2022 POLARIS RZR PRO R ULTIMATE

The RZR brand continues to impress

HOW DOES THE PRICE COMPARE?

At $40,699, the 2022 POLARIS RZR PRO R ULTIMATE is the most expensive production two-seat UTV you can buy. But, that’s not the only thing you will be spending money on. Get ready to invest in extra gas and new tires often, because this thing is a blast to drive, drinks fuel and burns rubber.

2022 POLARIS RZR PRO R ULTIMATE
If you get the Pro R with electronically adjustable shocks like this Ultimate model, there are four shock modes you can choose from. Rock mode keeps the shock extension and ride height high. About the only thing this car doesn’t have that we wish it did is a sway-bar disconnect.

 

WHAT ENGINE DOES IT HAVE?

Unless you have been living under a rock and don’t know about the Pro R, it is powered by a four-cylinder, normally aspirated engine derived from the powerplant Polaris uses in their Slingshot roadster. That engine was derived from the Chevrolet Ecotec engine that was in the early Slingshots and used by many builders in larger off-road race cars and trucks. You can find used Ecotec engines at junkyards for $500, and there are a ton of horsepower mods for this engine already being used. The specs claim this engine produces 225 horsepower from its 1997cc cylinder displacement. It’s still belt-driven, and the engine is mounted like the original RZR 800 engine so the CVT clutches and belt are behind the rear firewall. This makes belt changes a little more involved but really not that hard. In our tech tip video (https://utvactionmag.com/how-to-change-a-rzr-pro-r-cvt-belt/), we show that it can be done in under 15 minutes. However, we haven’t broke a belt yet, so with general maintenance you may not have to ever do the procedure out on the trail.

2022 POLARIS RZR PRO R ULTIMATE
The uniqueness of this machine is primarily in the engine compartment. Polaris stuffed a four-cylinder engine derived from their Slingshot roadster engine into this RZR Pro. It’s head-jerking quick and tops out above 90 mph.

 

2022 POLARIS RZR PRO R ULTIMATE
We are still amazed at the size of these A-arms. Don’t let the axle running through the bottom shock mount scare you. The design has already been in use in larger street and off-road race trucks. The Pro R has over 22 inches of front-wheel travel.

 

IS IT FAST?

Yes, the clutching Polaris gave this car gives it instant acceleration, midrange and a top speed north of 90 mph. It’s the first UTV in a long time that has literally pushed our backs into the seat upon take-off. In our testing, it seems that the Pro R uses about 25 percent more gas than a turbocharged Pro XP or the new Turbo R. Polaris did give this machine a large 12-gallon tank, but that still won’t give you over a 100-mile range unless you are very light on the skinny pedal. It can cruise, too, but the rpm is higher than we are used to with other RZRs, and so is the exhaust note.

2022 POLARIS RZR PRO R ULTIMATE
Three modes of power output will do everything from smoothing out the ride to ripping the knobs clean off your tires.

 

2022 POLARIS RZR PRO R ULTIMATE
Compared to the Pro XP or Turbo R, the 2022 POLARIS RZR PRO R ULTIMATE  cargo tray is just a little shallower. The tray still removes with only a few bolts and holds 300 pounds. It works but gets a little cramped once you put a spare tire in there.

 

HOW’S THE COCKPIT?

Good. We have grown to love the RZR Pro cockpit. It has tons more legroom than the original RZR. There’s a deep glove box and three center storage boxes on top of and below the dash and one between the seats. Only the driver’s seat is adjustable, and so is the steering wheel with tilt and telescoping. The passenger grab-handle is telescoping, and the footpads are supplied for shorter passengers. Full yet vented doors do a good job keeping debris on the trail where it belongs, and shoulder room is night and day better in this machine versus the old RZR.

The Pro R is the first UTV that comes with rock guards (mud flaps) as standard equipment. The Pro R has over 24 inches of rear-wheel travel.

 

Six-point harnesses and bucket seats are standard. The driver’s seat is adjustable, and they both remove quickly without tools to access the CVT cover behind the firewall.

 

WHAT EXTRA FEATURES DOES IT HAVE?

