I am in the market for a new quad. I use it mainly for hunting with some occasional some trail riding. I narrowed it down to the Polaris Sportsman 570 sp or the Sportsman 850 sp. What are the pro's and cons of each model? other then the price. Is the 850 worth the extra cash?

 

The biggest differences are speed and engine sound. The 570 is a thumper, single cylinder, that isn't as throaty as the in-line twin cylinder of the 850. 850 sounds like a stock car. Speed-wise the 850 can probably get up into the mid-70's or more. It will pull the front end off the ground in high gear and easily tackle pretty much everything you throw at it. The 570 would probably get you up into the low 60's and will also do pretty much anything you need. Both have excellent ride comfort compared to the other makers. If you are new to riding I would say try the 570 out. If you've been around and have areas where you can open it up and grin go for the 850.

 

The 850 twin cranks out a LOT more horsepower than the 570, 78 HP vs 44 HP. That's enough power to do wheelies. My 500 has something like 38 HP and is adequate for my purposes. A 570 would be a step up in power for me and all I would want. The 850 kicks butt and some people will pay the $1,600 difference to get that performance. The 850 has 0.8" more travel on the front than the 570. The 850 has rolled IRS on the back that's supposed to be better than plain IRS and gives it 0.5" more travel. The 850 can carry 90 pounds more on its racks and has a 0.75 gallon larger gas tank. The 850s seat height is 3.25" taller, the wheelbase is 2.5" longer, and the dry weight is 37 pounds heavier but you won't feel the extra weight. The 570 has 6 gallons of front storage and the 850 is only 4 gallons. The brake lights on the 850 are LEDs. The 850 is supposed to have a beverage & cell phone holder somewhere. My guess would be it's somewhere in the front so you can reach while riding but I haven't seen the 2017 models. The 850 is narrower between the legs so it's more comfortable. I just realized I was comparing all the specs on the 570 and 850 and not the 570 SP and 850 SP. I edited my post to try to get the numbers right but may have missed something.

 

I have 2 machines right now a 2000 Sportsman 335 and a 2006 Sportsman 800 EFI. I am looking to get rid of the 335. I was just wondering how the new 570 stacks up against the 800. My biggest concern is the 2" extra width ( on the 850) and trying to fit my 800 with a 850 side by side on a open snowmobile trailer with the inside width of 100". I'm hoping to try a 570 before making my mind up.
Thanks!

 

The Sportsman 850 SP is 0.4" narrower than the Sportsman 800. An 850 SP next to a 800 would be 95.6" plus a little bit because the rear end gets a little wider when it compresses. My best guess is you would still have a couple of inches to spare. If you need more room lift up on the rear of the quads to make the suspension pull in a little bit. Then you would have room.

 

Just test drove the 570sp over the weekend and it is a great machine. Unless you really need the power(speed junkie) or do a lot of mud riding where the extra HP is necessary, the 570 would be great. Save a little money or use the extra $ for a few accessories. I'm currently riding a 2003 600twin and the new machines are great compared my old dog....

 

When the 570 came out they said it had more horsepower than the 600 twin. I don't know exactly how much power the 600 had but I think it was around 40 HP. That would put it halfway between the 500 H.O. and the 570.

 

The 570 probably more than likely has plenty of power for what you're planning to do. The extra power of the 850 would come in handly if you live at high altitude as the air is thinner and robs power. Or ride a lot in mud, sand or snow, all of which require extra power to get through. For normal trail riding or dragging out a big buck, the 570 would do just fine. Most people that opt for the 850 or 1000 buy it because they WANT the extra power, not because they really need it. As far as the numbers go, the 570 has slightly more power than my Brute Force 650, 44 hp vs 42 stock. My Brute is lighter and the extra displacement and it being a vtwin would still make it slightly quicker I think though.

 

I need to get to my dealer and test ride a 570 (if he lets me), then I will make up my mind. Does any know the horsepower on a 2006 800 EFI? Just something to compare it to (my 11 year old quad).
Thanks again!

 

That's hard to find out since Polaris never advertised their horsepower back then but it was 50 HP. The 700 was 44 HP just like the Sportsman 570.