2009 Polaris Sportsman® 800 EFI Touring

I bought my brand new 2009 Sportsman 800 Touring in early November 2010. Got a great deal (about $2800 less MSRP). I took it to a very difficult trail system in the north GA mountains today and LOVED EVERY MINUTE! Climbed straight up and down everything! The ADC, although a little too aggressive ... when not in use, is a huge safety feature and makes any descent easier, no matter how steep. Power easily pulled 500 lbs. up the steepest hills and the long wheelbase helped keep the front end on the ground. Except for not having rear storage or the ability to add a luggage bag, I love every aspect of this machine! This is my first Polaris ATV... Truly a amazing ride.

We picked up our 800 Touring and have enjoyed every minute of it. This is our first Polaris and our first 2-up and there are a couple of things to get used to.

First, the size is very large and long. Typical trails in our area are somewhat narrow, so it takes a little more care when riding. ... But, what do you expect from a 2-up?

Secondly, I never had a Polaris before and it is a bit of a pain to have to hold down the overide button to keep the all-wheel-drive engaged and go faster than seven miles an hour.

The best things about this quad are that it is hands down the most comfortable atv that I ever have ridden. (Compared to Artic Cat, Yamaha, and Suzuki's) The ride is super smooth and the seats provide a generous amount of room for both the front and back rider. The all wheel drive engages nice, but I tend to dislike having to hold a button down to keep the all wheel drive locked in. The ADC is nice, but not perfect by design. It has more than enough power pulling some heavy weight quickly up some steep hills. Mechanically, I haven't had any issues to date. That is great! The purchase price I got was unbelievable! I suppose that the dealers wanted to move these before they got in the newer and updated 2010 versions.

I picked up my 800 Touring new from the dealership last week. It is very sharp & comfortable. The power is more than adequate & I tested it myself and with my wife on the back. I didnt have it in the mud yet. The "turf" mode is a nice plus with this unit.

Last weekend we got ... 28" of heavy snow. I was able to use the new plow / winch setup and it worked perfectly. As the snow was falling, I plowed about a foot first, then came out and plowed the rest the following morning. The 800 Touring went throught it very easily. I have plowed with smaller machines, and the difference was night and day. The steering while plowing was much better than my previous smaller machine, and my quad didn't have to work as hard to move the wet snow.

There were two things I disliked when plowing. First, using the plow required a lot of using the winch to raise and lower the plow blade. That is fine, but the kill switch is located very close to the winch, and I ended up cutting out my engine a few times.

Secondly, after pushing snow into a pile I had to hold down the override button to engage the all wheel drive in reverse. Is that a problem? No, but it was a pain and will take some getting used to.

The only other less than perfect thing with this quad is the amount of engine braking that occurs when you let off of the accelerator. It can be a little harsh.

Overall, this is the prettiest, most capable atv I ever have had! It is very comfortable and powerful! I give it a 4.25 out of a 5 rating.