Mumbai Police To Guard Beaches In These Mean-Looking Polaris ATVs Donated By Reliance

If this news has you itching to buy an ATV for yourself, read on to find out how much it can cost

Earlier in the evening today, Mumbai Police showed off its new fleet of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) that will be used for beach patrol in the city. Donated by Reliance Foundation, the 10 Polaris Ranger Crew ATVs appear to be the 4-seater 570 series models. Here’s all you need to know about these miniature crew cab pickup trucks:

Since we’ve rarely talked about ATVs on this website, here’s a quick low-down: they are light vehicles powered by relatively small engines that are not road legal, but meant to be used off-road. So basically if you are looking to buy one to drive on the road, you can't! A quad bike is the quintessential ATV, but the definition also extends to utility vehicles such as the Polaris Ranger.

It is powered by a 567cc single-cylinder DOHC petrol engine that produces 44PS of power and sends it to the wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Since the Ranger only weighs 614kg, it has a better power-to-weight ratio than a Maruti Suzuki Alto! It has an on-demand all-wheel-drive system, too.

With a ground clearance of 254mm, the Polaris Ranger sits much higher off the sandy earth than a Mahindra Thar. The front suspension is ordinary Macpherson struts that offer 9 inches of travel, but the rear has dual A-arms with 10-inch travel. It even has disc brakes on all four wheels!

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All of this tells you that there’s no way that a crook will escape a cop who’s in a Polaris Ranger. The ATV has go-anywhere ability, but all of that demands an exorbitant premium. If you want one of these for yourself, be ready to shell out subcompact SUV money. The Polaris Ranger is imported from the USA, where it costs the equivalent of about Rs 8.6 lakh. You’ll have to pay an import duty of over 100 per cent to get one in India, plus GST and other taxes. That’s a lot to ask for a vehicle that you can’t drive on the road.

But here’s another exciting deal for you: you can even buy a two-seater Polaris RZR XP Turbo S. It has a 925cc turbocharged engine that produces a whopping 168PS of power and 154Nm of torque! Even this gets an on-demand all-wheel-drive system!

Mumbai Police’s ATVs will have more than 100km of coastline to patrol each day. That’s sure to keep the team of 10 Polaris Rangers busy all day. Let us know in the comments what you think of these new mean machines in Mumbai Police’s arsenal. For now, enjoy these tiny utes in all their glory on Mumbai’s beaches.