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How GOOD is the 2024 Polaris Ranger XD 1500? We spent two days in Wyoming to find out. The world’s first 3/4-ton side-by-side is here, but is it enough to make you sell your pickup?

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Transcript
00:00 We are back with the 2024 Polaris Ranger XD 1500, this time out in Wyoming.
00:06 We have spent the better part of two days ripping around some of the most amazing trails
00:10 at a beautiful ranch.
00:11 You know, we typically give you five things we love, five things we hate, and then tell
00:15 you exactly who we think this rig is for.
00:16 This is gonna be a little different.
00:17 After spending some time with the rig, I want to go over some things that I haven't seen
00:20 covered elsewhere.
00:21 Neat features about the thing that sort of sets it apart from not only the rest of the
00:24 Ranger lineup, but the rest of the UTV world.
00:28 Let's get started.
00:32 The first thing we're gonna talk about here are the brakes.
00:36 That is a vacuum booster, just like an automotive style braking system, vacuum over hydraulic,
00:43 which means you have really, really confident braking.
00:46 That's important because this thing is, as Polaris says, extreme duty.
00:50 You can tow more than any other machine, 3,500 pounds, you can put 1,500 pounds in the bed,
00:55 and in order to control all of that, you need to be able to stop it.
00:58 The brakes on this thing are fantastic.
01:01 Speaking of capacities, another important part of this thing is there are three different
01:05 heat exchangers up front, radiators, basically.
01:08 You've got one for coolant, you've got one for CVT transmission oil, and you've got another
01:12 for the air conditioning system.
01:13 Let's take a look.
01:14 So you can see behind the grill, that sucker runs all the way across and all the way down
01:20 here.
01:21 And like I said, there are three of them.
01:22 One, two, and three.
01:24 Earlier we were chatting with Polaris and they said these radiators are as big as what
01:28 you would find on an F-150, which means this thing will stay properly cool even while you're
01:32 working its tail off.
01:34 Speaking of working its tail off, this is a heavy machine.
01:36 We're talking, I don't know, I think dry weight's around 2,600 pounds, something like that.
01:40 So by the time you've got fluids and all the rest of that, you're knocking on 2,800 pounds.
01:44 And in order to make sure that you have the recovery gear you need, Polaris fitted a 6,000
01:49 pound winch to this thing.
01:50 It's a higher capacity winch than on any other UTV we've seen.
01:54 Another interesting detail, this thing has 15 inches of ground clearance bone stock.
01:58 This is a Northstar edition, comes with 30 inch tires.
02:01 The premium comes with 29 inch tires.
02:03 More impressively, Polaris says that you can fit 32 inch tires without modifying a single
02:08 thing.
02:09 Now we need to talk about the cab.
02:10 There are all sorts of things that I like about this thing.
02:12 Number one, this is a better sealed cab than Polaris has ever had.
02:16 Part of that is due to a new, much stronger chassis.
02:19 I think they said it's like 50% stronger than the outgoing model.
02:23 And that makes a difference, specifically because you don't have that chassis flex.
02:27 Chassis flex allows gaps to open up in body panels, meaning you get more dust intrusion.
02:31 We were driving around on some of the dustiest trails I have ever been on, and I am clean.
02:36 Yeah, we've got some dust in here from opening the doors and closing the doors and rolling
02:40 the windows down when we shouldn't have rolled the windows down.
02:42 But for the most part, this is a dust-free environment.
02:45 That's pretty great.
02:46 That's partly because the HVAC system has an actual, check that out, in-cabin air filter.
02:52 That's the sort of stuff you see on full-size pickup trucks, full-size cars.
02:56 And as far as I know, there aren't any other manufacturers currently doing that.
03:00 It's, you know, a small detail that makes a big difference in terms of how clean you
03:03 are, the type of air you're breathing all day, especially when you're out working the
03:06 dust.
03:07 The next thing we need to talk about is this transmission.
03:09 There's all sorts of cool stuff going on here.
03:11 Number one, this is Polaris' steel drive transmission.
03:15 What does that mean?
03:16 Well, it's in true automotive-grade CVT.
03:19 A steel belt, no more rubber belts.
03:21 It's oil-cooled, and it is a lifetime part, that belt.
03:25 Polaris says 50,000 miles is approximately what they expect to get out of that transmission.
03:30 That's deeply impressive.
03:31 Yeah, you gotta change the oil every 6,000 miles, but 6,000 miles is still a buttload
03:35 of miles for a UTV.
03:36 It's way better than replacing a rubber belt all the time.
03:38 That also means this thing shifts incredibly easy.
03:41 Look at that.
03:45 One finger.
03:47 Find me another ATV, another UTV that shifts that easy.
