After spending a day with the Polaris General in the mountains of northern New Mexico this week we can honestly say the General has our attention.
The new General is part Polaris RZR and part Polaris Ranger with a few of its own unique features. It’s aimed at those consumers who want a work vehicle they can play with, more so than what a Ranger has to offer but not quite as playful as a RZR.
Polaris officials told us that the General is for those who want a recreational vehicle first but one that can also do the work when called upon. That’s why it has more of a cargo area than a RZR but the deluxe General has a better shock/suspension package than a Ranger. It is definitely versatile.
We admit we never really tested or tried the General’s work capabilities but we did see how this new side-by-side with bucket seats does on the recreational side. The 100-horsepower ProStar 1000 engine is most closely matched with Polaris’ RZR S 1000 powerplant and the high-end General offers Fox Podium X 2.0 QS3 Shocks on all four corners with three-way adjustability.
The half doors are nice and there is plenty of storage in the cockpit. The transmission is smooth and seems to have no problem getting the power to the GBC Dirt Commander Tires, which got a double workout with the few inches of fresh snow we encountered on our ride.
There is plenty to like about the General and it will be interesting to see how it stacks up in the rec-utility segment along side the likes of the Can-Am Commander.
We’ll have a full report in the next issue of Dirt Toys Magazine so stay tuned.
