FEATURE | The Progression Of A Platform

2021 Polaris RZR Turbo S Lifted Lime LE

Story By: Kyle Callen

Photos By: Tom Leigh

Although the new PRO XP platform from Polaris RZR is all the talk these days, one of the best things they did was continue production of the Turbo S chassis. This is by far one of my favorite UTVs on the market. Why? The proven platform never lets me down. I truly believe this car is all about the smiles per mile. Yeah, that sounds silly, but I have not sat behind the wheel of a Turbo S and not had fun, which gives me a reason to believe this car truly delivers the best bang for the buck.

168 horsepower might no longer be the highest figure on the market, but it’s still more than enough to get you in or out of trouble while producing massive smiles.

The striking silhouette of the Turbo S is accented by the near-neon Lifted Lime paint scheme.

The factory equipped MB Quart door speakers sound pretty dang good, and are more than enough for those that don’t want speaker pods hanging from every free spot in the UTV.

That being said, when Polaris told us we would be getting a 2021 Turbo S Lifted Lime LE to take to Trail Hero, I was thrilled. Since my role of working on cars at Trail Hero is very behind the scenes, this would be my “chase” vehicle. Who doesn’t want a 72” wide 168 horsepower proven platform to toss the tools in for quick trailside fixes or recovery? The new Lifted Lime colors popped, and our team knew who was coming when I crested a dune. For a while, the UTV industry strayed from crazy colors, and I love that they are making a comeback. These are wild machines, the color scheme should say that, and the Lifted Lime does just that.

The view from the rear is just as good as the front on this car, and your slower driving friends can get a brief glimpse as you rip away.

The Lifted Lime throws back to the days of crazy colors, and sure stands out in a crowd.

The black and red seats add a bit of contrast to the color scheme, but we sure wish they’d replace them with the much improved seats of the PRO XP.

Sitting in the LE, not a whole lot has changed, which ultimately makes me happy. They retained everything that made this platform so successful and changed a few small things to make the user experience a bit better. Turning the key on, it’s easy to notice the new gauge layout is vastly improved. Another easy-to-notice improvement is that Polaris has made huge strides in the Ride Command System. Continuing the user experience improvements, the LE comes standard with MB Quart door speakers that sound just as good as most aftermarket units.

The Turbo S still comes equipped with ITP’s tough-as-nails desert tire, the 32” Coyote.

While the Turbo S is aging, we still think it’s one of the best looking UTVs on the market.

Speaking of aftermarket units, one of the reasons I love the Turbo S platform so much is it allows the user to customize it using the vast amount of aftermarket support that has evolved over the years. Polaris has taken notice of this and is now working with companies like MB Quart and Rockford Fosgate to equip their UTVs with ready-to-rock factory installed audio.

Pulling up to hang out, enjoying the beautiful dunes and weather in Sand Hollow, and listening to some tunes through those factory equipped door speakers was none other than RJ Anderson. When we asked him to jump in and take the LE for a spin, he didn’t hesitate—we must have had the beats just right. What made this shoot a little more fun is RJ knew it wasn’t his car and a mechanic was present so he pushed the limits proving again, that damn kid can drive.

A view of the cockpit with an upgraded gauge layout and improved Ride Command system—while the seating position is very upright, it still provides best-in-class visibility.

With the Dynamix system set to Firm, body roll is kept to a minimum allowing maximum sideways slide-ability.

Jumping back behind the wheel and ripping through the dunes, Polaris and Fox have spent a lot of time fine-tuning the Dynamix system from the original launch on the 64” wide XP Turbo. Flipping the switch from Comfort to Firm, there is a very noticeable difference in ride quality where there wasn’t a big change in the original version. I have not been the biggest fan of the Dynamix system as I prefer old school shock tuning, but the LE may have opened my mind to the thought of embracing the future of shock technology. In the sand, set the switch to Firm and the shocks set to maximum compression damping, and you can really lay the car into the corners while the chassis stays flat and happy. As you get into the rocks or chatter bumps, flipping the switch to Comfort allows the suspension to loosen up and become much more compliant, and it really makes the ride in the cab much more enjoyable. Set the switch to the middle which is Sport, and you get the best of both worlds as it sets the baseline a just few steps stiffer than Comfort, but will quickly adjust for aggressive driving to keep you from blowing through the shock travel. I’m excited to see where they take this system in the future.

The Polaris RZR Turbo S Lifted Lime LE is my current go-to turbo car in the fleet. The versatility of the platform as well as the proven reliability makes it a no-brainer for anyone looking at a new vehicle. Polaris hit the nail on the head with this car, a very well rounded high-performance machine that is an absolute joy to rip.

UTV Sports Media Photo by Tom Leigh

Needless to say, RJ Anderson had a blast ripping Turbo S around the dunes of Sand Hollow.

2021 Polaris RZR Turbo S Lifted Lime LE

Author: UTV Sports Magazine

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