Even though a four-seater performance side-by-side is nothing new to the Polaris lineup—the RZR 4 800 Robby Gordon Edition has been around for a couple of years now—the pre-game hype for the new Ranger RZR XP 4 900 has been at a fever pitch ever since the RZR XP 900 was unleashed a little more than a year ago. The latest addition to the RZR family— the RZR XP 4 900—comes after five years of development and anticipation, all beginning with the unveiling of the RZR 800 in 2008.
Current RZR 4 800 owners can vouch for the longer wheel base bridging the shorter chop and smoothing out the ride while increasing vertical stability on steep ascents and descents. Perhaps most no- table about the longer wheel base is nearly all the wag happy characteristics of the rear end are eliminated when compared to the 2-seat side-by-sides. The XP 4 900 has a wheel base of 107.4 inches compared to the industry 2-seat average of 75.6 inches.
The RZR 4 800 is a great family buggy that falls a bit shy in the grunt department with a full load in soft terrain but this new XP 4 900 has raised the confidence- building bar even higher with a chassis and wheelbase extension of 4.5 inches in length and 3.5 inches in width, not to mention the proclaimed class-leading horsepower-to-weight ratio of 16 lbs. per pony. These extended dimensions help ac- count for the 135-pound weight increase over the RGE 4 800 (RZR XP 4 900 1,390 lbs.; RZR 4 800 RGE 1,255 lbs.).
We think the first major improvement made to the XP 4 900 is the suspension package that dons a 3-Link Trailing Arm IRS and heavier duty 2.5-inch bodied Walker Evans compression adjustable res- ervoir shocks in the rear along with 2-inch Walker Evans in the front. This new and improved setup offers a 1.5-inch increase of suspension travel in the front and 2 inches in the rear with the ground clearance upped another inch to 12.5 inches. The ground clearance might still be a bit marginal at best, at least for when and where we drove this RZR 4. On that note we say kudos for very durable skid plates.
Our testing grounds were as harsh an environment as we believe most consum- ers would dare to play or compete in. We logged our nearly 80-mile trek in the desert just south and east of Parker, AZ, in La Paz County. Most of those miles were racked up on the Parker 250 off road race course and we would like to point out our ride was post-race. Read: nuked out war zone. We ran through a section of the course, unaf- fectionately and appropriately referred to as the “rock garden” by the racers, twice with one of those passes hauling three passengers to help us get a feel for the back seat experi- ence. We would have loaded out with four, but couldn’t find a desperate soul naïve enough to climb aboard.
Surprise Outcome
We admit we were somewhat surprised with the outcome of the back seat ride, especially after the initial visual of claus- trophobic quarters and higher seating po- sition. The rear compartment was actually more accommodating and comfortable than it appeared to us. We average 5-foot- 10 and 190 lbs., yet ample leg room is still border line. Other than the leg room, it was fairly roomy, something evident from the videos we saw of four adults riding in the RZR XP 4 900.
Riding in the back of the RZR 4 900 is something that takes a little getting used to, as we weren’t headed to the mountain top for a picnic. We were racing through the desert at a pretty good clip. Of course the feeling in the back is somewhat dictated by who is driving and how well he handles the vehicle. It is hard to feel secure in a vehicle on extreme terrain when you don’t have the steering wheel in hand, let alone when you’re sitting in the back seat. Granted, part of the back row experience felt very acceptable and fairly similar to the front seating, thanks to the comfort level of the seats and the han- dling and stability of the RZR XP 4.
We threw every dusty and dirty ter- rain element, sans live water crossings and mud holes, at the XP 4 900 and were nothing short of impressed. The buggy drove very true, even in the loose sand and gravel. Handling and stability are impressive along with the ride as we did not experience suspension fade during our drive-it-like-you-stole-it ses- sion. We did bottom out a few times in the big whoops, but that was due to the lack of some simple shock adjustments we didn’t want to stop and make.
With the multiple shock settings and infinite coil over adjustment, you can fine tune the suspension to whatever driving style, passenger load or terrain severity you will encounter. You just have to experiment to find the sweet spot, which, as mentioned, we did not take the time to do. We ran the general setup from Polaris.
The Ponies To Ride
Another aspect of this home run that doesn’t disappoint is the 88-horsepower ProStar powerplant that motivates this 1,390-pound hot rod. Throw into the mix three adults sitting in the vehicle (remember we had trouble finding a fourth passenger), maybe a little bag- gage in the bed box and the RZR XP 4 moved around with amazing ease, even on softer terrain.
What really ramped up the impres- sive meter was when we saw 60 mph (according to the speedo) twice while we were running up the river wash on the race course in loose and rutted pea gravel 4 to 8 inches deep. With an efficient drivetrain mated up to gobs of power and torque from the get go, you can break loose the super aggressive Maxxis rears with ease unless you have it AWDed up or you can choose to creep away with a smooth clutch engagement.
During our desert adventure we also sensed that the motor and suspension work more as a unit and they feed off of one another. It’s like the harder you flog it, the better it rides. We feel this is the trait of a true sport or performance package that you just gotta love.
Confession time. This kind of machine brings out the beast in us. We rode it hard all day long and never felt the vehicle was lacking in power or ride handling and comfort. And obviously, to add some safety—especially for riders like us—along with the increased fun factor, Polaris upgraded the hydraulic disc brak- ing system to dual bore calipers front and rear to help slow this bad boy down.
Spring For The EPS
After our seat time and if we were already spending around $18,000, we would ante up the extra $1500 for the good lookin’ Liquid Silver Edition sport- ing the Polaris EPS unit. This is another confidence-inspiring, comfort-bolstering component that we heavily endorse. Electronic power steering is never over- rated. Not that we are weak little wussy boys, we just thrive on being able to hustle through tight and/or extreme conditions. No white knuckles here.
The critique list for the RZR XP 4 900 is a short one. We can’t help but wonder about taking a few inches of length away from the cargo box and integrating that space into the rear pas- senger compartment to comfortably ac- commodate larger-than-average peeps.
We also think that a slight inboard offset from the front seats would greatly improve back seat ergos while provid- ing better visibility without having to lean to see past the helmet directly in front of you. The instrument gauge was a slight disappointment for us since this is a top of the line vehicle. We were expecting something a little more elaborate and centered with the driver for a more direct line of sight.
Those are probably a little ticky tack and definitely don’t take away from our overall impression of Polaris’ latest side-by-side offering.
If the base XP 4 900 isn’t quite enough for you, Polaris offers more than 90 accessories for this vehicle and that includes a wide variety of pieces and parts.
