Thinking about adding to my fleet with a new 550 XP and am curious about what the current owners like/dislike about them.

 

Whats not to like?? 2250 miles on mine only dislike is the rough idle..

 

You weren't getting much of a response so I thought I'd chime in. I have the XP 850 and it is the same quad with the exception of the motor. (duh!) LOL!
The 550 has a good motor IMO, It is made by the same co. (FUGI) that makes the 500.
The XP's are built very well, the excellent ride, coupled with the anti-kickback steering, narrower width at the front of the seat and more room on the foot wells make it comfortable to ride on long trips.
I'm sure you already know but the XP's 2 weakest points are,
1) The tires. They suck in the snow and mud! They are ok on hard and rocky trails.
2) The amount of storage space they come with stock. You will want to add the front and possibly the rear storage boxes to it. I have both and also a fender bag.

I haven't rode the 550 myself but I haven't heard many negative reports about it other than the vibration at idle. If you think the 550 is what you want then I say, GO FOR IT! Try to make a deal with the dealer to add the storage and upgrade the tires though!

 

I have both XP's ..... while I love the power and response from my 850 and wouldn't trade it or buy anything else but .... IMO the 550 is the perfect all around quad.

Likes; (not in order of preference)
Suspension and ride is awesome.
Anti kickback steering
quality of design, parts, fit and workmanship
lower fuel consumption than the 850
very comfortable, turned engine allows narrow seat and wide floor boards.
EPS
four wheel drive system
fixed headlights plus one on the side pod that turns with handlebars
pod with digital gauges

Dislikes;
plastic front and rear rack extensions (rail)
we ride lots of hard stuff and rocks but would still like a little more aggressive tire


Great overall quad! The slight engine vibration on startup does not bother me at all. I think it is reasonable given that it is a single cylinder thumper that generates some pretty good torque and power.

- brian

 

I love my 550, had it since january, used it to plow snow and ice fish. The four wheel drive system is excellent for plowing and pulling trailer out on snow covered ice. The rough idle is not a concern it just sounds cammed up. The efi is great for cold weather starting. The only dislike I have is the tires

 

Don,t have one but we have a combo Polaris/Arctic Cat dealership in Sault Canada Ont.

The XP 550 is $1500 more then the new 550 AC, only $300 less then a 09 SP800 and the same price as a new 750 Suzuki KQ. To much for a mid size ATV if you ask me,but maybe its just because there something new and the price will get in line after awhile when the 'NEW" novelty wears out.

 

Thanks guys. Good input.

 

No offense but IMO when you put a PoPo next to the Cat there are miles of difference in the quality between the two quads. If dollars is what drives the choice between the two then obviously the choice is easy, if biggest displacement is what floats your boat another easy decision. value for dollar gets a little harder to decide and if choosing based on which quad is better IMO the XP's win easy.

In regards to being mid size vs comparing to full size. The 550 is full size and is identical to the 850 except engine. Below is the list of my likes and dislikes of the 550 and you will notice that NONE of the items are 550 vs 850 specific except for the better fuel mileage enjoyed by the 550. The xtra HP of the 850 may not be needed and in many cases is not wanted regardless of cost. So be it an 850 or 550 it is the rest of the XP feature and design that separate these quads from the rest. Pick your engine based on preference and the owner enjoys all the good things about the XP's.

Cost is going to be close between the 550 & 850 for multiple reasons. The same design and engineering expense for both, the same capital expense in tooling the factory, the same overhead to keep the factory running, same employee expense, same shipping fees, same distribution cost, advertising cost, same tires and wheels, ect. The only difference in cost to put those quads on the dealer floor is the different engine. One could even argue that the larger engine cost could be less to put in the quad than what PoPo pays Fuji for the 550 engine. So all expenses are equal up until the engine.

Likes; (not in order of preference)
Suspension and ride is awesome.
Anti kickback steering
quality of design, parts, fit and workmanship
lower fuel consumption than the 850
very comfortable, turned engine allows narrow seat and wide floor boards.
EPS
four wheel drive system
fixed headlights plus one on the side pod that turns with handlebars
pod with digital gauges

Dislikes;
plastic front and rear rack extensions (rail)
we ride lots of hard stuff and rocks but would still like a little more aggressive tire

 

Mid bore vs big bore it what I meant. I doubt a XP550 is miles ahead of a 550 AC, or even a match for a 750 KQ and SP800, so yes price comes into play. The rule of thumb is big bore cost more then Mid bore that goes for PWC,Sleds,motorcycles even lawn tractors.

I not a big bore HP person either but I,m sure going to get one if there is no price differance involved.



Its like selling Dodge Ram V6 pickups for as much a F-150 V8s.

 

One could also say that they want that 8 cylinder Chevy over the little 6 cylinder Porsche cause it got a bigger engine.

Or closer comparison would be the big block Chevy vs small block Cada-diliac. It is all a matter of choice. Engine displacement is a matter of choice. Remember the golden rule bigger is not always better! hahaha