Polaris 2012 RZR XP 4 Media Event

Polaris RZR XP 4 900's all lined up
2012 Polaris RZR XP 4's all lined up and ready to ride in Parker Arizona

Polaris coordinated the launch of the Polaris RZR XP 4 with the first race of the 2012 Best in the Desert racing series so we could check out Jagged X’s Polaris RZR XP 4 900 make its racing debut then spend a full day riding on and around the Parker 250 race course. The Parker 250 was dominated by Polaris with RZRs taking the top four spots in the Pro UTV class. The Jagged X RZR XP 4 piloted by Bill Schueler and co-dog Craig Scanlon would race in the Sportsman class. They finished third in the Sportsman class and tenth overall. 1991 was running in the top three or four half-way through the race, but soon after the got a flat. The team was not carrying a spare and the tools needed to change the tire which cost them over 20 minutes.

The race was not only an opportunity for Polaris to debut the new XP 4, but also for Jagged X to show off their new Best in the Desert race legal XP 4. For $10,000, Jagged X's XP 4 BITD race program includes chromoloy tube cage with all the required gussets, seat mounts welded to the chassis, aluminum roof, doors and fire wall, suspension seats with Simpson 5 point harnesses, race legal front and rear bumpers, radio communication, GPS, ATL fuel cell, fresh air system, safety netting, safety lights, horn, fire extinguishers, first-aid kit, rear view mirror, wiring & switches, and number plates. I can see that this will be a big hitter for UTV enthusiasts that want to get into desert racing. Building a BITD legal race UTV for anywhere near that would be very tough.

Two days later, it was time for the media to get behind the wheel of the RZR XP 4. Polaris had brought out three semis with a bunch of RZR XPs and XP 4s. One of the XP 4s had my name on it, and I got to take it home with me!

Polaris always goes big with their press introductions

In the morning, we rode out through varying terrain which included about 20 miles of the Parker 250 race course, and also some graded road and tight trails around Cienega Spring.

Polaris RZR XP 4 press ride
On a stop during our guided morning ride near Cienega Spring and the Desert Bar

In the afternoon, it was time to go out on our own. I teamed up with Joey D. and Rusty Baptist of UTVUnderground.com and Killian from Mad Media jumped in another XP 4 with me.

The first thing we did was grab Bill Schueler from Jagged X and head out to get some pictures of the 1991 RZR XP 4. Bill also spent a little time to bring us up to date on the BITD race legal package from Jagged X. Then after heading back to the main area, we headed out on our own to get some more shots.

Rusty and Joey shredding the desert trails in their XP 4

Joey and I teamed up for a little rock crawling

The RZR XP 4 900 has many of the same attributes as the RZR XP 900; the proven 88 horsepower, ProStar™ 900 Twin engine, 3-Link Trailing Arm Independent Rear Suspension (IRS) with 12.5 in/31.8 cm of ground clearance and 14 in/35.6 cm of travel, On-Demand True All-Wheel Drive and low center of gravity for unmatched cornering; with a class-leading 107.4 in of wheelbase to not only accommodate two more passengers, but also provide the smoothest ride available on a high-performance side-by-side.

The Polaris RZR XP 4 comes with Walker Evans Racing shocks all round. Front Suspension is a Dual A-Arm with Walker Evans 2" body and 13.5" of wheel travel. Rear Suspension is a Trailing Arm with Walker Evans 2.5" body and 14" of wheel travel. Both front and rear shocks have external compression adjustment so you can quickly fine tune the shocks for varying conditions and load.

The massive 2.5-inch body rear shocks are designed to deliver higher damping forces and avoid shock fade compared to a 2-inch body shock thanks to a 35 percent larger piston area that reduces internal pressure and heat generation. The shock also contains 35 percent more oil volume to slow the rate of heat buildup when pounding through the roughest terrain.

Coupling the Walker Evans shocks with RZR XP 4 900’s long wheel base makes for a smooth ride in this high-performance side-by-side. The RZR XP 4 has a huge 107.4” that makes it perform even better in the whoops that the RZR XP.

With the engine located behind the seats, a wide 64" stance and 3-Link Trailing Arm Independent Rear Suspension really helped the XP 4 feel stable on the rough Parker 250 race course.

Since Polaris was handing over the keys to our new demo units, and we were only a few hours from the Sand Toy Capitol of the world, I twisted a few arms and got six different editors to get up early the next morning and head right to Glamis! Be sure to check out all the pictures and video from our day at: Polaris RZR XP 4 Takes on Glamis

Polaris RZR XP 4 with Dave Kuskie from Fullerton Sand Sports behind the wheel

These are surely exciting times to be involved in the UTV market, and Polaris is a big reason why. With close to 20 different models and scores of limited editions, Polaris has hit event segment of the market place. From pure work to pure sport and EVERYWHERE in between, Polaris is at the top of the market. On the pure sport side of the UTV spectrum, Polaris has now created six RZR platforms (RZR 570, RZR 800, RZR S, RZR XP, RZR 4 and RZR XP 4) in just four model years. It is truly incredible how far the market has come in the last four years, and Polaris is a big reason why!

I cannot wait to get back out in the dunes with our Polaris RZR XP 4 demo unit. The day we spent in Glamis with our XP 4 ranks as one of my top dune days ever. Super smooth dunes, several similarly quipped high performance UTVs, empty dunes and good friends. Very tough to top that!

2012 RANGER RZR XP 4 900-Liquid Silver

Additional features on the limited edition model include:

Electronic Power Steering

Liquid Silver painted dash with Black painted hood

Liquid Silver painted cab frame

Custom graphics package

Custom two-color cut & sew White and Black seats with RZR emblem

Color matched painted front and rear suspension springs

White Lightning painted control arms, trailing arms and radius rods

Maxxis® Bighorn® tires on 12" black Crusher rims

More Resources:

Manufacturer Info:

Website: Polaris Industries

Polaris Industries, Inc.
2100 Highway 55
Medina, MN 55340
(763) 417-8650

Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets off-road vehicles (ORVs), including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER®, snowmobiles and Victory Motorcycles® for recreational and utility use. Polaris is a recognized leader in the snowmobile industry, and one of the largest manufacturers of ORVs in the world. Victory Motorcycles, established in 1998 and representing the first all-new American-made motorcycle from a major company in nearly 60 years, are rapidly making impressive in-roads into the cruiser and touring motorcycle marketplace. Polaris also enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Pure Polaris® apparel, accessories and parts, available at Polaris dealerships. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII,” and the Company is included in the S&P Small-Cap 600 stock price index. Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories, is available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime from the Polaris homepage at www.polarisindustries.com.