Of the machines you have mentioned, I would think the Ranger 800 would be the top choice. I agree, in my running of smaller displacement Rangers v. the 800 I owned, there did not seem to be much difference in performance until one hit the higher speeds/RPM's. That said I really like the Polaris 800 EPS unit. One must also think about power steering as it equates to resale; though many of us think we will keep a machine forever we usually don't. I feel that power steering will become commonplace among the higher end UTV's within the next 3-4 years, so might as well consider it now (it is really awesome, too). My only problem with these side by side sport/work UTV's is the tiny cargo box many of them have. They just will not hold hardly anything, making many of these models just toys, really. If what one wants is to sport ride all the time, that's OK, but for those of us who truly do mixed duties it is much easier to put 400 pounds in a box capable of 1000 than to put 1000 pounds in a box meant for 400, if you follow. Of the models you mention, I believe than Ranger has the largest box capacity. As stated by another poster, I would look at the 825I Gator. I do not like the ergonomics as much as I did my Ranger and had to add the power steering kit, but it in my opinion is a stronger and better-made machine (not to say my Ranger was bad--just not at the level of the 825). I know that we all have our favorites and why we buy what we do all boils down to personal preference, but assuming dealer support for you locally is similar, the Ranger 800 EPS and the Gator 825I for true mixed-duty usage (50/50 work and play) are really tough to beat. I am not trying to steer you toward things I have owned, aside to say that is why I have owned them (that I thought they offered a good package). I spent a great deal of time and have tested out/operated several of the UTV's discussed to contribute to my conclusions. If you really are wanting something for just fun and might carry a light load every now and then and do not plan to plow much snow, etc., then I would go with the machine that gives me the highest horsepower I can afford, as they are all otherwise fairly equivalent, aside from those two mentioned. There is no perfect UTV; there have been things I have liked and disliked about each one I have had. To me, it is just a matter of the least compromise for your intended use. Again, of the ones mentioned as your choices especially with your background with Polaris snow machines, there is not much question what would find its way into my garage.
John M
