RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Newsweek — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 2 sources0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Polaris has dropped two big announcements for its 2027 model year lineup: a turbocharged RZR Pro R that now sits at the top of the production side-by-side horsepower table, and a reengineered Xpedition that tackles the one complaint owners never stopped making.
The Xpedition had a reputation issue baked into its design. Stuffing serious off-road performance inside a fully enclosed, climate-controlled cab meant noise levels that undercut the whole comfort idea. For 2027, Polaris addresses that with what it's calling NUMATIX - an in-house developed pneumatic CVT system that's an industry first. Rather than replacing the mechanical belt drive entirely, the system layers an air compressor, a small tank, and a pneumatic valve block on top of the existing clutch hardware, using air pressure to bias the drive clutch and lower engine RPM during sustained cruising.
The core tradeoff with a conventional CVT is that engineers tune it once for a fixed set of priorities. Chase performance and the engine sits at high RPM constantly; tune for comfort and the vehicle feels sluggish. NUMATIX sidesteps that by letting the system intervene dynamically. "This is a pneumatics-controlled CVT system, and ultimately what that gives us is a quieter ride while also improving the acceleration," Dave Elia, Product Director for Recreational Brands at Polaris, told Newsweek and other media.
At a steady 30 mph - where Polaris says the majority of trail riding actually happens - the system drops engine RPM by 45%, making it roughly 2,700 RPM. "At 30 miles an hour, you have a 45% reduction in RPM. That is a massive difference. And what does that translate to in sound? About a 40% reduction, up to 9dB less," Elia continued. The system monitors and adjusts up to 200 times per second, reacting to throttle input and vehicle speed in real time. Three drive modes - Comfort, Standard, and Sport - let riders dial in how aggressively the system intervenes, with Sport simply switching NUMATIX off and returning the vehicle to fully mechanical CVT operation.
The whole system adds approximately 25–30 pounds to the vehicle's curb weight. If a belt blows on the trail and takes the air line with it, the system recognizes the pressure loss and shuts down gracefully. "The system will recognize that, and basically turn off the pneumatic system... you will be left with essentially a fully mechanical CVT," Pekka Wuollet told us. "If you end up having an issue... it's never a walk-home event. It just works as a mechanical CVT," Elia added.
One side effect of having an onboard air system: the Xpedition now ships with an air chuck mounted in the driver-side rear panel and compatible accessories for tire inflation and a pressurized portable water tank. "How many times do you want to air up or down your tires, or you want to wash something off?... Again, another industry first," Elia said. The 2027 Xpedition XP and ADV start at $40,499 in NorthStar trim and begin dealer shipments in August 2026.
The RZR story this cycle is simpler to explain. Polaris took the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter ProStar Fury four-cylinder from the existing Pro R, bolted on a 60mm Garrett turbocharger, and arrived at a claimed 275 horsepower at 7,000 RPM with 223 lb-ft of torque at 6,000 RPM. That's 50 horsepower over the outgoing model - a 22% jump - and enough to eclipse both the Can-Am Maverick R's 240 hp and Kawasaki's 250-hp Teryx H2. The production side-by-side horsepower war now has a new leader.
"Who knew that a 52 horsepower, 50 inch, at that time $10,000 machine would completely change the industry," Elia said, reflecting on the original 2008 RZR launch. The Pro R Boost represents a very different chapter in that story.
According to Polaris, the engine delivers its full 275 horsepower in ambient temperatures as high as 115°F and at altitudes reaching up to 10,000 feet. "The vehicle has full power up to 115 degrees ambient temperature... full power, and all the way up to 10,000 feet of elevation."
To get there without thermal derating, the radiator moved rearward behind the occupants while the liquid-air intercooler and transmission cooler are positioned up front. The front differential also received a full rebuild to handle the power increase. "We put a new stronger front drive on it, so we were able to take out that PTL. So now you've got a direct drive from the transmission into the stronger front drive," Elia added.
The driven clutch grew to 330mm with 48 cast-in cooling fins. A larger belt with new construction handles the torque load, and the revised clutch tune - made possible precisely because the engineers knew the mechanical limits going in - makes the Pro R Boost one second quicker to 50 mph than the outgoing Pro R despite carrying a turbo. Top speed stays at 92 mph. As for how it sounds: "The best way to describe it is like a small jet engine. It sounds more like an airplane than it does like a boosted car ," Elia laughed.
Given that large-displacement turbos tend to swap whistle for whoosh, that makes sense.
The Pro R Boost ships in two- and four-seat configurations across Ultimate and Ultra trim levels - Ultra adding DYNAMIX DVS active suspension with electronically controlled sway bar links, BFGoodrich tires, and factory carbon fiber components. Apple CarPlay comes standard on both trims via the 10.4-inch Ride Command display. All 2027 Polaris Off-Road vehicles, youth models excluded, now carry a factory one-year limited warranty. Pro R Boost pricing starts at $49,999, with dealer shipments beginning in November 2026 ahead of the dune season. "We will be shipping in about November... it will be in customers' hands really at the beginning of the dune season in November."
Polaris spent the last two years delivering on style and display technology. With the Pro R B...
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.