Trail Riding with Polaris Ranger XP1000

UVALDE, Texas (DTN) -- Polaris had me at the air conditioning. Normally these off-road rides sponsored by utility vehicle manufacturers feature machines sans air conditioning, but with plenty of mud and dust.

For this new model year 2025, Polaris has introduced among its line, flagship Ranger XP100 Northstar Editions (single bench seat Premium begins at $27,999 and Ultimate begins at $32,999) with factory-installed heating and air-conditioning systems. Plus -- and it was important to this cool and dustless ride -- in-cabin air filters.

Missing from this ride was a driver covered in sweat-soaked dust and mud.

The Polaris ride took media and influencers out to OX Ranch at Uvalde, Texas. The ranch is 18,000 acres in southwest Texas, two hours west of San Antonio in the Texas Hill Country, and features native and exotic hunts and more than 60 free-roaming species.

We navigated the ranch ride in the 2025 Polaris XP 1000 Northstar, which features a new bumper and grille, plus the solid and well-sealed Polaris Pro Shield Cab System (front power windows with the Ultimate trim package) with that air conditioning beating back heat-rising into the 90s.

The XP 1000 Northstars are built for the trail and work around the farm and ranch. Polaris will tell you that. "This vehicle is built specifically for farmers and ranchers. We like to call this the everyday workhorse," said Brent Erspamer, director, Enterprise Program Management at Polaris. "For hauling feed or firewood. Hauling bales of hay to feed the animals, this vehicle will do it every day, at a high level of quality and comfort."

Polaris provides the receipts. Northstars carry 82 hp ProStar engines (1000 cc and a top speed of about 62 mph). It tows 2,500 pounds with a 2-inch hitch and carries 1,000 pounds in the bed--standard gas assist dump, electric dump is an accessory.

The effort to shift from park through neutral, high and low has been reduced by 50%. "We improved the overall shift mechanism in the transmission. That smooth operation of the shifter is well received if a (farmer putting up fence) has to do it 100 or 300 times a day," Erspamer said.

Entering and exiting the XP 1000 Northstar's Pro Shield Cab is enhanced by doors that open past 90 degrees. Operators step onto a flat floor and sit on a bench seat. The seat is bolstered to provide extra passenger support and limit wear.

Operators will find a couple of additional features in the XP 1000 Northstar Ultimate. The cab includes a full-glass tip-out windshield, JBL Trail Pro 2000 Audio system and a 7-inch display powered by Polaris RIDE COMMAND. RIDE COMMAND features GPS mapping and location among vehicles, inter-vehicle messaging and a backup camera.

Nice to have for time-starved farmers and ranchers are doubled service intervals. What was a standard 100 hours and 1,000 miles of operation between servicing is now 200 hours and 2,000 miles.

"This offers farmers and ranchers more uptime, less time in their barns working on the vehicles, and more time using them. It increases the efficiency of the machine," Erspamer said.

On the front of the Northstar is a 4,500-pound winch with synthetic rope, autotop and wireless remote (it can also be operated by way of a switch to the left of the steering wheel). You'll get an argument about which performs better, steel or synthetic rope. Polaris chose synthetic for one reason of several, it won't sink into the mud.

The best part of the ride was the ride. It was fast and it always felt controlled and safe. The XP 1000 Northstar hugged the trail superbly -- up and down hills, around corners at speed. In true All-Wheel Drive, the Polaris XP 1000 Northstar took on steep hills in high or low gear. AWD engages when the rear wheel begins to slip. Riding on 29-inch 8-ply ProArmor X-Terrain tires, the Northstar editions have 14 inches of ground clearance.

It felt like the Northstar edition was glued to the trail -- no tipping, no uncontrolled slides around corners. I'm told the real word for this effect is "planted."

"Polaris is a ride and handling company. That's what we've built our heritage on. This model year '25 is no exception to that. The way we design our chassis that is super stiff, the way we design our suspension geometries and how we tune our suspension--these allow the vehicle to work hard and to play hard," said Erspamer. "The vehicle stays planted and stays flat in the corners and that offers a safe, secure feel for the operator."

Polaris is offering a $300 price reduction on its base 2025 Ranger 1000. That utility side-by-side can be had for $13,999 (999cc engine, 61 hp).

The Ranger Crew XP 1000 Waterfowl Edition returns to the hunt for 2025 (999cc, 82 hp, starts at $25,499). The Waterfowl Edition is designed for flooded and muddy terrain. It runs on 29-inch Pro Armor Mud XC tires and has arched A-arms for traction, ground clearance and stability. The special edition model also features a high-mount winch over the bed and high-mount intakes and is available in Waterfowl Hunt Camo.

The all-new Ranger Crew XP 1000 NorthStar Texas Edition (999cc, 82 hp, starts at $36,999) features a new beefy front steel bumper and upper bumper arched A-arms, 14 inches of ground clearance on 29-inch Pro Armor X-Terrain Tires, factory-installed heating and air conditioning, 4,500-lb. winch, RIDE COMMAND, Pro Shield Cab with full glass tip-out windshield and power front windows, Texas Edition badging in a Bronze Pearl Metallic coating.

Here is a video of the 2025 Polaris Ranger XP 1000 in action, plus discussion of the features: https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Dan Miller can be reached at dan.miller@dtn.com

Follow him on social platform X @DMillerPF

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