2023 Polaris General XP 1000 Ultimate Review

2023 Polaris General XP 1000 Ultimate review.

The Polaris General is one of the most popular, widely recognized SxS lines in the world and with good reason – they are machines that can do pretty much anything you can ask of them and do it well. And, as impossible as it seems when it comes to upper echelon, rugged off-road performance, the General manages to pay very careful attention to operator comfort in the process. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, here. We took delivery of a brand new 2023 Polaris General XP 1000 4 Ultimate with intentions of torturing it upon upstate NY trails in that brief period of year where the leaves go orange and the days get a whole lot shorter.

Swap Out

What makes this review especially interesting is that we were literally in the process of returning the fire breathing RZR Pro R Ultimate to Polaris when the General was deposited into our garage, making this a tale of two very different vehicles. The goal here isn’t to compare and contrast the two flagship entries of Polaris’ side-by-side line but instead to offer a full review of the General, we will say only that the RZR is crude, loud, violently fast, capable of swallowing up terrain that could make a trophy truck hesitate and consumes gas like a top fuel dragster. The experience of putting it through its paces, however, is unlike any other. The General, by comparison, is smooth, torquey, relaxed and capable. The first few rides had us wondering what the catch was – off-roading shouldn’t be this effortless, this confident, this comfortable. This would become a repeating pattern in our time spent on planet General; the only catch is that there is no catch.

The Walkaround

Years ago there was a massive void between utility oriented machines (like the RANGER) and performance oriented units (like the RZR). The General fits firmly in between the two extremes with functional features on display like its 600 lb. dumping cargo box and Polaris HD Plus 4500 lb. winch up front but combines these with things like high clearance A-Arms, 14” of Walker Evans suspension, low profile bumper, poly sport roof and so on.

The General XP 1000 is a fairly large machine, with a confident footprint. Measuring in at 64” wide and sitting on 15” aluminum wheels wrapped in 30″ (8 ply) Pro Armor Crawler XG tires, the General hints of aggressiveness without boasting. The factory doors feel quality upon entry and the interior is roomy and accommodating. We heard one test rider claim that a lack of annual updates has put the General line behind some of the newer competition in terms of interior supremacy but found absolutely nothing to complain about in action. In fact, compared to the more performance oriented machines we’ve been testing of late, the General feels more like a luxury car than it does a spartan off-road wagon.

It’s here in the General’s cockpit that you will discover all of the goodies that comprise the Ultimate Trim package being reviewed here: RIDE COMMAND integrated into a 7″ display with rear camera, Rockford Fosgate Stage 3 Audio, convex rear-view mirror and padded center console.

Firing It Up

Firing up the General reveals a rumble as the 999cc dual-overhead cam twin-cylinder barks to life but the exhaust note remains smooth and metered. Mode selection is simple and to the point – On Demand AWD, 2WD, or VersaTracTurf Mode (designed to save your grass/ tread lightly). From there, the console mounted shifter puts you from park into reverse or high / low forward range and away you go.

Blast Off

That 1000cc fuel injected mill is good for 100hp and that fact reveals itself at just about every corner of the powerspread. It offers ample low end and pulls smoothly until you either run out of room or courage. Delivery is always smooth with those 30” tires finding traction in just about every condition imaginable.

If forced to describe the General 1000 experience in a single word, that word would be confident. The spread of power is smooth, the chassis tracks a nice stable footprint and the Walker Evans Velocity shocks are very competent, soft enough to pick up small trail clutter but able to ramp up enough as you move through the 14” of travel to keep the chassis flying straight/ no concerns of body roll.

The first question on everybody’s lips tends to be, “How fast is it?” While it’s true the RZR line is probably the better option if your goal is just to be the first SxS of the group down the straightaway, the General is certainly no slouch. We are no stranger to the 100HP ProStar having tested the Sportsman XP 1000 last year – in ATV trim, it’s scary powerful. Strapped into the 1,998 pound General, it’s still quite potent. The automatic PVT transmission coupled to 3 forward gear modes means the power for any situation is always on tap.

