At the end of July Polaris unveiled its newest side-by-side UTV, the Ranger 500. It is meant to appeal to buyers looking for a more compact and affordable machine.
Polaris says the Ranger 500 was developed to be a “value” machine, but even with a lower price it still had to offer capable performance and the features customers expect.
“Similar to all our vehicle designs, we start with the question ‘What does this customer care about?’ and ‘What do they need from their vehicle?’” says Brandon Kraemer, vice-president of product portfolio, Polaris off-road vehicles.
“With the new Ranger 500, value is key, but it also needs to deliver the Ranger brand’s reliability along with a practicality that is important to this customer. We focused on incorporating the features that a first-time side-by-side owner would find most valuable when working around their yard or property.”
Those features include what the brand calls user-friendly controls and a 28-horsepower engine, along with plenty of interior storage compartments and the ability to add several accessory options. The Ranger 500 offers all that with a simplified maintenance layout that allows for easy access to oil and air filters as well as other regular maintenance items.
That simplified design also extends to easy accessorizing. A factory-installed 2,500-lb. (1,134-kg) winch is available, and adding additional lights is an easy plug-and-play job.
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The Ranger 500 has a relatively narrow 58.5-inch width that makes storing it easier than with larger machines that take up more space in the garage or farm shop. Its smaller size also makes it more nimble in tight quarters.
A selectable turf mode unlocks the rear differential to avoid damaging lawns on tight turns.
The rear cargo box gets a lighter load rating than most other UTVs at just 300 lb. (136 kg), but the tow rating is pretty similar to other models at a respectable 1,500 lb. (680 kg). It comes with a standard two-inch hitch receiver and is available with a chassis-integrated snowplow mount.
In past Grainews testing we found that while the smaller machines may lack the carrying capacity of larger models, they make excellent runabouts for quick trips out to the field or around the farmyard.
The most noticeable difference offered by the Ranger 500 is its base price: CDN $14,461, making it one of the lowest-priced machines currently on the market.
