We had a problem when we bought our Can-Am Maverick X3 Max. See, we have three children and it only has four seats. And though we could've bought a utility-focused side-by-side, we wanted a go-fast one as speed is more fun than not. And so, we turned to the aftermarket as Can-Am doesn't make a five-seater Maverick X3 Max.
Once we got it home, I took the rear seats apart, installed a middle jump seat, and after a few hours of swearing and knuckle-busting, we were ready to rock with all three kids in tow. And it wasn't super expensive to do, either.
But what if you didn't have to worry about installing a jump seat yourself? What if you could get one from the factory, but at the same time gain more storage space, and have a seating arrangement for your go-fast side-by-side that's far more adaptable to your chosen backcountry explorations? What if Polaris just patented exactly that?
Well, I'm pretty sure it'd look like this game-changing adaptable seat configuration RideApart just dug up.
At it's core, this patent is all about giving consumers far more usability within their RZR side-by-sides. However, it doesn't have to just apply to the go-fast UTVs, it'd work everywhere. That said, based on the patent's description and drawings, it definitely looks as if Polaris is eyeing those side-by-sides first, as they're the most compromised in terms of daily usability.
From the description, "The present invention relates to side-by-side vehicles and all-terrain vehicles, and more particularly to seating arrangements for these vehicles," adding, "Generally, all-terrain vehicles (“ATVs”) and utility vehicles (“UTVs”) are used to carry one or two passengers and a small amount of cargo over a variety of terrains. Due to increasing recreational interest in ATVs, specialty ATVs, such as those used for trail riding, racing, and cargo hauling have entered the market place. Most ATVs include seating for up to two passengers which are either seated side-by-side or with the passenger positioned behind the driver of the ATV. Side-by-side ATVs, in which the driver and passenger are seated beside each other on laterally spaced apart seats, have become popular because of the ability to allow the passenger to share the driver's viewpoint. It is also common for the side-by-side vehicles to include front and back rows of seats to accommodate four riders."
But from there it gets interesting, as it details a set of movable rear seats that allow the the installation or use of a jump seat, the expansion of the seats to accommodate cargo, and folding of the rear seat bases to turn the rear of the side-by-side into a cargo area big enough for a bicycle—as shown in the accompanying drawings. There's also mention of an integrated cooler, which is everyone's favorite gear addition to their side-by-sides—call me, Dometic.
Polaris also showed off a version of its cooled seats again, which are beyond interesting and I have to try them out sometime soon.
Yet, it's the adjustability of the rear seats that really intrigues me. Again, I had to look to the aftermarket to fit out family in our Can-Am. And so many folks I know have had to do the same thing. I get why Can-Am and Polaris haven't done it until now, as building out something like this patented system is difficult in terms of ensuring rider safety. But I'm stoked that a manufacturer is finally addressing the issue of families that have more than two kids.
When will we see this on a RZR that you could buy? That's unclear, but based on how many awesome patents we've been digging up in recent months from Polaris, I think we'd likely see them sooner rather than later. But good on you, Polaris, and thank you from all the five person families out there that wanna go fast.
