5 things we LOVE and HATE about the Polaris Ranger 500!

UTV Driver

Side-by-sides have only gotten pricier over the last few years. Utility rigs that were once made for the average farmer are now luxury weekend warriors. Polaris wanted to fix that, and developed the 2026 Ranger 500. But is it worth your time? To help you find out, we put together a list of five things we love and five things we hate about it!  Become a Channel Partner: https://octanemedia.co/home/become-an-advertiser/ Looking to buy? Get prequalifed https://octane.co/vehicle-selection/?partner=A8PrQQB&a=298&flow=long-prequal&appTheme=3a49337c5724d18079602a4ca5a91626  Favorite Gear:  Packtalk Edge ORV: Code 'octane' for 10% off https://cardosystems.rfrl.co/z8qy5   For more stories, reviews, and first-looks check out https://www.utvdriver.com/   Want to see even more shenanigans from the UTV Driver team? Give us a like and follow:  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UTVdriver/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/utvdrivermagazine/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/utvdriver/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@utvdriver

Transcript

00:00The 2026 Polaris Ranger 500 is all new this year. It taps into a market segment that Polaris had

00:05previously ignored, and that is the value segment. That's where you find stuff like the Kawasaki

00:10Mule, the CFMoto U-Force, even the John Deere Gator. After years of building high power,

00:15expensive side-by-sides, Polaris had enough and wanted to get in on it. Is this rig right for you?

00:19To help you find out, we put together five things we love and five things we hate about the 2026

00:24Polaris Ranger 500. Let's get right into it. The first thing we love, and it should be very obvious,

00:30is the price. This thing comes in at just $9,999. Under $10,000 for anything in this market is

00:38unheard of, and Polaris getting in on that after making the expensive Expedition and the Ranger 1500

00:43just means that they know their audience. They know that people don't have $40,000, $50,000 to drop on

00:49the side-by-side, and they just need a basic worker, and that's where their Ranger 500 comes in.

00:55Now, the second thing we love is the accessories on this thing. Now, there aren't any actual trims

01:00for the Ranger 500. You get a base model, which comes with this winch, alloy wheels, and a poly roof.

01:06Other than that, it is completely up to you to build the side-by-side that fits your needs. Now,

01:11for us, we have a poly windshield, a rear windshield, side mirrors, and a rear view mirror. For us,

01:17on top of the winch, that's all we need. But, if you need extra storage options, bed racks,

01:22extra storage in the bed, dry storage, then all you have to do is raid Polaris' accessories catalog,

01:28and you'll have the rig that perfectly fits what you need to do on the job side.

01:31Now, the third thing we love, and I'm sure you can tell by me just standing next to it,

01:35it's tiny. This thing sits at just 110 inches long and 58.5 inches wide. That means that it can fit in

01:42the small piece of your garage that no other car can fit in, can be towed by just about anything,

01:47and overall just doesn't take up a lot of space on the homestead. That means that you most likely

01:52have something that can tow this thing. We towed it with a Jeep earlier, a vehicle that only has a

01:562,500 pound towing capacity. And as for a trailer, we just threw it up on our yard trailer. What I'm

02:01saying is, you don't need to spend a ton of money on a truck, a ton of money on a trailer to buy this

02:06thing. Just grab it off the lot, and you're good. The fourth thing we love about this is that it's

02:10dead simple. Looking at the cockpit, there are three controls in here. You have your key that

02:15turns the vehicle on, you have your gear shifter, and you have your turf mode selector. That's it.

02:22There's no diff lock, no four-wheel drive control, and no confusing buttons that, let's face it,

02:27most people have no idea what they do. That means that any apprentice, any 16-year-old kid,

02:32or your parents who have never driven a side-by-side before can get in here and know exactly what to do.

02:37It's a refreshing curveball in a market of side-by-sides that all feel like rocket ships

02:41when you get inside them. Now, the fifth and final thing we love about the 2026 Polaris Ranger 500

02:46is that it's a Ranger. They've been on the market for decades, they're proven tough,

02:51and they're instantly recognizable. There's a reason why these are some of the best-selling

02:55side-by-sides on the market. It's because they're just good. They're dependable, enjoyable to spend

03:00time in, and they never really let you down. As long as you take care of them, they will take care of you.