The Ultimate comes with 3.0 Fox shocks on all four corners, Ride Command, Rockford Fosgate audio system and a roof. The two-seat model has a four-speaker system and the four-seater has six speakers. You can choose between blue or black colors. Engine output can be selected via three power modes—sport, rock and race. This model also has a new rack-mounted, high-assist, quick-turn power-steering system. Steering is very light, and you feel zero feedback no matter how rough the trail is. If you accidentally leave the front end in differential lock, you will have a slightly heavy steering-wheel feel, that’s your only warning.

Fox developed a shock for this RZR that automatically controls compression and rebound when it senses those settings are necessary. It helps it carve corners flatter with less body roll or two-wheeling.

 

HOW’S THE NEW CHASSIS

It floats over the deepest bumps and roughest trails. The new Fox shocks will automatically control compression and rebound depending on how you are driving and what the computer feels the car is going through. The driver can steer the suspension into one of four different modes. For the most part, we have been toggling between Comfort and Rock. Rock mode also lightens the steering while keeping ground clearance numbers as high as possible. No matter the speed or terrain, the suspension soaks up anything a mortal man would ever want to drive through. About the only thing we wish the suspension had is an electronic sway-bar disconnect. All of the arms and hubs are mounted in double shear, and everything has stayed tight for over 500 miles so far. The car can blitz over any whoops made by other UTVs and quads. It carves the dunes very stably and sure-footed even with stock tires. Those 32-inch-tall tires don’t seem to slow it down any. In fact, we are roasting the tread off these tires quicker than we have on any other UTV before it.

Most new RZRs finally come with full doors now. This door allows for more driver and passenger elbowroom. It also has some venting that helps keep dust from swirling inside the cab.

 

MACHINE MISSES

Polaris does not have a speed limiter for running in 4WD diff-lock. While steering only gets a little heavier, we wonder if any long-term damage will happen to the differential or will it act up and kick back unexpectedly? In the first few drives we mistakenly left the machine in diff-lock, but we haven’t had any issues so far.

We also wonder why Polaris only gives us a small hole in the rear fender to access the flag mount. We have had to either hole-saw a bigger area or remove the plastic to install our whips.

This and some of the smaller RZRs have a round roof-support structure. It’s as distinctive as the bulge on the hood. That bulge houses venting for the CVT.

 

WHO IS IT FOR?

The guy who has it all already. The guy who wants the latest and greatest while still demanding the best UTV you can buy out of the box with more features than the competition. If money is no object, this is it. Other than a bigger gas tank, we can’t think of anything else we wish this vehicle had, except maybe longer tire wear. However, we already have our next set of tires picked out to try on the 2022 Polaris RZR Pro R.

SPECS:

2022 POLARIS RZR PRO R ULTIMATE

Engine 4-cylinder, DOHC inline, 4-stroke

Displacement 1997cc

Horsepower 225

Fuel delivery EFI

Fuel capacity 12 gal

Transmission Automatic CVT with Park/high,

low and reverse

Overall length/width/height 136.5”/74”/72.8”

Wheelbase 104.6”

Bed box dimensions 29.5” x 23.8” x 8.1”

Ground clearance 16”

Dry weight 2187 lb.

Payload capacity 740 lb.

Bed box capacity 300 lb.

Electrical output 1700W

Brakes: f/r Hydraulic discs with three piston calipers/

dual-piston calipers

Tires 32X10-15 Maxxis Rampage Fury 8-ply

Suspension/wheel travel:

  Front Dual A-arms with 3.0 Fox w/ auto rebound

and compression and 22.25”

  Rear Trailing arms with 3.0 Fox w/ auto rebound

and compression and 24.5”

Instrumentation AM/FM & weather radio,

programmable service intervals, speedometer,

tachometer, odometer, trip meter, clock, hour meter,

coolant temperature, volt meter, service codes

Colors Blue, black

Price $40,699

Contact www.polaris.com

See how the RZR Pro R compares to the RZR Turbo R here: BATTLE OF THE POLARIS’ | RZR PRO R VERSUS RZR TURBO R – (utvactionmag.com)

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