ATV and Side-by-Side owners often spend thousands of dollars modifying their machines to make them perform better and look sharper. Instead of seeing all that money go to the aftermarket, Polaris likes to offer some Limited Edition models with a host of upgrades to entice buyers to get everything they want in a Polaris dealership.

For 2014 Polaris is offering nine Limited Edition models. Some just feature unique paint jobs, while others offer what should be impressive performance gains. All of these Limited Edition models will be available in Polaris dealerships in January.

2014 Polaris Sportsman XP 850 EPS – Blue Fire

The all-terrain vehicle market is big and getting bigger—attracting at least one new manufacturer a year. But when I saw that Kubota was building an ATV (the company calls it an RTV) I wondered if someone wasn’t casting their bait into the wrong pool.Granted that utility versions of most ATVs have emerged as the dominant design (rather than the two-wheel drive sport type) but what does a tractor builder know about an ATV? Apparently, quite lot.

I recently had an RTV 900 out working on my property in northern Ontario and that experience left me with some definite impressions on the machine that Kubota figures is going to make inroads for them in this lucrative market.

First, though, I have to state the obvious. At 1,800 pounds and five feet wide, the RTV doesn’t fit in the bed of your pickup. It’s also too big for a conventional snowmobile trailer and with the side by side seating for three, it doesn’t navigate normal ATV trails very well.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently approved a new model from John Deere for 2016 – the RSX860i. You can see the certification here.

If you are familiar with John Deere Gators, you’ll notice that name is very similar to John Deere’s first Sport UTV – the Gator RSX850i.

The Limited Edition DARPA Polaris Ranger XP 900 EPS and GEM electric vehicles will be used as part of the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) Finals to be held June 5-6, at the Fairplex, in Pomona, Calif.

The Challenge Finals will have robots perform a number of tasks in a continuous course, simulating what might be encountered in a real disaster situation. DARPA will use the Ranger XP 900 EPS to help demonstrate a robot’s ability to operate and to egress from a vehicle, since they are among the tools commonly on hand in disaster zones.

Yamaha is giving away a new Wolverine R-Spec UTV in Hunter Green through a sweepstakes with the 2015 National Hunting and Fishing (NHF) Day. You can enter to win at www.yamahaoutdoors.com/nhfday.

This is the eighth year Yamaha is sponsoring NHF Day. The sweepstakes will be promoted online and at NHF Day events nationwide. Outdoorsmen and women, 18 years-of-age or older, can enter to win by simply registering online through the end of October 2015.

Yamaha was awarded the 2015 FinOvation Award from Farm Industry News magazine for its Viking VI Side-by-Side Utility vehicle. The FinOvation Award is designed to celebrate the spirit of innovation and recognize new products that have received the most interest from Farm Industry News readers.

This is the second consecutive year Yamaha has received the award. In 2014, the premier Viking model that introduced the first true three-person seating capacity in a SxS vehicle earned a FinOvation Award.