[Deo13815]

I’m pretty sure I’m buying a Ranger 1000 and would appreciate thoughts on upgrading to the XP. I’m a little embarrassed to admit it but it’ll be mostly a glorified golf cart for me. Mostly running around relatively flat and dry terrain . But to complicate things a little, I expect my son will want to use it as well. He has friends who trail ride and actually use their UTV’s for things they’re designed to do. The biggest difference I can see which might come into play is an additional 20 HP. I wouldn’t want him to have to struggle to keep up. Thoughts? Thanks for your help and ideas

 

[Dsch73]

I am in the same dilemma. Trying to decide between the 1000 and the XP. I have a 2012 800 HD with EPS and engine braking. So the 1000 for me would already be a power upgrade and I am not disappointed with the power of the 800. Also the best I can tell the 1000 doesn’t have engine braking but looks like the XP does I liked the engine braking on my 800 you could just creep down a hill and not even have to touch the brakes was nice when pulling a trailer with firewood. My first ranger was an 05 500 it would do anything that I needed the only time I needed more power i. It was with the windshield in it would knock it down almost 15 mph. So that is one place power helps. Whatever you decide on go with power steering you will regret that more than the decision between the 1000 and XP. Happy shopping and good luck.

 

[Deo13815]

I am in the same dilemma. Trying to decide between the 1000 and the XP. I have a 2012 800 HD with EPS and engine braking. So the 1000 for me would already be a power upgrade and I am not disappointed with the power of the 800. Also the best I can tell the 1000 doesn’t have engine braking but looks like the XP does I liked the engine braking on my 800 you could just creep down a hill and not even have to touch the brakes was nice when pulling a trailer with firewood. My first ranger was an 05 500 it would do anything that I needed the only time I needed more power i. It was with the windshield in it would knock it down almost 15 mph. So that is one place power helps. Whatever you decide on go with power steering you will regret that more than the decision between the 1000 and XP. Happy shopping and good luck.

Thanks and great point on power steering. It looks like the 1000 has it standard too. I don’t want to cheap out but I’m feeling like I’d rather spend the additional $4k on add-on items like windshield, roof etc. It sure would stink if it felt under-powered though.

 

[Deo13815]

Thanks and great point on power steering. It looks like the 1000 has it standard too. I don’t want to cheap out but I’m feeling like I’d rather spend the additional $4k on add-on items like windshield, roof etc. It sure would stink if it felt under-powered though.

For anyone else comparing, here’s a pretty good link to a comparison for the 2020 models. I suspect they’re pretty close to the same. Doesn’t get in to the HP difference a lot but a great comparison.

 

[Deo13815]

My apology for so many posts, here’s one more and I’ll be done for the day. This does a nice job comparing the 2 models.

Work OR Play? Or Both? Can The Ranger 1000 Do Both? | Dirt Toys Magazine

In an effort to be really practical, sometimes we have to evaluate our purchase decisions. Sometimes we don’t like to do that kind of heavy lifting.

www.dirttoysmag.com

 

[Toddlora]

I ordered 2 1000 Rangers at the end of November. I took delivery on one Friday. The other one is not here yet. I put 20 miles on this one in the last two days on my farm and I just love it. I am very happy with the power. Even though the XP would have more power this seems to be enough for me. I am glad I didn’t spend the extra money for the XP.

 

[rusty842]

When I got quotes, there wasn't much money difference between the two. Maybe the dealer just really wanted to move the XP he had in stock. It came out to like $1200 difference. Xp has a lot of small difference that I thought were worth the money.

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[bctskt]

We went with 1000 Premium. HP is about 20 difference, but torque was like 6ft/lbs? I chose to save money and put towards accessories. Premium does have EPS... you can get a 1000 without power steering, or get the EPS and then there is a premium. Seats are a little nicer on premium as well.

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[TheGunPlumber]

I test drove an XP and a SOHC, and ended up with the SOHC with EPS.

I was already leaning toward the SOHC because of the marketing around the lower RPM power/torque.

