2010 Ranger 400 Test Payson 11-09
We had the opportunity to take a Polaris Ranger Camo 400 out for a couple of days of scouting north of Payson Arizona. This is an all new model for this year where Polaris hopes to capture a large part of the Mid size side x side market. One nice thing about this mid size unit is I was able to fit it in the back of my full size pick up.
As we look around the unit it looks very familiar as we have come accustomed to the Polaris Ranger body style. The Camo front hood is hinged which makes it exceptionally easy to open up to clean the radiator and front suspension of the Ranger. Also the rear cargo box has a power assisted dump box that has a 500 lb capacity and a 1250 lb towing capacity. It is easy to operate by using the handy lever on the driver’s side of the box.
The seating is a bench style seat made for 2 full size adults and it comes with a ratcheting seat/lap belt. As we slide into the seats we notice they are firm and comfortable. One thing we really like is having a roll cage that is ROPS approved (Certified Roll-Over Protective Structure). This is one feature we hope to never test but it is good to know they have reinforced the cage just in case.
Next as we scan the dash we notice 2 compartments to store small items plus a large glove box for extra gloves or electronics. On our test we even used it to store a large pair of binoculars. There are also 2 cup holders to keep your water bottles handy.
One thing missing is a speedometer. Instead, on this entry level model there is an hour meter. At least this way you can keep track of the hours so you will know when to do your maintenance.
Polaris put the shifting knob in a very handy spot high on the dash on the right hand side of the steering wheel. The Ranger has high, low, neutral, reverse and park. I especially like the park feature to make sure your ride stays where you put it.
One unique feature on this machine is an optional speed key system. With the second key the Ranger is limited to a top speed of 23 MPH. This is an excellent feature for the work environment.
Engine and Transmission
To power this mid size unit Polaris put a 455 cc carbureted power plant that puts out a surprising 29 hp. They claim to have a top speed of 40 mph although we hit 44 on our chase machine close behind the Ranger on a smooth FS road, but it was a slight downhill road. The transmission is the tried and true CVT belt drive system.
The engineers use the on demand true all wheel drive system with versatrac turf mode. We have always loved the 4 wheel drive system of all the Polaris machines. It just works every time and you don’t even know it. If there is 10% slippage in the rear tires the front automatically locks up. Even with the front locked in the steering is not negatively affected. On this model they also have a turf mode in 2 wheel drive that unlocks the rear differential so that you can turn tighter and with only one rear wheel turning it will not tear up the turf. This is an excellent feature when working on your property.
Let’s go scouting
We head out into the woods on a small trail just under the rim North of Payson Az. As we head up the trail about 1 mile in there is a very deep rut in the trail which we will find in many spots along the trail system. As I ease down into the rut I am amazed at how well the Ranger handles with 2 full size riders, even with one wheel in the deep rut. For a second I thought maybe I shouldn’t be going into the rut without another vehicle along with us, but the Polaris 400 in low range it hardly even whimpers as it crawls through the twisting rut. Since it is early in the day we just had to take a couple of turns each going through the washed out trail just to see how well the Polaris Ranger would handle the trail. It was amazing how well the machine would keep digging no matter how off camber it was or how many tires were on the ground. It never felt the least bit like it was going to tip over. With 8 inches of travel in the front suspension and 9 inches in the rear dual a arm we were always able to find traction.
Next we went on a trail towards the base of the rim. This road was used as a fire break so it has lots of water breaks cut into the road. With 10 inches of clearance and a full belly skid plate we had no problems making our way along the trail. Sometimes we forget how easy a side x side handles the tough trails compared to a full size truck until we came upon 2 trucks on this road. It was too narrow to pass so we had to follow them for a couple of hundred yards until they could pull over. Beau and I both said we sure were glad we were in our Polaris Ranger instead of a truck. It is amazing how slow the trucks have to go. The scenery in this area is incredible with the fantastic views of the rim off in the distance, and the vast woodlands in the foregrounds. As we were coming up to one area we wanted to scout the trail was very narrow with large ruts running down the middle of the trail. This is one advantage a side has over the narrower quads as we could straddle the ruts with ease. Also if you get into a situation where one front tire gets up in the air slightly it will hold the line whereas on a quad the machine will roll into the drop off. This makes a UTV much more stable in this type of terrain.
