The economics of pandemic spending have ended. Honestly, they end probably two years ago, as folks began to rein in their fun purchases and get back into the mode of saving every penny. That's in large part due to the economy just not being as strong as Washington D.C. politicians would like you to believe.
And that goes for both sides of the aisle.
But the reality was clear as day, as the demand for high-priced powersports machines—your big-bore adventure motorcycles, the go-fast side-by-sides, and mountain-ready snowmobiles—all began to collect dust on dealership lots across the country, and indeed the world. It's the reason KTM got into the mess it was in just a few short months ago, as demand fell off the face of the planet for the brand's sky-high MSRP motorcycles.
Yet, while KTM isn't alone—see Harley-Davidson's recent blunders, as well as BRP focusing the brand on purely powersports by getting rid of its boat nameplates—one big-name brand has been suffering both quietly and not in recent months: Polaris. But in recent days, with the launch of its $10,000 Ranger utility-focused side-by-side, I thought that the powers that be in the company were finally course correcting. Finally, a side-by-side for this market.
Now I'm not so sure about that, as was recently reported by our friends at UTV Driver, not only is the brand axing the base trim on its most expensive side-by-side, the Xpedition, but in doing so, it raises the base price a whopping $8,500. And, folks, that's a big jump for something already quite costly.
Now, from the jump, the Xpedition was marketed as something more than just another enclosed side-by-side. With more and more folks like myself throwing rooftop tents on their rigs, and using them for overlanding vacations where UTVs are street-legal—or enough public lands exist—Polaris wanted a cut of that market with something from their stable that'd be direct-to-consumer. A factory-build machine that'd do it all, and have a litany of accessories to make each one unique.
And Polaris did just that. It built something pretty damn cool. But it was at a cost and that was its cost.
When the company dropped the Xpedition a few years ago, a base model, two-door, non-enclosed, non-HVAC Xpedition would set you back an eye-watering $31,999. Today, that model doesn't exist, as Polaris has axed the Xped trim level. Currently, the base model, two-door, fully-enclosed, full HVAC Xpedition starts at $40,499 before you add a single accessory to the model. That's a nearly $10,000 jump.
Obviously, the buyers of the Xpedition are going to be different than that new $10,000 Ranger 500. But at $40,499 for a two-door side-by-side, one with only a little more horsepower than some of its competitors, as well as a little more suspension, too, that's a hard pill to swallow. I mean, if you go to Polaris' site and add the overlanding package that was much ballyhooed at its launch, you're adding another $13,889. That brings you up to $54,388. That's a Toyota Tacoma. That's a lot of great used overlanders that are build off actual highway-rated vehicles.
The Xpedition, as mentioned earlier, has to operate either in a state like my own Utah where side-by-sides are street-legal, or only on public lands. Who has that kind of money these days?
I don't want to rag on Polaris too hard, though, as the brand makes a damn-fine product. And the idea behind the Xpedition is one that I had myself when I built my Can-Am Maverick X3 Max—I wanted a Swiss-Army knife. My consternation is purely with its pricing and our current economic conditions. Right now, even more than the last two years, people are pulling even further back due to the economic chaos of the current American administration. They aren't spending $40,000 on a side-by-side, as evidenced by Polaris' own long-term strategy of introducing the Ranger 500.
I think, personally, I would've just killed the model altogether. Or perhaps build an Xpedition-lite model of the Ranger platform, one that maybe had 80% of the capability, but with a lower introductory price. I do still believe that an overlanding/camping side-by-side is a great idea. But there has to be a better way of offering that concept to folks who aren't made of money...which is like 99.999999999% of us.
