181-HP and 800 Watts: We Test the New 2021 Polaris RZR Pro XP Rockford Fosgate Limited Edition
This UTV packs a horsepower wallop and mega high-performance audio!
Back in March, Polaris announced the arrival of a new limited-edition version of its XP Pro line of UTVs: The 2021 Polaris Pro XP Rockford Fosgate Limited Edition. We pointed out at the time that the Rockford Fosgate Limited Edition models would come packed with extra features all centered around a thumping stereo system. After all, that's what Rockford Fosgate is known for. Fast forward to today, and Polaris has been gracious enough to lend us a 2021 RZR Pro XP Ultimate Rockford Fosgate Limited Edition UTV to thoroughly test over the course of the next three months.
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Not wasting any time, we headed straight to the desert to get acquainted with the amazing machine. The Polaris RZR Pro XP lands in the middle of the company's RZR lineup and is listed as a "multi-terrain" machine. The smaller RZR Trail slots below it while the RZR Turbo S is the top-dog. The 2021 RZR Pro XP comes in three trims; Sport, Premium, and Ultimate, which you see here.
Our 2021 RZR Pro XP Ultimate sports Fox 2.5-inch Podium Live-Valve dampers with Polaris' Dynamix active suspension system. It has 20 inches of usable wheel travel in the front and 22 usable inches in the rear. The RZR Pro XP has a turbocharged 925cc parallel-twin two-cylinder engine that churns out an incredible 181 hp. This is the most power of any 2021 Polaris UTV.
And then there's the stereo system. Our Ultimate model came fitted with what Polaris is calling a "Stage 4" audio system. This includes four 100-watt speakers, a 400-watt subwoofer, an 800-watt amplifier, digital signal processor, tweeters, and speed sensitive volume control. Maybe it's just us, but we found it interesting that the stereo volume control ranges from 1 to 10 then goes three levels past 10. You can crank this system past the proverbial "11". After pairing our phone with the onboard Ride Command system, we cranked up the stereo and were impressed with how loud and clear the audio was, even while driving at speed with helmets on. We found that instrumental music was easier to hear clearly while underway than music with signing, but while parked the party machine can play just about anything well.
Our first driving impressions of the 2021 Polaris RZR Pro XP Ultimate were extremely positive. This side-by-side is incredibly fast, and the suspension soaks up even the largest of desert whoops. It's taking us a bit of time to get used to the Pro XP's narrower track width (the Pro XP is 64 inches wide versus the Turbo S at 72 inches) but we're certain it'll only take a few miles to get confident enough to really push it hard. We're also still getting used to the RZR Pro XP's clutch engagement, as it seems to take a bit more throttle and RPM to engage than we're used to. During our first outing we also did a bit of night driving and have to say that we're pretty impressed with the XP Pro's factory LED headlights.
So far, we can tell that the 2021 Polaris RZR Pro XP Ultimate Rockford Fosgate Special Edition is going to be a blast to drive, and we're already planning trips all around California to get it into more of the diverse types of terrain that it's built to concur. Look for our next installment, coming soon.
