ONE YEAR LATER: Is the Honda still better than the Polaris?

Many people have asked how our Honda Pioneer has held up on the homestead. It has been over a year since we traded our Polaris Ranger in on a Honda Pioneer. In this video, I discuss how it has performed and some of the benefits of this model. I also discuss some of the issues I have with the Pioneer.

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[markcrawford]

i have 22, 000 miles on my honda pioneer. I tell the polaris guys i have more miles in reverse than they do have going forward!

[jonathancartersr]

We weren't able to afford the thousand but you definitely talked us into at least buying the Honda pioneer 700-4 nothing beats that Honda reliability and just genuine quality

[fredbaumberger]

I bought my polaris in 2004 still running great

[donpayne]

I have a buddy that has the same machine he’s approaching 80, 000 miles without any major problems. It’s his farm vehicle and weekend boonie basher

[Oblivion-kiqj]

I just love to listen to you talking, i am in a very bad mood right now and your calm person and honesty is just perfect! hehe thanks for the video again :)

[ricks.]

I just purchased a Honda Pioneer. I went with Honda for 2 main reasons. One Honda's have an excellent reputation for "Reliability, " and second a year earlier I purchased a Honda Rancher ATV and the ATV has been rock steady. We (wife, kids &me) purchased 207 acres and build our dream home on it. We spent a year on just the planning phase, where the house would go. How much of the land the house sits on is flat (graded). And which parts trails and other graded areas we were going to do.

Initially I used the tractor as a means of getting around or the riding mower. These tools just didnt cut. So we got 2 ATV's and then realized a UTV would be best for things like tree trimming with a pole saw, maintaining the trails. There's always something to do when you live on a lot of land. Mind you my wife nor I are not ranchers/farmers. We just wanted to reside on a lot of land to hand down to the family for generations to come. My wife is a Veterinarian and she moved her practice from suburbia to rural area. Which is actually been better for her practice due to house calls for farm/ranch animals. I still work in Nashville and have to commute about 80 miles to the hospital....I'm a surgeon at Vanderbilt U, Medical Center. I wish we moved here sooner. We love living out here. Working on the property and maintain things my stress relief therapy. We do have some animals on the property, e.g., a few cows, a bunch of Kiko and Pygmy goats, 2 Turkey's and so forth. The all roam freely. The property is fenced where needed and of course the trees/woods provide a natural barrier. Even Abby the Doberman runs around playing with the goats. But she mostly stays in the backyard close to the house. Abby is an inside/outside doggy. When you reside on a lot of land, people don't realize the equipment/tools you need. My Kubota tractor is the price of a new car. So if you want to live on a few acres or more. COnsider the expense in acquiring these items.

[jbolin]

I have a 2015 p5. No issues, great machine takes me where I need to go. Had a 03 350 rancher never had any problems with it either. I know some guys that are still riding fourtrax 300's that are over 20 years old.

[crslyrn]

Thanks for the honest review. Been kicking around the idea of upgrading my side by side. I've also got a Honda Rancher 4 wheeler & it's been very reliable. Stay safe.

[billyowell]

I have a '16 Honda 1000-5. Love it. There are accessories out there, you just have to hunt the different vendors. As for the doors, adjust the rubber bumpers out "most" of the way(you can't get too close to the end of the thread on them or they'll vibrate out. When you close your door give it a good tug on the top over the latch until it clicks. Works for me. I also disconnected the door net at the bottom, rolled them up and secured them. If you use them, it's a moot point.

[MrBowser]

I have nearly the same list of pros and cons with my Pioneer. I'm going to lose the doors next summer and add a second battery. a bit of a lift and some new treads will follow next year. I love this machine!

[tscan]

I have the pioneer 700 deluxe and there is no problem at all with the throttle being herky jerky.
I think the dealer didn't set it up right.
I currently have 7100 plus miles and never had to do anything but change the oil and filters.
Thanks for your vid

[jenniferwaggoner]

We switched to Polaris after our Honda blew its motor with only 20 miles on it, no rough riding, just cruising at 3000 rpm when it bogged down and blew it motor, our Polaris now has 30, 000 miles and can handle full throttle no problem, but I understand your reasons for changing

[PopRivest]

I have the same ATV. I also had a Polaris before. Another con would be the engine heat. However it is an excellent vehicule and, by far, much better than the Polaris, and/ or the Kawasaki.

[johnnywishbone]

Thanks for the update, my current Honda 4 wheeler is my 9th Honda in my life + 1 push mower, I am thinking of getting the new 4 seater Honda Talon within the year. Key word is bulletproof, I own Polaris Snowmobiles and have had great luck for the last 25 years with them but you never hear Polaris described as bulletproof.

[christopherallen]

Great video. You gave some good well-thought-out pros and cons. To be honest I think the cons aren't that bad. I think Honda is probably as reliable As It Gets. I'm a big fan of Honda. I live here in Kentucky where everybody has multiple four-wheelers and UTV's and such. There are a lot of polaris's running around. Is die hard as some people are I've never heard somebody say Polaris is reliable. They just buy them because it's a popular name. I think if not for the RZR, setting a trend, Polaris would not be a very profitable company. Just my opinion based upon a long time involved with off-road stuff. Thanks again for the video.

[robertanthony]

I’ve had my Pioneer for 4 years after owning a Polaris Ranger and haven’t looked back. I had to upgrade to the Honda after the Polaris caught fire and burned my garage down. The power block for the winch shorted out and caused the fire as determined by the fire inspector and lab analysis.

[maraudermitchelli]

I went from Polaris sxs and atvs to Can Am and love them. Both your videos were great thank you. 😊

[joeschwab]

I've owned two Polaris ATV's and two Side-by-SIdes. No issues thus far.

[b.whittaker]

I bought a used pioneer 700-2 and the first trip I took with it was a 700 mile trek around the Frank Church Wilderness in central Idaho aka the Magruder corridor. The only problems we experienced was a failure of the Bronco shocks that I installed ( both Bronco rear shocks failed in the last 20 miles of the trip) and I had a plastic windshield that got very scratched up from all the dust. Mechanically the Honda performed flawlessly I recommend it to anyone who asks me about it. Put new FOX shocks all 4 corners and it rides like a dream.

[saltland]

It's nice to hear an honest review. So many reviews are done by fan boys of one type or another. Keep up the good work.