Ride Safe
Polaris Ranger 150 EFI features app-based restrictive controls to protect youth riders.
Want to manage the location and speed of youth riders on an off-road vehicle? Polaris has an app for that.
The company’s new Ranger 150 EFI uses smartphone controls to limit starting, speed and confined areas of operation to offer youth aged 10 and older the experience of riding paired with parental safety.
The design follows the company’s strategy of creating scaled-down versions of its vehicle lines. In 2017, Polaris introduced the ACE 150 model, also aimed at the 10-and-up crowd but with similar limitations only physically controlled on the machine.
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“As an avid rider, I love being able to share the joy of riding with my family,” says Chris Musso, Polaris Off-Road Vehicles president. “But as a parent, I also want to ensure I’m creating a safe environment where my kids can have fun, learn and gain experience driving off-road vehicles.”
Safety App Control. Polaris uses its Ride Command smartphone app to control the safety restrictions on the Ranger 150 EFI. The system creates a geofence to establish “riding boundaries” that limits operation range for youth drivers.
The company added a digital speed-limiting feature to the app controls to create preset speed limits for areas inside and outside of the geofence. This restriction, Polaris says, enables adults to determine speed limits at their discretion depending on terrain and a child’s age and experience level.
The vehicle’s start system controls are passcode-protected and designed to limit both when and who is operating it. Polaris added an option to this feature that allows restarts within a preset time period without reentering the passcode.
Other safety features include a maximum speed of 6 mph until the seat belt is connected, protective cage, safety nets and LED daytime-running lights and taillight.
Quick Specs. The Ranger 150 EFI seats two and provides tilt steering and a 5.7-inch seat slider to accommodate growing and various-sized youth. It features an electronic fuel-injected 150-cc engine, 8-inch ground clearance, 22-inch all-terrain tires and rear box with a 50-pound capacity. A roof and full and half windshield can be added, as well as optional front and rear bumper accessories. Available since mid-March, the Polaris Ranger 150 EFI has an MSRP of $4,999.
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