In the fall issue of Dirt Trax Magazine (then All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine), our insightful crew badged the Polaris Sportsman 500 HO the Best in Class pick for Best Value ATV in the industry.
Let’s throw a bit of light on this for a second. Polaris’ line-up also includes the premium-priced and ultra slick 550 Sportsman XP that’s jammed to the gills with goodness, but for the budget conscious consumer Polaris offers a “classic” edition 4×4 boasting a 499cc carbureted 4-valve single, McPherson struts up front and rolled IRS that put the Sportsman’s legendary reputation for ride quality on the map.
As we’ve stated before, Polaris’ “old” technology is actually better than some manufacturers’ new tech and in some cases, it would be hard for us to justify shelling out the extra coin for what seems like less offered on competitive brands.
Without question, the Polaris Sportsman 500 HO is a great ATV and the price tag at less than six grand US validates it as our choice for best value.
We’re thinking it would take some pretty smooth talking or an insane incentives package to move a reasonably informed new buyer away from this ATV.
