Driven: The 2027 Polaris RZR Pro R Boost Puts the Hurt on Dirt

Is there a better state than Utah? It has everything an outdoor enthusiast could ever ask for. On top of that, the land formations created by millions of years of natural events make for some of the most entertaining and challenging off-road terrain rubber has ever dug into. They also deliver some epic views—although from behind the wheel of a high-performance side-by-side, you might never see them.

Polaris’s newest world-blurring buggy is the RZR Pro R Boost. Available in a two-seat configuration starting at $51,994 or a four-seat for $55,994, this 275-hp behemoth is the king of the mountain. Or the sand dune. Maybe even a steep rock wall.

Building off the existing Pro R platform, Polaris massaged most of its bones. The DOHC 2.0-liter inline-four now has different internals to handle the pressure administered by the large 60-mm turbo that’s become the life of the party. The 275 horses make this the most powerful buggy available, topping the Can-Am Maverick R’s 240 horsepower and the Kawasaki Teryx H2’s 250 ponies. The competition cannot come close to its 223 pound-feet of torque. Polaris says the Pro R Boost will even make all its muscle in temperatures of up to 115 degrees and at elevations of 10,000 feet.

Upstream of the engine, the radiator is now located behind the occupants and fed by a roof scoop. We’d never have guessed it, but this is a welcome relocation. With that heat source at your back rather than out front, there’s no longer a hair dryer blowing 100-plus-degree air in your face, which significantly lowers the cockpit temperature. Remember, in the world of side-by-sides, windshields are accessories.

Downstream, the clutches that make up the continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) are tuned specifically for the Boost. The secondary clutch is larger with more cooling fins, the drive belt and half-shafts are stronger, and the front differential is beefier.

Out in Utah’s Sand Mountain off-road area, opportunities to heat things up run rampant. Sand dunes rise and flow like the waves of a sunburnt sea, and fast two-track trails littered with moguls deep enough to swallow a Geo Metro beg the Boost for forgiveness. But the Boost, cushioned by adaptive Fox Live Valve dampers with electronic controls for compression and rebound that adjust up to 200 times per second, shows no mercy. In fact, it likes fast and faster to stay on top of the bumps.

Of the four damper modes (Comfort, Rock, Baja, and Track), the Comfort setting is best for nearly all situations. Should your eyes detect a devastating impact on the horizon that could potentially threaten the roughly two feet of front and rear wheel travel, and your spine, a button on the steering wheel temporarily puts the dampers into the firmest mode to absorb the blow. (For an additional $3000, Ultra models come equipped with adaptive anti-roll-bar links that we did not get to experience.)

Can-Am’s dual-clutch automatic is the more engaging piece of equipment in this segment, but the Boost’s CVT is a performer. There’s a smidge of lag as the turbo initially spools up, but overall, the power delivery is very linear. Three air intakes keep the drive belt cool when the turbo four is wide open. In moments of on-off throttle, the Boost stays responsive. Instead of blowing off leftover boost with hisses and whooshes, Polaris uses the residual pressure to keep the big turbo spinning to reduce lag.

Sand Mountain is more than just a place for side-by-sides to mash moguls and drift dunes. Here you’ll also find the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler species—some are in their production form, but most are modified. And here’s where you present your argument that you can buy a Bronco or a Wrangler for a similar amount of cash. With A/C, windows, and streetability. We get it.

But whereas the Bronco and Wrangler creep and crawl up rock faces, the RZR Pro R Boost treats these technical surfaces like a vertical road. With the tires pushed to the outermost corners, it’s as if the approach and departure angles are infinite. A toggle switch transforms the drivetrain from rear- to four-wheel drive, then goes a step further by locking the front differential. The throttle inputs are numbed in Rock mode, and low range is dialed in for low-speed maneuvers. Even when the Boost comes to a complete stop on a near-vertical rock, its low-end torque gets the rig moving again with zero drama. It’s truly impressive how quickly these buggies tackle terrain that looks like the surface of Mars.

When you reach some of the highest elevations in the Sand Mountain recreation area, you can cool off in the ventilated seats, track your buddies via the Group Ride feature in the 10.4-inch touchscreen, and use Apple CarPlay to crank up some tunes through the banging Rockford Fosgate stereo. Then, you can finally take in the scenery. Because, like southern Utah, the capabilities of the RZR Pro R Boost are beautiful.