Polaris Ride Command Set To Gain New Features

We’ve long loved Polaris Ride Command, the company’s proprietary navigation system that ties in with its excellent infotainment systems. You’ve heard us blast on endlessly about how good the system is, but with a series of updates on the way, we took some time with Polaris to take another look at Ride Command.

As well integrated as Ride Command is to Polaris machines, you don’t actually need a Polaris to use it. Ride Command is available on your smartphone as a free app, whether you drive a Polaris or not. The app allows you to access the 1.1 million miles of trail that Ride Command currently covers so you can plan rides, share with other app users in a group ride, keep your ride history, and that you can then sync with an on-board Ride Command system should you own a Polaris.

The trails Ride Command uses are kept up to date and accurate by a dedicated team that works with federal and state agencies as well as private riding clubs to make sure that Ride Command data is current and won’t lead you down closed or blocked trails. For that reason, Ride Command does not crowdsource trail data. Instead, the system can take feedback from users, but nothing is added or changed until the human team has verified the information.

Polaris has also released new features to its Ride Command+ service, a subscription-based expansion of standard Ride Command. The plus feature already includes vehicle health, issue diagnostics, and maintenance reminders.

Ride Command+ now also features a vehicle locator with bump notifications, and automated check-in and emergency text messages. The vehicle locator will alert your phone if your parked vehicle is bumped or moved while parked. If the machine starts moving, Ride Command+ will track its movements with a red line on a map so the machine never goes missing.

Check-in and emergency messages will work as long as the machine is in cellphone range, and allow drivers to preprogram messages to family and friends to keep them updated on the ride. When it is time to check in, or if there is an emergency, Ride Command+ can send a text to a preselected person with one button.

It’s worth noting again that no other OEM has a system that comes close to Ride Command and Ride Command+, and that’s a huge deal. At a basic level, Ride Command is an excellent navigation service. If you’re using your side-by-side in unfamiliar terrain, Ride Command is good enough to get you back to the truck with minimal drama. When you add vehicle health monitoring, diagnostics, tracking, and limited emergency calling capability, it’s hard to ignore how good the system is.

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