I have an "S" and I love it, but with all the mods & upgrades I've done, I think I would of benefited from a 900 more than what I can squeeze out of my 800S. I have no regrets, but if you're gonna be muddin, you might need the extra HP of the 900. Do keep in mind the extra width of the 900 for trails and for the type of trailer you have as well. Good luck & keep us posted.


Junior

 

XP All the way!!

 

Ok guys, got a question. I am in the process of looking to buy a new rzr, never owned one before. I have a rhino so I am familiar with side by sides just want to try something new. Should I get the 800S or 900xp? Is the price difference worth it? Is the 900 to wide to fly down trails? I live in Arkansas so I only do trail riding and muddin. What do y'all have/ recommend. Any info y'all have would be greatly appreciated. Like I said this is all new to me. Thanks in advance!!

Both the rzr s and the 900xp are good machines. The 900 xp is superior to the rzr s in performance, suspension , power and handling and stability and most of all grinning from ear to ear. If you look at it realistically the xp is only @ 1.5 inch per side wider than the S. In my decision I personally didn't think 1.5 inches would really matter. This is a decision only you can make based on where you plan to ride. Back in the day when 3 wheelers came out everyone said they are too wide for the trails , then four wheelers came out and everyone said they are too wide also and in time the trails got wider and wider and the same thing is happening as side by sides get more popular. I
hope this helps in your decision. Either way both are good machines.

 

XP all the way!

 

The ONLY reason to buy an S over an XP is if you only have enough cash to buy an S outright and you absolutely cannot pay a penny more. I went through the same choice. Drive an XP! Buy the XP. You'll never second guess your choice. Both are awesome machines, however you'll never see someone post "I bought an XP and wish I'd only bought an S".

 

XP. it will go anywhere the S will go, and it will go there faster!!

 

Heres my opinion:

1. Despite people telling you the width wont effect it, that's a blatant refusal to believe mathematics. Wider is wider. it may or may not make a difference depending where you ride.

2. they did some fender flare work on the 900 and it will keep more mud underneath the machine and off of you. of course you can make some extensions for the S as well.

3. 900 has gobs more power.

4. the S is a good bit cheaper. a friend of mine just bought a 2013 rzr 4 for $13,600 out the door.

5. I dont know about the 900 but the S is extremely easy to snorkel. The 900 may be as well.

6. I have a rzr S. If it was paid for I think i'd buy a 900 because the trails that i ride are getting wider and wider to accommodate the newer side by sides.

 

Go XP!!!

I traded my S in after 7 months of having it for an XP..

 

Width is an issue where I ride, a 64" wide XP simply will not do for us.

If width was not an issue, believe I would already be in an XP.

If I had to choose between an S and an XP I would not let that 4 inches hold me back, XP all the way. It is the new generation.

 

I to was having this same issue. I live in Arkansas and have ridden all the usual spots on my quad. I have a buddy who recently bought an 800 S. Knowing the trails and areas we ride and seeing what the S can do, Ill be picking up my new 900 XP in 2 weeks. If the 900 is an option for you, go for it.

 

hey guys.. throw some more input on this for me...

on top of the trail riding..... im gonna be pulling my mower with this... so is the extra money really worth it?

ive heard several dealers say that if your gonna be low speeding all the time not to bother with the 900..

you guys that have them got any input on this?

(ive locally found a 2012xp 900 still on a dealers lot for $17,500)

 

If you're not width-restricted and can afford either one, then it really comes down to a choice between two models; the 800S-L/E or the 900XP-L/E. The 800S-L/E is a fully developed, mature model, with most of the bugs worked-out, and I don't anticipate any significant changes in the near future. The XP, on the other hand, is still in a state of flux, and has a couple of major, unresolved issues (like the air-box sealing problem and the reversing-chain) that the factory has yet to address, although Polaris did (very wisely) get rid of the earlier, troublesome "dry-sump" model. In light of the recent new releases from the competition, it would be almost a sure bet that Polaris will soon be releasing a newly-redesigned, 1000 cc version of the XP; to remain competitive, they cannot afford not to. And this new model will, in all probability, come equipped with redesigned fixes for the existing known problems.

Personally, I have the 800S-L/E, with which I am exceedingly happy, but I'm looking forward to trading-up to the fully-upgraded 1000 cc XP when it's released. Just my two-bits.........

Cheers

 

although Polaris did (very wisely) get rid of the earlier, troublesome "dry-sump" model.
Cheers

How was it troublesome? I thought the consensus on removal of dry sump was PoPo making more profits.

I also am waiting to upgrade my S to maybe 1000... I can wait until Jan 2014 and see what happens.

Troublesome in two regards: condensation in the reservoir-tank and vent-line, and a PITA to do oil-changes on.

I believe we may see the 1000XP sooner than next January; possibly as soon as mid-summer..........

Cheers

 

i have a 800s with xp shocks and spring set up....no lift and the xp set up gives me 20in of ground clearance....i call it my hybird....