03:52 More importantly, it allows you to creep, so you let off the throttle and the thing
03:55 just rolls, just like a regular vehicle.
03:57 It's just a little more relaxing to use.
03:59 You're not doing the two-foot shuffle like you used to do in the past.
04:02 Another cool part about that, that in tow-haul mode, if you're on a steep hill, the vehicle
04:06 will automatically hold itself there.
04:08 Other cool stuff.
04:09 Northstar Editions come with a true glass windshield with a windshield wiper and a windshield
04:14 washer.
04:15 That seems like a small thing, but especially on a dusty day like today was, it meant that
04:19 I could keep that thing clean all day long, no problem.
04:22 Ooh, forgot about one more thing inside the cab.
04:25 Check this out.
04:26 Adjustability.
04:27 Number one, you've got this little guy.
04:29 Tilt and telescope.
04:31 The seat slides forward, slides back.
04:35 You don't have any tilt adjustments, so you still have a sort of buckboard feel, but the
04:39 seats are so much nicer.
04:42 You've got sort of faux leather stuff going on here.
04:45 They're bolstered, they're super comfortable, they're super nice.
04:48 And you've got a center console.
04:50 Great as that.
04:51 You've got one, two, three, four, four cup holders here.
04:55 Others have as many as six.
04:57 You're going to be watering a lot of trees.
04:59 You now have access to the under-seat storage without having to get your passenger out.
05:03 Aaron mentioned this before, but it's worth talking about again.
05:05 You have a power dump bed.
05:07 That's important when you can put 1,500 pounds back there.
05:10 Nobody's lifting that amount of weight.
05:11 There's an electric motor waiting to do it for you.
05:13 Speaking of the bed, check this out.
05:15 The tailgate, a thing that we constantly complain about on utility UTVs.
05:19 It can seat two people.
05:21 It is stout enough for that.
05:22 It also has cup holders built into the bed.
05:26 How neat is that?
05:27 Of course, you've got your usual five-gallon bucket storage.
05:30 You've got a ruler built in here.
05:32 That's neat.
05:33 More cup holders.
05:34 It's just really well thought out.
05:35 The bed comes with these extruded aluminum rails for the lock and ride system.
05:39 This is just sort of a dummy latch, but to give you an idea, it is super nice.
05:44 Super super nice.
05:45 All sorts of accessories you can bolt to that thing.
05:48 Super neat.
05:49 Big bed rack.
05:50 All sorts of cool stuff.
05:51 Of course, we can't talk about this thing without talking about the engine.
05:53 It's a 1,500cc, the biggest engine in any utility rig you can buy.
05:57 It puts out 110 horsepower, 105 pound-feet of torque.
06:00 That's all great, but it doesn't tell you anything about the character of the thing.
06:03 It's great.
06:04 It's a triple.
06:05 It's a class that's dominated by parallel twins, V-twins, which are noisy.
06:10 They sound like hair dryers.
06:11 They're aggravating.
06:12 This thing sounds great.
06:13 You can hear it inside.
06:14 It's not loud.
06:15 The cabin's super quiet, but it actually is a pleasant-sounding machine.
06:19 You know, there are maybe two other UTVs on the planet that I can actually say that about.
06:23 Bonus.
06:24 Check this out.
06:25 Polaris says that they actually did fluid dynamic testing to make sure that the surfaces
06:28 on this rig will not blast you back in the face if you're power washing the rig.
06:33 As anyone who's gotten a face full of grimy mud can tell you, that's an excellent thing.
06:38 It's also true that this is still a Ranger, which means that you can power wash the inside.
06:42 All of that nice, fancy material unfazed by water.
06:45 Hey guys, before we go any farther, I need you to do me a favor.
06:48 Like, comment, subscribe.
06:49 It means that we can keep making this fun stuff, and it means that you will be the first
06:52 to see it the second it drops.
06:54 Thanks.
06:55 Now let's talk about things I hate, things that bother me.
06:57 First, the biggest one.
06:59 Instead of having a differential lock button, you have a differential unlock button.
07:04 So the thing defaults with the rear locker locked up.
07:06 Great.
07:07 If you want turf mode, you have to push that button.
07:09 You've got to be either stopped or below, I think like five miles an hour for it to
07:12 engage.
07:13 You know, I, it's just contrary to what you typically think of.
07:16 You think of a locker as being open primarily and then locked when you push the button.
07:20 That's a weird choice.
07:21 It's a strange choice they made.
07:22 The second thing I hate, there are a lot of amazing finishes in here.
07:26 I love the steering wheel.
07:27 I love the ride command.
07:29 I love all the storage.
07:31 And you've got some switches that are excellent, and you've got other switches that are not.
07:37 These feel cheap.
07:38 They feel like they're going to, these feel cheap.
