UTV Driver
  • 6 months ago
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?

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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.
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