I'm looking to purchase a new 2 Rider ATV. I have an Arctic Cat 650 H1 TRV - just rolled it : ( Any opinions or recommendations as to a new Polaris 550 or 800 2 rider vs a new Arctic Cat 700 TRV? I will use this ATV to plow my driveway (300ft long) and pull a 1000lb lawn roller as well as some other misc uses around the house. I also like to trail ride on the State trails where allowed. Thanks to all

 

The Arctic Cat 700 TRV has a great system where you can get add on luggage when you have a 2-up situation. Polaris does have a nice front box option for gear but doesn't have a rear box that I know of when you have the passenger seat mounted on the Touring model. The 850 XP Touring has gobs of power. The 550 has good power. I have a 500 Sportsman X2 and have never needed more power. The passenger seats on the AC and the PoPo Touring are about the same in my mind. The Polaris is probably more comfortable for the driver than the AC. The Polaris Sportsman X2 has a dump bed/passenger seat that can go from one to the other in about 10 seconds. At this time it only comes with the 550. All of the quads you mentioned have enough power to pull 1000 lbs. and to push snow. I looked at Can-Am and Arctic Cat when I bought my X2 in 2006. The X2, at the time I bought it, had better on board storage (front box under rack), bigger gas tank, and, in my mind, a more comfortable ride. The rear dump box is also rated for 400 lbs. And the dump box/passenger seat are always on the quad. I don't have to leave one back in camp. Just preference. They are all excellent quads.

 

Thanks MooseHenden for the info!

 

power steering would sway my decision on what to buy....Polaris makes a great ATV as does AC, and both are plenty powerful for what you will ever need out of the machine, but riding with an extra rider puts much more labor into turning the machine. I love my new (old) 2007 650 TRV, but I will definitely get something with power steering before I go on another trip with the girlfriend to the Paiute trail area.

 

I think both AC and Polaris now offer power steering. I know Polaris doesn't have it on the 550 XP based X2 but I've heard a ton of people and read reviews saying steering effort on the XP machines is very easy.

 

Hey blaklabz,I was in the same situation a few days ago.Polaris or AC ??So I chose both.Got an 08 Polaris 500 touring for the wife and the AC700 trv for myself.I looked at the Polaris 800 touring before I went with the AC.The deciding factor to me was the Polaris doesnt have any rear rack space with the seat on.There is also no provision for a rear rack with the rear seat off.Except a big gaping hole behind the driver seat.The rear hand holds on the polaris stay attached to the rear rack regardless of what seating arrangement is chosen.With the AC,you can buy an optional rack to replace the rear seat.As well as a dump box.The AC rear seat and hand holds come off as a unit by pulling two pins.This flexibility of different options swayed me towards AC.It would be a shame to have a versatile quad and not be able to haul anything on the racks.Also youll not be able to store much weight on the front rack of the Polaris.

 

Polaris does have a nice box for the rear when you don't have a passenger. See: Pure Polaris : Lock & Ride? 1-Up Touring Rear Cargo Box) Pricy in my mind but they go on with a latch type boat anchor setup. Polaris calls it Lock-n-ride and it is very easy. I just noticed they have a backpack for the back of the passenger seat for the Touring model: Pure Polaris : Backrest Backpack ? Sportsman Touring) Not as nice as AC's box setup that they have when you have a passenger.