We’re living in a golden age of horsepower. Bone-stock Corvettes with four-figure outputs, EVs that run nine-second quarter-mile times, turbocharged snowmobiles and literbikes fast enough to warrant aerodynamic aids. In that vein, Polaris has just revealed a side-by-side with 275 horsepower. Yes, 275 horsepower.
Just think about it for a second. That’s more power than a Volkswagen Golf GTI or a Subaru WRX, and only one pony shy of a Hyundai Elantra N. Except a side-by-side doesn’t have to tote around things like airbags and windows and sound insulation. That’s sport compact car power in a side-by-side, which makes the Polaris RZR Pro R Boost the most powerful production side-by-side ever.
So how did Polaris stuff 94 more horsepower than a Mazda MX-5 in a little side-by-side? Reasonable displacement and reasonable boost, naturally. A two-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine sits just in front of the rear axle, although it’s not set up quite like the two-liter turbo four in your uncle’s Acura RDX. Peak power doesn’t hit until 7,500 RPM, and a peak 215 lb.-ft. of torque shows up at 4,000 RPM. Peaky, but considering the RZR Pro R Boost is built for high-speed off-road running and features a continuously variable transmission, peaky makes sense.
That being said, power is only half of the speed equation. Weight matters too, although it’s tricky to find. On the consumer website, Polaris quotes an “estimated dry weight” of 2,531 pounds, which is silly because you can’t drive a side-by-side without any fluids in it. I mean, considering how the human body’s roughly 60 percent water, I have an estimated dry weight of 85 pounds. See how ridiculous that sounds? However, in the media release for the RZR Pro R Boost, we do know that the actual curb weight of the two-seat Ultimate trim should clock in at 2,671 pounds, which would result in a power-to-weight ratio for the that’s in the same league as a 996 Porsche 911. In a side-by-side. Insanity.
To handle this sort of torque and pace, Polaris has beefed up the driveline, increased cooling capacity for the transmission, and gave the engine a second radiator. Downstream, adaptive Fox internal-bypass dampers keep spring motion in check, and you can option the RZR Pro R Boost with active anti-roll bar links and 32-inch BFGoodrich off-road tires. You can also spec the RZR Pro R Boost as a four-seater, although you’d best have three extremely brave passengers lined up first.
You’ll also need cash lined up, because the RZR Pro R Boost carries a starting price of $49,999. That’s an enormous amount of money for an off-road toy that you can’t really use on the street in most places. A two-door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon straight out of the dealership can be had for thousands less, and you can immediately legally drive it to Moab. However, a 275-horsepower side-by-side is a rather different experience. Presumably one of thrill and mild terror, the closest thing to being aboard a radio-controlled car. The RZR Pro R Boost exists for the same reason snowmobiles with more than 200 horsepower exist: Because it seemed like a cool thing to make.
Top graphic image: Polaris
I suspect this may be driven by the places that do rentals or tours. For example, my family did a few hours in the desert outside Vegas in a side by side (and had a blast doing it.) I can easily imagine some of those places using something like this as the equivalent to driving a Lambo for an hour on the track.
Side by sides are road legal in AZ. Even the regular 1000cc N/A versions can hit 80+ mph. Unfortunately they cruise at 4000-5000 rpm in order to keep the centrifugal clutch engaged, so the cockpit is noisy.
This pretty well sums up my thoughts on SxS’s as well. Even for more utility usage for what a gator or SxS costs I’d much rather have a kei truck and at least have something I can drive on the road.
If I want to go offroad its hard to beat some of the used JL wranglers I’ve seen pop up in the delmarva area lately. Especially if you are willing to go for something used, 4-5 year old 2dr Rubicons can be had for around 25k.
I saw the videos of them in the dunes. They didn’t look fast and I wasn’t impressed. I can’t imagine a reason to spend 50k on one.
Just for reference my daily with power windows, AC with auto climate control, speakers cdplayer airbags and radio weighs in at 1700lbs with a 1.0 3 cylinder and a 5 speed manual.
If you build the car out of Aluminum you can carry all that stuff and still be lighter. (2000 Insight minus 150lbs of hybrid battery and sound deadening)
Joy. More rich people garbage. My interest in cars is starting to wane considering everything is so expensive as to be unobtainium and so many vehicles being made for the rich. AI has already ruined my home PC hobby and now cars are becoming “meh” as well. That just isn’t fun at all.
I hate this timeline.
I’m coming at this with a confirmed set of biases, but I am genuinely curious: Who are these things for? If you buy one of these, what are you looking forward to doing with it? I have some experience with SXS vehicles, but more from the perspective of utility rather than sporting purposes.
Years ago my family got a pair of John Deere Gators to use on our hill ranches. I was familiar with the type of vehicle, having used Kawasaki Mules and similar Kubotas to do ranch work. The price of the Gators struck me, since I’d just purchased an old 80-series Land Cruiser. Each of those glorified two-place golf carts cost twenty grand. So, like, four used Land Cruisers for two of them? For what? Aside from getting you miserably dusty and having slightly better clearance than a truck on narrow trails, what is the appeal of these things?
Yeah, the sporty ones can treat a family of five to dirt-bike-like sensations, but who wants to subject their entire large family to death-defying thrills?
This is some bizarre minimaxing. It’s like the weird folly of building lawnmowers for tractor pulls. Clearly there’s a market for it, but under no circumstances does it make sense. The premise is intrinsically flawed. People seek exhilaration on an individual basis. Being a passenger in a dangerous vehicle generally sucks, even for confirmed speed junkies. The idea that there’s an industry surrounding packing a bunch of people into sketchily overpowered dune buggies seems like a losing proposition but hey! They’re moving units. Humanity doesn’t have to make sense. Expect more trail lice.
I don’t want to paint with too broad a brush but in the regions where these tend to be prevelent, everyone does what the patriarch wants, including misery in the death mobile.
Sport and high performance SxS sell well to a few groups of people:
Contractors who drive a GMC Denali or F-350 Platnium to their worksites and want a weekend toy that isn’t the giant wake boat. This guy’s wife sits in their McMansion in the country, sipping Starbucks, posting on Facebook and thinking about the new Yukon Denali she’s going to get when the lease on the current one is up. In a few hours, she’ll go pick up their two school age kids, Brexton and McAinsleigh. This weekend, the family will load up the fifthwheel and toy hauler and go rip around a state park or other offroad recreation area.
Young dudes in their 20s who work for aforementioned contractor who got their first taste of real money and want a “toy”-but only after they get done building the “cleanest” 2018 Silverado 1500 around (usually a set of rims, painting over everything chrome, and bad led lights from a sketchy eBay seller)
Other people who are proud of being “hicks” and not going to college. They pile in the family to ride these into town, down state highways, and everywhere else they can get away with
All of these groups blast Upchurch and Morgan Wallen on the bluetooth system these things have, use “liberal”(and other related words) as an insult, use any and all opportunities to get drunk, and generally don’t think too hard about their actions or how they interact with other people(especially ones they disagree with). While this may be brushed with some slightly broad strokes, I live in between two small towns in Michigan and see these things around sometimes(even on the state highways and driving downtown), and I haven’t exactly been proven wrong as far as owners go…