Polaris Built the Most Refined Sports UTVs Ever With 2025's RZR Pro Line, Rep Explains

After an up-close encounter with the three RZR Pros over the sand dunes of North Bend, Oregon, and getting to grips with the eccentricities of each, I knew I had to sit down with someone from the RZR team to understand how the 2025 Pro line took shape. Happily, that was exactly what I was given access to. Meet David Elia, Product Director for Polaris' recreation brands. As a key contributor to the product planning phase of Polaris stalwarts like the Xpidition adventure rig, the General crossover, and, of course, the RZR line that started it all in its sector, nearly every aspect of the RZR Pro's construction was signed off on by his team.

First things first in terms of questions is how the heck to make sense of the RZR line. These days, the model lineup is so padded with different engine displacements and wheelbases, and it can start to get a little confusing. However, as Dave explained, it can all be broken down into three bespoke platforms catered to slightly different segments of the sports UTV market. On the more reserved trail-optimized end, you have the RZR Trail line with either a 50 or 60-inch wheelbase and 75-horsepower engines.

Moving up the range, and the 64-inch wheelbase XP line, of which the Pro XP is the range-topper, is better suited to multi-faced off-road excursions with complicated terrain, plus more capability in off-trail environments. For people who crave something "more," driving over wide-open terrain, then the RZR Pro S, with its wider dimensions, longer wheelbase, and the same engine as the Pro XP, will do wonders for most folks. If that's not sufficient, then the RZR Pro R, with its 225-horsepower four-cylinder engine, gives enough thrills to scare the daylights out of you with its savagery.

It's a lot to take in. But for Dave and his team, this nomenclature was a necessary aspect of the sheer vastness of the Polaris RZR fleet. On the product planning end of things, it's not something the team took lightly. "It's a lot to manage. But as the market has grown and the performance and capability of the vehicles have broadened, we need all these different models to fulfill the price and capability that our customers are looking for." Elia said of the laundry list of different products under a product line that began with just one, the Ranger-RZR, back in 2007. "It is complex, but that's our job.To bring the consumer insights in and figure out what features matter the most and what platforms are going to satisfy their need."

In short, the RZR line's got you covered, whether wide-open dunes or tight, narrow trails are on the day's itinerary. But in terms of refinement and the sheer number of features you could cram into a sports UTV, the Pro series is the clear champion of the range. For Dave and his team, the added Rockford Fosgate Stage 4 stereo system and quirky features like rear-seat ventilation in the range-topping Pro R are the best part of the job. "The fun part of the job is bringing the new innovations and tech into the market," Elia said of the design process that forged the 2025 RZR Pro line.

"We see two camps of customers when it comes to off-roading. People who want the most power for the price, and that's what our Sport models are for. Or the flipside is the customers who want it all. If they're gonna go big, they're gonna go really big. When they do that, they really appreciate when all that technology and audio comes from the factory." In truth, folks have been sticking banging stereos with mobile phone-compatible touchscreen head units for over a decade by now. The difference is that until recently, all of this was done on the aftermarket.

As Dave noted, people were even going right to Polaris dealership accessory shops and buying aftermarket goodies designed to be bolted on after the fact. So why not integrate these items into the design from the start? Such was the rationale behind the RZR Pro line. "What we've done with the Pro line is designed these things right into the vehicle, it's designed with the vehicle by our engineers. The audio system is a great example. We bring Rockford Fosgate at the very early sketch and clay part of the design process. So even before we start designing the vehicle, we have the six speakers right where we want them."

That's right, the RZR Pro line was designed in clay, just like a great many modern automotive designs often are and have been for nearly a century. But by doing so, the Pro line looks, feels, and drives like a UTV built with high technology in mind from the start rather than as an afterthought. "That's what I'm the most proud of the team for. They've been able to work together, not just within Polaris, but with our partners like Rockford Fosgate, ProArmor, and Fox Shocks, and a number of others to really build a great customer experience," Dave said of the industry-leading experience Polaris sought to bring to the Pro line's driving experience.

"When you get in and hear that audio system, it blows you away. Not only is it super impressive to drive, but the seats are comfortable, the audio is great, the new cabin air intakes keep you nice and cool, and the Ride Command system is great, it makes for a great experience." It's only because Polaris lets Dave and his team be bold enough to fit a practically automotive-grade infotainment system and a two-liter engine the size of a rally racer in its highest-trimmed outfit that the RZR Pro exists. The team says customer feedback, not internal input, spawned these additions.

After chatting with Dave and getting a feel for the range across the sands of Western Oregon, I'm inclined to believe it. Check out our reviews of the Polaris RZR Pro line if you want to learn more.