Napoleon Prestige 500 RSIB.

The Gavler Review.

Napoleon Prestige 500 RSIB Review: Near-Commercial Sear at a Mid-Premium Price

The Napoleon Prestige 500 RSIB earns a 9.4 on Gavler's Best Gas Grills list, and it does it on the strength of one feature: a ceramic infrared side burner that AmazingRibs measured at over 1,000°F. This is a grill for people who sear more than they smoke — four solid 12,000 BTU main burners across roughly 500 square inches, a 304 stainless cook box, and a rotisserie kit included in the box. At $1,879 it costs meaningfully more than most 4-burner competitors, and the one component that doesn't match the rest of the build — a thin chrome warming rack that warps under rotisserie heat — is worth knowing about before you buy.

What it is

The Prestige 500 RSIB (Napoleon's own model code is P500RSIB) sits in the upper-middle of Napoleon's confusingly deep lineup — above the entry Prestige models, but below the flagship Prestige PRO 500. That distinction matters more than it sounds: Napoleon puts extreme infrared heat in different places depending on the tier. The PRO 500 embeds its infrared sizzle zone into the main cooking grate and pushes it to roughly 1,800°F. The 500 RSIB reviewed here instead recesses a 4.5 by 10.5-inch ceramic infrared burner into a side shelf, dubbed the "sizzle zone," which AmazingRibs' Meathead Goldwyn clocked at over 1,000°F in hands-on testing — still hot enough, in his words, to sear "two steaks beautifully," just delivered on a dedicated side burner rather than the main grate.

Beyond that headline feature, the core numbers are straightforward: four 12,000 BTU main burners (48,000 BTU total) across about 500 square inches of primary cooking space, an 18,000 BTU rear infrared burner built specifically to drive the included rotisserie kit, and a cook box and rolltop lid built from high-quality 304 stainless steel, with a second interior layer of stainless in the lid to help hold heat. The lid's end caps and the firebox below the burners are cast aluminum rather than stainless — a sensible cost trade-off in parts that don't see direct flame. SafetyGlow knobs glow blue when off and red when on, a small but genuinely useful feature for night grilling.

In use

AmazingRibs is the only hands-on, non-paywalled source we found with real cook time on this exact model, and it's worth being upfront about that: Consumer Reports also rates the P500RSIB, but its write-up sits behind a paywall and reads as AI-assisted, so we're not quoting it here. Everything below traces back to AmazingRibs' own test kitchen.

Their verdict places the grill squarely in premium territory: "The Napoleon Prestige P500RSIB is a very nice, high-end, cart-mounted, gas grill at an affordable price, competitive with Weber Summit, Saber's all stainless models and Broil King's Imperial Series, but it is not the top of the line Napoleon." That's a fair read of where the money goes — you're paying for materials and the sizzle zone, not for flagship-tier extras.

On the infrared burner specifically, AmazingRibs found one quirk worth flagging for buyers: the sizzle zone ships with a heavy cast-iron grate that tends to scorch meat before it browns properly. Their testers swapped in a thinner wire grate and got better results, flipping frequently rather than leaving food to sit — standard searing technique, but a reminder that even a 1,000°F+ burner needs the right grate and the right hand on the tongs to pay off. The rotisserie setup, by contrast, drew no complaints: the included motor, spit, and counterweight were sturdy enough that AmazingRibs called the counterweight "like balancing your tires," and the rear IR burner has enough headroom to handle a whole chicken with vegetables roasting in the drip tray below.

Build quality impressed AmazingRibs during assembly, too — solid fit and finish, "well above average particularly in this price range," with the notable exception of the cabinet doors, which were reportedly a pain to hang.

Where it shines

• Searing power that's rare below flagship prices. A dedicated 1,000°F+ ceramic infrared side burner is the kind of feature usually reserved for grills costing considerably more.
• 304 stainless where it counts. The cook box, the center section of the rolltop lid, and a second interior layer of stainless for heat retention put this grill's materials ahead of most mid-range 4-burners.
• A genuinely complete rotisserie package. The 18,000 BTU rear burner, motor, spit, counterweight, and two forks all come standard — no separate purchase required to start spit-roasting.
• Thoughtful small touches. Backlit SafetyGlow knobs, a front-accessible (rather than rear-accessible) drip pan, and burner shields between the main burners to reduce hot spots all show attention to daily usability, not just spec-sheet numbers.

