Polaris 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate - Imperfect or Invincible?

When it comes to 4-wheelers and ATVs, Polaris is one of - if not the biggest - names in the game. The first ATV that I ever rode as a child to haul firewood with my father was a small Polaris 4-wheeler made in 1994, and it is still running and being used on our family farm today. Now, fast-forward to 2026 and Polaris has made enormous strides in technology and performance. We are going to take a look at their 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate model to see if it is truly invincible or possibly imperfect. Let’s dive in!

Polaris Coverage on ATV.com:

• Polaris' 2025 'Geared for Good' Report Highlights Brand's Good Doings
• Polaris Sweeps The Baja 500 Podium
• Polaris and Cleetus Team Up For "Motorsports Mayhem"
• Polaris Is Giving Away A Ranger UTV To A Fan-Nominated American Hero

Engine Specs - Polaris 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate

When you jump onto the Polaris 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate, you are firmly seating yourself onto a luxurious, recreational experience. Liquid-cooled, on-demand all-wheel drive (AWD) as well as two-wheel drive (2WD), and 44 horsepower (567 cc) make it a strong yet technologically smart ATV.

• Cooling: Liquid
• Cylinders Displacement: 567 cc
• Drive System Type: One-touch on-demand AWD/2WD
• Driveline Features: Includes engine braking system (EBS), Active Descent Control (ADC)
• Engine Type: ProStar 4-stroke DOHC single cylinder
• Fuel System/Battery: Electronic fuel injection / 340 CCA
• Horsepower: 44
• Transmission/Final Drive: Automatic PVT P/R/N/L/H in-line shifting

Standout Features

Some of the more standout features that riders are going to want to know about the Polaris 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate can be boiled down to these main elements for me: passenger comfort, storage, and lights. Most of the time, when you are a passenger on an ATV, you are being jostled around and it is not a fun ride. That is not the case with the 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate. Additionally, there is a lot of hidden storage you are going to want to discover, and the LED headlights ensure your day doesn’t need to end when the sun goes down.

• Ride 2-Up or 1-Up - Explore together or remove the passenger seat for solo rides. It's quick, easy and no tools are required.
• Bring More Essentials - New 6-gallon rear storage bin seamlessly integrates beneath the rear rack. It offers the space to stow everything required for extended rides. Plus, an additional 5 gallons of storage in the front creates a combined 11 gallons of storage.
• Extend Your Day - LED pod and headlights offer enhanced lighting for early morning and late-night rides—so you can maximize your time on the trail.

A Word from Polaris on the Polaris 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate

Polaris is celebrating 40 years of innovation and legacy with the first American Engineered ATVs. The Sportsman 570 Premium 40th Anniversary Edition is a limited time release that embodies the spirit of adventure and excellence. The edition features premium paint and badging, and exclusive 90s-inspired graphics that pay homage to its rich heritage, offering a unique blend of nostalgia and modern design. The ATV also features a 9.5" rear suspension travel and 11.5" of ground clearance to help soak up trail ruts and bumps for a smoother ride, multi-select electronic power steering enabling effortless handling to reduce body fatigue, and on-demand all-wheel drive that detects tire slip in wet or loose conditions, delivering instant traction to keep riders grounded and in control.

What’s in the Box?

One of the most common and recurring questions I receive when reviewing outdoor products is, “What’s in the box?” Meaning, what do you all get with your purchase? This is important because what you do and do not get will dictate what type of accessories you need to additionally buy, depending on what you want your end product to look like. All this being said, this is everything that you will receive:

• (1) Polaris 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate
• (1) 3,500 LB Winch with Synthetic Rope and Auto Stop
• (1) Premium Passenger Seat with Hand Grips

What’s the Upsell? What’s the 30-Second Elevator Pitch?

So, what’s the upsell? What’s the metaphorical and literal 30-second elevator pitch? For the Polaris 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate, you’re looking at several prominent traits that might tip the scales in favor of Polaris as opposed to a competing manufacturer at a similar price point.

• Premium Passenger Ride - New, contoured seat back and hand grips offer more comfort to the passenger—and are easily removable for solo rides.
• A Smoother Ride - New enhanced suspension with 9.5" of rear travel, upgraded sealed bushings, and 11.5" of ground clearance help soak up trail ruts and bumps—delivering a smoother ride.
• Less Fatigue, More Fun - Multi-select EPS with customizable levels of steering assist enables more effortless handling—reducing body fatigue, so you can have more stamina to take extended rides.
• Tame More Terrain - A 2x more rigid chassis optimizes ride and handling while an engine braking system and Active Decent Control deliver a smoother ride downhill. Available on select trims.

Pre-Drive Checklist - Polaris 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate

Before rippin’ through the woods on this thing, it is important to not only look over all of the controls, features, and capabilities, but also to wrap your head around what this ATV is (compared to other models or prior experiences you might have). 

Tires

Looking at the tires, your front (25 x 8-12) and rear (25 x 10-12) tires have deep, aggressive tread, which is great for driving through soft dirt, mud, or simply a slick, dewy alfalfa field like I often did early in the morning. Additionally, the aluminum wheels are 14" (35.6 cm) in diameter. So, it gives you a strong stance and a good sense of balance. 

