[HarshD]

Hi Guys,

I have been recently seeing teaser advertisements ( on cricket channels) of Polaris 4x4 vehicles to be sold in India.

These 4x4 2 seaters have the potential to open some an interesting opportunity for offroading enthusiasts.

Does anybody have any idea about this market development ?

Here is the link which showcases their products:

Ranger Side by Side Utility Vehicles: Side by Side UTV by Polaris

Official information received from Polaris

- The first phase of launch brings Polaris ATV, Polaris RANGER RZR® Side-by-Side vehicles and Snowmobiles to the Indian market.

- The price range of the ATVs is from Rupees 2 Lakh onward.

- Dealerships in Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Jammu and Patna coming up.

- Sportsman® ATVs - Polaris Sportsman range of ATVs are also termed as ‘quad-bikes’. For rain, snow, flat or hilly terrain. Available as a twin-seater.

- Polaris RANGER RZR Side by Side - There are four variants available: Only Trail (exclusively for hilly/mountain terrain), only Sport (for dune-surfing and riding in open spaces), only 4 Seat (world’s first 4-seater Side by Side) and Xtreme.

- Snowmobiles

[brraj]

Are polaris off-road vehicles legal to drive onroad? just like jeep/gypsy.
I know ATV's are not road legal but there are lot of polaris models/variants which confused me.

[Samurai]

Actually the launch is today in New Delhi. I don't think they are very relevant with regards to the mainstream offroad culture in India, where we need to travel long distances to reach the offroad venue. I can't imagine driving these vehicles on road, legal or not, note the lack of hardtop and AC.

[Kandisa]

As reflected in the Zigwheels review, these are more suitable for the Armed forces and sectors like mining, exploration etc. For the conventional offroad community here, the jeeps and gypsies will rule unless one plans to tow these to the offroad venue with a trailer!

[Samurai]

Zigwheels reviewer makes a strange statement, obviously he is no offroad guy.

Driving a traditional off-road vehicle such as a Jeep or an SUV off-road is a little slow due to the heavy weight of the vehicles. The off-road range of vehicles from Polaris is light and agile which means that they can go about off-roading in a speedier manner.

[shankar.balan]

arent these the typical ATV utility vehicles that people abroad like sheep-farmers and so on, use to get around their properties?
I have seen some of these on the "B" roads in the UK, Scotland and Ireland but I dont think they are road legal for the A roads and Motorways.
An ATV might be a good idea for a Plantation owner to get around on, within the confines of his plantation (s). Else, at best it can be a leisure vehicle for a well off urbanite who wishes to indulge in a spot of off roading for fun, at designated venues.
However, this leaves the fact that one has to transport the ATV to the venue which cant be achieved without a proper trailer.
While abroad, one needs a special endorsement/ permit or license for towing a wagon or trailer, I dont think there are similar restrictions here in India.

[mac187]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Zigwheels reviewer makes a strange statement, obviously he is no offroad guy.

I have had this long dream to use my old Kinetic Marvel as a donor vehicle, especially the 100cc 2 stroke engine, to make a ATV or a go-cart. someday...


Do ATV's need to be so powerful? I see some of the ATV's in Polaris line-up are 500CC!

[BANDHAV]

The range comprises of ATVs with displacement of 50cc to 800cc, the pricing starts from 2.4 lacs and goes all the way up to 20 lacs .

Here are few pics clicked by my friend during testing few of these somewhere in Faridabad.

[zipperone]

I was at the trials yesterday and no doubt Polaris is going all out to promote the ATVs and the buggies in the country. The spending on this even alone was phenomenal. It seems that they have a target of some 60 vehicles to be sold in the first year in India through 10 dealerships. The entire range was put on show and anyone with a registration could try any of the models on a well laid out track which had water, ruts, climbs and inclines, though not very technical. A number of staff were at hand to help and guide and polaris ensured that the safety gear was the best and provided everything including, gloves , helmets, chest guards and even water and cold drinks to all who came.

The effort is great and I hope it takes off. The downside is the high cost of the vehicles. The best models that one would like to own are expected to cost between 14-20 lakhs. Comparing this to buying a gypsy or a gurkha seems to be a bad proposition. I guess the target customers will be rich farm house owners, politicians and pleasure drivers who would take their machines for a spin once a while. The high cost is partly due to 120% import duties that one needs to pay. Other than that all side by side vehicles are left hand drive and cannot be registered. Which means that you will have to invest in a trailer and need a suitable vehicle to tow it out to the wilderness where you can find space to drive. It remains to be seen how this will take off and Polaris was heard saying that the cost may come down in the future as they plan to assemble some models locally.

