After weeks of calling Polaris
dealerships and searching every place imaginable, I finally got my
hands on a stock 2014 Polaris RZR XP 1000 for testing.
Jerry Matthews of Starting Line
Products (SLP) was able to loan me his unit and I quickly jumped at
the opportunity to put some miles on the new horsepower king – he
even joined me for a day of intense testing. Also joining us was
Kevin Allred, who owns the RZR XP 900 LE we tested extensively this
past summer. The RZR 900 features SLP-tuned clutches for high
altitude use, which you can read about here.
Shortly after sunrise we set off for
some early morning desert trail riding followed up by an afternoon
ride at the St. Anthony Sand Dunes. At both locations, we mirrored
the courses from our July shootout between the RZP XP 900 LE and
Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs – minus the timing lights.
By the end of the day I wanted answers
to the following questions: 1) How does the 1000 RZR run against a
properly tuned for elevation 900 RZR XP and 2) What 1000 is the best
bang for the buck when checking off the “Pros” and “Cons”
between the Polaris RZR XP 1000 and Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs, which
was our Shootout winner from July?
Specs
At the heart of the RZR XP 1000 is a
four-stroke double overhead cam (DOHC) twin cylinder electronically
fuel injected (EFI) engine with a displacement of 999 cc. Horsepower
at sea-level is a projected 107.
The front suspension uses dual A-arms
on each side with Walker Evans two-inch needle shocks controlling
impact; travel for the front is 16 inches. Out back the rear
suspension uses trailing arms with Walker Evans 2.5-inch needle
shocks controlling 18 inches of travel.
In comparison to the Ranger RZR XP 900 and
Maverick 1000, the RZR XP 1000 has 18 more horsepower than its little
brother and six more than the Maverick 1000 X rs. As well, the RZR XP
1000 has 2.0 inches more front travel and 4.0 inches more rear travel
than the Maverick 1000 X rs and holds 2.5-inch and 4.0-inch
advantages over the RZR 900 front and rear. For ground clearance the
RZR XP 1000 has a an extra half inch of clearance compared to both
the RZR 900 and Maverick 1000R X rs.
General Desert Trail Riding
With its sea-level clutching, the RZR
XP 1000's horsepower and torque carried the load quite well, but revs
stayed between 7600 and 7800 rpm – it was down for the 4800 foot
elevation. In the desert the temperature hovered in the low 40s with
clear skies and no wind. The sand was quite hard from the night's low
temps, which dipped into the low teens.
Tall 29-inch Maxxis Bighorn tires (3.0
inches taller than the RZR 900 XP LE) rolled across the rocks and
ruts with ease, but did break loose on the cold hard sand, as
expected; we had to be to keep it gathered in on the slick sand.
COMPARISON: 2013 Polaris RZR XP 900
EPS LE Review
Thanks to those big tires, the RZR XP
1000 did not drop into ruts and grunt out like the RZR 900 and
Maverick 1000 X rs. The downside to the 29-inch tires is that they
require more power to turn. The payoff here among the Can Am Maverick
and RZR 900 is that crevasse travel is simpler, but horsepower is
gnawed at. The result is a wash.
The RZR XP 1000 did not experience body
roll through the tight chicanes. Drivers railed in slot car fashion
on the trails. Both Mathews and I noted that when riding as a
passenger we felt secure because the driver, even when riding on
edge, held high confidence in the RZR 1000 as it did not body roll
like the Maverick 1000R X rs. Admittedly, we did not really notice
the Maverick's body roll until we hustled the RZR 1000 through our
desert course. We are going off of memory here, but the RZR with its
long chassis, trailing arm rear suspension and Walker Evans shocks
benefitted from a body that was stiff through the S-curves. Chalk
this up as a win for the RZR XP 1000.
Power steering was a point of debate
for the three test riders. I felt it was too sensitive when barreling
along at high speeds. The Maverick's non power steering system favors
high speed runs. Given that, I prefer slower – stiffer – steering
wheel rotation; I need feedback. This was also a nit we had with the
900 RZR with EPS. For high speed runs, edge goes to the Maverick 1000
without power steering; except in low speed rock and rut crawling
conditions.
In drag races between the RZR XP 1000
and the RZR 900 LE with its elevation-tuned clutches, the 900 jumped
out to the lead for the first 50 yards, but it was overtaken in rapid
fashion by its more powerful sibling.
From our memory, the 900 RZR too would
jump the lead on the Maverick 1000R X rs and would hold it off due to
the RZR's lower power-to-weight. Yet, we feel between the two 1000s,
the Maverick and the RZR with sea-level clutch calibrations may be
dead even. But in reality, handling in the desert and the dunes is
more important than 1000-foot speed runs.
We surmise that in high-speed desert
riding, the RZR 1000 may pull off the victory due to its minimal body
roll. And when in 4WD, the RZR 1000 has minimal drift through the
corners. We found we could drive the 1000 RZR ridiculously hard when
engaged in 4WD.
General Sand Dune Riding
At the dunes, Mathews and Kevin Allred
took to the moguls to check suspension hop. The RZR 1000 was flat and
floated well, but we did experience sharp rollercoaster bounces from
the rear where it wanted to the lead the front. We were able to
gather it in with a quick throttle cut. To that end, the 1000 RZR
handled the moguls better than the 900 RZR, and equally well or
perhaps a bit better, if memory serves, than the Maverick. But with
shock tuning, we can nix plenty of this out for both vehicles.
The Polaris RZR XP 1000 pulled some
stupid high marks in the dunes. The sand at the St. Anthony Sand
Dunes was cold and hard, which the Maxxis tires hooked too with ease.
We did not venture to the famous Choke Cherry hill (we chose to
protect the RZR since it was barrowed), but did hit much taller hills
that where slightly less in slope. Indeed it climbed and was more
than a match for the tall slopes.
COMPARISON: 2013 Can-Am Maverick
1000R X rs Review
When jumping the RZR 1000, it would fly
flat like its sibling the 900. At his first attempt, Mathews, relying
on his snowmobile jumping skills, chopped the throttle closed when in
flight, the RZR 1000 nose dived. With correction, Mathews kept the
RZR's rpm high as he launched and it flew flat and straight. We could
not get the Maverick 1000 to hold flat, so flight characteristics
favor the big RZR.
As a sand dune buggy the RZR XP 1000 is
a delight. Its chassis and suspension received motor torque with
assuredness; it is a confidence builder.
For more information about Polaris Mumbai visit:
http://polarismumbai.com/polaris-atv-ranger-rzr-dealer-india.html
Contact us at:
NAVNIT MOTORS PRIVATE LIMITED
Navnit House, Gokul Nagar,
Mumbai-Agra Road, Thane - 400 601
Telephone: 022 66776659 / 66776658
Email: info@polarismumbai.com
