We spent 48 HOURS with the Polaris Xpedition!

UTV Driver

We spent TWO DAYS STRAIGHT with the 2024 Polaris Xpedition XP Northstar. The adventure-ready rig took on the sand and surf of Portsmouth Island, North Carolina, hauling camping gear and playing support for a quick fishing trip. Should you buy one or skip it for a cheaper rig?  https://www.utvdriver.com/utv-videos/48-hours-with-polaris-xpedition/  Favorite Gear:  Packtalk Edge ORV: Code 'octane' for 10% off https://cardosystems.rfrl.co/z8qy5  UTV Driver Videos:  UTV Reviews: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn4C9HK06Jw&list=PLIl7O9RDWjgG-O6Dd1BWzponCVuvj3G92  5 Things We LOVE and HATE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYurJbSonDc&list=PLIl7O9RDWjgHOOiP1YKQb0LvejrQt8rea  Everything You Need to Know: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdKKsxgk3Yw&list=PLIl7O9RDWjgH0LQZEvxMVB6K_hnZjL69J  For more stories, reviews, and first-looks check out https://www.utvdriver.com/   Want to see even more shenanigans from the UTV Driver team? Give us a like and follow:  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UTVdriver/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/utvdrivermagazine/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/utvdriver/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@utvdriver

Transcript

00:00Aaron, where are we and why am I wearing this hat?

00:02It's a great question on both counts.

00:04We are on Portsmouth Island, which is a deserted strip of sand in the Atlantic Ocean off the

00:08coast of North Carolina, and we have come here to tell you what it's like to spend 48

00:13hours with the Polaris Expedition XP1000.

00:16In order to do that, we are going to spend every waking minute with this rig.

00:19We're going to do a little camping, we're going to do a little fishing, we're going

00:21to do a whole bunch of driving, so we can tell you exactly what it's like to live with

00:25this thing.

00:26Look, we spend a lot of time in these rigs, but it's mostly either on the trail or short

00:29days at the farm.

00:31This isn't going to be that.

00:32It's going to be using these things just the way you would use them if you took them out here.

00:36Aaron, why don't you tell them about this thing?

00:37I'm going to go put a line in the water.

00:39This is the Polaris Expedition XP1000 Northstar.

00:43XP means that it's got a bed on the back instead of an enclosed cab.

00:47And just to bring you back up to speed, it is Polaris' ProStar 2 Parallel Twin.

00:51It's a 999cc mill with 114 horsepower.

00:55It's riding on 30-inch ProArmor tires.

00:57It's got true all-wheel drive, a locking rear diff, and the power is fed to the ground

01:01through Polaris' PVT transmission.

01:04That is a traditional CVT with some Polaris branding on it.

01:07One of the things that sets this rig apart from something like a Ranger is that this

01:10platform came out last year as an entirely new, overlanding-specific UTV.

01:15Now, it's fair to say that an overlanding-specific rig isn't what most people buy these things

01:20for, but it's what we use them for a lot.

01:22It also makes a ton of sense.

01:24It means that you don't have to bring your work rig out here and beat it up in the sand.

01:28You can bring this thing and camp out of it and keep your utility rig for utility.

01:32One of the nice things about this being an overlanding-specific platform is that the

01:35suspension is not utility suspension.

01:38That means that it is super fun to rip around on the trail, unlike most utility rigs.

01:42Let's check out how it does in the sand.

01:45On the company time.

01:54Zach, how was the fishing?

01:56It was kind of dry.

01:58Yeah, it's about 11 o'clock.

02:00I'd say we go find a place to have some lunch, maybe set up camp and go from there.

02:04Hell yeah, let's do it.

02:05Alright, let's go.

02:15Ayo!

02:17Get the guy hooked, you know.

02:19Alright, we have been at Portsmouth Island for 24 hours, and so it's time to give you

02:23an update on the Polaris Expedition and what we're learning as we spend every waking minute

02:28with this thing.

02:29First of all, a few things I like and don't like.

02:31Number one being the seats.

02:33The seats in this thing, classic Polaris, they are fantastic.

02:36They're a sports-style bucket, so they hug you in place.

02:39You feel supported, but you don't feel overly bolstered.

02:42You feel like you could sit in there all day and just bop up and down this island,

02:45which is super bumpy from traffic, and not have to worry about being sore at the end

02:49of the day.

02:50That's not something you can say for a utility rig.

02:52Second thing, the HVAC is great, especially when you're out here at night and the horse

02:56flies and the mosquitoes descend.

02:58You can jump in here, cut the engine on, hit the AC, and you are in a sanctuary.

03:02It's fantastic.

03:03You're a comfortable temperature all the time.

03:05What else is there to say?

03:06Sticking with the comfort theme, this pop-out windshield is the jam out here.

03:11You pop the windshield open, you get the nice sea breeze in your face, you can smell,

03:14you can hear, you can see a little bit more clearly, because salt water really does gum

03:18up a windshield.

03:19It's just a really nice design touch, so we're really excited about that.

03:23And, when you pull it shut, it still seals.

03:25There's none of this, like, janky air and water and whatever and sand getting in around

03:30the seal.

03:31When you close it, you are sealed off, which is a really cool thing, considering that this

03:34could be just as floppy as they wanted to make it.