The next day we head to a much different area. This trail has lots of large rocks to go along with the deep ruts. This is where we get to test the 10 inches of ground clearance for sure. For the most part we can straddle the rocks although there are some that do hit the undercarriage but the plastic skid plates slide over the rocks and logs surprisingly well.
Along this trail there are also some smooth sections with tight turns. We were able to maneuver through the twisty trails with ease with the somewhat narrower Ranger 400. It is 56.5 inches wide compared to 60 inches for the Ranger XP and Ranger HD. When driving on twisting trails breaking is another important factor. Polaris has fitted the Ranger 400 with 4 wheel hydraulic disc brakes which we found to have excellent stopping power.
On our trip back to the cabin we were on a smooth forest service road where we had a chance to test the machine at higher speeds. One thing that was noticeable was the machine would push when cornering hard. This was probably due to the narrower width, smaller diameter tires and having independent MacPherson strusts up front instead of dual a-arms. Although we noted this, keep in mind this is an entry level Ranger intended for hunting, work, and recreation. It is not intended to be on the race track.
Conclusion
We found the Ranger 400 to be another great Polaris product. We were pleasantly surprised that the Mossy Oak Camo finish showed no scratches at all even with the extremely tough Manzanita bushes scraping up against it for 2 days.
This Ranger has many of the same attributes of its larger cousins and is a blast to drive. The torque of this machine is surprising for the smaller displacement and the breaks work excellent. We would always rather have EFI (electronic Fuel Injection) but that will come in time.
At a standard price of $7,999 this is an excellent value. Colors are red or green. Mossy Oak Camo version is $8,299.
Check out all the Polaris products at http://www.polarisindustsies.com
To keep up to date on the latest products and news check out our website: http://www.utvoffroadmag.com
Read MoreAs we look around the unit it looks very familiar as we have come accustomed to the Polaris Ranger body style. The Camo front hood is hinged which makes it exceptionally easy to open up to clean the radiator and front suspension of the Ranger. Also the rear cargo box has a power assisted dump box that has a 500 lb capacity and a 1250 lb towing capacity. It is easy to operate by using the handy lever on the driver’s side of the box.
The seating is a bench style seat made for 2 full size adults and it comes with a ratcheting seat/lap belt. As we slide into the seats we notice they are firm and comfortable. One thing we really like is having a roll cage that is ROPS approved (Certified Roll-Over Protective Structure). This is one feature we hope to never test but it is good to know they have reinforced the cage just in case.
Next as we scan the dash we notice 2 compartments to store small items plus a large glove box for extra gloves or electronics. On our test we even used it to store a large pair of binoculars. There are also 2 cup holders to keep your water bottles handy.
One thing missing is a speedometer. Instead, on this entry level model there is an hour meter. At least this way you can keep track of the hours so you will know when to do your maintenance.
Polaris put the shifting knob in a very handy spot high on the dash on the right hand side of the steering wheel. The Ranger has high, low, neutral, reverse and park. I especially like the park feature to make sure your ride stays where you put it.
One unique feature on this machine is an optional speed key system. With the second key the Ranger is limited to a top speed of 23 MPH. This is an excellent feature for the work environment.
Engine and Transmission
To power this mid size unit Polaris put a 455 cc carbureted power plant that puts out a surprising 29 hp. They claim to have a top speed of 40 mph although we hit 44 on our chase machine close behind the Ranger on a smooth FS road, but it was a slight downhill road. The transmission is the tried and true CVT belt drive system.