Most of my use is as a utility buggy around our property. We have 50ac, mostly wooded, with some pretty steep hills, and about a mile of trails that were either ancient farm/logging roads, or ones I hacked out on my tractor.

The XP definitely felt quicker in my pavement test drive, but the SOHC didn’t feel underpowered in any way- heck, the 570 FS didn’t feel “slow”. One thing that definitely stood out was how much quieter the SOHC was than the other two. At idle and up to 2-3k, I didn’t even have to raise my voice above normal conversation level to talk to the passenger. I only got up to about 30mph in each one, which would be pretty fast on my trails, but the 570 and 1000 XP were both noticeably louder at and up to those speeds. I’ll probably never get to 50mph, to be honest.

What the SOHC has done, though, is carry a box full of rocks (roughly 900# by my stubby-pencil calculations), with both the wife and I in the front, up the 35-45% grades from my creek bottom. It got to 10-15mph, and didn’t break 5000rpm or seem like it was struggling in the least.

For a machine this size, 61hp is pretty stout. If you’re worried about your son keeping up with a pack of Turbo RZRs, then a Ranger of any stripe is probably going to struggle to keep up. If he’s riding with other utility SxSs, 61hp is more than the vast, vast majority of them out there.

 

[Dsch73]

I test drove an XP and a SOHC, and ended up with the SOHC with EPS.

I was already leaning toward the SOHC because of the marketing around the lower RPM power/torque.

Most of my use is as a utility buggy around our property. We have 50ac, mostly wooded, with some pretty steep hills, and about a mile of trails that were either ancient farm/logging roads, or ones I hacked out on my tractor.

The XP definitely felt quicker in my pavement test drive, but the SOHC didn’t feel underpowered in any way- heck, the 570 FS didn’t feel “slow”. One thing that definitely stood out was how much quieter the SOHC was than the other two. At idle and up to 2-3k, I didn’t even have to raise my voice above normal conversation level to talk to the passenger. I only got up to about 30mph in each one, which would be pretty fast on my trails, but the 570 and 1000 XP were both noticeably louder at and up to those speeds. I’ll probably never get to 50mph, to be honest.

What the SOHC has done, though, is carry a box full of rocks (roughly 900# by my stubby-pencil calculations), with both the wife and I in the front, up the 35-45% grades from my creek bottom. It got to 10-15mph, and didn’t break 5000rpm or seem like it was struggling in the least.

For a machine this size, 61hp is pretty stout. If you’re worried about your son keeping up with a pack of Turbo RZRs, then a Ranger of any stripe is probably going to struggle to keep up. If he’s riding with other utility SxSs, 61hp is more than the vast, vast majority of them out there.

So what are your thoughts on the muffler on the 1000 being in the way of the hitch using trailers. To me that seems to be my only concern. Other than that I’m leaning towards the 1000 eps or premium just depends does the eps come with the same front bumper as premium. Thanks.

 

[Dsch73]

So what are your thoughts on the muffler on the 1000 being in the way of the hitch using trailers. To me that seems to be my only concern. Other than that I’m leaning towards the 1000 eps or premium just depends does the eps come with the same front bumper as premium. Thanks.

Also how does the 1000 handle going down hills does it have much engine braking my 800 HD has it and I like it.

 

[TheGunPlumber]

So what are your thoughts on the muffler on the 1000 being in the way of the hitch using trailers. To me that seems to be my only concern. Other than that I’m leaning towards the 1000 eps or premium just depends does the eps come with the same front bumper as premium. Thanks.

Not really a concern. I do find it odd that they left the hitch so far forward. I was planning to put an extension adaptor on it to bring the receiver rearward about a foot or so.

I don’t trailer much, but I do want to rig up a foot rail for the hitch. On the rare occasion that I have more than one passenger, I remove the tailgate, and have a roller-coaster bar to span the rearmost bedside holes. It would be nice to have a place for the passenger to rest their feet (and keep their heels away from the muffler).

ETA: yes, the EPS has the same bumper as the Premium. I’ve already installed a winch, and welded up a rack to mount my hi-lift jack on it. The bumper is pretty stout.

