things than some of the other ways of driving things.
10:39 And then the other cool stuff about the engine is it's really designed to be a harder-working engine.
10:43 So it's about uptime.
10:44 It's about easy maintenance, long intervals between oil changes, so it's 2,000 miles.
10:50 Iridium spark plugs, so they last for basically the life of the engine.
10:54 Coil-on plugs that you don't have to worry about, you know, all these things connected.
10:57 No bolts right on there.
10:58 Nice and easy, nice and sealed.
11:00 Really high-flow water pump.
11:02 And it's got this cool differentiation between the hot side of the engine and the cold side of the engine.
11:07 So all the service that you need to do is not only easily accessible, but it's all the way away from all the other stuff.
11:12 So you don't have to worry about, you know, all the things that come with transmission hands-through or anything like that.
11:17 Behind me, I don't know if you've noticed, these guys have a Blackhawk helicopter.
11:21 That has nothing to do with UTVs or Polaris, but it might be the coolest thing I've seen this year.
11:27 All right, so shooting is done for the morning.
11:28 The Diesel brothers and Polaris engineers went through both these rigs tip to tail.
11:32 They're going to have a great detailed video coming out on that pretty soon.
11:35 We can't wait to see it.
11:36 Polaris has taken two of these rigs up the hill to the Diesel brothers' other property,
11:41 and they've said, "We get to drive one this afternoon."
11:44 Now, not many people have experienced this rig yet.
11:46 It's brand new.
11:47 There are less than 200 in existence, and we're going to bring you all along to see how the Polaris Ranger 1500 XD does.
11:55 All right, hold on. Stop everything.
11:57 Before we get to more action with the Diesel brothers, I need you to go down below, like this video, comment on it, and subscribe to our channel.
12:03 We've got new content every Wednesday and Sunday, and if you want to see more stuff like this, there's only one place to do that.
12:09 We are high above Salt Lake City at the Diesel brothers' compound, and we are going to get to drive this rig.
12:16 Can't wait. Let's get to it.
12:17 First things first, holy crap, this transmission.
12:27 You've heard me whine about shifters before.
12:29 I'm not whining about shifters anymore.
12:30 Look how easy that was.
12:31 Just, oh, yep, that's just how that should feel.
12:34 Great.
12:35 The first thing that you notice immediately is the engine.
12:37 There are a couple things here.
12:38 One, it's really quiet.
12:40 Normally, side-by-side engines sound like they are gargling marbles.
12:45 This one just sounds... it almost has like a diesel quality to it.
12:50 It's thrummy. It's guttural.
12:53 And, again, it's very quiet.
12:55 I'm here talking in a normal tone of voice, not having to yell.
12:58 It's a 3-cylinder 1500.
13:01 There is torque for days.
13:03 Polaris claims 105 foot-pounds, which is way more than you get in most other utilities side-by-sides.
13:10 Got plenty of torque, plenty of power.
13:12 The engine, it just sounds really good.
13:15 The engine feels peppy.
13:17 It feels like you've got more than enough torque for the work you want to do.
13:20 It's not peaky.
13:21 I'm not, you know, I'm going 15, 20 miles an hour.
13:23 It's not screaming its head off.
13:24 Transmission is super responsive.
13:26 That steel drive transmission really takes away a lot of the slop that you get with a rubber belt drive.
13:32 Throttle response is really good.
13:34 You can change how the throttle responds with this little knob.
13:37 All your drive modes are on a little knob on the dash.
13:39 So, right now, I'm in standard mode.
13:40 Change it. You can change it down to comfort mode.
13:43 That smooths out your throttle response and makes the engine even quieter.
13:47 You can get to your tree stand no problem.
13:49 Nobody's getting disturbed by this thing.
13:51 And then, switch it to sport, and the character changes entirely.
13:57 It's a little louder and, like, it's snappy.
14:01 It's a quick little rig, especially for a utility rig.
14:05 Now, it has 110 horsepower at 6,000 RPM.
14:09 So, the power really comes on low, a lot like a diesel.
14:12 And it's just much better suited to utility use.
14:16 You know, you don't want some peaky 9,000 RPM screamer.
14:19 You're just trying to move hay bales around the farm or whatever.
14:22 But that isn't to say it's boring or not entertaining.
14:26 It's a characterful little engine.
