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By Brit Mansell

Throughout my childhood and the “growing up” years (or lack there of), I have spent most of my recreation time trying to go faster than the other guys on the track. For this reason, the RZR line of vehicles was a natural progression. As the old saying goes – “with age comes the cage”. Upon hearing that Polaris, again for 2013, was going to have us out to Great Falls, MT, all I could think about was roosting around the mountains on a new RZR XP 900.

A couple of weeks after I heard the news about Montana, we were notified by Polaris that the all new 2013 Ranger XP would have the 900 Pro Star engine in it. It was right then that we put two and two together. This was not going to be a RZR ride, but yet a Ranger XP 900 ride. I was greatly looking forward to seeing what the ProStar powerplant could do in the Ranger XP. Combining the durability, engineering, and aesthetics of the Ranger XP with the ridiculously efficient ProStar engine would make it perfectly suited to be a true dual purpose machine, one which would be perfectly at home on the trail as well as the farm. Montana would be the perfect place to see this machine work and play.

After a couple of missed flights, I finally arrived at the Great Falls airport. Immediately upon getting off of the plane, it was easily noticeable that I wasn’t in Alabama anymore. The great views and much cooler temperatures put me right in the mood to get my hands dirty and put the new Ranger XP’s to the test. It was a good thing, too. Since I was late, the whole crew rolled into the airport in a 47-passenger bus to pick me up. Yeah, I was “that guy”. Walking onto the bus brought out the sarcasm bred into most of my “editor friends”, but I guess I deserved that due to living all the way across the country and taking all day to get to Montana.

Following the bus trip to the ride site, we exited the bus to be face to face with a large pack of Ranger XP’s, one of which was hooked to a large dump truck via a tow chain, more on that later.

There was no better backdrop on Earth than the beautiful Montana mountains for the on-site presentation delivered by Polaris. Rural America is truly “Ranger Country”. Here are a few of the highlights from the all-new 2013 Ranger XP:

-All-New 875cc ProStar 900 Engine – 60 HP and 54 ft-lb of torque
-Strongest clutch belt ever put in a Ranger vehicle
-All new chassis with a wheelbase increased by 5”
-New roll cage system built using extruded tubing. The new cage is specifically built to work with sealed cab enclosures. -Check out the video for a demo of how easy it is to install all new Lock & Ride® cab system.
-Driver’s side fuel fill – this may seem like a small feature to those of you who haven’t driven around the gas station trying to get your truck and trailer filled. Trust us, this is very much appreciated.
-Automotive-style intake manifold and throttle-by-wire for improved dynamic tuning
-1000 lb. bed load capacity
-Largest radiator of any Polaris vehicle
-Multiple limited edition models featuring power steering, built in audio with Bluetooth input, multiple speakers, and billet wheels