 

[TheGunPlumber]

Also how does the 1000 handle going down hills does it have much engine braking my 800 HD has it and I like it.

It has engine braking, with one significant caveat: the transmission essentially goes into neutral below a certain RPM. At idle, the clutch is not engaged, so, for the band between the ~1200 RPM idle and the ~1800 RPM clutch engagement, it will free-wheel.

The gross grade between my house and shop and my creek bottom is about 27% (about 80’ elevation over 100y, or 15 deg).


I don’t need to use brakes on all but a few of the steepest spots, over a span of maybe 10-20’. In those spots, it’s just a left-foot braking exercise, like you already do quite a bit off-road, so it’s not much of an inconvenience.

On the rest of the slope, feathering between 1900-2500 RPM keeps me at a safe and comfortable 2-5 mph or so. If I’m up over 2k, and I want to slow down, letting off the gas definitely causes it to engine brake, and it will actually come to a full stop for a half-second or so, giving me plenty of time to get the brake pedal down. When I’m ready to take off, I leave my left foot on the brake until I have a few RPMs on it.

It sounds counterintuitive, but it’s not if you have any off-road time. Don’t get me wrong, I’d like to have full-on engine braking, which I understand that you can get from an aftermarket clutch, but it’s not a big enough deal for me to worry about right now.

I take my auto F150, my tractor with a hydrostatic transmission, and my Ranger all on my trails, and the biggest challenge is remembering which ones have to be shifted, and which one just has a reverse pedal when I’ve been working all day and am getting tired. The two-foot routine on the Ranger is actually closer to my truck than my tractor.

 

[TheGunPlumber]

One more thing: EPS is definitely worth it, in whatever model you end up going with.

Upon driving it the first time at home, I thought “Polaris power steering kinda sucks”. It wasn’t horrible to drive. It just was nothing compared to the hydraulic unit on my tractor- which is a one finger, lock to lock, at a standstill affair.

I noticed the wife having to muscle it more than I expected, and, the second morning, I stopped in a tractor rut, needed to u-turn out of it, and was sure I was going to blow the EPS with all the torque I was putting on it. On the way back up to the house, I hit a couple rocks and logs, and the bump steer was pretty bad.

I decided to poke around, found the PS unit, and discovered that it had only been put in place. The mounting bolts were never torqued down, and the harness wasn’t plugged in. I downloaded the manual and finished the install where the factory left off.

Since, it has been great, and like I expected the PS to be. I ended up getting to “test” it for half a day with no PS, and that made me glad to have it.

The $1000 up charge for the EPS is a good deal, considering you get the bumper as well. The extra $1000 for the premium didn’t make as much sense to me. On a farm buggy, I’d prefer color-molded plastics to something with paint to scratch up. If (IF) I ever change out the wheels/tires, it will be for ground clearance, not bling. The Premium seats do look nicer, but it seems like solid vinyl is better suited to the hose-baths the interior is destined for, and the sliding seat made no sense on an upright seat. My sales lady was barely 5’ tall, and she had no problem whatsoever driving the fixed seat.

 

[Dsch73]

One more thing: EPS is definitely worth it, in whatever model you end up going with.

Upon driving it the first time at home, I thought “Polaris power steering kinda sucks”. It wasn’t horrible to drive. It just was nothing compared to the hydraulic unit on my tractor- which is a one finger, lock to lock, at a standstill affair.

I noticed the wife having to muscle it more than I expected, and, the second morning, I stopped in a tractor rut, needed to u-turn out of it, and was sure I was going to blow the EPS with all the torque I was putting on it. On the way back up to the house, I hit a couple rocks and logs, and the bump steer was pretty bad.

I decided to poke around, found the PS unit, and discovered that it had only been put in place. The mounting bolts were never torqued down, and the harness wasn’t plugged in. I downloaded the manual and finished the install where the factory left off.

Since, it has been great, and like I expected the PS to be. I ended up getting to “test” it for half a day with no PS, and that made me glad to have it.

