FNG looking at a Northstar needing input and opinions

Jun 11, 2024
91
73
Arizona
My family and I are Can Am X3 people (haters leave comments below). We love our X3 Turbo RR 4 door. I have the 64 inch, my son the 72 inch.

Why am I on Polaris Forum? Well, we love the X3 and it is a great UTV, however we are looking for something to putt around in on and off road without going full tilt boogie all the time. We found the 2024 Polaris Xpedition ADV 5 Northstar, fully enclosed (A/C is a bonus this time of year in Az).

I went to a local shop here in Arizona and looked at one. I know nothing about the unit, or Polaris in general.

So, my question to the great minds of the Forum are;
before we pull the trigger, anyone have any ups, downs, opinions, problems, or positive comments or experiences with the Northstar? Also, how is the ride?

Thanks for the input.
 
Northstar here and I love it. I run the east coast, Hatfield WVA, RR PA and other locations here with X3's, Turbo RZR's, Generals and RMAX's. I'm the only one with a Xpedition in my group and I can tell you its a great machine with a few pro's and cons. First, it blows everything other than the X3 and RZR's out the water. I can easily keep up, even in tight trails on the mountain. Pro's; great suspension and ride but you will chase the springs, they start sagging at 100 miles. Cons: Its loud inside, but that can be fixed with sound deadening. Biggest Pro, you are 100% comfortable and dry in any weather. Pull the trigger, you will be happy you did...
 
Good to go, I appreciate the feed back.
My family and I are Can Am X3 people (haters leave comments below). We love our X3 Turbo RR 4 door. I have the 64 inch, my son the 72 inch.

Why am I on Polaris Forum? Well, we love the X3 and it is a great UTV, however we are looking for something to putt around in on and off road without going full tilt boogie all the time. We found the 2024 Polaris Xpedition ADV 5 Northstar, fully enclosed (A/C is a bonus this time of year in Az).

I went to a local shop here in Arizona and looked at one. I know nothing about the unit, or Polaris in general.

So, my question to the great minds of the Forum are;
before we pull the trigger, anyone have any ups, downs, opinions, problems, or positive comments or experiences with the Northstar? Also, how is the ride?

Thanks for the input.
It’s been good to me coming up on a year of ownership, wisconsin and Minnesotas have a lot of discounts going right now 2500-3k$ off, I’m guessing 25’s are coming out soon, keep an eye out for a little price break but once you get that AC and stereo going in Arizona you won’t look back!
 
Not sure about the A/C, after all, its only 106 right now where I am, and only 15% humidity, its a dry heat !


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Thanks for the response !
 
Test drove the ADV5 on Saturday, it was 113. I drove for about 7 or 8 minutes out to a dirt lot and back and although it was not cold as my Chevy, I was very surprised on how comfortable it made the cab in that short of time. I am going to guess the longer I drive with more air flow, the better it would work.
 
I’m fine in the front seats. Haven’t ridden in a 5. I don’t know if they duct air to the back or not. I do know your concern though. Temps in Az do get up there. Engine temp on mine is 180 to 195 most of the time. Was running uphill grade and it hit 210. Interior heat got worse. Mostly coming up through the shift lever. Dust was my primary reason for buying it. Ac was second. It’s so much better than any side by side I’ve owned comfort wise and ride. Buy it you will like it.
 
I’m fine in the front seats. Haven’t ridden in a 5. I don’t know if they duct air to the back or not. I do know your concern though. Temps in Az do get up there. Engine temp on mine is 180 to 195 most of the time. Was running uphill grade and it hit 210. Interior heat got worse. Mostly coming up through the shift lever. Dust was my primary reason for buying it. Ac was second. It’s so much better than any side by side I’ve owned comfort wise and ride. Buy it you will like it.
Thanks 54, I am doing the paperwork on Wednesday, hope to have it by July 2nd
 
My family and I are Can Am X3 people (haters leave comments below). We love our X3 Turbo RR 4 door. I have the 64 inch, my son the 72 inch.

Why am I on Polaris Forum? Well, we love the X3 and it is a great UTV, however we are looking for something to putt around in on and off road without going full tilt boogie all the time. We found the 2024 Polaris Xpedition ADV 5 Northstar, fully enclosed (A/C is a bonus this time of year in Az).

I went to a local shop here in Arizona and looked at one. I know nothing about the unit, or Polaris in general.

