First off let me say that the 50” model is not tipsy, top heavy, or unstable. I have had this thing sideways on a gravel at 20 MPH and at 50 MPH and, yes, it was concerning, no, it did not even come close to tipping. I am going to go as far as saying that this is as stable as they intended it to be. Don’t take that as “you cannot flip it” because one ill-fated donut and you are going over…catch a rock wrong while sliding and over you go…one deep hole in the wrong place and well… you get the idea! Stability was our first concern when looking at a SxS and the when you put a 50” next to an “S” model you are left believing that the trail model will roll over if you even sneeze on it. Thankfully 5 minutes in the thing will cure that right up! IT IS VERY STABLE! I cannot compare it to an S model though because I have not been in one.
Our model was a base with no frills and I love it for it. The plastic is beat to hell and scratched so badly that it looks 3 years older than what it is. If we would have gotten an EPS model it would look even worse! I love that in Pennsylvania our model is the only RZR for 2015 that is ATV class 1 (even the EPS trail is class II). To be class 1 it must be 50” wide or under and weigh less than 1200lbs dry. Well at 1150lbs it just scrapes by and it was great when the park ranger wanted to ticket us for riding a class II on class I land but could not because right there it was on the website 1150lbs. On our trials there are so many trees that restrict the trails down to a true 50” or you will NOT fit that it really pays to keep that 50 inch base. I am not joking when I say 2” more and you can’t fit. I love when we fit and a maverick or S can’t follow us. We can do “unofficial” side trails and go to “where the sketch is” and not worry about fitting…we can worry more about how sketchy this trail is!
The power output is great on the 900. If this is your first SxS or you are moving up from an older 800 you will be very pleased with how sporty the engine is. In 4 wheel drive on dry pavement you can light up all 4 wheels. On the trials you can build speed quickly for a hill climb or have the torque needed in low range to crawl up ledges. There is no lack of power in this unit end of story. While there are many aftermarket engine and transmission mods that can be done none of them are required to make the 900 work properly. It has the power needed to do anything you ask it to do without fail. The transmission reacts quickly to throttle and load demands and never feels overloaded. Some things I do not like about the transmission however are: The tendency for the clutch to jump when first engaging at low speeds. This is only noticeable at low speeds and is a minor problem that can be fixed by replacing the belt with a gates carbon fiber belt. The other thing I would like to point out is it can be hard to properly engage the gears. Sometimes you think you are in reverse and it is in neutral despite the “R” on the dash. This takes some getting used to but it only causes issues when you are trying to find reverse in a hurry…like when starting to tip over backwards during a failed climb. Other than that I have nothing bad to say about the engine or transmission.
The cabin of the 2015 RZR in general is very roomy and comfortable. The cup holders do work and the glovebox is big enough to store just about anything you could ever need. We keep emergency food, water, first aid, tire plugs, tools, gloves, googles and tissues in ours and still have room for more. The brake pedal is well positioned in general for both right foot and left food braking. I am an avid left foot brake-r and can operate the brake like this all day. The factory seat belts are OK but not great. The lack of shoulder strap adjustability can cause uncomfortable rubbing and make an otherwise fun day a bit less enjoyable. We replaced ours with the Polaris branded 6 point harnesses that I will review soon… (hint…they are insanely good).
The frame of the RZR is radically different from previous years due to the mounting of the engine. The factory “full” skid plate is not really a full skid plate and mine only lasted about 200 miles before cracking in half. To be fair I do some serious rock crawling in mine and despite being as careful as you can be I have come down HARD on my frame and the dents tell that story. The factory skid plate did its best but being made from flimsy plastic it was only a matter of time. I have since replaced the skid plate for a Tusk UHMW skid plate and will be reviewing this soon. (hint is works). The frame does allow for a lot of water and dirt collecting and this may be a long term issue but for now I will just keep using the open ends of the frame to blow out the dirt that packs up in the tubes. The new location for the air intakes are good. They are high enough that most water crossings keep them well away from the water line but you do need to be cautious for splashing water. I have gotten my belt wet in water and it is not a good time. I have been up to my waist in water without issues but I don’t recommend going that deep as you can never tell if there will be a hole or rock that could tip you far enough to let water in your belt drive or worse…your engine.
The suspension is far better than the previous years; I know from riding my friend older RZR. The shocks do work well in most situations and do allow for a reasonable ride with fair comfort. With preload being the only adjustment a user can make they are dead simple. I ran my shocks at 2 clicks of preload for a bit better ground clearance. The shocks are not anything to write home about but they get the job done. If anything can be improved on for the 2015 this is it. I have replaced my stock shocks with some aftermarkets and trails that were uncomfortable at 10 mph are now 30 mph trials with comfort to spare. I will be reviewing my Bandit Shocks soon. (Hint…my GF was scared on the trials before…) Hand and hand with suspension is steering. The turning radius is decent on the 2015 even without turf mode. There is little to no front wheel scrub at low speeds so the turning radius is predictable and repeatable on anything from roads to mud. While moving at anything over about 2 MPH the steering feels reasonably light and at higher speeds you don’t even think about it. We installed an EZ steer kit on our RZR for my GF and I will review this soon.
In closing I can’t say enough good things about the 2015 RZR. I can’t say that it is the best SxS out there but I can say that it has done EVERYTHING I have asked it to do without fail. I have beaten this thing to hell and back and it asks for more. This trail model fits everywhere, goes fast, crawls, drifts and makes you smile; what more could you want!
