TESTED | POLARIS RZR XP TURBO S | First Impression | Tested

There is nothing more exhilarating than getting behind the wheel of Polaris’s wide, turbo-charged, 168HP RZR XP Turbo S! Here's our QUICK RIP test.

If you haven’t hopped in a turbo side-by-side then you haven’t lived. I got my first chance about six years ago when I raced the Australian SXS Championship with Polaris and they rolled out their latest fire-breather. I had only driven naturally aspirated vehicles until that race and was blown away by how much the difference a turbo can make.

Most of my turbo experience was with small capacity diesel utes and we all know how underwhelming they can be. I’d driven the odd turbo-charged Subaru WR-X but even that rice burner didn’t compare with the turbo spool and spew delivered by the Polaris RZR XP Turbo S.

I got the opportunity to punt around a private SXS race track for a day on the 2021 Polaris RZR XP Turbo S for a quick review. We will be getting our hands on the 2022 Polaris RZR XP Turbo S when they land early next year or even possibly later this year.

We will be able to do an in-depth drive report on all the 2022 components, like the new suspension and chassis for this particular model, that really make this Turbo S stand out from the regular turbo RZR. This was a limited test so we weren’t able to fully put the suspension and chassis to hard work.

Bigger Beast – We’re not sure what the ‘S’ in the name actually stands for but we are guessing it stands for Supersize as the RZR XP Turbo S is bigger than the standard RZR coming in at a whopping 183cm wide instead of the standard 163cm width. The wider unit also got beefed up suspension which has boosted the travel to 48cm in the front and 5cm in the rear.

The bigger size felt more sure-footed drifting through corners and less likely to roll even with the extra suspension travel. Polaris mixed up the suspension setup for ‘S’ model too with Fox 3.0 Internal Bypass Live Valve shocks on the rear and the 2.5 Fox Shocks on the front.

Both fall under the Polaris’ Dynamix smart suspension system. Dynamix machines combine the onboard GPS inputs from the Polaris Ride Command system with a special computer processing information system from an accelerometer and a gyro to adjust the suspension on the fly. But like I said, more about this when we can fully test its limits.

You can select three different suspension settings via a rocker switch on the dashboard—comfort, sport, and firm. They are pretty self-explanatory and we need more time on different surfaces to give you a detailed report. Again, stay tuned.

We didn’t get the opportunity to bush bash in this vehicle so we can’t vouch for the ground clearance over rocks, logs and other bush matter so you will have to wait until we get our hands on the 2022 for an in-depth report on all surfaces.

While the ‘S’ model is all about the suspension, we focused on the powerplant on the flat surface we had for testing. We will go into detail about the suspension of the ‘S’ in our extended test soon.

Powerplant – The RZR XP Turbo S runs the Prostar 925cc twin-cylinder engine with AWD and 2WD. The engine absolutely screams! They’ve used this engine in the RZR for a few years now and it has always been one of the best in class.

This turbo-charged weapon will crush just about any SXS and often battles the Can-AM Maverick X3 for king of the track. The motor is smooth, incredibly powerful and surprisingly accurate when rolling on and off the throttle. If you’re worried about getting eaten up by slightly higher CC machines I think you will be surprised how fast and how easily this motor gets the power to the ground.

But if you want a slightly faster machine with more horsepower you will need to consider the RZR Pro XP Premium which pumps out a whopping 181HP. Of  course, it doesn’t have the clearance the XP Turbo S offers or the trail presence but it is more compact.

Polaris introduced a new clutch alignment for 2021 and it is more durable, resulting in a longer life. It’s just as smooth as the previous models.

Ergonomics – While the engine and suspension are the major draw cards for the XP Turbo S, the ergonomics are nothing short of excellent. In the all black version, not only does the XP Turbo S look like the Bat mobile but it feels like ti too.

The massive ITP Coyote 32-inch tyres absorbed all the junk we could throw at them. They are huge and make the ride even smoother and more controlled. Bigger is better in our opinion when it comes to tyres.

It runs the Ride Command 7-inch display which makes you feel like you’re sitting in a Dakar Rally buggy with sat nav! It adds to that level of premium product. It was easy to use and operate even with gloves on. All your diagnostic gauges are on display and easily viewed while steering.

It comes standard with a 4-point harness and premium flat-bottom Sparco steering wheel. Both are incredibly comfortable and the seats hug your body like family reunion coming out of lockdown.

The ergonomic package feels solid, comfortable, safe and durable.

Stay tuned for our full test when we get our hands on the Polaris RZR XP Turbo S and get to give the unique suspension and chassis on this model a true flogging.