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Old 06-24-2010, 10:18 PM
ravencr ravencr is offline
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Default Re: ATV World Magazine Polaris RZR 4 Review

Next, we took the RZR 4 out to Moab, UT for the 4th Annual UTV Rally. Our goal was to test the RZR 4?s ability to rock crawl and run through the sand. Although there?s not a ton of sand dunes in Moab, there are some areas we were able to get a feel for the RZR 4?s ability to power through the soft sand. And, of course, Moab, UT is most well known for its abundance of slick rock crawling, big ledges, and steep climbs and descents. There?s a big difference running on tight woods slick and muddy trails versus the famous slickrock in Moab, UT. Plus, with the added sections of sand in Moab, we?re able to give you well rounded picture of the RZR 4?s capabilities and limitations.

Steel Bender
When we first arrived in Moab, we took the RZR 4 out on Steel Bender, which is rated as a heavy moderate, light difficult trail for UTVs. It consists of loose rock ledges, choppy exposed rock, jagged rock faces, and some of the most scenic views in all of Moab. With the backdrop of the snow covered LaSalle Mountains and Ken?s Lake, we headed into the trail wondering how the RZR 4 would do on all the ledges, considering the longer wheelbase.


To our surprise, the RZR 4 conquered all the major obstacles on Steel Bender with no trouble at all. What was nice is that the steeper the obstacles were, the more at home you felt driving the RZR 4, because you never felt like you were going to tip over backwards.

Through the choppy terrain, we realized at times a little more ground clearance would be helpful and possibly no rear swaybar, as well. While dropping off some of the ledges, we definitely hit bottom, but never got hung up.

Hell?s Revenge
One of the most famous trails in Moab is Hell?s Revenge, so we had to take the RZR 4 out to test its capabilities on obstacles referred to as Hell?s Gate, Escalator, Tip-Over Challenge, and the famous hot tubs. In short, the main part of the trail proved to be no problem for the RZR 4 making short work of steep inclines, declines, and off-cambers. When we came to Hell?s Gate, we looked at it, picked a line, and headed down and back up with no problem at all.

But, like anything, if you get offline a little bit, the obstacles on Hell?s Revenge can definitely create some pucker factor.

We did both routes up and down Hell?s Gate, and we found the extra wheelbase was very confidence inspiring.

Next, we headed towards escalator, which is the hardest obstacle on Hell?s Revenge. It?s a combination of a v-notch with extremely steep rock faces to climb up at the same time. Having watched plenty of 2-seat UTVs attempt it with little to no success often times resulting in rollovers, we had to see if the extended wheelbase of the RZR 4 would either prove to be too long and cause us to high center or be just enough to make it up safely. The first face was no problem. The second bowl is nearly straight up with no real place for your right side to grip to, because it?s a sheer wall. We picked our line and slowly attempted to climb up. To our surprise, it walked right up without even spinning a tire or dragging the undercarriage. Right after us were some 8? over long travel RZR?s that all needed a strap to keep it safe and prevent them from rolling over backwards. On this obstacle the extra wheelbase definitely proved helpful.

Next we headed to Tip-Over Challenge, which although it is tall, steep, and off-camber, it proved once again to be no problem for the RZR 4?s vertical and horizontal stability.

Next, we headed out towards the famous hot tubs.

We did the first one without any trouble for any of the UTVs with us and decided that having to strap off for the other two didn?t really prove anything. So, we resorted to the fact that we didn?t have big enough nerves to conquer the remaining two hot tubs and completed the rest of Hell?s Revenge without any trouble.

Fins N Things
One of the coolest trails in Moab is Fins N Things with its combination of slickrock and soft sand. Here, we took 4 adults out in the RZR 4 to see just how well it did fully loaded down on a moderate trail. Once again, we conquered all the obstacles on the trail with no trouble at all. But, this is where we did notice a difference in power. With the added weight of two more riders and the deep soft sand, more power would have been welcomed. But, regardless, we were able to speed through the whoops and high-sided berms with finesse. Once up to speed, maintaining it didn?t seem to be a problem at all. Surprisingly, we expected the suspension to bottom out and high center a lot more often, but we didn?t notice a huge difference in the way it handled. And, all the folks riding with us were amazed too, because they all had families and were interested to see how it did fully loaded down, as well.

Cliffhanger
Of the difficult trails in Moab, Cliffhanger is one where you quickly become acquainted with steep loose ledge off-camber climbs and descents. Once again we wanted to see if the additional wheelbase of the RZR 4 would prevent us from completing the trail. With us we had other RZR 4?s and lots of other 2-seat UTVs for comparison. We finally got hung up, but it was the harder alternate route that caused us to stop dead in our tracks.

Otherwise, in comparison to the other 2-seat UTVs, we were now convinced that there?s very little if any detriment to having the extra wheelbase. Outside of a worse turning radius and being slightly harder to steer due to it?s weight, the added vertical and horizontal stability was gladly welcomed on Cliffhanger.

Hurrah Pass/Chicken Corners
This trail isn?t known for it?s hard obstacles, but rather it?s draw dropping views and high speed runs through the soft sand and whoops. With 3 people in the RZR 4, it was a blast to bomb through the whoops wide open, catch some air, and carve through the high-banked turns. As mentioned before, acceleration is definitely slower than a regular RZR or RZR S, but it?s definitely on par with the other available 2-seat UTVs with similar sized engines. What we also found on this trail is that it?s a lot of fun to be riding with more than one other passenger. We all took turns driving and laughing at how smooth the RZR 4 handles the whoops and small jumps. If big jumps are your thing, our recommendation would be more compression dampening by adjusting the stock shocks. Otherwise, once up to speed, it?s a blast to carve through the sand.

Poison Spider Mesa
If you only have the chance to ride one trail in Moab, our recommendation would be Poison Spider Mesa because of its variety of terrain and jaw dropping scenery. But, it?s also a 4/5 difficult trail with non-stop action along the whole trail.

It includes steep rock faces, ledges, soft sand, slickrock, and excellent backdrops for amazing pictures against the LaSalle Mountains.

Without boring you with a play by play of each obstacle, the RZR 4 definitely proved worthy of tackling any section of this trail with confidence and ease.

In fact, many of the Jeeps out on the trails were amazed at how easily it went up some of the steeper rock faces that often times cause Jeeps and other fullsize rigs to flip over backwards or merely not have enough traction to make it up.


Final Impressions
Overall, the RZR 4 proved to us that its extended wheelbase, RZR S inspired long travel suspension, extra 2 seats and really cool looking paint scheme far outweighs the slower than desired steering ratio and extra weight. The back seats are just as comfortable as the front seats, which is mainly due to the stadium style seating and plenty of space to slide your feet up under the front seats. By no means do you feel cramped in the back of the RZR 4. As mentioned in the beginning, a parking brake, some tie down points in the bed, a lockable glove box, quicker steering ratio, and power steering would all be welcome features for 2011, but they?re definitely not required to have a great time in this machine with 3 of your friends or family. The Polaris RZR 4 Robby Gordon Edition is definitely the ultimate family sport oriented side x side on the market today. No more do you have to put seats in the back of your existing UTV to bring your children or friends. The RZR 4 is capable of safely taking you and your family and friends anywhere you want to go more comfortably.

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