Racking up two awards was the Polaris Hawkeye. The Hawkeye came on the scene in 2006 boasting full-sized features in a mid-sized package, such as Independent Rear Suspension (IRS), a Polaris Variable Transmission (PVT) and digital instrumentation. ATVPathfinder.com named the Hawkeye “Best Buy of the Year” for their “Best of 2006” ATV picks citing Hawkeye’s full-featured offering at an affordable price.

The Hawkeye also received the nod from All-Terrain Vehicle magazine who named the ATV “Best Mid-Range Sport Utility 300-419cc.” All-Terrain Vehicle presents the award to, “the manufacturer producing a vehicle best fulfilling the demands of the Sport Utility consumer in the areas of value, quality, features, performance ride, comfort and handling.”

In 2006, the Outlaw revolutionized the high-performance sport quad market by being the first sport quad with IRS. The industry took notice, and 4-Wheel ATV Action named the Outlaw “ATV of the Year” stating the machine, “could be a quad that tears up the existing standards of performance for its class, or it could be a machine that brings fresh, new technology to ATVing.”

The Sportsman 800 proved no Big Bore machine is tougher by being honored by All-Terrain Vehicle as the “Best Big Bore Sport Utility” for 2006. The Sportsman 800 took the class with its plush ride, superior suspension and “torquey” twin engine.

On the International scene, France’s Quad Passion magazine named the Sportsman X2, “European ATV Election of the Year” in the Rec/Ut 500 cc Category. The category was judged by 45 ATV riders that were readers of Quad Passion and 10 European ATV specialist media representatives. Each rider had 20 minutes a vehicle to test 16 different criteria that included handling, position, equipment, power, braking, comfort, design, fit and finish.