The trade-offs — who should skip it

• The warming rack is a real weak point. It's thinner chrome-plated wire, not stainless, and Napoleon's own manual warns it will warp if left in place while the rotisserie burner runs beneath it. Remove it before spinning a bird.
• It's easy to confuse with the pricier PRO 500. If what you actually want is 1,800°F infrared built into the main grate itself, that's the Prestige PRO 500, not this model — don't pay Napoleon-flagship attention to a mid-Prestige spec sheet.
• The drip pan is small and needs frequent attention. Convenient front access is a plus, but AmazingRibs noted it fills fast on fattier cooks and needs regular emptying.
• Our sourcing here leans on one outlet. AmazingRibs is a credible, hands-on tester, but it's the only fully quotable review we could verify for this exact model — worth knowing if you want a second independent data point before spending $1,879.

How it compares

Against the Weber Genesis E-335, which ranks first on Gavler's Best Gas Grills list at $1,199, the Prestige 500 RSIB costs about $680 more and answers with a genuinely different tool: a purpose-built infrared sizzle zone and a heavier 304 stainless build, versus the Genesis's broader all-around value. If your grilling is mostly weeknight burgers and chicken, the Genesis wins on price-to-performance. If steakhouse-style searing is the point, the Napoleon's extra spend buys real capability.

Against the budget-tier Weber Spirit E-425 — number three on the same list at $679 — the comparison isn't really close on capability, and it isn't meant to be. The Spirit is the pick for buyers who want a dependable 4-burner without premium ambitions; the Prestige 500 RSIB is for buyers who've already decided searing performance is worth paying up for.

The Gavler verdict

A 9.4 for a grill that does one thing better than almost anything else near its price: sear. The over-1,000°F infrared sizzle zone, verified in AmazingRibs' own hands-on testing, is the feature that actually separates this grill from the broader field of 4-burner gassers, and the 304 stainless cook box means that capability should hold up for years, not just for the first season. Buy it if you sear more than you smoke and want that performance without spending flagship-Napoleon money. Just go in clear-eyed about two things: this isn't the Prestige PRO 500 with its 1,800°F main-grate sizzle zone, and the thin chrome warming rack needs to come out before every rotisserie cook.

Common Questions

Is the Napoleon Prestige 500 RSIB the same as the Prestige PRO 500?

No, and this is the single most common mix-up with this grill. The PRO 500 is a step above it and carries an infrared sizzle zone built into the main grate itself, capable of roughly 1,800°F. The Prestige 500 RSIB reviewed here puts its infrared searing power on a separate recessed side burner instead — AmazingRibs measured that side burner at over 1,000°F, which is still hot enough to sear two steaks beautifully, just via a different mechanism and at a lower price.

Is the Napoleon Prestige 500 RSIB worth $1,879?

Yes, if searing performance and long-term build quality matter more to you than getting the absolute lowest price. AmazingRibs, which put it through hands-on testing, placed it in the same tier as the Weber Summit and Saber's all-stainless models — a legitimate step up from mid-range 4-burners like the Weber Genesis E-335 in materials and infrared capability, at a real price premium to match.

What's the biggest weak point of this grill?

The chrome-plated warming rack. It's noticeably thinner than the main stainless cooking grates, and Napoleon's own owner's manual warns that it will warp if you leave it in place while running the rear rotisserie burner just beneath it. It's a minor part, but it's the one component on an otherwise premium grill that feels like a cost-cutting afterthought.

Does the Napoleon Prestige 500 RSIB come with a rotisserie kit?

Yes. The 18,000 BTU rear infrared burner and a heavy-duty rotisserie kit — spit, counterweight, and two forks — are included in the box, not sold as a pricey add-on the way some competitors handle it.

How does it compare to the Weber Genesis E-335?

The Genesis E-335 is the better all-around value at $1,199 and ranks first on Gavler's Best Gas Grills list. The Prestige 500 RSIB costs about $680 more but answers with a hotter, purpose-built infrared sizzle zone and a heavier 304 stainless cook box and lid. Choose the Napoleon if searing is your priority; choose the Genesis if you want the strongest all-rounder for less money.