2024 Polaris Ranger XP Kinetic Review: The EV to Convince Rural America

Where I live in the middle of the country is pretty isolated. Trends take years to reach us from the coasts—for example, I just bought my first Walkman last week. OK, that was a joke, but the adoption of electric vehicles has been nearly that slow. If you think the infrastructure is lacking in big cities, wait until you drive 20 and 30 miles between towns with nothing more than a post office. But there’s at least one EV that makes sense to own way out here, and it’s the 2024 Polaris Ranger XP Kinetic.

UTVs are awfully handy for anyone who needs to cover a lot of rough ground. They’re way more popular here than any Tesla, so I was intrigued to test one out that was a mix of both in a way. What I learned over the course of roughly two months with this near-silent, camouflaged rig is that electric can be great for people like me. More than that, it already is if you get one of these.

The major snag, which you probably guessed, is pricing. Anybody looking to scoop one up for the cost of a used and clapped Ford Ranger will be sorely disappointed. Starting at $29,999, it’s closer to the MSRP of a new one of those, and you can’t even take it on the interstate. But if you’re willing and able to part ways with that much cash, you’ll be rewarded with a workhorse that does just about everything better than gas.

The Basics

Polaris rolled out the Ranger XP Kinetic as a new model for 2023. It actually isn’t the brand’s first-ever electric side-by-side; the golf cart-like Ranger EV predates it by several years. However, it is the first Polaris to feature a drivetrain developed by Zero Motorcycles, the manufacturer’s in-house electric bike manufacturer.

Outside, though, it just looks like another Ranger. There are a few noticeable differences, like the bright-as-heck LED light bar up front and the cobalt blue accents on some models. Mine was more discreet than that, though, with plastics that make it look more like a tree than a battery-powered UTV.

Inside, the cab is comfy and convenient thanks in large part to Polaris’ Ride Command infotainment system. It’s as good here as it is in every other model, and you can actually enjoy the tunes you play on the stereo since there’s no engine drowning out the treble and mids. There’s a single bench seat which handily seats two adults and a kid in the middle, and there’s an easy-to-read digital dash display behind the steering wheel. It’s a great mix of modernity and simplicity.

What we all really care about is that electric drivetrain. Both Ranger XP Kinetic trims, the Premium and Ultimate, make 110 horsepower and 140 lb-ft of torque thanks to a permanent magnet AC motor powering the rear or all four wheels. For reference, that’s the same hp figure as the Ranger XD 1500 with 35 lb-ft more torque. Where the two electric trims differ is the battery size, with the Premium using a 14.9-kWh battery pack and the Ultimate running a 29.8-kWh unit. My tester was an Ultimate.

Driving the Polaris Ranger XP Kinetic

It took almost no time to get familiar with the Ranger XP Kinetic’s driving characteristics. There are only a few operational differences, but you’re met with one straight away: The shifter has a switch on top for forward and reverse. I found myself forgetting to check that every once in a while, meaning I’d lurch backward instead of forward or vice versa at times when moving the lever into LO or HI. That isn’t great but isn’t the end of the world, either.

Having just tested the Polaris Xpedition not long ago and finding it way too loud, especially for a UTV with an enclosed cab, I was impressed to hear how quiet the Ranger XP Kinetic was. You can hear the electric motors as they whir along, but in comparison to internal combustion, it’s nothing. On my family’s first ride, we snuck up on several deer without them noticing until we made it within 15 feet. Another car journo who tested one of these before told me they weren’t quiet at all, but I’m not sure what they expected. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the allure of the electric Ranger and it delivers.

My family owns a campground in the Missouri Ozarks, which is where I tested the Polaris every day. Because of its quiet operation, I was able to complete chores late at night and early in the morning without waking anyone up, even while listening to my favorite podcasts. And because it doesn’t burn any gas or lose any range while idling, I’d often leave it on for literal hours at a time while I tackled bigger jobs. The Ranger XP Kinetic helped us clean up from two floods during my time with it, and in addition to hauling whatever I could fit in the bed, it acted like a giant boombox that we could listen to while loading and unloading hundreds of pounds of brush.

Talking truthfully, I was sold after my first time working with it. I used it for six hours straight around our 15-acre property and the battery level dropped by just 12%, even with my 280-pound frame in the seat and way more in the bed. It’s perfectly geared toward people with my use case, which requires low speeds and good low-end torque.

I don’t want to get myself in trouble here but I tried overloading the electric Ranger and it just wasn’t happening. At one point, we had a load of logs that my brother had to help me load in the bed and while backing up through a small gravel dip, the front tires came off the ground. He simply stood on the bumper to bring it back down and I hauled it to the burn pile. This thing gets the job done.

The Highs and Lows

In this case, in this specific application, electric beats gas every time. Being able to run quietly around the campground, no matter what time it was, while never worrying about running out of charge made me a believer. And it doesn’t sacrifice capability to achieve that level of convenience or comfort, either; the UTV’s well-programmed traction control and torquey drivetrain meant I could drive straight up a tree with one tire on the trunk, even as the others rolled on loose creek gravel. It was just win after win after win.

My list of complaints is small. The main one that stands out is it’s slow to shift upon startup, meaning you can’t go forward or backward after turning the key until it’s completed its routine checks. Moving the shift lever too soon after starting forces a message on the screen that says “shift back to park,” and even sometimes when you don’t get that message and you press the throttle, the electric motor will spin and make a nasty noise without moving the rig. Don’t get in a hurry and you’ll be fine, but still. It’s annoying.

You also can’t override the traction control, which was never a problem during practical use but it prevented me from executing some goofy demos around campers. I’d say, “Watch me drive up this tree” and then the computers would decide it wasn’t possible, simply causing it to stay still.

Range, Charging, and Efficiency

Polaris says the Ranger XP Kinetic in the Premium spec will go 45 miles on a charge while the Ultimate and its bigger battery can supposedly manage 90 miles of range. I never got that much, with most charges lasting between 75 and 80 miles.

Charging time is handily respectable. We have a lone 50-amp outlet at our campground which fits the UTV’s most powerful charger hookup. From 15% battery, it would return back to full in about three and a half hours using that outlet. Even if we didn’t have that much time to charge it, we could plug it in for an hour and have more than enough to finish the day out. Of course, that wasn’t the case when plugged into a 110-volt outlet; that took more like 18 hours to charge from 15% to full.

Value and Verdict

The XP Kinetic is the best Ranger in the lineup. Rather than simply being offered as another option for people who prefer electric making compromises along the way, Polaris has positioned it as the top model (save for the extreme-duty 1,500cc model). It’s priced accordingly and that makes the pill harder to swallow.

Initially, Polaris rolled at the top-tier Ultimate spec at $29,999 before delivery. Still not cheap, but compared to the 2024 model, it was. Now the price has shot up $7,500 and that’s a lot for any UTV, great or not. If I had all the money in the world, I’d snatch it up in a heartbeat because it really is that handy. In the meantime, I better start booking some RV reservations and float trips to save up.

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