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2009 Polaris RANGER RZR S Side By Side Utility Vehicle : Features (http://www.polarisindustries.com/en-us/Ranger/2009/800/RZR-S/Pages/Features.aspx?WT.ac=RGR-09-US-HOME-MAIN-1-2009_Lineup-New_RZR_S - broken link)
Plenty of power, great handling ... able to go places in the soft sand where dedicated sand rails have a hard time keeping up.
A neighbor's family now has 4 our these and they use them instead of their cadillac northstar powered sand rails in the dunes in Colorado ... that's how good these rzr's perform, and they're more comfortable, too. Along with much more fuel efficient.
There are lots of people in my areas running the RZR, everyone I talked with seems happy with them. I have seen some of the RZR-S models, but haven't talked with any drivers. There are some places here in the mountains where the limited ground clearance and width (slightly wider than a typical ATV) can be an issue.
Thanks for the responses. I'm considering the purchase of the RZR-S model for use in trail riding in N. Arkansas. I really don't plan on doing jumps or taking it up to 60 mph, but I was thinking that a runner with that extreme of use engineered into it would be versatile enough to quickly traverse long gravel or dirt roads and still be able to rock crawl when needed.
My alternate choice, for my needs, would be a refurbished Jeep CJ-5 or CJ-7. I'm actually thinking that the RZR-S would be more reliable, too. Meaning fewer walk outs.
I'm torn between the two. I may have to have both.
We have a 2009 standard RZR. In MI we have to stay 52" wide to be on the trails. It's a great machine, a little under powered in my opinion, but pretty much EVERYTHING is under powered to me ! We put over 600 miles on it starting labor day weekend last year and ending in Oct.
To make a Jeep compare to the ride and handling of one of these would take a lot of money.
RZR pictures by scarabchuck - Photobucket (http://s209.photobucket.com/albums/bb85/scarabchuck/RZR/ - broken link)
Nice! ... Custom wheels. Custom seats. Custom graphics. You're never going to have someone get mixed up over who's is who's. Nice set up!
No, I don't expect a Jeep to ever match or even come close to the ride and handling of an RZR-S, no matter how much money. They are two different machines serving two different off-road segments. The Jeep is a lumbering WW-II engineering design relic that makes riding trails fun as long as the trail bears some semblance to a road, such as a logging road or some such. The RZR-S may be more like the 4 wheeled version of a motocross vehicle.
For my interests, it's all about gaining access to the wilderness. Sure, I'll still enjoy hiking & backpacking, but with a motored vehicle that can traverse rugged terrain, one can explore a lot more area in a year's worth of recreation, leading to greater discoveries, faster.
You mentioned that you have to stay 52" wide to be on the trails. Does that mean that the Forest Service and The Department of Natural Resources are trying to restrict motorcycle and 4-wheeler use to designated areas? I think that is the case in Arkansas as well.
BTW, I'm a resident of MI. I plan on relocating to AR next year.
Oh yes the DNR would love to keep restricting more and more areas. I do agree with you the Jeep and the RZR are targeted for two different styles. Now a Polaris Ranger is more of a utilitarian type of vehicle.
Thanks for the link to the RZR Forum. I'll be doing some reading there for the next few weeks, it seems. Lot's of stuff!
We bought ours labor day weekend last year. When I got online that week after buying it I was glued to that website ! Learned a lot from it. Also learned that these things are a great way to spend money !! So many cool accessories for them. Good luck on whatever you purchase ! If I had my way (and the money) I'd have a RZR and a Ranger, but set the Ranger up as a four seater.
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