TESTED | 2024 POLARIS XPEDITION ADV – FOUR SEAT | First Impression | Tested
We test the 2024 Polaris Xpedition ADV as soon as it lands in Australia over a long weekend of trail riding and camping.
The 2024 Polaris Xpedition ADV is a monster of an all-terrain vehicle designed to tackle not just recreational riding but work too. Boasting a ProStar 1000 Gen 2 four-Stroke DOHC Twin Cylinder engine with 999cc displacement and 114 HP, the Xpedition is one of Polaris’s most powerful recreational vehicles yet.
The Xpedition technically falls into Polaris’s recreational category and sits somewhere between the General and Ranger. We picked up this four-seat Polaris Xpedition ADV to work and play. In a review next month we will show you how it goes at working on the farm but this month we’re going to drive it for its intended use, having fun on the trails!
The Polaris Xpedition is an all-new vehicle so before we get into reviewing it, here’s how it’s made up.
Performance and Handling
The Xpedition is equipped with electronic fuel injection and an automatic PVT transmission with multiple drive modes (Sport, Standard, Comfort), including On-Demand True AWD/2WD/VersaTrac Turf Mode. It runs high-end suspension, featuring FOX shocks with Position Sensitive Spiral technology. The FOX gear is significantly better than the suspension in the Ranger and General four-seat models.
Dimensions and Practicality
Hopping out of a Ranger and into the Xpeditoin, the Xpedition certainly feels big! With an overall vehicle size of 387.3 x 162.5 x 190.2 cm and a wheelbase of 297.1 cm, the Xpedition offers ample room for passengers and cargo and is bigger than the four-seat Ranger and General just not taller than the General. It runs 35.6cm of ground clearance which is also more than the General and Ranger, while it has a water fording height of 71.5cm.
Safety and Utility
With four-wheel, hydraulic disc brakes and LED headlights/taillights, the Xpedition has great stopping power and impressive visibility in low-light conditions. Its park in-transmission parking brake adds an extra layer of safety when parking on inclines. The vehicle also has quite a spacious rear dumping box for a recreational machine, with a capacity of 272kg. That’s the same as the General but a fair way off the Ranger which has 453.6kg. The ADV also comes with a Lock & Ride MAX cargo system.
Technology and Convenience
Featuring a four-inch colour display in front of the driver and a centre dash seven-inch touchscreen with Ride Command technology, the Xpedition offers access to navigation, trail maps, and vehicle diagnostics. Additionally, the electronic power steering is excellent and the JBL Trail Pro 4100 audio system pumps out your tunes.
Design and Comfort
The Xpedition has a front bull bumper, and ProFit sport roof. The interior features bolstered bucket seats with driver and passenger seat sliders for those with long legs. The rear flip-up bench seat provides flexible seating options for up to five passengers, making it suitable for family outings or group excursions.
How does it ride?
The Polaris Xpedition is a versatile and reliable side-by-side packed with loads of fruit and on paper seems incredibly capable. When we picked up the Xpedition we were blown away at just how big and chunky it looked. The 27-inch rims with Pro Armour tyres look tough and give the Xpedition even more clearance.
Opening the doors and they feel incredibly solid. They open like a conventional car door, unlike the Ranger doors that open facing forward. Jump in the bucket seat and it feels like your jumping in a comfortable race car. They’re more comfortable than the RZR seats but do take a little more pulling to get out of when opening forest gates than the Ranger bench seat.
The driving position is far more sporty than I thought it would be. The steering wheel, seat height and arm rests are all designed to hold you snug, in one place.
Turn the key and it roars to life. The new Gen 2 engine is a ripper. It sounds awesome and in Sport mode takes off like a demon. The Xpedition comes with a screen in the middle of the dash that displays everything you need to know about the vehicle and you can plug your phone in to access your messages or your trails via the Polaris Ride Command App. You can also blast your tunes this way or via Bluetooth if you don’t want to be plugged in.
It’s got plenty of grab handles for the passenger although we’d love for it to have grab handles on the roll cage in front of the door for getting in and out and a “holy shit” bar in front of the passenger to hang onto.
Sitting in the back there’s loads of room for adults passengers. At 190cm I could comfortable fit in the back without my legs touching the front seat.
Taking off with the gearbox in High and the mapping in Sport Mode made for a big surprise. The three ride modes, changeable by a button on the dash, don’t change the overall power output, just the response and in Sport, the throttle is super sensitive. That was excellent for ripping through the trails when your passengers were ready for it but at slow speeds when just trying to cruise, it is too responsive so we ended up using Standard when just exploring.
The Gen 2 ProStar motor has a claimed 114hp, that’s 14hp more than the older Gen 1 ProStar motor found in the General. That power difference is noticeable, mostly in the bottom-end. Because the Xpedition is not based off the RZR platform, the motor signs off a little earlier but it’s designed to have more torque. I still managed to get the Xpedition up over 80km/h without feeling like it was moving around too much.
