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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