07:40 They feel like they're going to come off in your hand.
07:42 I don't, I don't, I don't love how these feel.
07:44 The third thing, and you may notice that I'm being pretty nitpicky.
07:47 Well, that's because this is a really good machine.
07:49 Blair's has stepped up the game in a really big way, and the little misses really stand
07:54 out because of this.
07:55 You've got your windshield washer, right?
07:57 So you push the windshield washer, windshield washing, you let off the switch, and your
08:03 wiper just keeps on truckin'.
08:06 Which is fine if you remember to shut it off.
08:08 If you don't, you wind up driving around looking like an idiot.
08:11 Speaking of windshield wipers, at this point I kind of want an intermittent setting.
08:15 Polaris says this cab seals well enough that you can drive it through a car wash.
08:19 That means that guys are going to find themselves out in a proper deluge.
08:22 Sometimes that windshield wiper is not going to be enough to keep up.
08:25 The fourth thing I hate, these gauges are kind of tough to read.
08:29 So check this out.
08:30 They're blackface gauges, which is fine, they look nice.
08:32 Your indicator for four-wheel drive is over here.
08:34 It's kind of hard to see.
08:35 It sort of interferes with the steering wheel, depending on where you've got that located,
08:38 so that's kind of tough to see.
08:39 Which is really my biggest complaint.
08:41 I want that either in the middle over here, somewhere easier.
08:45 It does show up on the ride command screen, but again, that's a pretty small little guy.
08:50 I just want to be able to clearly and easily see what mode I'm in while I'm driving around.
08:54 The fifth thing, and this is not a Polaris exclusive thing.
08:57 I want a horn.
08:58 You know, you're trying to get people's attention, somebody, you know, maybe they've got a door
09:03 open, maybe they've got their tailgate down, whatever.
09:06 You're stuck either trying to get a radio or, you know, call somebody.
09:10 I just want a horn.
09:11 I just want a horn.
09:12 Which brings us to who is this machine for?
09:14 The base premium starts at $29,000.
09:18 This Northstar guy is $39,000, and I can hear the comments already.
09:22 Why don't you just buy a pickup truck?
09:24 It's the same reason that you don't hunt pheasant with a rifle, or you don't hunt elk with a
09:29 20 gauge, because there are certain tools for certain jobs.
09:32 Yeah, they may cost the same, but that doesn't mean they're good at the same thing.
09:36 That's the exact case here.
09:37 What Polaris has built with this rig is a time machine.
09:40 It will save you time.
09:41 If you have a hunting blind that's 60 miles out down some rough two-track, you can rip
09:47 down that two-track at 40 and 50 miles an hour.
09:50 You're not beating yourself up.
09:51 You're not beating your pickup truck up.
09:52 You know that it's going to get you in and out regardless.
09:54 You can also go places that a regular pickup truck can't go.
09:58 We had this thing up some insane scrambles.
10:01 It's locked front and rear.
10:02 It's got a short wheelbase.
10:04 It's an excellent, excellent little billy goat.
10:06 More importantly, there is no pickup truck you can buy that can do what this thing can
10:11 do off-road and also haul 1,500 pounds in the bed.
10:15 Ford Raptor can't do it.
10:16 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro can't do it.
10:19 TRX can't do it.
10:20 None of those things can do what this machine can do for $40,000.
10:26 Who is it for?
10:27 It's for the boss, man.
10:28 Your boss isn't driving a base F-150, right?
10:31 He's driving a King Ranch.
10:32 This is a King Ranch.
10:33 It's nice.
10:34 It's comfortable.
10:35 Yeah, it's expensive, but it feels like a proper machine and it feels like it is worth
10:39 every penny of the asking price.
10:42 I know that sounds insane.
10:43 If you doubt me, here's what you need to do.
10:46 Con your buddy into buying one.
10:47 Con your boss into buying one.
10:49 Ride right seat.
10:50 Get him to let you drive that sucker around and tell me if I'm wrong.
10:54 So, do I think the XD 1500 is a good thing?
10:57 Yeah.
10:58 It is a leap forward, not just for utility side-by-sides, but also for side-by-sides
11:03 in general.
11:04 It's comfortable.
11:05 It's quiet.
11:06 You can bop along at 40 miles an hour, sipping your coffee, having a good conversation with
11:09 the guy next to you or the lady next to you without having to worry about going deaf or
11:13 shouting the entire time.
11:15 It is capable.
11:16 It feels solid.
11:18 It feels worth the cash.
11:19 If you want to read more, we're going to have a full review coming out soon.
11:22 Be sure to check that out over at UTVDriver.com.
11:24 You can also hit us up on all of our social channels.
11:27 We will want to hear from you.
11:28 We want to see exactly what you're riding.
11:30 We'll see you there.