Yeah- I understand that.
I don't know enough about the new brutes to have a valid opinion- except they still use that stupid front diff lock lever

the polaris is a nice atv- I like to tell people who ask my opinion about polaris 850 vs. can-am 800; both have way more than enough power to do anything imaginable on a trail- it's like comparing a corvette to a CTS-
The popo will make you feel like you're riding "in" it, and the can-am feels like you're riding "on" it. The can-am is very nimble and feels light on the trails. you can easily slalom down a trail simply by shifting your weight from one side to the other and giving it a little gas. Blipping the throttle over berms will easily get all tires airborn- and the polaris xp, soaks up every bump there is, will also wheelie pretty easily and actually likes to be jumped! My xp would fly level of a jump, and land pretty softly. Both have very comfortable seats- but the xp has that narrow saddle that makes long trips through rough terrain feel like nothing. The xp feels solid in the roughest trails- rider confidence level is up there, whereas due to all the frame talk about can-am's, the rider might feel a little reserved until he's experienced the outty over some rough terrain over a period of time.

honestly- I wouldn't let the frame issue deter me from making the choice. I've never had any problems with any of my frames and... even If the frame ever did fail- it would be covered no matter what. Plus the fact that the XT package comes with all the nice trail upgrades for much cheaper than what you'd have to spend adding the same upgrades to the XP- I actually did the math with the dealer- and the can-am was cheaper than the polaris xp, if taking into account upgrades (aluminum wheels, hand guards, winch, front & rear bumpers) which are all standard on the can-am xt, but not standard on the xp.

The can-am & polaris caters to two totally different riding styles- you either like the sporty, nimble feel or the plush planted / powerful feel. choose which style fits you best and buy the right atv

from what I've seen, It seems like people who have ridden the King Quads eventually end up on a sportsman- people who ride brutes usually end up on an outlander. Grizzly riders usually stay put and buy another grizzly-
honda people are just a strange bunch all together

I'm not really "brand loyal" - I grew up on 2-stroke dirtbikes and sport quads, so the can-am 4x4's really fit my style of riding well being more sport-tuned. If honda came out with a twin cylinder 2-up with PS and a locking front diff- I'd really love to try it out. I keep holding on to the notion that sooner or later, Honda will just show up with some fire breathing monster atv and destroy the other 3 japanese makers...