The $1000 up charge for the EPS is a good deal, considering you get the bumper as well. The extra $1000 for the premium didn’t make as much sense to me. On a farm buggy, I’d prefer color-molded plastics to something with paint to scratch up. If (IF) I ever change out the wheels/tires, it will be for ground clearance, not bling. The Premium seats do look nicer, but it seems like solid vinyl is better suited to the hose-baths the interior is destined for, and the sliding seat made no sense on an upright seat. My sales lady was barely 5’ tall, and she had no problem whatsoever driving the fixed seat.

Thanks for the info. Now I’m going to have to take time off of work to go and find one. The only reason I have even thought about trading when I seen I could get 1500 off by the end of the year so I guess I better hurry up. Thanks again.

 

[Deo13815]

When I got quotes, there wasn't much money difference between the two. Maybe the dealer just really wanted to move the XP he had in stock. It came out to like $1200 difference. Xp has a lot of small difference that I thought were worth the money.

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If I can get to only a $1,200 difference I’ll jump at it. I better get to work on negotiating.

 

[ProCharger]

I have a camo 2021 xp on order and I am at $14,750 out the door on the machine alone with my polaris coupon. My brother got his 2020 1000 premium in October for $13,800. Gives you an idea of what is out there pricewise.

 

[Deo13815]

For a machine this size, 61hp is pretty stout. If you’re worried about your son keeping up with a pack of Turbo RZRs, then a Ranger of any stripe is probably going to struggle to keep up. If he’s riding with other utility SxSs, 61hp is more than the vast, vast majority of them out there.

I suspect it'll mostly be other utility machines. I feel like I'm zeroing in on the premium, icing on the cake is the stealth gray color. Now I just need to find one and a dealer ready to make a deal.

 

[MalcolmReynolds]

Just received my 1000 Premium yesterday. The question about the muffler and the hitch wasn't a problem. Only problem with the UTV receivers is they are too low to the ground for many of the trailers I hitch to without creating some odd angles. Someone on youtube mentioned a 4" rise/lower adapter that is used to tow cars behind RV's that is very heavy over built for this job so I ordered one. It gives about a 10" extension out and a 4" rise up or down depending on how you insert it into the receiver. That appears to be perfect height and puts the hitch out to where it can be easily connected to, but also easy to bust a shin on as you walk past it! LOL So it is perfect. The muffler wasn't an issue either way. It will be more of an issue when I go to mount the reverse backup light. I have seen how some others have mounted it above the muffler so I will have to fiddle with that this weekend and get more of my accessories put on it that I ordered while waiting for my Ranger to come in. So far power wise it is quick enough for the work I do here on the farm. The clutch seems a little grabby on these when you start to press the accelerator that seems a little annoying. I don't think the XP brings anything more to the table that I would have needed. For me I think the standard 1000 fits the bill for the farm work I am doing. But I am using it for work applications. If you are out on trails and with others racing around then maybe the XP would be a better choice. So I would say it would depend on your expectations and use cases. I don't see any situation where I think the standard 1000 will be under powered for me by any means. I am hauling wood, moving hay, carting water and feed, hauling tools and equipment, and general transportation across the homestead. Good luck in your choice. I had to order my Ranger and it took about a month for the dealer to get it.

 

[TuscRanger]

Deo13815

Hey man, I just bought the 2021 Ranger XP 1000 a couple months ago, and I test drove the non-XP model. I didn't notice a crazy amount of difference in the low end at all, and you are not underpowered for any work you'll need to do. From my understanding the extra power comes from the top end anyway. So you still have the same tow/haul ratings.

I suppose it depends on how frequently you'll go faster. If you're a younger guy, you may really enjoy that extra pep, but let's be honest. Most of us don't have 2000 acre ranches we work on and really wouldn't benefit from that extra speed.

That said... I absolutely love mine and am super glad it's DOHC for a number of reasons I looked into. I don't regret it at all, and it has made me take my time buying addons. No roof yet, even. (I have gotten a windshield and a winch).

I think you should follow your gut 100% no matter which way it pulls you. Having that confidence/peace/happy thing going on before you spend 14-17g makes the buying experience SO much more gratifying. Good luck.