I’ll admit it. For a long time, I was one of those guys who looked at $40,000 side-by-sides and just shook my head. At some point the math starts feeling questionable. For that kind of money you can buy an older Tacoma, throw a lift on it, add some aggressive tires, and build a pretty capable hunting rig. It might not be pretty, but it’ll get you to camp and back—so why bother with a side-by-side?
That was my mindset before I spent a fall season running the Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar Edition. Polaris invited us to take the machine out and use it in real hunting situations with no instructions and no script. Just take it to the mountains and see what happens. Over the course of the fall, we used it on several hunts, bouncing down rough forest roads, climbing steep terrain, and hauling gear in and out of the backcountry. By the time the season wrapped up, my opinion on these high-end side-by-sides had changed quite a bit.
Before I got heavily involved in the hunting world, I spent years racing ATVs and side-by-sides in desert off-road races. That kind of riding teaches you pretty quickly what good suspension feels like and what bad suspension feels like, and early hunting rigs definitely leaned toward the latter. Some hunters will remember when people were converting golf carts or little electric vehicles into backcountry rigs. They technically worked, but they would rattle your teeth loose after a couple miles. Even some of the early side-by-sides weren’t much better. The Polaris XPEDITION is a completely different experience. The FOX 2.0 coilover shocks with reservoirs are fully adjustable and actually do what they’re supposed to do. Each wheel moves independently and keeps traction on uneven ground, which makes a noticeable difference when the terrain gets rough.
What impressed me most was how well the vehicle handled completely different driving situations. Some machines are great for slow crawling but feel unstable when you pick up speed. Others are built for speed but struggle in technical terrain. The XPEDITION lands right in the middle. Even loaded with four or five adults, we never managed to bottom it out crossing ditches or dropping into washes. The machine’s fourteen-plus inches of ground clearance makes it look tall enough to feel tippy, and that was honestly my first concern when I saw it. But once you’re behind the wheel, that concern disappears pretty quickly. The independent suspension keeps the center of gravity feeling stable and predictable, and it’s one of those vehicles that feels planted no matter how ugly the road gets.
If you spend enough time hunting the West, you know the terrain rarely cooperates with your plans. One minute you’re creeping along in low gear trying to climb a muddy ridge, and the next minute you’re racing daylight trying to cover ten miles of gravel road before dark. During an elk hunt with my wife earlier this past fall we found ourselves in exactly that situation. We were running late, the light was fading, and we still had a long stretch of rough road ahead of us. The XPEDITION handled it easily. When the road opens up, the machine will run close to seventy miles per hour, which means you can cover ground quickly when you need to. When the terrain turns steep and ugly again, you can drop into four-wheel drive, shift into low gear, and crawl your way up without feeling like the vehicle is struggling. That ability to comfortably handle both slow technical driving and faster travel is where a purpose-built hunting machine really begins to separate itself from a modified truck.
I’ve never been a big fan of enclosed cabs on side-by-sides. Early versions rattled constantly, bolts loosened up, and dust somehow found its way inside no matter what you did. The NorthStar cab on the XPEDITION changed my mind there as well. It seals well, it’s quiet enough to hold a conversation, and getting in and out feels more like climbing into a small truck than squeezing into an off-road toy. Even with my height, I had plenty of room in the driver’s seat, and the seating position falls right between a work-style RANGER and a sport-style RZR. You’re not sitting straight upright like you would in a farm vehicle, but you’re not laid back like you would be in a race machine either. It lands in a comfortable middle ground that works well when you’re spending long days in the mountains.
The rear seats are also far more usable than older side-by-side designs. A lot of machines advertise seating for four or five people, but the back seats often feel like they were designed for tiny children. In the XPEDITION, full-size adults can ride in the back comfortably. The entry space is a little tight if you’re wearing big hunting boots, but once you’re seated, there’s enough room to ride around all day without feeling cramped. Five adults can realistically ride in this machine without feeling packed in, which matters when you’re hauling hunting partners or family members into the mountains.
The rear cargo area is enclosed with a glass hatch, which works well for hauling packs, gear, and even quarters after a successful hunt. If I had to nitpick one thing, it would be the lack of a dedicated handle on that hatch, since you usually end up grabbing the glass or the seal to close it. Other than that, the setup works great in hunting conditions. The enclosed cargo space keeps dust off your gear, and the interior of the vehicle is incredibly easy to clean. The floor includes drain plugs so you can wash the inside out with a water hose or pressure washer. Anyone who has spent time trying to clean mud out of a truck interior will appreciate that feature immediately.
Inside the cab, you also get more comfort than most hunters expect from a side-by-side. The RIDE COMMAND system includes built-in maps, navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, and a JBL stereo. More importantly, the NorthStar package includes heat, air conditioning, and a defroster. After hiking hard and working up a sweat, it’s pretty nice to climb back inside, crank the air conditioning, and drive to the next glassing point. The XPEDITION runs a 1000cc engine that produces around 114 horsepower—plenty for a machine this size. The five-seat version weighs roughly 2,500 pounds before gear and fuel, which helps it feel planted on rough roads without becoming overly heavy or clunky. Compared to larger machines like the Polaris Ranger six-seater, the XPEDITION feels more agile and more comfortable when you pick up speed across uneven terrain.
So let’s come back to the original question. Could you build a hunting rig out of an older Jeep or Tacoma for less money? Sure. But it won’t be as narrow on tight mountain trails, it won’t be as nimble in rough terrain, and it definitely won’t ride as smoothly when you’re covering miles of backcountry roads. After spending a season hunting out of the Polaris XPEDITION ADV, I understand why these machines have become so popular with serious hunters. Polaris has figured out the suspension, the cab sealing, and the overall comfort in a way that makes this platform extremely capable. For the way I hunt, it’s the best hunting vehicle I’ve used so far. And after a full fall of running it through the mountains, I’ve got to admit something I didn’t expect to say: I wouldn’t mind seeing one parked in my garage.
To learn more, visit https://www.polaris.com/en-us/off-road/polaris-xpedition/models/xpedition-adv/.
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