[parrys]

POLARIS

Polaris, has launched its range of ATVs and SIDE BY SIDE off-roaders in Mumbai on 14th October 2011 with the price range starting from Rs.2,78,313 and goes up to cross the Rs.23,00,000 mark.

What you’ll like:

•Superb built quality
•Fun to drive / ride with different engine capacities.
•Suspension take over the bumpy, rocky terrain with ease.
•Fully automatic transmission.

What you wont:

• Difficult to balance body weight around the corners.
• Cannot be driven on city roads.
• Arms tend to get sore after sometime of riding.

Off-roading in India has been confined to Jeeps & Gypsies (mostly) all this while. Polaris mentioned that it is looking to sell ATVs on an individual basis and then eventually get into the commercial segment.

The Team at Polaris had set up a small obstacle course at the MMRDA grounds. Mr.Sunil Nigam who was in charge of creating this track told us how it had been difficult for him due to the untimely rains in Mumbai last week. He also is the owner of the BAR TEAM (Baroda Team) where he conducts various motorsports events. So talking about the track, there were rocks, bumps, jumps (not to dramatic) and puddle so that we could get a quick overview of what Polaris had to offer the Indian customer.

ATV’s:

•OUTLAW 90:



The outlaw 90 is the entry level ATV that the company is offering to the Indian market. Taking a look at it you would feel that such a small toy like thing would not be as good. Powered by a 90 cc engine, this baby ATV pulled relentlessly and went around the corners pretty easy. The only problem with it was that because it is so small, tall people would find it difficult to ride it as at times you have to stand and maneuver it for precise handling. The Outlaw 90 has a handle resembling the bike and at the centre you have the ignition keyhole. This model does not get the speedometer since it is the entry level variant. It has chunky tyres both at front and rear with a variation in size between the two (rear tyres bigger in size). All Polaris ATVs come with PVT – Polaris variable transmission.



There is a bulky exhaust pipe under the rear right mud-guard. The seats are well cushioned and don’t make it a sore ride all along. The outlaw 90 also has both the brakes on the handle-bar which I don’t think is suitable; because your right thumb is engrossed in pushing the throttle, so if you want to hit the brakes you have to make a huge amount of effort i.e balance the body, release the throttle and then brake.

•SPORTSMAN - BROWNING 550 EFI:



The Sportsman Browning 550 EFI looks stunning with its army camouflage. Its big, unlike the Outlaw 90. This is a 550cc engine so it was quicker than the Outlaw around the circuit. When we took it on the tracks, it was very well behaved on the bumps and the corners. It has dual headlamps with clear glass above each tyre upfront. The front end is a fibre body and with the huge tyres, the Sportsman Browning 550 EFI gets immense ground clearance. Also at the front, located at the centre this ATV has a winch. This winch can be used to pull out any other vehicle / ATV stuck in mud / rocks etc. Or may be it can also be used to pull some load which you cannot do manually.



It has an “ON DEMAND” ALL WHEEL DRIVE system. Just above the right hand side footstep, there is a gun-holder kind of a structure which screams out "armed forces". Behind the seat on the rear section there is a protection bar like structure to offer more rigidity to this ATV so that just in case something hits from behind, the frame protects it from coming straight to you.



The tyres provide amazing grip. Brakes are on the left handside of the handle-bar and under your right foot as well. This model also had power steering EPS (power assisted handle). Made it very easy to take it around the twist and turns. The ATV runs on MAXXIS tyres onto Cast aluminum wheels.

•SPORTSMAN H.O. 500 (BEST SELLING):






This model also gets a speedometer on the handle bar with speed readings both in KMPH as well as MPH. It also has a digital screen which shows you information on tachometer, trip, odometer, gear indicator, fuel gauge, AWD indicator, HI-temp / LOW-BATT lights. It has the standard gear lever with P/R/N/L/H functions namely parking, reverse, neutral, low and high. This order is maintained throughout the entire range of Polaris ATVs.



On the left hand side of the handle bar you have controls for the headlamps and engine on / off. Also there is a switch for speedo / reverse override. Even though this might be the best selling model, it does not come equipped with EPS, so the twists and turns need a lot of effort. On the right hand side of the handle bar you have a button to switch between 2WD to 4WD. At the front end, the fibre body also has storage place, it opens up like a suitcase and can store things which are not to bulky since this space is not so deep.