So, my question to the great minds of the Forum are;
before we pull the trigger, anyone have any ups, downs, opinions, problems, or positive comments or experiences with the Northstar? Also, how is the ride?

Thanks for the input.
I have the Northstar 2dr, nice machine but definitely ride one before you decide. The noise is bad 89-91 decibels, already have installed several sound deadening products, decibels are still around 89. The other thing to check out is the visibility, there is a lot of frame around the doors and windshield that restricts your view.
 
You can’t go wrong with this choice for a family. Not a race car but it is not a sloth either. Ride is amazingly plush and very forgiving in rough terrain. It has noise but not like a razor which in my opinion is much louder. Glad I made the switch.
 
I have the Northstar 2dr, nice machine but definitely ride one before you decide. The noise is bad 89-91 decibels, already have installed several sound deadening products, decibels are still around 89. The other thing to check out is the visibility, there is a lot of frame around the doors and windshield that restricts your view.
Good call out on the visibility and I would agree. Seeing out the drivers side around the pilar has taken some getting used to and really sucks in the muddy trails. I was thinking about raising the seats two inches. I heard from some that helps.
 
Note: On the sound in the cab, I have the gotten the dbls down to 83 at wide open throttle. Believe it or not, Its night and day from 89/90dbl at stock.
 
Good call out on the visibility and I would agree. Seeing out the drivers side around the pilar has taken some getting used to and really sucks in the muddy trails. I was thinking about raising the seats two inches. I heard from some that helps.
Visibility for me is not an issue as it is very similar to a Jeep JK, which I also drive. I had no issues on my test drive.

How did you reduce the interior noise, any picts on what you did?
 
This is from a previous post, I have pics but have to get them uploaded from my phone. The latest thing I found that made almost a 2dbl deference is the back seatbelt buckles. On mine, the one on the passenger side had a 1/2 inch opening all the way around the sides and bottom of the seatbelt housing. Its right in front of the motor so the noise was coming right in. I noticed it while in the mud holes, there was mud slung all over the back seat close to each door.

(Old Post)
Yeah, I don't disagree with you at all. Even though you are halfing the sound energy by 3db it may not be very perceivable. That said, I installed ~$1200 in sound deadening in my AVD and it only reduced the sound by 4db at 50MPH (84.9db to 81db). Although it's not much, the sound and tone inside are considerably quieter to both my wife and me. It's down about 4db across the RPM/Speed spectrum but the screaming\ringing engine noise is gone. What worries me about the HMF email is the 1 to 3db.. So HMF, are you saying we may only get 1db? I wouldn't call it a quiet exhaust at that point.

For Sound Deadening I used:
2 Boxes of NVX Stealth Black
Dyna Deck on front and back floorboards
Resonix Max everywhere I could stick it
Second Sound CCF 3/8 and 1/8
Resonix Barrier, Dyna Deck, and Dyna Pad (replaced the Polaris Pad) in the bed.

The AVD is a loud machine (its a sound box) but for a price you can find some piece. Not quite! lol
 
I’ve had my Expedition for three weeks. It’s been to the dealer three times for repairs before using it once. The AC didn’t work (not charged at the factory or checked by the dealer), the two passenger side door locks were inoperable (a known issue, not checked by the dealer) and the rear camera stopped working. I’ve owned three Rangers and a General prior to this rig; this is the worst quality I have seen and the most expensive one I’ve owned. The dealer tells me these things are happening because it’s a new model, totally inexcusable.
 
I’m sorry to hear that. We spend good money and that’s the response you get? Unacceptable! I would send something to Polaris stating what they told you. I’ve had mine for 2 months and 800 miles with no issues. This is a dealer get ready problem and should not happen. It’s a given we could have problems but under warranty it’s no excuse. Wish you luck!
 
I pulled the trigger on one this week and pick it up July 2nd. They are doing all the upgrades I want next week. This is the same dealer I bought my 2023 Turbo RR and my son also. Great dealership and staff.

I test drove it first on the street and off road, it was 113 and the A/C worked well for the heat. Did a thorough walk through based on all the feed back, and we are good to go.

I never get extended warranties, but since this is a first year production and with the A/C and electronics I went ahead and picked up the Polaris 5 year warranty (not a third party), $50.00 deductible. Since we are in Arizona the A/C will get a workout.

Cheers !

Polaris Toast.jpg
 
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