The 2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar Review brought us to the Black Hills of South Dakota for roughly 70 miles and six hours behind the wheel of Polaris’ updated five-seat adventure UTV. At first glance, the new XPEDITION looks and feels much like the machine we’ve already driven, but underneath it’s significantly different. The new NUMATIX Controlled CVT makes the XPEDITION smoother and considerably quieter when you want it to be, while still packing a punch when the trail gets interesting.
2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar Review
Top Features
- New NUMATIX Controlled CVT
- Comfort, Standard and Sport drive modes
- 999cc ProStar 1000 Gen 2 twin-cylinder engine
- 114 horsepower
- Integrated onboard air
- Five-passenger enclosed NorthStar cab
- Heat and air conditioning with temperature and zone control
- Full doors with power windows
- 7-inch RIDE COMMAND display
- JBL Trail Pro audio
- Rear camera
- FOX Podium QS3 shocks
- 14 inches of ground clearance
- 2,000-pound towing capacity
- Polaris HD 4,500-pound winch
- MSRP: $46,799
We recently covered the technology and model changes in our 2027 Polaris XPEDITION First Look. This time, we’re concentrating on what NUMATIX actually feels like on the trail and whether it makes the 2027 XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar a better machine.
After six hours that included leisurely cruising, faster trail sections, rocks, pouring rain and marble-sized hail, we got a much better test than we were expecting.
2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar Review
What Is the New NUMATIX Controlled CVT?
The big news for the 2027 XPEDITION is the new NUMATIX Controlled CVT.
The XPEDITION retains its 999cc ProStar 1000 Gen 2 twin-cylinder engine producing 114 horsepower, but instead of simply adding more power, Polaris changed the way that power is delivered.
NUMATIX uses pneumatic control of the drive clutch to actively adjust CVT operation. Polaris says the system can react to driver inputs and changing conditions up to 200 times per second. That allows it to lower engine rpm when maximum performance isn’t necessary and quickly bring the engine back into the powerband when the driver asks for more.
The system also gives the driver three distinctly different modes: Comfort, Standard and Sport.
Reducing engine rpm may not sound nearly as exciting as adding another 20 horsepower, but after spending six hours inside an enclosed XPEDITION, we’re convinced Polaris went after something more important.
2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar Review
Comfort Mode Is the Sweet Spot
It seems like a lot of press rides these days are set at a relatively slow cruising pace. This time around, that actually worked in our favor because it allowed us to take full advantage of the XPEDITION’s new technology before conditions changed later in the day.
Comfort mode is really nice.
Around 30 mph seems to be its sweet spot. At roughly a quarter to a third throttle, the nearly 3,000-pound XPEDITION settles into an easy cruise that almost feels like you’re using cruise control.
The engine settles down, the cabin becomes quieter and the entire machine feels remarkably smooth. You’re simply cruising along without the constant higher-rpm soundtrack we’ve become accustomed to from conventional CVT-equipped UTVs.
It actually left us wondering why Polaris doesn’t offer cruise control on the XPEDITION. For a vehicle designed specifically for covering long distances in comfort, it seems like a natural fit.
The impressive part is that Comfort mode doesn’t take away the power. Push farther into the throttle and NUMATIX responds quickly, bringing engine rpm back up and delivering the acceleration you need. Once you settle back into a cruise, everything calms down again.
That’s where the technology starts to make sense.
NUMATIX doesn’t simply make the XPEDITION quieter. It allows the drivetrain to relax when you’re just covering ground without sacrificing the performance that’s available when you ask for it.
2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar Review
Testing the XPEDITION in Rain and Hail
The first half of our ride through the Black Hills was fun, although admittedly a little uneventful.
Then the skies opened up.
Rain started pouring down along with marble-sized hail, completely changing the trail conditions and giving us almost perfect weather for reviewing an HVAC-equipped UTV.
You know those situations where the weather outside is absolutely miserable, but you’re sitting comfortably behind a windshield with the cabin temperature set somewhere around 68 to 70 degrees?
This was one of them.
Windows up, HVAC running and rain and hail bouncing off the outside of the XPEDITION while we stayed warm and dry inside.
The NorthStar package suddenly made a lot more sense.
It also gave us an excuse to ditch our leisurely pace and start exploring the sportier side for our 2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar Review as the trails became wet, rocky and increasingly technical.
2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar Review
Sport Mode Brings the 114 HP ProStar Back to Life
The difference between Comfort and Sport is dramatic during our 2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar Review.
Switch into Sport and the XPEDITION we already know comes back to life. Engine rpm increases, throttle response becomes considerably more aggressive and you hear that familiar naturally aspirated Polaris growl again.
