When it comes to side-by-sides, one name stands out — the Polaris RZR. The vehicle is synonymous with class, so fans of off-roading will no doubt be excited to learn how the 2025 RZR Pro lineup stacks up.
The 2025 lineup consists of three vehicles, the RZR Pro S, RZR Pro XP and RZR Pro R. Each vehicle has different attributes, a different starting price points, and in the case of the Pro R, a massively different level of power. Numerous tweaks, additions, and optional extras can be added, which will blur the lines both in terms of price and capability. They’re also pretty great visually. Features like the LED fangs and additions like a light bar mean these vehicles could be pretty much Glamis-ready straight from the factory.
While Polaris’ 2025 offerings may look great on paper, no one is going to drive them across a spreadsheet. Luckily, Polaris gave me the opportunity to try all three vehicles out in Coos Bay, Oregon, where there are plenty of fairly hefty sand dunes coupled with a good amount of forest, and a hard-compact beach. This allowed me to thoroughly put all three RZRs through their paces, and hopefully give them a fair assessment.
Polaris RZR Pro S
The Polaris RZR Pro S is the lower-mid-range choice in the full-sized Pro lineup. Despite this, it’s still one of the best off road vehicles you can find yourself in. With 181 horsepower and a weight of just over 2,000 lbs, it has enough of a punch for most applications. This is especially handy in the dunes, where momentum, a relatively lightweight vehicle, and the ability to send a lot of power to the wheels are pretty vital. During the ride, there were plenty of parts that tested the Pro S’ maneuverability and a lot of fairly hefty sandbanks many vehicles would struggle with. The Rzr didn’t struggle in the slightest. Not in the tight turns, where it whipped itself around with a tremendous amount of agility, nor in the steep sandbanks, which it tackled head on at barely half-throttle.
There’s a reason Polaris is to side-by-sides what Hoover is to vacuums or Coke is to cola. You can get excited about the top-end model, and we’re going to do that near the end of this article, but if you really want to see Polaris at its finest, try out the entry-level stuff. It’s accessibly priced and, for the majority of people, more all terrain vehicle than you will even need. It can blast through dunes, trails, and with 28 inches of wheel travel it can scramble over rocks too. I’m not telling you to buy one of these and enter King of the Hammers with it, but if you want to get into some recreational off roading then this is an obvious buy. You can nab one for as little as $26,999, though the top trim costs $10,000 and you can always push that even higher when you start bolting on accessories.
If you’re looking for a downside, and this is something the entire lineup shares, the seat adjustment lever was designed and implemented by Satan himself. It’s definitely not electric, that would just be silly, and you don’t even get the traditional bar you pull up. Instead, there’s a lever you have to yank to the side. Imagine how far you could comfortably yank a lever after reaching between your legs in a bucket seat. Double it, then add an inch. That’s about where you need to go before scooting forwards and dislocating your shoulder. Once your seat is in place, it’s incredibly comfortable. The driving position is great, and the seat is more comfortable than the offerings you’ll find in many supercars. It’s just a shame the journey to said destination is unnecessarily harsh.
Polaris RZR Pro XP
The Pro XP is, for the most part, the Pro S. It has a similar look, similar options, and the same turbocharged 925cc, two-cylinder, engine. However, there are a few distinct differences. The main one is how narrow the side by side is, coming in at just 64 inches across. This means those of you who like to navigate narrow trails will be able to blast it through gaps that would be uncomfortably tight in most other situations. It’s pretty good on dunes and open ground too.
Of all the offroaders I tested that day, I can say the XP felt the most agile. The steering was responsive, and the tail was fairly easy to keep in check when playing around in the XP’s peak power range. This was the case even when I was trying to keep up with a far better driver in a likely more powerful vehicle with a running start. My desire not to be the one guy who stacks it on the press trip made me rein it in before I got anywhere near the Pro XP’s actual limits on a trail.
On open ground, it sits in the middle of the lineup. It feels a little more stable than the Pro S, though that may be due to the fact I had my eye on it by the time I got around to driving it. Obviously, the Pro R with its larger engine and increased torque packs more of a punch and is more stable at higher speeds. Even with my limited ability, pushing 80 in the Pro R was comfortable. With the Pro XP, you’re going to get a little nervous north of 60.
But this one isn’t for sprinting, and if you want to throw something around on a complex set of narrow trails, then the Pro XP is your best bet. It starts at around half the price of the Pro R, too, so you can have a great time without breaking the bank. You can nab a basic Pro XP for around $23,999.00 — though the exact price depends on your local dealership. That price also increases once you start slapping on extras, though that’s still a drop in the bucket compared to what you’ll spend when you end up modifying these things yourself. It’s the cheapest model in the lineup and, depending on your exact needs maybe your best option. However, if you have a need for speed, a hefty budget, and a love of screaming profanities from inside a full-face helmet — then there’s only one real option.
Polaris RZR Pro R
This is the big one. Polaris has crammed a hefty two-liter engine into its side-by-side, and you can’t half tell that this thing has got an excessive amount of power when you get your foot down.
In terms of drive mode, there’s a Baja mode which is designed for desert terrain, a rock mode which should get you through slow rock crawls, and there are also a few modes that affect throttle response. Sport mode obviously makes things sportier, while “Race Mode” sends things into the stratosphere. You really feel every bit of what that beefy engine has to offer if your foot so much as glances the pedal.
As you may have guessed this is the fastest of the three. I managed to go over 80 mph on a flat bit of beach with compacted sand, and it probably had a lot more to offer, but I was making so many corrections at that speed that another five or 10 mph would have probably turned Polaris’ flagship production side by side into a 90mph tumble dryer.
In the dunes and through the small forested areas, I feel like the off-roader’s “three-wheel drive” mode made a significant distance. From what I was told, it sends power to your outside wheel when turning, sort of like stability control in a car, so your turns are sharper and more agile. If I had to give a real-world case use, there were a couple of incidents where I thought, “I’m definitely going to understeer into that tree,” and the RZR just turned on a dime at the last second. This is nice, as hitting trees head-on at 55 mph is a great way to ruin everyone’s afternoon.
Oh and this is by far the most comfortable of the three. I wouldn’t complain if those seats were in my car, they’re plush, soft, and everything your spine needs when a bit of washboard is bouncing you about everywhere. The cooling feature was almost as big a loss as the excess power when I switched vehicles. Especially as it was a pretty hot day.
You may be wondering if the Pro R is overkill, and yes it 100% is. It has more grunt than you can ever use, and the comfort features are more at home in a mid-range SUV than they are in a vehicle that is basically a roll cage with wheels. But overkill is fun, and it’s always better when you hit your own limits instead of the vehicles. If you spend your best days in sand, and the Pro R is even a consideration, then get it. With a starting price of $34,999, it’s a smarter choice than the top trim of the Pro S. The bigger engine alone is worth it. Realistically, the Pro R Ultimate may be a sweet spot at $42,999, though that is a lot for a side-by-side. And if you’ve sunk that much cost then you may as well drop the extra $2,000 on the “Factory Armored Edition” with all of the bells and whistles that includes.
