Thinking of buying a new side by side, anyone have a idea on what would be the best all around. Ranger,artic cat,rhino,mule.

 

Each has its on merits, it will depend on what its used for. If trail riding is the main thing, the rule out the mule right off the bat. The rhino is the smallest inside and out they do good in tight trails but are somewhat tippy do to its narrow wheelbase, ranger is a good workhorse but the biggest of all. My favorite is the prowler, more ground clearance, tuff built and more power than the rhino, smaller and more trail worthy than the ranger. The mule is great if you need it to run around the farm and haul stuff, it was named for the that. It will all be subject to what you need.

 

We really need a UTV get together where we can try the different side by sides one after the other to get a better idea which one we think is best. I'm keeping my Rhino for now, but am holding out for the new Teryx, or possibly a new Prowler 950 if Arctic Cat gets the message and builds one for 2009. If Arctic Cat doesn't build a 950 then it would be: Teryx > Prowler 700 > Rzr 800 > Rhino 700, in that order for 2009 models. And thats for typical southwest desert back country exploring.

 

I own a Rhino, Prowler, and Ranger XP. All are '08 700 EFI. None of them are junk. The Rhino is the slowest, roughest riding, and is the hardest to get in and out of. This machine will require extensive mods to equal either of my other two machines. The Prowler has decent power and a fairly roomy interior. I've heard that the Rhino is more durable, but the Prowler beats it in every other catagory.
Now for my favorite. The Ranger XP, it's not really fair to compare this silky smooth running twin to the rough running singles. The ride is equally impressive. Between the smooth engine and the smooth ride I really don't enjoy driving my Rhino or Prowler anymore. It's slightly larger dimensions are not a problem. This machine is WAY better than the rest. I paid less for my XP than either of the others. Also it's exclusive "on-the-fly" shift into all wheel drive can mean the difference between forging through a difficult area or stopping to shift into 4WD and ending up stuck. And finally the solid dash mounted shift works perfectly EVERY time, unlike the flimsy little "between the buckets" shifters.
I test drove the Teryx. It rates close to the Prowler but no EFI available.[img]i/expressions/devil.gif[/img]

 

ranger i find a couple of your findings well odd. first off you paid less for the xp then you did for the rhino? and you are saying the 700 runs silky smooth???? oh well anyways i live not to far from the factory and i heard that within a year or two they will be putting the 950 in the prowler. i actually heard that this last week. think we can get enough power so a person can do wheelies with a prowler?

 

Yes the '08 Midnight Armour Rhino was more than my Ranger XP , and yes the Polaris twin 700 EFI is a VERY smooth runner.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

i guess every 700 i drove i didn't think was very smooth. but then again nothing is smoother then my v2 so i guess i am spoiled.