Polaris RZR RS1 Single-Seater is a Thrill for One

Matthew Guy / January 31, 2018

When is a side-by-side not a side-by-side? When it’s a single seater, of course.

Polaris is expanding its popular RZR line with the introduction of the world’s first single-seat RZR, the RS1. With its center-cockpit configuration, drivers won’t be able to take any friends along with them on the trail but will be able to make the most of the RS1’s 110-horsepower 4-stroke twin thanks to a driver-focused center of mass and trailing-arm suspension cribbed from the RZR XP 1000.

By placing drivers smack dab in the middle of the RS1, Polaris says it has created a machine with extremely good sightlines. This will be of benefit whether one is busting trails or tearing through the desert at high speed, not to mention there will be no backseat drivers squawking in your ear to slow you down. The balance and feel of the RS1 should be markedly different than that of a traditional side-by-side as well.

Polaris gave Tanner Foust (yes, that Tanner Foust, 3-time World Rallycross Champ) the keys to an RS1 and asked him for a bit of feedback. Tanner’s no stranger to wheeling high powered machines on dirt.”

The thing that you notice, right away with the RZR RS1, is that it’s much more of a driver’s machine, and it really ties you more in the driving experience” said Tanner Foust. “You have center-cockpit, you have the involvement in seeing the tires, and you have everything great about the fun of driving, taken up a notch. Personally, I think the RZR RS1 is about the gnarliest little wicked beast of a machine, that I have ever driven.”

The RZR RS1 measure 64-inches wide and rides on an 83-inch wheelbase. For comparison, the two-passenger RZR XP 1000 Black Pearl is about ten inches narrower.

Polaris is not mentioning the RS1’s weight for now, but the XP 1000 mentioned above check in at 1369 lbs. This author thinks an expectation of a sub-1300lb mass is not unrealistic. The RS1 is 86% as wide as an XP 1000, so it would be great if it were only 86% as heavy, putting the single-seater’s weight at around 1180 lbs. That’s a tall order, though.

The RZR RS1 boasts 20 vehicle-specific accessories and comes in White Lightening and Black Pearl. It starts at $13,999 and will be available in dealerships in February.