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Side by Side Vehicle ComparisonWe have highlighted
cells in the table below in green
and red.
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Polaris |
Polaris RZR S |
Yamaha |
Kawasaki |
Arctic Cat |
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| Dry Weight | 945 lbs. | 1000 lbs. | 1049 lbs. | 1276 lbs. | 1165 lbs.** |
| Ground Clearance | 10" | 12.5" | 12.1" | 11.2" | 10" |
| Length | 102" | 102" | 113.6" | 115.7" | 115" |
| Width | 50" | 60" | 54.4" | 58.3" | 60" |
| Wheelbase | 77" | 77" | 75.2" | 75.8" | 75" |
| Travel | 9" | 12" | 7.3" | 7.5" | 10" |
| Engine | Twin - 760cc | Twin - 760cc | Single - 686cc | V-twin - 749cc | V-twin - 951cc |
| EFI | Yes | Yes | Yes (2008) | Yes (2009) | Yes |
| Hitch Capacity | 1500 lbs 1 1/4" receiver |
1500 lbs 1 1/4" receiver |
1212 lbs 2" receiver |
1300 lbs. | 1500 lbs. 2" receiver |
| Bed Capacity | 300 lbs. | 300 lbs. | 400 lbs. | 500 lbs. | 600 lbs. |
| Tilt Wheel | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Unlockable "Turf Mode" Rear Differential? |
No | No | No | No | No |
| Aftermarket Parts Rating |
9/10 | 9/10 | 10/10 | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Center of Gravity Rating | 10 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Seat Height | 26.5" | 28" | 29.5" | 32" | 34" |
| Rollcage - ROPS Certified | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
| MSRP | $10,299 | $13,999 | $10,499 | $10,899 | $13,999 |
Compare specifications and prices of leading UTVs
We are big fans of electronic fuel injection. With EFI, vehicles tend to start easier and run smoother. And once you have an aftermarket fuel controller installed, it makes tuning a breeze after adding intake or changing your exhaust.
Minus: 2008 Kawasaki Teryx, pre-2008 Rhino, pre-2008 Arctic Cat Prowler
Plus: Polaris RZR, Polaris RZR S, Polaris Ranger, 2008 Yamaha Rhino, 2008 Arctic Cat Prowler, 2009 Arctic Cat Prowler XTZ 1000, 2009 Kawasaki Teryx
Our favorite configuration is a V-Twin with a minimum of 750cc (Teryx and Prowler 1000).
The 2009 Arctic Cat Prowler 1000 is now the king of the hill.
Minus: Yamaha Rhino
Plus: Polaris RZR, Polaris RZR S, Kawasaki Teryx, Arctic Cat Prowler XTZ 1000
Power to weight ratio is big for all of these underpowered UTVs. Every pound you add affects how much horsepower you use. Check out the weight specs carefully, and also look at what you add to the vehicle. A four seat roll cage, a bench seat, two kids and an ice chest adds a lot of weight.
Minus: Teryx, Arctic Cat Prowler
Plus: Polaris RZR, Polaris RZR S
In stock form, all the UTVs suffer from low ground clearance. A key to being successful on trails like the Rubicon or running the Baja 500 is ground clearance.
The Polaris RZR is about 2 inches lower than the Yamaha Rhino and Arctic Cat Prowler. The 2009 RZR S addresses this with larger tires and long travel.
Taller tires and wheels are the easiest way to gain a bit of altitude, but a lift kit is another way to get your UTV up in the air. The Ranger below has a lift kit installed.
Adjustable ride height would be a big plus. Legend Air Suspension and Fox Racing Shox both have air shocks that should make this a reality. We will have to see how they perform in all types of terrain.
Minus: Polaris Ranger and Polaris RZR
Plus: Polaris RZR S, Arctic Cat Prowler 700 (Prowler 1000 has 10" ground clearance)
A low center of gravity translates directly to more stability. The Polaris RZR is the only UTV that really addresses this with how the engine is placed behind the seats. This directly translates to lower seats by several inches.
Unfortunately, some of the gains for the RZR are realized by lowering the entire vehicle. And this means low ground clearance.
Seat Height
Plus: Polaris RZR, Polaris RZR S
Minus: Arctic Cat Prowler 700
1. On the trailer - The Polaris RZR has a length of 102". This just so happens to be the maximum width of a trailer being towed on the highway. The advantage here is you can stuff a Polaris RZR on the trailer sideways and save a ton of room.
Plus: Polaris RZR, Polaris RZR S
2. On the trails - Some trails have a maximum width restriction. At 50" wide, the Polaris RZR is allowed on ATV trails.
Plus: Polaris RZR
Polaris RZRMinus: Arctic Cat Prowler - 60" for the Arctic Cat Prowler 1000 is very wide.
3. Cargo - If you are looking to add seats and a cage in the bed for kids, it can be done with a Rhino, Teryx, Ranger or Prowler. No can do with a RZR. If you want to have two adults and all your camping equipment for two nights, it will also be real tough in a RZR.
Minus: Polaris RZR
When it comes to full size vehicles like Jeeps and Toyota trucks, wheel travel is probably the most important feature on trails like the Rubicon and Moab. But for UTVs, it really does not seem to make a difference. On our UTV Rubicon run, we had a good mix of stock and long travel rigs. The other features listed here all seemed to make a bigger impact that long travel vs. stock. The one advantage that the long travel Rhinos did have was a plush ride. My Rhino has a Mason Motorsports +6" long travel kit with 46mm Elka Elite shocks, and the ride is so much better than the 1998 Jeep Wrangler that I used to have.