The engineers use the on demand true all wheel drive system with versatrac turf mode. We have always loved the 4 wheel drive system of all the Polaris machines. It just works every time and you don’t even know it. If there is 10% slippage in the rear tires the front automatically locks up. Even with the front locked in the steering is not negatively affected. On this model they also have a turf mode in 2 wheel drive that unlocks the rear differential so that you can turn tighter and with only one rear wheel turning it will not tear up the turf. This is an excellent feature when working on your property.
Let’s go scouting
We head out into the woods on a small trail just under the rim North of Payson Az. As we head up the trail about 1 mile in there is a very deep rut in the trail which we will find in many spots along the trail system. As I ease down into the rut I am amazed at how well the Ranger handles with 2 full size riders, even with one wheel in the deep rut. For a second I thought maybe I shouldn’t be going into the rut without another vehicle along with us, but the Polaris 400 in low range it hardly even whimpers as it crawls through the twisting rut. Since it is early in the day we just had to take a couple of turns each going through the washed out trail just to see how well the Polaris Ranger would handle the trail. It was amazing how well the machine would keep digging no matter how off camber it was or how many tires were on the ground. It never felt the least bit like it was going to tip over. With 8 inches of travel in the front suspension and 9 inches in the rear dual a arm we were always able to find traction.
Next we went on a trail towards the base of the rim. This road was used as a fire break so it has lots of water breaks cut into the road. With 10 inches of clearance and a full belly skid plate we had no problems making our way along the trail. Sometimes we forget how easy a side x side handles the tough trails compared to a full size truck until we came upon 2 trucks on this road. It was too narrow to pass so we had to follow them for a couple of hundred yards until they could pull over. Beau and I both said we sure were glad we were in our Polaris Ranger instead of a truck. It is amazing how slow the trucks have to go. The scenery in this area is incredible with the fantastic views of the rim off in the distance, and the vast woodlands in the foregrounds. As we were coming up to one area we wanted to scout the trail was very narrow with large ruts running down the middle of the trail. This is one advantage a side has over the narrower quads as we could straddle the ruts with ease. Also if you get into a situation where one front tire gets up in the air slightly it will hold the line whereas on a quad the machine will roll into the drop off. This makes a UTV much more stable in this type of terrain.
The next day we head to a much different area. This trail has lots of large rocks to go along with the deep ruts. This is where we get to test the 10 inches of ground clearance for sure. For the most part we can straddle the rocks although there are some that do hit the undercarriage but the plastic skid plates slide over the rocks and logs surprisingly well.
Along this trail there are also some smooth sections with tight turns. We were able to maneuver through the twisty trails with ease with the somewhat narrower Ranger 400. It is 56.5 inches wide compared to 60 inches for the Ranger XP and Ranger HD. When driving on twisting trails breaking is another important factor. Polaris has fitted the Ranger 400 with 4 wheel hydraulic disc brakes which we found to have excellent stopping power.
On our trip back to the cabin we were on a smooth forest service road where we had a chance to test the machine at higher speeds. One thing that was noticeable was the machine would push when cornering hard. This was probably due to the narrower width, smaller diameter tires and having independent MacPherson strusts up front instead of dual a-arms. Although we noted this, keep in mind this is an entry level Ranger intended for hunting, work, and recreation. It is not intended to be on the race track.
Conclusion
We found the Ranger 400 to be another great Polaris product. We were pleasantly surprised that the Mossy Oak Camo finish showed no scratches at all even with the extremely tough Manzanita bushes scraping up against it for 2 days.
This Ranger has many of the same attributes of its larger cousins and is a blast to drive. The torque of this machine is surprising for the smaller displacement and the breaks work excellent. We would always rather have EFI (electronic Fuel Injection) but that will come in time.
At a standard price of $7,999 this is an excellent value. Colors are red or green. Mossy Oak Camo version is $8,299.
Check out all the Polaris products at http://www.polarisindustsies.com
To keep up to date on the latest products and news check out our website: http://www.utvoffroadmag.com
