

All of the 850 Sportsman models have the Polaris Engine Braking System. The engine is paired to a fully automatic CVT. When you push the thumb throttle you can feel every horse. Sure, it is more complex with a few more parts, but for a jump of roughly 50 pounds between the 570 and a comparably equipped 850, you jump from 44 horsepower to 78 ponies! That is far more than enough to offset the weight difference. As noted, it’s a twin cylinder with EFI, liquid cooling and four valves per cylinder. The Polaris Sportsman 850 isn’t humble in the power department. That seems a reasonable jump to get the wheels, tires, paint, EPS, Automatic Descent Control, winch, bumper and upgraded lights and instrumentation. The base 850 is $8999, and the obviously fully equipped Ultimate Trail is $2500 more at $11,499. Naturally, there is a dollar difference as well. You feel that weight when you start to push the pace, but only feel it as sheer comfort and luxury at slower speeds. The Sportsman 570 Ultimate Trail Limited Edition we tested earlier weighed in at 821 pounds. It isn’t just the fact that it is a twin-cylinder 850 instead of a single-cylinder 570. The stripped-down Polaris 850 Scrambler (without EPS) is an even lighter 735 pounds. There is only a 67-pound difference between the base Sportsman 570 and the base 850! There is almost a 100-pound difference between the 772-pound base 850 and the 871-pound Ultimate Trail. Electric power steering, tires, a winch and paint all add weight. There is a cost in weight and another in retail price. The front is a little more prone to bottoming than the rear.Īs nice as the UTE is, the additions that help its trail worthiness have several costs. We weren’t interested in generating big air on the Ultimate Trail, but small jumps are fine, and it lands easily.
#Polaris sportsman 850 free#
We find winches helpful to clear junk from the trail more often than to free the machine from sticky situations.
#Polaris sportsman 850 pro#
A Polaris Pro HD 3500-pound winch with synthetic rope comes standard.

#Polaris sportsman 850 series#
An Ultimate Series front bumper and steel skid plates provide added protection from trail abuse and the elements. New-for-‘21 are automotive-style sealed suspension bushings designed to withstand mud and water intrusion and reduce vehicle maintenance.

Lightweight, 14-inch cast-aluminum wheels hold tough, wear- and puncture-resistant 27-inch Duro tires.įor more clearance, the UTE has front and rear arched A-arms to boost usable ground clearance. All three lights have high and low beams. UTE improvements include upgraded LED headlights and a handlebar-mounted LED pod light as part of the instrument display. The Ultimate Trail Edition starts with the capable Sportsman 850, then changes it up for riders that demand a trail machine with both looks and performance. The Ultimate Trail Edition is claimed to have been engineered with “rider-inspired upgrades.” That is another way to say the company acceded to customer suggestions. There is plenty of power to slide the Sportsman 850 Ultimate Trail Edition when you want to, but it never just spins from sudden jumps in power. All have at least two uses for the quad, and in a large number of cases, the second use was either plowing snow or hunting. On the other hand, nearly none of the owners used the quad strictly for fun. We saw almost none that used the quad solely for work. We took the time to look over a good number of customer reviews on the 850. All of the Sportsman 850 versions offer sublime comfort and convenience to what is essentially a work quad that is big fun to play on. Our last Polaris 850 test vehicle had tires that were an inch smaller and an inch narrower. We don’t see how that helps for serious trails, but the winch, bumper, lights and tires are all bona fide helpers on any trail. Trail-ready straight from the factory, the Sportsman 850 Ultimate Trail Edition lets you go wherever the adventure takes you.” One facet of the UTE is fully painted bodywork. Polaris claims the UTE is, “Built for the rider that needs top trail performance and exclusive looks.
