Five Things We Love and Hate About the 2025 RZR Pro S Summary

The RZR Pro S is new for 2025, but aside from some styling and comfort upgrades, it’s the same rig as the Turbo R from last year’s lineup. We know, it’s a bit confusing, but it’s the high-powered, turbocharged side-by-side we all know and love. But is this desert-ripper right for you? We put together a list of five things we love and five things we hate about this monster to help you find out.

1. Styling

The first thing we love about the 2025 Pro S is the styling. The Pro S, Pro R, and Pro XP all got styling updates for 2025 and we couldn’t be happier with them. Polaris brought back the iconic “fang lights” which appeared first on the RZR XP 1000. Along with the lights, the entire rig got a face-lift. The styling is much more striking than the outgoing model and emphasizes the unmistakable Polaris silhouette.

2. Cabin Air Vents

Polaris added something to the RZR Pro S that came a bit out of left field, and that’s air vents on the hood that are directed straight into the cabin. With no HVAC available from the factory, Polaris added the vents to help drivers and passengers stay cool during the hot riding months. They’re fully adjustable, so if you don’t want them on, just flip the vent over and you’re good to go. We know, it’s no HVAC or enclosed cab, but it’s a step in the right direction and will keep you a lot more cool and comfortable than any rig without them.

3. The Interior

We’ve complained for years about how uncomfortable the RZR lineup’s interiors have been, but Polaris has finally fixed it in the 2025 update. The seats in the Pro S were ripped out of the Polaris Xpedition, which was specifically designed to keep you comfortable for days while camping or overlanding. That means that the old bucket seats have been removed and replaced with a comfortable-but-supportive throne. Along with the seats, we love the fixed harnesses, the tons of storage for a sport rig, and the redesigned dash with intuitive controls and accented plastic trim.

4. The Engine

The Pro S is powered by Polaris’ ProStar 925cc turbocharged parallel twin, and we couldn’t love it more if we tried. It makes 181 horses, and before you start comparing numbers with the Pro R and Maverick R, remember that 181 is plenty for a side-by-side and still stands above most of the industry. It’s playful, eager, has fantastic throttle response, and you’ll seldom find yourself reaching the tip of its capabilities.

5. The Suspension

Last up in the love category is the suspension. Starting with the shocks, you get Fox 3.0 Live Valve X2 internal bypass shocks. While those are great by themselves, they’re controlled by Polaris’ in-house electronic suspension, Dynamix DV. With Dynamix DV, you get four suspension modes, Comfort, Rock, Track, and Baja. When you select a certain mode, the computer tells the suspension what compression and rebound settings it wants for the mode it’s in.

Baja, for example, keeps the suspension stiff to travel across rock gardens, small whoops, and any other desert terrain at speed. On the other hand, Comfort mode loosens the suspension for a smooth ride with less bumps or sudden hits to the suspension. It’s not just guesswork, either, as the center Ride Command screen has an infographic that shows you exactly what the suspension is doing and how it’s reacting to the terrain.

Dynamix DV also comes with a “panic button” on the steering wheel, which, when pressed, completely stiffens the suspension. This can be used in emergencies to avoid rollovers, take jumps without swapping your settings, and a million other instances where you might find yourself in need of a stiff suspension. In previous years, pressing the button would cause the suspension to go stiff for 10 seconds and then deactivate. While that’s still the case, Polaris added a feature for 2025 where if you double tap the button, it causes the suspension to go stiff and lock until you double tap it again.

1. The Price

You knew it was coming, our first hate about the 2025 Pro S is the price. MSRP on this thing is $36,999, that’s before dealer fees, service and transportation charges, and taxes. That’s not pocket change, and it’s hard to justify that price on anything, let alone a side-by-side. That price is for the most expensive trim, the Ultimate. The next step down, the Premium, comes in at $30,999, and to put it frankly, the Ultimate just does not have enough features to warrant a $6,000 price increase. Sure, you don’t get the Dynamix suspension, but the Premium still comes with Ride Command, Walker Evans shocks, and the updated seats and harnesses.

2. The Tires

Speaking of price, you’re going to have to include a new set of tires in your budget when buying this rig unless you live in the desert. Polaris likes throwing the Maxxis Rampage Furys on just about every sport side-by-side in its lineup, and so far they have been underwhelming. They’re slick and don’t react well in cold weather, which could be fine if you live out West, but if you’re just about anywhere else, you’ll want to throw a new set on ASAP. We know, tires should be the first upgrade on any new vehicle, but when you’re spending almost $40,000 on a side-by-side, you want some confidence in the rig’s shoes.

There’s no dancing around it, this thing is huge. It’s 74 inches wide and 74.4 inches tall. Those are almost the same measurements as its big brother, the Pro R. We’re not saying that it should be the size of a Ranger, but it would be nice if it were a bit nimbler and didn’t require a specialty trailer. That size translates to mass, as the Pro S comes in at 2142 pounds dry. That means before gas, oil, coolant, or any other fluids. By the time you’re filled up, you’re approaching 2400 pounds.

Are we being nitpicky? Maybe. But the bed on the Pro S is really just a headache to use, through and through. For starters, the tie-down points don’t have enough space to attach a ratchet strap to them. That means you have to go with a bungee or other small cables to tie your cargo down, or just go without and ride in fear of all your gear falling out. We carry around expensive camera equipment on the trail, so for us that’s a problem.

Secondly, there is a single drain hole for the entire bed. That’s right, to clean out the bed of the Pro S, you have to sit there for an hour trying to spray the mud and gunk into the direction of the single drain hole or just let it stay permanently dirty. That means your gear, extra clothes, tools, and food and water will get dirty before even getting on the trail. I, for one, don’t like mud in my side-of-the-trail PB&J, but maybe I’m alone on that.

Hauling a side-by-side should be relatively painless. We want to spend more time riding and less time towing/loading. So why are tie-down points almost nonexistent on the Pro S? Sure, there are some small ones deep into the wheel well, but it feels like a sick game put on by Polaris trying to find them every time you tow it. The most frustrating part about this is that Polaris figured this issue out last year with the RZR XP. On that rig, there are intuitive tie-down points on both bumpers. C’mon, Polaris, you pay your welders for a reason.

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