Not so long ago, the Polaris RZR Pro R was the pinnacle of retail side-by-side domination, the most powerful, fire-breathing hunk of off-highway 4-wheeling the world over. But, not only has it been knocked off its thrown in the power department, it's not even the flagship of the RZR family any longer. That honor now belongs to the all-new RZR Pro R Ultra Edition. The new rig doesn't add any horsepower but better applies what it has to all means of rough, unimproved earth via an industry-first suspension upgrade.
Sway bars (see also: stabilizer bars or anti-roll bars) are critical when you need them, horrible when you don't. By connecting the right and left suspensions together, they stiffen up handling for less body roll during on hard corners and fast sprints, delivering a sharp, tight ride – beautiful on smooth roads or stretches of flat, open desert, especially when every tenth of a second matters.
But sway bars go wrong when that smooth, flat ground turns angry and bumpy, diminishing the independent wheel articulation that helps to absorb impacts and boost traction through the rough stuff. Stuffing the wheel wells with an advanced long-spring off-road suspension system seems kind of silly if you have stiffeners limiting how effectively it works.
On street-legal passenger trucks and SUVs with an off-road focus, the "to sway or not to sway" dilemma has led to add-ons like stabilizer disconnect systems from Toyota and Ford. But drivers in off-highway vehicles like the RZR tend to have to get out of the cockpit and manually disconnect those sway bars as if they're still living in the 20th century, not a digital age approaching everyday AI bots and self-flying cars.
We suppose if you spend all your time in rock gardens and on root-ravaged forest floors, you could just keep the sways disconnected. But if you want precise cornering and confidence-boosting stability when pushing it hard on smooth trail, you'll want the sway bars back on your side.
There are some aftermarket systems to turn sway control on and off, like Fox's switchable QSE Sway Bar Disconnect, but Polaris equips the RZR Pro R Ultra Edition with what it calls the industry's first factory-integrated electronically controlled hydraulic locking sway links.
In plainer English, that's a sway bar disconnect system you manage from inside the cockpit.
Developed in cooperation with Suspension Direct Inc, the active system works via three different settings. As with aftermarket switchable sway bar systems, drivers can lock the sway bars in place for better handling and stability at speed and unlock them completely for maximum articulation during bumpy rock crawls.
But the Polaris setup also has a third option that sets it apart from bipolar lock/unlock sway bar systems: semi-active mode. This mode leaves it up to the RZR's onboard management system to analyze driving parameters like throttle, braking, steering and motion and lock or unlock the sway bars accordingly – up to 200 times per second. The system is designed to give the driver precise wheel articulation for the ground under tread, without requiring they lift a single white knuckle off the steering wheel.
The active sway bars serve to further enhance Polaris' already versatile Dynamix suspension suite. First debuted in 2017, Dynamix adjusts suspension damping based on the conditions on the ground. It initially worked for just compression damping but later added active rebound damping with the launch of the Dynamix DV system on the 2022 RZR Pro R.
Called Dynamix DVS, the latest version available exclusively on the Pro R Ultimate Edition trickles down from Polaris' race team, and the company credits it with helping to win the 2025 Baja 1000 and 2025 Score Series Championship. The upgraded "DVS" version incorporates the sway bars into the fold for even more precise handling and cushier shock absorption. It features Fox 3.0 Live Valve X2 internal bypass shocks and offers up to 29 inches of wheel travel.
Beyond its tricked-out suspension, the Ultra Edition does its "Pro R" label proud, drawing motivation from Polaris' most powerful 225-hp four-stroke inline-four. The selectable 4WD system lets users set it to rear-wheel drive, 4WD with open front differential, or 4WD Lock, which spins all four wheels at the same speed.
The Ultra Edition distinguishes itself visually from 'lesser' RZR Pro R models with a race-inspired MPI steering wheel developed for precise, confident feel feel, a limited-edition "Velocity Blue" color option, 32-in BFGoodrich KM3 tires, and custom GatorStep interior accents.
The Pro R made its public premiere at this month's 2026 King of the Hammers off-road competition in California and is available as a two-seater starting at $46,999 or a four-seater at $50,999. Polaris plans to limit production to a total of 500 examples (two- and four-seaters combined) worldwide. Deliveries will begin this month.
Source: Polaris
