Polaris engineers in the US worked with their teams in Australia and New Zealand, consulted with farmers and tested prototypes on local farms, to come up with a product they say will cope with the unique abuse our farmers dish out to ATVs.
They say the Aus-NZ ATV market is 85% farming, 15% recreational, whereas in other markets most ATVs are used recreationally.
The UTE 570 HD has some key features not found on the Polaris ATVs sold to the huge North American recreational ATV market, notably sealed driveshaft splines, greasable sealed ball joints and sealed suspension bushings; ‘HD’ features that will prolong the life of a machine likely to spend most of its life coated in mud and cow manure.
There are some obvious visual differences about the UTE, such as the seat backrest, the tipping tray with 180kg capacity and the mirrors, indicators and horn. These are all features that farmers apparently told Polaris they wanted.
The UTE 570 HD shares many of its working parts with the new Sportsman 570 HD ATV. The new 567cc EFI engine, for example, which is up on power from the old Polaris 500. The new engine has heaps more poke and is more tractable up and down the rev range. It gives the UTE and Sportsman towing capacity of 556kg.
The two machines also share single lever braking, the ‘HD’ features mentioned above, the sealed front storage and racks, and the narrow seat and wide floor boards. The latter two are design features that reduce rider fatigue by reducing the angle of leg splay – a simple but effective consideration.
One feature the UTE has to itself, for now, is descent control, which gives far more control and engine braking than the average ATV, engaging automatically when riding down slopes off the throttle. This and other features developed specifically for the UTE will eventually be rolled out to more Polaris products in regions other than Australasia.
Standard on the UTE are an on-demand AWD system, electronic power steering, and independent rear suspension with 24.1cm of wheel travel. The launch ride was held in Australia on a purpose-built course with fast and slow sections, punishingly rough sections, water hazards and steep sections. The UTE soaked it all up with no problems and despite being slightly longer than the Sportsman, it felt agile and well balanced with power to burn.
Polaris is excited by the potential of this ATV in New Zealand and to be fair it is a well conceived product that does everything well. Price point will be the key though. As Dairy News went to print, New Zealand pricing was yet to be confirmed, but in Australia it will retail at AU$9995. The New Zealand 500cc ATV market is generally around the $15,000 mark, so if Polaris can land the UTE at $12,000 or thereabouts, they could have a strong contender for 2014.