14:28 You know, you're probably not going to win any drag races, but sport mode is great.
14:31 Comfort mode is excellent.
14:33 You feel like you've got power low down in the range, right where you want it for towing or hauling that huge load or moving things around the farm.
14:40 You can have someone in here with you and have a quiet conversation and not get worn out.
14:44 It doesn't beat you up.
14:46 And speaking of not beating you up, that leads me right to the ride quality.
14:49 It's buttery in here.
14:50 It's just so much smoother.
14:52 It's on a completely different plane than side-by-sides have been in the past.
14:57 Usually, you feel like you're sitting on a buck board or in a Conestoga wagon or something.
15:02 And here, you know, I'm not getting jostled around.
15:05 I'm not going super fast, but, you know, I'm not hanging around either.
15:08 I'm getting right down the road.
15:10 And, yeah, the rig is quiet.
15:12 The suspension is quiet.
15:13 It's comfortable.
15:15 A lot of that has to do with how strong the chassis has to be to hold three-quarters of a ton.
15:19 It's very stiff, but, yeah, it's just super well composed.
15:22 Seating position is excellent.
15:24 The seating position is much closer to something automotive style.
15:27 You could be in here all day easily.
15:29 Earlier, I told you about the Old Ranger and how there were one or two little problems with it that, you know, everyone wished would be solved.
15:42 Well, here's the solution.
15:44 Check it out.
15:45 This is the 1500 XD Ranger.
15:48 So, we were talking about how maybe the interior is not the most comfortable.
15:52 That's been solved.
15:54 Look at the interior in this thing.
15:55 It is a luxury car.
15:58 You've got this cool center armrest, cup holder deal.
16:01 Flips up.
16:02 There's a third seat there if you want it.
16:03 Look at this center stack.
16:04 We've got piano black.
16:06 We've got accents that are body color from the outside.
16:08 That's just a nice aesthetic touch.
16:10 You've got this cool chrome badge.
16:12 The fit and finish in here is bananas.
16:14 And you've got a JBL stereo.
16:16 You've got HVAC.
16:18 You've got really easy to use positive buttons.
16:21 The drive modes are right there on that little knob as opposed to being on your transmission controls.
16:27 This is a different animal than a standard Ranger.
16:31 You know, the XP1000 Northstar Edition is a great rig.
16:34 This is a mile better.
16:37 We think this will probably end up overtaking the older Ranger in terms of sales because there's just so much going for it.
16:44 These seats, for example, they're sportier.
16:48 They've got these thick bolsters on them.
16:50 Much more comfortable.
16:52 The driving position isn't a church pew.
16:54 You're not sat up over the steering wheel.
16:56 You don't feel like you're hanging your nose over the front axle.
16:58 You're actually sitting in a more or less relaxed position.
17:01 Just kind of somewhere you could spend all day.
17:04 Somewhere you've got a two-mile long driveway.
17:06 You go out to get the mail.
17:07 It's going to feel much calmer, much less exhausting than your standard Ranger.
17:12 Look at the Velour headliner.
17:14 There's a dome light in here.
17:15 That's a nice touch.
17:16 Space for all your auxiliary lights and all your auxiliary controls.
17:19 Rear view mirror.
17:20 Like, it's just really well thought out.
17:22 There's storage space all over the place.
17:25 This is what we wanted.
17:27 This is what people have been asking for.
17:28 Thanks for hanging out with us, guys.
17:30 We've had an excellent time going behind the scenes with Polaris and the Diesel brothers.
17:33 We can't wait to get our hands on the Polaris Ranger XD 1500.
17:38 We're going to have a full review of it soon up on UTVDriver.com.
17:41 And we'll have a video review even before that.
17:43 Thanks for hanging out.
17:44 Dude, this place is ridiculous.
17:51 I mean, there's a fully tricked out Pro R.
17:56 More sand paddles than you can shake a stick at.
17:58 Check this out. Check this out.
18:00 There's a sauna in here.
18:01 Casually taking a schvitz between engine swabs, between flying your Blackhawk.
18:07 Take a look in here.
18:08 I think a crew cab Ranger is cool.
18:11 Take 15 of your closest friends wherever you want to go.
18:17 There's very few people who can argue with one of these things.
18:21 Just...
18:25 wild.
18:28 [BLANK_AUDIO]