This model also has power out / cigarette lighter just under the speedo console and the ignition key hole is also placed next to it.



The tail lamp structure is same like the Browning but doesn’t have rear reverse lights I suppose since there was no clear white lens over it. When we drove this one, it was almost at par with the Sportsman Browning in terms of power delivery.



The ATV leans on the inside sufficiently when you are making a corner, well you have to balance your body weight accordingly but it is great fun to be on top of one of these.

•SPORTSMAN FOREST 850:





It literally throws you behind with the surge as soon as you hit the throttle. Powered by a 850cc engine which is fuel injected, this ATV is the most powerful of the lot.



The SPORTSMAN FOREST 850 also had active descent control which ensured stability when on a downhill. This model in particular also had rear view mirrors placed on the handle-bar.





•RANGER RZR 4 – 800:



Polaris also comes with the RANGER series which can accommodate more that one passenger.



There are no doors as such but you get a protection net so that the mud or stones don’t fly onto you when on a ride. The seats are well spaced and ensure good comfort for all occupants. But then its bare basic inside.



The front passenger also has fixed bar on the dashboard so that he / she can hold onto during a bumpy ride. The RZR also comes equipped with EPS and 4-wheel hydraulic disc with dual-bore front calipers. On the bumps which were created by the organizer, the lower body kept hitting so hard on the ground that if it was any other vehicle the shaft would have snapped in a minute. Behind the rear seats there is a little boot like tray where you can store or carry stuff when on the go.



•The pictures you would see below are the ones which I couldn’t ride due to time constraints. But these models are the ones that are targetted to commercial buyers.

[gypsy1989]

I am getting confused here...I bet I rode on these in Bangalore , that too about 2 yrs back ( at Mr Murthy's Polaris shop in kumarkrupa rd ).
A showroom in Patna sounds interesting. Not sure how many customers they will have there .

[jalsa777]

Polaris launched a new segment of small off-road vehicles called 'Youth Powersports Segment' at the Auto Expo 2012.

These vehicles are specifically targeted at teenagers. They feature small engines and automatic transmissions.
As a welcome move, along with the the vehicle, helmet/s and an instructional DVD are also supplied.

The 2 models launched are:

ATV Sportsman 90:

Its a 2WD vehicle powered by a 4-stroke 90cc engine and has a automatic transmission with reverse.
It includes a safety flag, a helmet and a Parent-adjustable speed limiter.





RANGER RZR 170

Its a 2WD vehicle powered by a 4-stroke 170cc engine, it has a electric start and automatic transmission with reverse.
It includes a safety flag, two helmets, bucket seats with 3-point seat belts and a Parent-adjustable speed limiter.

[rohitmurthy]

Originally Posted by gypsy1989

I am getting confused here...I bet I rode on these in Bangalore , that too about 2 yrs back ( at Mr Murthy's Polaris shop in kumarkrupa rd ).
A showroom in Patna sounds interesting. Not sure how many customers they will have there .

The new showroom with the authorised dealer is in Kanakpura road in Jayanagar 7th block opposite deepak hospital. It is the exclusive Polaris showroom in karnataka called AKB Motors and they are the only dealers.

[cityvic]

Guys any idea what are the prices like?

[ringoism]

The other day, I was putting along contentedly with wife and son on an old Kawasaki Caliber I'm doing some work on for a friend, and we heard this very unusual roar coming up from behind us - I turned slightly to see a dark shadow quickly approaching from behind. Shortly, it blew past at high speed in an immense and not very well appreciated cloud of dust...

It was a Polaris. And not the first one I've seen up here. A few years ago I met a guy who was importing a 350cc Honda 4x4 - and paying something like 5 lakhs with the wonderful 100% duty - but after that I've not seen anything but Chinese units till just a few weeks ago. Lots of these small 4x4's now, though, and one local mechanic buddy has switched almost entirely to full-time work on these from his earlier work on two-wheelers. Being that Polaris is coming through official channels, the spares supply should be much better than the China units (can't even find brake pads, etc, never mind engine components).

And by the way, nobody thinks twice about registration of these up here. Regularly road-ridden on local roads with no number plates. Of course, we do have a lot more off-roading venues in the immediate area than many Indians would... and our locals are pretty bold (I think the police are mainly scared of them).

-Eric