 

I bought my Rzr S and I'm happy with it. I'm sure I would like the XP too. However all of the trails that I ride now are barely and sometimes not even wide enough for my S so that was part of the decision for myself. A side note, I made a thread like this before buying my Rzr as well. LOL

 

I bought a 2011 800S back in 2010 (pre XP) and have a couple of thousand miles of very enjoyable trail riding on it. I was at the dealers last month and talked with the service mgr about just the question you raise. He is an avid off roader, works on Rzr's almost exclusively, and is also a serious Jeeper. He asked me what type of riding I do. I told him trail riding in the mountains in the summer and high desert trail riding in the winter. My average speeds on the trails we hit in the Bradshaw mountains is 5 to 20 mph--in the desert we ave 10-25 or 30. He told me that the XP is more suited to high speed "banzi" desert runs and has the power for a lot of fun in the sand dunes. He said the 800 is better suited, given its width and less sensitive throttle, to trail riding or "trail cross country touring" as I like to call it. He also told me the 570 is proving to be a great trail machine -- especially with the recent upgrades in suspension.

Which ever you buy, 900, 800, or 570, it will give you years of fun.

Hope this helped.

Cheers,

db

 

I've had 2 800s, After driving a 900 I got rid of everything to get one..I have had this new 13' xp for 2 weeks and its the funniest thing I have ever drove. It makes you feel like a little kid everytime I get into it.
Get a 900....or atleast drive one

 

Sold my 660 rhino and bought a XP. Wouldnt ride anything else now

 

I am also considering the XP. Is the ride stiffer in the trail bumps at 25 to 35 mph? I only ride trails in the midwest. Also how does the XP run at 25 to 35 mph?

 

I had an S last year and loved it, we ride mostly the dunes at Waynoka and I knew I wanted more HP, I recently bought a nicely upgraded 11 XP (Stock new 2012 engine). WOW, what a difference, I love it!!!!
That being said, I haven't trail driven it yet, but from the sound of it trails are getting wider in most areas, but I still can't comment on the XP for trail riding. I imagine it'll be fine there as well, although I loved the S in the trails.
I would like to put EPS on the XP in the future.
Good luck on your decision. There are some good deals on pre owned S's right now. Just as I did with my pre owned (it looks showroom new) XP, I bought it from someone reputable and had it shipped to me (Swingarm1)
I'd be great if you could ride in or drive both :ride:

 

Wow thanks everyone for all the feedback, it has been helpful seeing what y'all recommend. I'm going Friday to the dealer and ill test drive both. I'll let y'all know what I decide. I'm pretty excited to be joining the rzr world.
Thanks again.

 

Welcome to the forums!!! Your going to love your new outlet!!! (It's good for the head)

 

I own an 11s and just got the xp. I drive the xp the wife gets the s. If iit works for trail width and for your wallet get the xp hands down my vote.

 

While I don't have an S I have the RZR4. Bought a year ago after the wife said heck no on a YFZ450. Three kids. I didn't want to spend this much on a toy, but the wife wanted me in something somewhat "safer" if I was going to get another atv. The XP4 wasn't quite out yet and they had this nice new 2012 4 @ the dealer so I jumped on it. My impressions so far are that it is a great machine. I have taken it to Waynoka several times and ride with XP's and they all comment their surprised how well I can keep up. That said, if you are in to duning primarily and going balls out, the 800 may be lacking trying to keep up all the time. It's simply not as fast or powerful as the 900. I ride mine around the farm with my wife, three and six year old. Keep her 30 and below. I've also taken it up Jeep trails in the Rockies and it has performed well. If it was just me and no kids, I would have just bought an XP. Couple of things to consider. There are many 800's for sale since the XP came out. So re-sale may be a concern especially if an even better XP comes out. Hard to say if the 900 will have the same reliability as the 800. There are many high mile/hour 800's out there. So far though the 900 seems to be very solid though, only time will tell. It really comes down to what you plan to do with the machine, width concerns, and price. I have no regrets on my RZR4, but I know I'd love an XP4 even more. It's great there so many choices in a RZR for almost every need.

 

Ok, so it seems I leaning more toward the xp, but a few have mentioned about a new 1000cc coming out. is this true or is it rumors, cause if its true I might as well wait till it comes out. Any thought????

 

I'm not up on the new releases or anything but its riding season now for me. How long are you willing to wait? There may be 12 xp's for a good discount still around.

 

As I said before I have had both and I do both fast and slow riding. I ride on trails and out in the open. My XP rides way better than my S ever did even after I put Fox shocks on my S.

The XP will do you just fine pulling stuff around other than it does not come with a hitch but you can buy one for about $75..The power is also there if you want it. In my opinion its like a gun..Better have one and not need than need one and not have it. I would rather have the power there if I want it and know that I can haul ass if I want than just not be able to...

JMO