One thing that took a little getting used to hopping out of a Ranger was the minimal engine braking. Once the revs get below a certain threshold the primary clutch opens and releases the belt. This was great for flying around the trails, making the ride so much smoother on and off the throttle but when trying to go slow downhill the Xpedition rolls on a bit. I just had to remember to keep a little throttle on so the clutch didn’t release and my foot over the brake.
But believe it or not, the size and motor aren’t the best features on the Xpedition, the FOX shocks are. The ride comfort on the Xpedition is exceptional. The FOX 2.0 Podium QS3 shocks up the front and FOX 2.5 Podium shocks out the back are so good at absorbing big and small bumps you don’t need to slow down for anything. Wombat holes? No problem. Gutters? Didn’t even notice them. Erosion? What erosion?! I was blown away at how well Polaris have done to make the Xpedition comfortable at slow and high speeds and over small and large holes and bumps.
The FOX shocks are mated to a chassis that flexes perfectly and articulates without rolling. I never felt like the Xpedition was going to tip and while I noticed the wheelbase length turning around and going over large humps (it has a much long wheelbase than the Ranger and General) I’ve never felt so planted in a vehicle before. Even on off-camber hills, the Xpedition’s geometry and FOX shocks never made me feel uneasy.
The ride comfort is the highlight and the ground clearance is massive. It just adds that extra layer of reassurance knowing you’re not going to get hung up on every rock or log. The Xpedition driving experience is very impressive and I’m yet to pilot a side-by-side that’s as comfortable and safe as the Xpedition.
Who’s it for?
Whether you’re exploring off-road trails or tackling work tasks in remote locations (I will explain more about its work ability in a separate article), this vehicle is up to the challenge. With its torquey, responsive engine, incredible suspension setup, and high-end features, the Xpedition is an excellent choice for recreational side-by-side users and those who want to work and play.
And to make things even better, the Xpedition is more customisable than any other side-by-side. You can bolt on a roof top tent, kayak or mountain bike, tow a boat or dirtbikes with its 907kg tow rating and even drag it out of a hole with the two tonne winch that comes standard. At $52,495 Drive Away, the Polaris Xpedition might seem like an expensive piece of kit but try finding any other vehicle that comes standard in the same spec the Xpedition does that’s less than double the price! It really is the do-it-all machine.
MOTOR: ProStar 1000 Gen 2 4-Stroke DOHC Twin Cylinder
CYLINDERS-DISPLACEMENT (CC): 999cc
HORSEPOWER: 114 HP
FUEL SYSTEM/BATTERY: Electronic Fuel Injection
TRANSMISSION/FINAL DRIVE: Automatic PVT P/R/N/L/H
DRIVE SYSTEM TYPE: On-Demand True AWD/2WD/VersaTrac Turf Mode
COOLING: Liquid
FRONT SHOCKS: FOX 2.0 Podium QS3 with Position Sensitive Spiral technology
FRONT SUSPENSION: Long Travel, High Clearance Dual A-Arm with Stabilizer Bar, 35.6cm Travel
REAR SHOCKS: FOX 2.5 Podium QS3 with Position Sensitive Spiral technology
REAR SUSPENSION: Long Travel, High Clearance Dual Arm IRS with Stabilizer Bar, 38.1cm Travel
FRONT / REAR BRAKES: 4-Wheel Hydraulic Disc with Dual-Bore Front and Rear Calipers
PARKING BRAKE: Park In-Transmission
FRONT TYRES: 30 x 10-15; Pro Armor Crawler XP
REAR TYRES: 30 x 11-15; Pro Armor Crawler XP
BED BOX DIMENSIONS (L X W X H): 92 x 120 x 34 cm
BOX CAPACITY: 272 kg Rear Dumping Box
FUEL CAPACITY: 47.3 L
GROUND CLEARANCE: 35.6 cm
OVERALL VEHICLE SIZE (L X W X H): 387.3 x 162.5 x 190.2 cm
PAYLOAD CAPACITY: 526 kg
PERSON CAPACITY: 5
WHEELBASE: 297.1 cm
ESTIMATED DRY WEIGHT: 1112 kg
AUDIO SYSTEM: JBL Trail Pro 4100
CARGO SYSTEM: Lock & Ride MAX
ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING: High Output EPS
HITCH TOWING RATING: 907 kg
HITCH/TYPE: Standard / 5.08 cm Receiver
INGRESS / EGRESS: Half Doors Standard
INSTRUMENTATION: Driver Forward Information Center w/ 4 in Color Display + Rotary Speedometer & Tachometers and Center Dash 7 in Touchscreen w/ Ride Command Technology
LIGHTING: LED Headlight w/ Accent & LED Taillights
OTHER STANDARD FEATURES: POLARIS HD 4500 LB Winch w/ Rope, Rubber stopper & Aluminum Fairlead, AutoStop & Plow Mode, Front Bull Bumper, ProFit Sport Roof, Convex Rear View Mirror, JBL Trail Pro 4100 Audio
SEAT TYPE: Front: Bolstered Bucket Seats with Driver & Passenger Seat Slider. Rear: Bolstered 60/40 Flip up Bench Seat with Fold Down Midgate Seatback.
STEERING: Tilt & Telescoping
WATER FORDING HEIGHT: 71.5 cm
RRP: $52,495