If trails are your prime objective, the General is a great performer. It’s powerful, smooth, comfortable and stable. It also boasts Engine Deceleration Assist, making steep descents very controlled and effortless. Plus it’s got a 4,500 pound winch up front should you somehow manage to get in over your head. We spent several weeks trailing the machine and concluded it’s truly hard to ask for better.

Hard Working

The trail experience is only a part of the General’s appeal. Unlike the RZR, which handles performance like a boss but starts to falter when it comes to hardcore utility applications, the General really begins to show its versatility. That smooth, metered power delivery is excellent in the low end if you’re looking to haul, drag, push or tug. Rated for 1,500 pounds of towing at the rear hitch, we found nothing in our testing that gave the General a hint of trouble. Couple this to a 600 pound capacity, dumping cargo box in the back with Polaris’ Lock & Ride cargo system and the notion that the General XP 1000 works as hard as it plays comes into crystal clear focus.

The General is a very competent worker. Whether used for tasks like dragging hunting game, hauling equipment for trail maintenance or even handling tasks around a construction site, the General feels very at ease.

While the RZR offers slightly superior trail performance, the General is a lot like two machines in one – a very exciting trail cruiser and an incredibly competent workhorse. This is a do-it-all off road package.

Odds & Ends

The General XP 1000 is one smooth operator. It hammers rough terrain, moves out with authority, works all day without hesitation and provides way more operator comfort than any off-road vehicle has a right to.

Brakes are excellent, bringing the vehicle down from even the most irresponsible romps with ease. The chassis is a work of engineering marvel – capturing the rigidity of the RZR upon which it’s based while softening up the interior creature comforts.

Suspension here was a bit of a surprise. Do keep in mind we just returned a RZR sporting 29” of Dynamix DV electronically controlled FOX 3.0 Live Valve X2 shocks prior to hopping into the General. Surely 14” of Walker Evans Velocity squish would be a massive downgrade, right? Wrong. This was a very solid spec. Performance SxS suspension is a tricky business – go too soft and the ride is silky but the chassis wallows and flexes under load or speed. Go too stiff and the chassis can track straight as an arrow over any obstacle but the rider and passengers feel like they’re sitting on a jackhammer. How engineers get around this conundrum is by developing shocks that offer plush performance in the early portion of the travel but ramp up the stiffness the further up they go.

Walker Evans Velocity Series feature remote reservoirs, spring preload and 15 way compression damping adjustments. The ride is comfortable on low speed terrain crawling but tracks straight and confident as the speeds increase. If jumping is you thing, and if it is, again, you’ll probably wish to seek out the RZR line instead, the shocks are more than adequate. Take the preload settings seriously, however, as they can be a tad springy in stock configuration, especially in the rear.

Controls are all easily accessible, feel solid and make logical sense. With all Polaris machines, we’ve sorta come to expect the gear selector lever that feels a bit vague in actuation, so we prepare for the requisite glance at the instrument panel to confirm before launch. Surprisingly, we were wrong! The General’s gear selector is crisp, confident and its short-throw designations actuates with authority. This is without a doubt the best feeling lever Polaris has run in its line to date.

About the only area where we have to say testers complained about missing from the RZR platform was the lack of stadium style seating in the back. It’s really easy for backseaters to become accustomed to that unrestricted view over the dash that comes with rear seats positioned above those in the front. The General, while boasting a more comfortable backseat of the two machines, provides its rear passengers with a pretty level view of the back of the front headrests. Fortunately, the view out of the side of the factory doors is quite commendable.

Whether or not the Ultimate trim package is the one for you depends entirely upon your need to be pampered. RIDE COMMAND is ridiculously good – like GPS, satellite communication, OnStar all in one. Once you have it, it’s very difficult to go without; a bitter reminder we experience every time we return these vehicles to Polaris.

That Rockford Fosgate Stage 3 audio is pretty easy to become addicted to as well, consistently delivering clean, smooth sound that can be easily heard over the engine and wind.

Conclusion

Spec sheets and journalistic hyperbole are useful but the goal in any review is to convey to the reader what the experience of saddling up is really like. The General actually surprised us. The concept of the do-it-all machine sounds great on paper but typically in the real world, gains in one area usually mean deficits in others. Somehow, though, Polaris manages to deliver a SxS that is every bit as competent as it is exploring, cruising, creek crossing, climbing and camping as it is tugging, towing, hauling and working. Suddenly many of the machines we’ve got around here look a whole lot more like one-trick ponies by comparison.