03:36There are a few issues with it.

03:38The first, and the most annoying, is the lack of space.

03:41Now, we tested the ADV-5.

03:42It's a five-seat ADV model that's enclosed.

03:45That was much more spacious than this, the XP.

03:48Two doors and a tiny short bed really don't work.

03:51When you're aiming it at overlanders, space is paramount, and this just doesn't have enough.

03:56The next thing that's not ideal is the visibility.

03:59When you're in a utility rig, you feel like you're sitting up on a church pew, which has

04:02its own issues, but in this, they kind of went for that sport rig seating position,

04:06so you kind of feel like you're sitting in a five-gallon bucket.

04:09These door sills come almost up to your eyeballs.

04:12The rear window is not spaced great to see out the back of it.

04:15And staying aimed at what's in front of you is kind of a matter of pointing and praying

04:19because you can't see anything from here down.

04:22You don't get any detail up close.

04:24So, ah, that's not ideal.

04:25We'd love to see that improved.

04:27The third thing that's kind of getting on my nerves is the switchgear placement, especially

04:31the number of buttons that are right around the shifter.

04:33I have put this thing out of four-wheel drive into two-wheel drive, putting it in park I

04:37don't know how many times, and it's because the shift knob runs your finger right into

04:42the transfer case controls.

04:43It's annoying.

04:44The same thing.

04:45If you try to avoid the transfer case, you're likely to hit the throttle control button

04:48and you go from comfort to sport or sport to comfort.

04:50Either way, you get into a mode that you didn't want to be in.

04:53That is really, really frustrating.

04:55The locking center console feels like it's locked when it's unlocked and you need a separate

04:59key to get into it.

05:00Just give me, if the ignition key can do it, have the ignition key open the center console

05:04and maybe give it a little lever or latch instead of having to just yard on it when

05:08you want to get it open to get at what's in the center console.

05:10And the last thing we're going to touch on right now is that the ride and handling really

05:14takes some getting used to.

05:15You can tell that if you were on a rocky two-track, it would be great.

05:18The chassis is composed for that.

05:20It's sprung for that.

05:21Out here on the beach where you're going to tram line, where the ruts in the sand are

05:24going to kind of dictate where you're going, the Polaris really doesn't feel that confident

05:28and it can make you nervous driving down the beach, even at a slow speed.

05:31That's our 24-hour update.

05:32We've got another day to go, so I'm sure we'll learn way more in that time.

05:36We're going to get back to camping.

05:37We'll catch you then.

05:47Aaron, we are closing in on 48 hours with this machine.

05:51I know you've spent a lot of time with the ADV model.

05:53You really like that machine.

05:54Yep.

05:55This is the first time you've really spent a sizable amount of time with the XP.

05:58Where do you stand with it?

05:59It's interesting, Zach.

06:00You know, I think overall the Expedition is a really good chassis.

06:03It's a really good platform.

06:04That said, the two-door XP with the short bed does not show off this chassis's capabilities

06:09adequately.

06:10There just isn't enough space in it.

06:11When you're overlanding, space is everything, right?

06:13Yeah, you've got a lot of stuff to take with you.

06:15Right.

06:16Short bed, two-door, it's just limited space.

06:18And there are other rigs that do this.

06:20Yeah.

06:21You could get a Yamaha Armax.

06:22You could get a Can-Am Commander.

06:23You could get even a Polaris General.

06:25All of those things do the same thing.

06:27And we have the same complaint with them, that there's not enough space.

06:30So that's where the Expedition comes in.

06:32But you want the longer one?

06:34Again, I've spent time in the ADV model.

06:36It's enclosed storage.

06:37There's seating for five.

06:39That's an overlanding rig.

06:40And this is a compromise.

06:42I 100% agree.

06:43On that same note, the noise inside the cab is pretty brutal on this two-door model.

06:49Yeah.

06:50And for a machine that's supposed to allow you to get out and spend four or five hours

06:54just getting as far away from other humans as possible, which is what overlanding is all about,

06:59I'm not sure I want to spend that amount of time in this machine.

07:01No, you really need a break.

07:02And this one does have a stereo, but that's just more noise added to the noise.

07:07You know, the noises don't—one doesn't go away when the other gets louder.

07:10It's just more cacophonous.

07:12So, yeah, that's the issue.

07:13And the other thing is, again, short wheelbase, high center of gravity.

07:17It doesn't feel as stable on this beach as the ADV that I drove out in Arizona did.

07:21That thing was steady as a rock over a bunch of desert two-track,

07:24and this gets out on here and it tramlines a little bit,

07:27and it's just not quite as confident as you would want.

07:29So.

07:30So get the ADV.

07:31Yeah, that's the takeaway.

07:32Even you get the short box ADV.

07:34There's more space in that.

07:35So, yes, Polaris Expedition, great machine.

07:38This form factor, not the one I'd pick.

07:40Okay, I got it.

07:41All right.

07:42Ferry?

07:43Ferry.

07:44All right.

07:45I hope you enjoyed that video, learning a little bit more about the Polaris Expedition.

07:48If you like what you saw, head over to UTVDriver.com.

07:51We've got news, reviews, buyer's guides, everything you need to know about this machine and others.

07:55You can also check us out on social media.

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