03:05That has been five things we love about the Polaris Ranger 500. Now, before we get into the hates,

03:10do me a favor, go down below, like, comment, and subscribe if you feel like it and you're

03:13enjoying this video. It really helps us out and lets our bosses know that we're doing a good job.

03:18Now, back to the video. The first thing we hate about the 2026 Polaris Ranger 500 is this bed,

03:24more specifically, the bed capacity. It's no secret that most utility rigs on the market have a bed

03:28capacity of up to 1,000 pounds. This one sits at 300, and we get it. It's not for huge farms,

03:35or ranches, and it's not for every job site, but as Polaris says, this can hold up to 10 bags of

03:40mulch. Just 10. They like to flaunt that around, but let's be honest, that's not a lot, and even

03:45doing what this rig was meant to do, which is stroll around and do small jobs around a homestead,

03:50300 pounds is still disappointing. It's fine, but we would like better. The second thing we hate about

03:55the 2026 Polaris Ranger 500 is the power. Now, let's be clear. We don't actually hate the engine in this

04:02thing. It's actually a detuned version of the 567cc single out of the Ranger SP570. Now, it originally

04:10made 44 horsepower, but that has been down tuned to just 28. We shouldn't have to tell you why almost

04:1520 less horsepower is a bad thing, and we get it. Polaris wanted to make this rig a little more

04:20tamely for the market, but that original 44 horsepower is still not a ton and still would have felt right

04:26at home in the Ranger 500. Now, the third thing we hate aren't these doornets. Now, you've heard us

04:31complained before about these, and they're not that bad, but I would prefer if it just came without

04:37them. If you can't have full doors, this is not a replacement for them. These claps are annoying,

04:44and if you don't have them clicked all the time, they just flap about in the wind while you're

04:48driving. Now, we should say that they're pretty easy to take off. It's like one bolt up here,

04:52one bolt down here, and a little strap right here. So, it's not that big of a deal, but to be honest,

04:57we just prefer they come without them. It's a little bit nitpicky, but it's still worth saying.

05:01And for number four, the steering sucks. Polaris says that it has power-assisted steering,

05:07whatever that means, but in reality, it doesn't inspire confidence. You never really know where

05:11it wants to go. Steering inputs feel like recommendations instead of commands, and it

05:15really could have used a power steering system. We get it, you want to save money wherever you can,

05:19but no actual power steering for a 2026 model year is ridiculous. Give us what we want,

05:25Polaris. Give us some power steering. Make this enjoyable to drive. And the fifth and final thing

05:29we hate is that there's no dry storage in here. Now, there's tons of actual storage where you can

05:34see these giant cubby holes. There's cup holders here. There's a cup holder here. There's two down

05:39here. There's even spots for like your phone, keys, or wallet right there, but what we want is actual

05:44dry storage. We want something where we can put our electronics, and they'll be safe from mud or water

05:49or whatever we're doing. We shouldn't tell you why that's a good thing on a side-by-side.

05:53They get dirty, and anything inside them gets dirty. And some things, like our camera or my phone or

06:00our scripts, we want to keep dry. And for you guys, that means snacks, tools, anything else you want

06:07to bring on the job site with you are going to get wet. I believe that you can get an accessory that

06:11adds dry storage to this thing, but we would love some straight from the factory. So that has been

06:16five things we love and five things we hate about the 2026 Polaris Ranger 500. Now, before we go,

06:22we're going to tell you who exactly this rig is for. It's for someone who maybe has an acre or two

06:27and doesn't want to spend $20,000, $30,000, $40,000, $50,000 on a new side-by-side. Let's face it,

06:32these things are expensive, and some things just aren't worth the massive hole in your wallet. But

06:37for $10,000, I'll be the first to say this is. Along with that, it's also for people who are new to

06:43side-by-sides and want to see what they're about. There's not a ton of weird controls that you have no

06:47idea what they do. It's just a straightforward hard worker. So, is the 2026 Polaris Ranger 500

06:53right for you? Let us know in the comments. While you're there, give us a like and subscribe if you

06:57feel like it. When you're done doing that, head over to utvdriver.com, where we have news, reviews,

07:02and buyer's guides five days a week. And when you're done doing that, head over to our socials.

07:07We're on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and of course, here on YouTube. We will see you out on the trail.

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