Power Steering

Something that honestly blew my mind (and my father as well) is the fact that this model had Electronic Power Steering (Multi-select EPS). Again, I’ve become accustomed to driving my ‘94 Polaris that is far removed from the abilities that this Polaris 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate has.

Seating for Two

The seating for two on this model was pretty awesome. I could have my wife ride with me, and she didn’t have that “jostled around” experience. She threw out the term luxurious and I completely agree. With a seat height of 35 ¾” and a payload capacity of 485 Lb, to call this ride comfy is a gross understatement.

Digital Display

Lastly, I felt like I had a fighter pilot HUD display (heads-up display) with how large and vibrant the display screen is on the Polaris 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate. It is equipped with a 7" display that is powered by RIDE COMMAND, which offers a Plow Mode, Group Ride, GPS navigation, and Bluetooth (to name a few attributes).

Up in the Saddle & On the Trails - Polaris 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate

So, if that was all of the ooohs and awwws before I even tore it up, how was my actual driving experience? Overall, over the course of roughly 3 months, I was even more impressed once we took off.

Winch

I have never been a guy who has been like, “I need a winch for my truck or ATV,” but with the Polaris 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate coming with one from the factory, I was quite tickled to play with it as well as use it in a meaningful and useful manner in the woods. The 3,500 lb winch touts a synthetic rope and an Auto Stop feature. Then, you couple in the fact that there is a new front bumper that enhances the ATV’s protection, and you can confidently clear pretty heavy obstacles in your way.

Power & Acceleration

Something that everyone I allowed to drive this noted (my father, wife, and myself) is that this unit is powerful. Not in a dangerous sports car kind of way; rather, when you punch the throttle you have smooth, controlled, and immediate power and acceleration. As noted earlier, the Polaris 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate is a 567 cc model boasting 44 horsepower. So, when you want it to giddy up, it can absolutely giddy up!

Ground Clearance

Something that I might have overlooked if not for all of my prior experiences on an older model Polaris is the 11 ½” of ground clearance. With a lot of fallen-down trees and branches throughout my property that can obstruct my trail riding, I could easily drive right over the top of a lot of them without scraping the undercarriage or having any concerns of hurting the underneath of the 4-wheeler. That was a really nice convenience.

Storage

The storage is something that I didn’t know I wanted to have (if that makes sense), but once I discovered all of the hidden pockets and storage cavities, I loved it. Whether I was changing batteries on cellular trail cameras, working calves during calving season, or simply going for a joy ride with my wonderful wife, to have that additional storage was awesome.

• Lock & Ride-compatible 5 Gallon (18.9 L) Front Dry Storage
• 6 Gallon (23 L) Rear Storage
• Tool-Less Removable Passenger Seat

Handling

We alluded to some of this in the specs listing, but the on-demand AWD/2WD is a really nice upgrade to this Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate model. Additionally, you have other driveline features like an engine braking system (EBS) and Active Descent Control (ADC). Individually, you could be a scrooge and be like, “I don’t need those features,” but when they are working in unison, it makes for incredible handling and a smooth ride. Trust me.

Pros & Cons - Polaris 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate

Pros

• Storage - Compartments for water, snacks, phones
• Size - Large size (919 lb), wide stance (4 feet or 48”), and stability (56” wheel base)
• Sundial - Being able to see a clock or the time on an all-digital gauge, including speedometer, odometer, tachometer, two tripmeters, hour meter, gear indicator, fuel gauge, AWD indicator, volt meter, coolant temperature, hi-temp light, and text and call notifications
• The Ride - Very smooth ride driving it over all manner of terrain
• Front Suspension: Sealed arched dual A-arm with 8.9" (22.6 cm) travel
• Rear Suspension: Sealed dual A-arm, IRS, 9.5"(24.1 cm) Travel
• Hanging On - Handlebars for the back rider plus seat rest were clutch
• Saddle seat + removable passenger seat with hand grips and bolstered backrest

Final Thoughts Before Hitting the Trail

So, what are my final thoughts on the Polaris 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate?... Overall, I feel like I was jettisoned into the future using this ATV. It had features I was unaware were available on 4-wheelers. It had a smooth ride, was incredibly capable, and lastly, it is really quiet. I used this ATV to sneak out and go turkey hunting this spring, and as some of the photos showed, I successfully bagged my bird. I was able to drive into my hunting area in the dark and not spook wild turkeys out of their roost. That, in and of itself, impressed me. If anyone wants to shoot for a premium packaged ATV, the Polaris 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate is admittedly spendy at $14,499, but absolutely worth it if you are in the market.

In closing, I want to thank Polaris for allowing ATV.com and myself the opportunity to try out their new Polaris 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate. That is greatly appreciated. Also, we would like to know what all of you guys and gals think. Do you believe that the Polaris 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate is something worth spending your money on? Would you potentially deploy for hunting? Use it for trail riding? As always, let us know all of your thoughts about Polaris and their 2026 Sportsman Touring 570 Ultimate in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback and engagement.