Overview: Outside tested the Polaris Xpedition, a side-by-side off-road vehicle, on 4WD roads in South Dakota’s Black Hills National Forest. The Xpedition features Polaris’ new NUMATIX Controlled CVT transmission, which uses air pressure to manage the clutch and reduce cabin noise by a claimed 40 percent compared to previous models. The vehicle has 114 horsepower, a 999cc engine, and 14 inches of ground clearance. The two-seat XP model starts at $40,499; the tested ADV5 model seats five and includes an enclosed rear cargo area.
The rain storm comes on quick and turns to hail even quicker, so within a few minutes the dirt roads I’m driving in South Dakota’s Black Hills National Forest become bogged with thick mud and slick rock gardens. It’s perfect. I’m testing Polaris’ new Xpedition, an all-terrain vehicle designed to tackle tough 4WD roads while keeping the driver and passengers as comfortable as possible. The off-road capability is only half the story of this side-by-side.
What Makes a Side-by-Side Different
I’ve driven my share of off-road vehicles over the years, from four wheelers on my buddy’s farm to snowmobiles in Colorado and my cherished 4Runner built for overlanding. But the side-by-side is a unique category of off-road vehicle. Instead of the open-aired all-terrain vehicles that are designed to get one or two people from point A to point B through rugged terrain, the side-by-side is designed to tackle the same rugged terrain in relative comfort, with closed cabs and surprisingly plush seats. During the last several years, side-by-sides have gotten more posh, with climate control, power windows, sound systems, and infotainment screens.
These side-by-sides are so capable, and so comfortable, that there are people in Utah and Arizona (where it’s legal to drive them on the roads) that use them as their primary vehicle. I know a guy that drives his side-by-side to the golf course on a regular basis here in North Carolina.
The Noise Problem
But there’s always been one glaring issue with these enclosed-cab side-by-sides. They’re loud as hell. The engines have to work at such high RPMs to power these machines through technical terrain that your entire ride is accompanied by the high-pitch sound of an engine working overtime.
Imagine a car stuck in second gear at 40 mph. That’s what these side-by-sides sound like, and that ever-present hum gets trapped inside the enclosed cabs with no place to go. The first time I drove a side-by-side, I thought the transmission was broken and the vehicle wouldn’t shift. Some side-by-side owners will muffle the sound through after-market sound-proofing, while others wear ear plugs.
Enter NUMATIX: Polaris’ Fix for the Noise
The loud noise of the engine is enough to turn some people off of the vehicles altogether, so Polaris decided to address the issue, taking a big leap forward in terms of comfort with their latest innovation, the NUMATIX Controlled CVT. This new transmission uses air pressure to manipulate the clutch and deliver a quieter engine at cruising speeds. I’m not going to pretend to understand the engineering principles behind governing the transmission with pressurized air, but I will tell you that the new Xpedition is noticeably quieter than the previous model.
Polaris claims that their new side-by-sides with NUMATIX are 40 percent quieter than previous models. You can experience the difference first hand by toggling back and forth between Comfort mode (with the NUMATIX engaged) and Sport mode (NUMATIX disengaged) while driving. The difference is immediately apparent, especially when you reach cruising speeds on a dirt road. The vehicles aren’t as quiet as a minivan, but they are significantly quieter than any other side-by-side I’ve ever driven.
What this means is you can hold a conversation with passengers in the vehicle. You can tell your daughter to get off her iPad without raising your voice. You can listen to an audiobook.
I drove the Xpedition for several hours through the Black Hills and listened to music the entire time. The Xpedition has had a bluetooth-enabled speaker system for a while, but there was no point using it in the past because the engine noise drowned out anything you’d play. But with the NUMATIX engaged, I could hear every word and note from Tyler Childers as I dropped into big mud puddles and climbed rock gardens. (Side note: You should always listen to country music while driving off-road.)
Power and Performance in Rugged Terrain
And the Xpedition still performs like a champ in rugged terrain, providing plenty of power to muscle through technical situations. It has 114 horsepower in a 999cc engine that offers plenty of torque for rock crawling, and 14 inches of ground clearance so you won’t get jammed up in the rock garden. For comparison, the race-inspired Polaris RZR Pro R4 has the same horsepower but in a 1997cc engine and 16 inches of ground clearance. So the Xpedition might not be the vehicle you’re looking for if you’re hoping to compete in the Baja 1000, but for the majority of off-road users, it has plenty of power to get us where we want to go.
And that’s the real draw of these vehicles. They’ll go pretty much anywhere you want to go in a very user-friendly “point and go” package. You don’t have to be an experienced off-road driver to operate this side-by-side through the gnarly bits. Yes, you can get in trouble—I’ve seen people roll their side-by-side because they carried too much speed through corners with loose tread—but for the most part, these vehicles open up hard-charging, off-road adventures to average drivers like myself. Going from a 4WD vehicle, like my F-150 truck, to a side-by-side is like moving from a cruiser bike to a full-suspension mountain bike on technical singletrack. The terrain is so much less intimidating and you’re no longer limited by the tool at your disposal.
Who’s the Xpedition For?
That leads me to the ultimate question with a niche vehicle like this: Who is the new Polaris Xpedition’s target consumer?
First, it’s for someone with money to spend. The Xpedition ain’t cheap. Starting at $40,499 for the two-seater XP, it’s no wonder some people use these side-by-sides as their daily driver. But there are plenty of people reading this column that have dedicated off-road vehicles, and the new Xpedition might be an option for those off-road enthusiasts that want a vehicle dedicated to exploring gnarly backcountry. The Xpedition goes places a 4Runner, or even a Jeep, can’t go. And it can haul plenty of your gear and your people along the way. The Xpedition ADV5 that I drove fits five (or four and a dog) and has an enclosed rear cargo area (36″ long x 47″ wide and 13″ tall) big enough for your Yeti cooler and camping gear. You can load your bike rack into the hitch and even put a roof rack on top.
I’ve driven models of the Xpedition while toting rooftop tents deep into the Grand Canyon backcountry through narrow canyons I would never take my 4Runner. And with the new, quieter Xpedition, you can have a vehicle that offers that same kind of access and carrying capacity without having to wear ear plugs and scream over engine noise.
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