I found the opposite to be true... I had a Ranger XP 900 for a test drive weekend and in the mud and snow it could not hold a candle to the Viking.
The rear wheels on the ranger have to spin before engaging the front wheels which IMO was not right. I then did the same test ride with the Viking and it performed like a champ. I explained the reason for choosing the Viking over the Ranger to the Polaris dealer and he did not have any facts to dispute my experience... We are very happy with the Yamaha!