First Look: Polaris Xpedition ADV

If a basic overlanding automobile, like a tricked-out Toyota 4Runner, and a standard side-by-side had a love youngster, it could look one thing just like the Polaris Xpedition ADV. The brand-new, off-highway automobile has options that overlanders are used to, like energy home windows, air con, Bluetooth, rooftop tents, and tons of stowage house. Nevertheless it’s additionally designed to tackle tight trails, rugged terrain, and entry backcountry locations that you simply wouldn’t usually have the ability to attain in a truck. It’s able to hauling 5 passengers and 600 kilos of drugs. I had the chance to get a primary have a look at the brand new automobile, taking it 110 miles into the Arizona backcountry on a press occasion. Right here’s the way it carried out.

• Warmth and air con 
• Lockable full doorways with energy home windows
• Tip-out windshield with wash and wiper and rear hatch
• Journey Command+ with a 7-inch show
• JBL Path Professional 4100 audio
• Entrance and rear cameras
• Tilt and telescoping steering
• 140a alternator charging system
• 114 HP ProStar 1000 Gen 2 engine
• FOX Podium QS3 with place delicate spiral know-how
• Excessive clearance twin A-Arm with stabilizer bar
• 14 inches of floor clearance
• 30-inch Professional Armor Crawler XP tires
• On-demand true AWD/2WD/VersaTrac Turf Mode
• 200+ mile gasoline vary
• Polaris HD 4500 LB Winch
• Entrance bull bumper and full protection skid plate
• ProFit sport roof and inside liner
• Lock and Journey MAX cargo system
• Rhino-Rack storage
• Fold flat and 60/40-split flip-up rear seats
• Value: Beginning at $44,999 
• Seats: 5

Journey Command+

Pre-loaded with over 1,000,000 miles of mapped trails, Journey Command means that you can create waypoints, find any group journey members, and talk with different Journey Command autos with out cell-service. You’ll be able to see any stops, locations, and different group journey autos clearly on the 7-inch show display screen map. It’s handy and safer to alert different drivers when to shift into low or warn followers of obstacles through this off-line messaging system with out having to cease and exit the automobile. The route planning and sharing may even be helpful after your journey is over to share beta with different drivers.

Clean Journey

Polaris engineering program chief, Dustin Bakker, instructed me the explanation the Xpedition ADV has such a clean using expertise is the suspension design. The automobile has brand-new FOX QS3 shocks that work with the twin A-Arm suspension to supply a clean journey. Mix this with the excessive clearance and 30-inch Professional Armor Crawler XP, and also you’ve bought a automobile that gained’t beat you up on a rugged path. The three driving modes are consolation, customary, and sport; every are throttle mapped for various terrain and using experiences.

Storage

Pack your fishing gear, tenting provides, searching tools, roof high tent, coolers, mountain bikes, kayaks, and extra. The Lock and Journey MAX cargo system, fold-flat rear seats, and Rhino-Rack mattress or roof rack assist you to pack up the Xpedition ADV for any journey you possibly can consider. With a 1,160-pound payload capability and a couple of,000-pound hitch towing ranking, you possibly can convey every thing and the kitchen sink. The storage capability on the Xpedition ADV is unimaginable, even when all 5 seats are taken.

Driving the Polaris Xpedition ADV 

Behind the wheel of the Xpedition ADV, I used to be truthfully dissatisfied with how easily the automobile conquered rocky obstacles and sudden drops into washes. It was my first time driving a side-by-side and I used to be prepared for a more difficult journey, lurching by means of and hurdling over harsh terrain. Nonetheless, for the primary 10 miles, the Xpedition ADV felt as comfy as driving my very own all-wheel drive compact SUV alongside a mud highway. The Lock and Journey Max cargo system retains a cooler, spare tire, or no matter else you pack up from shifting in the course of the journey. Nonetheless, the 142-pound Polaris rooftop tent on high of an already over 6-foot tall automobile made me really feel tippy on tight turns, and it seems my suspicions weren’t unfounded.

After 40 miles of dusty turns, bumpy washes, rocky climbs, and open backroads, I did some unintentional sturdiness testing on the brand new machine—and rolled it whereas cruising down a hill.

My helmet, seatbelt, and the roll cage did their jobs and I climbed out unhurt. The windshield cracked however the aspect home windows surprisingly remained intact even after rolling over rocks. Polaris engineers used one other Xpedition ADV’s winch to proper the automobile and, after popping an air filter and again panel again into place, Polaris workers had been capable of drive the automobile out with nothing greater than a cracked windshield, dented sides, and indifferent aspect mirrors. 

I ought to in all probability be aware right here that extra skilled drivers on this journey didn’t have any points rolling autos. I used to be impressed by the protection options, sturdiness, and winch functionality of the brand new machine. 

I used to be a passenger within the Xpedition ADV for the remainder of the journey, which featured an intense rock crawl. The automobile ascended the tight, rocky hall with shocking ease. On the winding highway that adopted, the Xpedition ADV cornered easily. 

I used to be nonetheless capable of sleep within the Polaris rooftop tent that night time at camp, nevertheless it did bend barely within the rollover that means the platform wasn’t as flat as supposed. The mattress is comfy however agency. Polaris says there may be room for 3, however greater than two adults wouldn’t be comfy.

Remaining Ideas on the Polaris Xpedition ADV

The air con, Journey Command+, Bluetooth audio, and different luxurious options are nice, however the actual draw of the Xpedition ADV is its capability to take you and your gear deep into the backcountry. Whereas any overlanding automobile can execute a light climb and carry your searching tools, it could actually’t match all over the place. The Xpedition ADV goes to sort out the tight turns, crawls, and difficult terrain. 

Within the palms of an skilled driver, you will get a ton of drugs and passengers locations that almost all autos can’t go. Nonetheless, this side-by-side isn’t as light-weight and sporty as you may count on a standard SXS to be. Particularly with a 142-pound rooftop tent, you’ll need to be conscious of the Xpedition ADV’s 2,790-pound dry weight. This additionally means should you’re filling the Xpedition ADV to the gills with gear and riders, you’ll must be extra cautious. Whereas nobody needs to flip a side-by-side, you’ll be much more dissatisfied in case your pair of $5,000 mountain bikes are hanging off the hitch throughout a rollover.

With skilled and cautious driving, this comfy and spacious side-by-side can haul you and your gear to a dream vacation spot. The Xpedition ADV excels as a family-friendly strategy to attain lovely and desolate areas to bike, kayak, camp, hunt, or fish.