If you find yourself on the fence in committing to either a side-by-side for work or fun, Polaris isn’t going to force you to choose. The General XP 1000 is that rare find – jack of all trades, master of most.

Specs

ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN
Cooling Liquid
Cylinders Displacement 999 cc
Drive System Type True On-Demand AWD/2WD/ VersaTracTurf Mode
Engine Braking System (EBS) EDA: Engine Deceleration Assist
Engine Type 4-Stroke DOHC Twin Cylinder
Fuel System/Battery Electronic Fuel Injection
Horsepower 100 HP
Transmission/Final Drive Automatic PVT P/R/N/L/H

DIMENSIONS
Bed Box Dimensions (L x W x H) 27.5 x 43.1 x 11.6 in (69.8 x 109 x 29.5 cm)
Box Capacity 600 lb (272 kg) Rear Dumping Box
Estimated Dry Weight 1998 lb (906.3 kg)
Fuel Capacity 9.5 gal (35.9 L)
Ground Clearance 13.5 in (34.3 cm)
Hitch Towing Rating 1500 lb (680 kg)
Overall Vehicle Size (L x W x H) 150.2 x 64 x 77 in (381.5 x 162.5 x 195.1 cm)*
Payload Capacity 1100 lb (499 kg)
Wheelbase 115 in (292 cm)

BRAKES
Front/Rear Brakes4-Wheel Hydraulic Disc with Dual-Bore Front and Rear Calipers
Parking BrakePark In-Transmission
TIRES / WHEELS
Front Tires 30 x 10-15; Pro Armor Crawler XGF
Rear Tires 30 x 10-15; Pro Armor Crawler XGF
Wheels 15 in Aluminum

SUSPENSION
Front Shocks Walker Evans Velocity Series Shocks
Front Suspension Long Travel, High Clearance Dual A-Arm with Stabilizer Bar, 14 in (35.6 cm) Travel
Rear Shocks Walker Evans Velocity Series Shocks
Rear Suspension Long Travel, High Clearance Dual Arm IRS with Stabilizer Bar, 14 in (35.6 cm) Travel

ADDITIONAL SPECIFICATIONS
Cargo System Lock & Ride
Doors Full Doors Standard
Electronic Power Steering High Output EPS
Hitch Type Standard 2 in (5.08 cm) Receiver
Instrumentation Dual-Sweep Analog Dials with 4″ LCD Rider Information Center: User Selectable Blue/Red Backlighting & Brightness, Programmable Service Intervals, Speedometer, Tachometer, Odometer, Tripmeter, Clock, Hour Meter, Gear Indicator, Fuel Gauge, Coolant Temperature, Voltmeter, Service Indicator and Codes, Seat Belt Reminder Light, Gear Indicator, DC Outlet Factory Choice: 7” Glove-Touch Display: Digital Instrumentation, Built-In GPS, Mapping, Vehicle-to-Vehicle with Group Ride, Follow the Leader, & Messaging. Front & Rear On-Board Cameras. Bluetooth & USB Smartphone Connectivity, AM/FM & Weather Radio, & In-Vehicle Communications Capable. Rockford Fosgate Stage 3 Audio: (2) 6.5″ 50W Front Coaxial Speakers & (2) 6.5″ 50W Rear Coaxial Speakers, 4-Channel Amp with Fade, Automatic Volume Level, & 5-Band Equalizer
Lighting LED Headlight w/ Accent & LED Taillights

Other Standard Features: POLARIS HD 4500 LB Winch with Synthetic Rope, Aluminum Fairlead, Rubber Isolator, AutoStop & Plow Mode. Sport Low Profile Front Bumper ProFit Sport Roof, Convex Rear View Mirror, Padded Console, and Rockford Fosgate Stage 3 Audio
Seat Type Bolstered Bucket Seats with Driver Seat Slider and Height Adjustable Seat Belts

More Information

Click here.