Now go out on the track or play in the dunes, and wheel travel is much more important.
The 2009 Polaris RZR S has 12" of wheel travel and will dominate in factory form.
If you look at what types of aftermarket parts are available for different side by side vehicles, you'll see that it isn't equal. The Yamaha Rhino is the hands down king when it comes to aftermarket, but the Polaris RZR is catching on quick. For example, there are almost 40 different long travel kits and lots of aftermarket pipes being made for the Rhino. For the RZR, there are now over a dozen long travel kits, with more coming out each month.
Try and find a long travel kit for the Polaris Ranger or Arctic Cat Prowler, and you will have just a few choices.
Long travel may not be in your future, but it seems like other sport-type aftermarket products (performance, roll cages, bumpers, etc.) are in line with the popularity of long travel for a specific vehicle.
Plus: Yamaha Rhino, Polaris RZR, Kawasaki Teryx
Nothing else matters much if you aren't comfortable in a vehicle. Leg room, seat comfort, tilt steering wheel, cab space.
I am 6' 1" and 190 lbs. I fit pretty well in all of these side x sides.
The Polaris RZR is a bit tight, but very doable. If I was much taller or pushing 250 lbs. with a similar sized guy next to me, the RZR would be on the small side.
The tilt wheel in the Polaris RZR is nice.
Adjustable seats would be nice for when a smaller person wants to drive.
Rhino vs. RZR vs. Prowler
Locking differentials are a real necessity for a trail like the Rubicon. With an open differential, if one tire loses traction, all power goes to the tire that is spinning. That doesn’t help much when the spinning tire is in the air. With a locking differential, if a tire loses traction, the other tire can still pull. Thankfully, most of the UTVs come from the factory with some sort of locking differential. However, the rear differential on the Yamaha Rhino and the Polaris RZR are always locked and cannot be unlocked (open). The downside to a differential that isn’t open is poor turning radius. On a tight trail like the Rubicon, you can turn your wheels all the way in one direction, but the locked rear end will push the vehicle straight.
On the 2008 Arctic Cat Prowler 700, the driver controls whether the rear differential is open or locked.
In the dunes or desert trails, the locked rear end is no big deal.
Minus: Yamaha Rhino, Polaris RZR, Prowler 1000
Plus: Arctic Cat Prowler 700, Polaris Ranger
Slow speed will help you keep your vehicle in control when you are rock crawling, and the ability to go slow is dictated gearing and how quickly the CVT engages. This is where the Polaris vehicles do well. The lower low range in both the Polaris Ranger and Polaris RZR gives them the ability to crawl up and over rocks, while the Rhino needs to have a little momentum to climb.
Fuel injection also helps get your vehicle moving more smoothly in off-idle situations.
Low range really doesn't come into play for dune use.
Plus: Polaris Ranger and Polaris RZR
Minus: Yamaha Rhino
None of the UTVs on our run had power steering, but everyone agreed that it would have been nice. A few Utility ATVs already have power steering. Sure sees like a natural for UTVs to be similarly equipped.
Minus: All
Plus: 2009 Polaris Ranger HD
The stock Rhino exhaust tip makes a downward turn and points the exhaust at the ground. On a trail where you need to apply a good amount of throttle to climb up and over rocks, but not go very fast an exhaust that points down means one thing – DUST. Easy enough fix to cut off the downward portion of the tip, or to install a different tip, but very obnoxious for anyone in or behind a Rhino with a stock exhaust tip.
Off-road vehicle noise has also become a big issue in our National Forests. A quiet exhaust makes the user experience more enjoyable on multiple-use trails.
The stock RZR is much quieter than a Rhino and the exhaust exits straight out the back.
Minus: Yamaha Rhino
Plus: Polaris RZR, Polaris Ranger, Kawasaki Teryx
The possibility of a CV or axle giving up on the trail is pretty real. We had three CVs break amongst our 14 UTVs on the Rubicon Trail run. It would be great to be able to carry a spare axle with CVs and boots all ready to install in case of a breakage. Unfortunately, none of the UTVs have common length axles, so you would need to purchase and carry multiple axles for each vehicle to handle all scenarios.
Polaris RZR has two axle sizes. Yamaha Rhino has 3 for 2008 and 4 in 2004 - 2007.
2004 - 2007 Rhino Axles
Minus: All
For day trips, all the UTVs have plenty of capacity for spare parts and an ice chest. But if you are going to camp out on the trail, you need more room for tent, sleeping bags, food, clothes, etc. The RZR is really the only "sport" vehicle available in the side by side market, and the bed is a bit small. It all depends on what you are doing with the vehicle. If you want to pack two people, plus gear for two nights in the bed, the RZR will be a challenge.
Polaris RZR has a small bed with low side walls.
Yamaha Rhino has much more storage capacityMinus: Polaris RZR (if used for hauling)
The Arctic Cat Prowler Hitch is 2", but is not strong enough to handle much of a load.
The Polaris RZR Hitch is 1 1/4" and is VERY weak.Plus: Yamaha Rhino
Minus: Polaris RZR & Arctic Cat Prowler
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