U.S. Marines Award Polaris With $98M Contract For MRZR Alphas
The United States Marines have committed to buying a bunch of new Polaris side-by-sides, though not necessarily the kind you might think of when you hear and envision the brand and models they offer. Hiding in the corner of Polaris' manufacturing program is the Polaris Government and Defense business. It designs and builds the MRZR Alpha, a purpose-built UTV that the U.S. government is going to be buying roughly $98 million worth of in the coming years.
It might have "RZR" in the name, but the MRZR Alpha is a whole different vehicle from the recreational side-by-sides we know and love. Instead, it's a purpose-built ultra-light tactical vehicle (ULTV in military speak) that has beefed up components for heavier-duty use, with a 2,000 pound payload capacity and 2,500 pound towing capacity.
And because it's meant to be used in places where fuel might be of drastically varying qualities - not to mention the need for improved durability and prolonged service durations - Polaris swaps the traditional sporty powerplant options for a 1.5-liter Common Rail turbodiesel engine that makes 118 horsepower and 199 lb-ft of torque. The CVT also gets swapped for an 8-speed gearbox, and the combination means it can run at speeds over 60 MPH. More importantly, the MRZR can travel 225-300 miles on a single tank of fuel, unheard of range for the normal pedestrian RZRs.
With 500 of the first-gen MRZRs running around worldwide, we can only guess that they have served the Marines well enough to warrant not only a second order, but further development of the model to bring the aforementioned upgrades that denote the Alpha descriptor. $98 million might not be much in military money, and we don't know how much the MRZRs cost (likely in the $50-100k range), but this is still a significant win for Polaris to garner such a contract from the U.S. government.
Ross hosts The Hooniverse Podcast. He has been in the off-road world since he was a kid riding in the back of his dad’s YJ Wrangler. He works in marketing by day and in his free time contributes to Hooniverse, AutoGuide, and ATV.com, and in the past has contributed to UTV Driver, ATV Rider, and Everyday Driver. Ross drives a 2018 Lexus GX460 that is an ongoing build project featured on multiple websites and the podcast.
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