2015 Polaris RZR XP1000 First Impressions

Written August 29, 2016

I've owned my XP for just over a month now, and have had one good ride with it so I thought I'd give my first impressions of it.

Overall I would say I am very happy with the purchase. This is a very different machine from my Commander but that is very obvious.

Here is what I like:

1. Fit and finish - I know this isn't something Polaris is generally know for, but I am really impressed. Everything about it speaks "modern", from it's LED headlights and tail lights to it's painted plastics. Everything fits well and it looks like lots of planning went into this machine.
2. The suspension - This really has to be the best part of this machine, from your ability to attack whoops with speed, to launching off a drop in the trail. My confidence in the suspension allows me to ride harder and faster. I also love hearing the hydraulic "squish squish" sound just behind me as the Walker Evans shocks soak everything up.
3. Ease of disassembly - My son rolled it on our first ride, damaged the rear box and rear fenders. In order to replace the parts I needed to disassemble it farther than what I was comfortable with. But it wasn't really difficult at all. Large head torx bolts and plastic snap rivets held everything together and everything went together as the logic in my head though it should. 

Repairing the damage after the roll

Here is what I don't like:

1. The transmission - Man does this ever bug me. It is better than the transmission in the 800's but they still don't have it right. I'll probably get used to it over time but when I'm going from forward to reverse I usually end up in neutral. Or worse, I get caught between gears and grind the crap out of it. It is seriously embarrassing and I have never ground gears on any of my Can Am's but I have on pretty much all of my RZR's.
2. Engine sound - This is picky and again this may just be coming from owning a number of Can Am's but that parallel twin sound just doesn't cut is vs a v-twin. At 110 horsepower I expected it to feel more snappy than my 101 hp Maverick, but it didn't and I have a feeling that may have partially to do with the sound of the engine because the Maverick sounds awesome.

The likes far outweigh the dislikes and I am loving this machine.