The 114-horsepower ProStar gets back into its traditional powerband, and suddenly the personality of the machine changes with it.
With rain and hail transforming the Black Hills trails into a mixture of wet rocks, mud and increasingly technical terrain, Sport was exactly what we wanted.
There’s no hiding the size or weight of the ADV 5 NorthStar. At 2,816 pounds dry, you notice that mass when the trail gets tighter. What surprised us was how nimble the machine remained.
There really wasn’t an obstacle we encountered that it couldn’t handle. The chassis stayed composed, the XPEDITION remained predictable and there was enough power to move the big ADV 5 through everything we encountered.
Would we mind having a little more horsepower? Absolutely not.
With the added size and weight of the five-seat ADV and fully enclosed NorthStar cab, another dose of power certainly wouldn’t hurt. But after driving it through the Black Hills, we can’t say it actually needs more. The existing 114 horsepower handled everything we asked of it.
That’s probably the biggest takeaway from NUMATIX. Comfort transforms the XPEDITION into a relaxed long-distance cruiser. Select Sport and it quickly becomes the XPEDITION we’re familiar with again.
It also left us wondering how long it will be before we see technology like this make its way into something like the RZR XP.
2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar Review
FOX Suspension and Trail Handling
Ride quality continues to be one of Polaris’ strengths, and the suspension on the 2027 XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar is incredibly comfortable.
The ADV 5 uses FOX Podium QS3 shocks with three-position adjustment. Up front are 2.0-inch FOX Podium QS3 shocks paired with 14 inches of suspension travel, while the rear uses larger 2.5-inch QS3 shocks with 15 inches of travel.
We started our ride with the shocks set at full stiff. About 30 minutes into the day, we stopped and moved the front shocks all the way to soft.
We weren’t traveling particularly fast at that point, and our XPEDITION was lightly loaded rather than carrying five occupants and a pile of gear. The firm setting simply wasn’t necessary.
Moving the fronts to soft made an immediate difference. The suspension became noticeably more compliant over small rocks and trail chop and was much better suited to our speed and lightly loaded machine.
We intended to soften the rear shocks as well, but discovered one annoyance.
The passenger-side rear shock adjuster sits only inches away from the exhaust. By the time we stopped to make the adjustment, everything in that area was hot, and reaching the adjuster was awkward enough that we decided to leave the rear alone.
It’s hardly a dealbreaker, but it’s something we’d like to see changed. One of the advantages of a three-position QS3 shock is being able to make a quick trail-side adjustment without tools. The location of that passenger-side rear adjuster makes the job more difficult than it needs to be.
Adjustment aside, the suspension itself is excellent. Even when the weather deteriorated and the terrain became more technical, the XPEDITION remained smooth, comfortable and surprisingly manageable for a machine this large.
2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar Review
NorthStar Cab, Heat and Air Conditioning
We’ve previously spent time in an XPEDITION XP NorthStar, but South Dakota gave us one of the better demonstrations we’ve had of why someone would choose the enclosed NorthStar package.
You can talk about HVAC and an enclosed cab all day. Getting caught in pouring rain and hail is a much better sales pitch.
The ADV 5 NorthStar features a fully enclosed cab with full doors, power windows and heat and air conditioning with temperature and zone control. It also gets a 7-inch RIDE COMMAND display, rear camera, JBL Trail Pro audio and tilt-and-telescoping steering.
Once the weather turned, none of those features felt excessive.
We closed everything up, kept the cabin somewhere around 68 to 70 degrees and continued riding while conditions outside went downhill.
For riders who spend long days exploring, hunting or simply covering substantial mileage, that’s a major part of the XPEDITION’s appeal. You’re still driving a legitimately capable off-road vehicle, but bad weather doesn’t necessarily mean having a bad day.
Combine the enclosed cab with the reduced engine rpm NUMATIX can deliver in Comfort mode and the 2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar becomes an impressively comfortable place to spend six hours on the trail.
2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar Review
Windshield Wiper Performance
The unexpected storm also gave us a chance to properly use the windshield wiper.
Having a washer and wiper on an enclosed UTV is absolutely worthwhile, particularly when the trail becomes a mixture of rain, mud and debris. It did its job and kept our visibility clear enough to continue riding, but we noticed one quirk.
Once you start using it, you’re better off leaving it on.
Rather than pushing all of the water and debris completely off the windshield, the wiper tends to move some of it toward the top. Turn the wiper off and that accumulated water eventually starts dropping back down across the windshield and into your field of view.
It’s a relatively minor complaint, but it’s exactly the kind of thing you don’t discover looking at a spec sheet. Drive one through a South Dakota downpour and you’ll notice it pretty quickly.
2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar Review
NUMATIX Onboard Air Compressor
One of our favorite additions to the 2027 XPEDITION is actually something we didn’t get an opportunity to test.
Because NUMATIX requires compressed air to control the drive clutch, Polaris took advantage of the system and added an auxiliary onboard air connection.
We’ve been asking OEMs for something like this for years.
Polaris offers an available 25-foot air hose that lets owners use the onboard compressor to adjust tire pressures, air tires back up or blow dirt and debris off equipment. The company also offers a four-gallon pressurized water tank that can use the onboard air system for washing equipment, cleaning up around camp and other uses.
Anyone who regularly airs tires down for rocky terrain and then needs to increase pressures for faster roads understands why this is useful. More importantly, it means one less separate air compressor to carry.
We didn’t have an opportunity to use the system during our 70-mile Black Hills test, so we’ll reserve judgment on its actual performance until we can spend more time with it.
But the concept gets a big thumbs-up from us. In fact, we’d like to see integrated onboard air make its way onto more Polaris models in the near future.
2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar Review
Price and Specs
The 2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV lineup combines the 114-horsepower ProStar engine with the new NUMATIX Controlled CVT, 14 inches of ground clearance and up to 15 inches of suspension travel.
The five-passenger 2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar we tested carries an MSRP of $46,799.
That’s a substantial amount of money for a UTV, but the ADV 5 NorthStar is also a long way from a basic side-by-side. You’re getting an enclosed five-passenger cab, HVAC, power windows, RIDE COMMAND, JBL audio, FOX suspension, a 4,500-pound winch, onboard air and an enclosed rear cargo area.
The ADV 5 measures 152.5 inches long, 64 inches wide and 74.9 inches tall with a 117-inch wheelbase. Fuel capacity is 12.5 gallons, payload capacity is 1,100 pounds and towing capacity is rated at 2,000 pounds.
2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar Review
Final Thoughts
The most interesting thing about the 2027 XPEDITION is that Polaris didn’t completely redesign the vehicle to make it significantly better.
It still has 114 horsepower. The ADV 5 still weighs nearly 3,000 pounds. It still has the same basic mission of carrying people and gear comfortably into places most enclosed vehicles can’t reach.
NUMATIX simply makes the XPEDITION better at that mission.
Over roughly 70 miles and six hours behind the wheel in the Black Hills, Comfort mode was probably the biggest surprise. Cruising around 30 mph with the engine settled down makes the XPEDITION noticeably smoother and quieter. It almost feels like you’re using cruise control, which once again makes us wonder why cruise control isn’t available.
Then the weather turned.
Rain, marble-sized hail, mud, wet rocks and more technical terrain gave us an opportunity to select Sport and experience the other side of NUMATIX. The engine came back to life, the familiar Polaris growl returned and the big ADV 5 worked its way through everything we encountered.
That’s what makes the technology work.
NUMATIX hasn’t taken anything away from the XPEDITION in the pursuit of refinement. Instead, it has given the machine another personality.
There are still things we’d change. We’d like cruise control. We’d happily take a little more horsepower. We’d move the passenger-side rear shock adjuster farther away from the exhaust, and we’d like the windshield wiper to push water completely away from the driver’s field of view.
But those are relatively small complaints.
Our 2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar Review started with a comfortable cruise through the Black Hills and ended in weather and terrain that gave us a much better opportunity to test the machine than we expected.
The new XPEDITION looks familiar, but it doesn’t drive exactly the same. It’s quieter and smoother when you want it to be, still packs a punch when you need it, and NUMATIX is technology we’d like to spend a lot more time with.
2027 Polaris XPEDITION ADV 5 NorthStar Review
Specs
Engine Size: 999cc ProStar 1000 Gen 2 DOHC twin-cylinder
Horsepower: 114 hp
Drive System: On-demand True AWD / 2WD / VersaTrac Turf Mode
Transmission: NUMATIX Controlled CVT, P/R/N/L/H
Dry Weight: 2,816 lb.
Wheelbase: 117 in.
Overall Dimensions: 152.5 x 64 x 74.9 in.
Ground Clearance: 14 in.
Tires: 30×10-15 Pro Armor Trekker, 8-ply
Front Suspension / Travel: High-clearance dual A-arm with stabilizer bar / 14 in.
Rear Suspension / Travel: High-clearance dual A-arm with stabilizer bar / 15 in.
Front Shocks: FOX 2.0 Podium QS3 with Position-Sensitive Spiral Technology
Rear Shocks: FOX 2.5 Podium QS3 with Position-Sensitive Spiral Technology
Fuel Capacity: 12.5 gal.
Payload Capacity: 1,100 lb.
Towing Capacity: 2,000 lb.
Seating: 5
MSRP: $46,799
