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We knew Cat was going to release a gaggle of new sleds for 2012, so we decided we would take a last shot at riding the Crossfire as part of last winter’s demo fleet. This hybrid Firecat and M-series chassis can trace much of its roots back to model year 2003, but there have been plenty of changes along the way.
Here’s our final report on one of our favorite hybrid sleds, the Crossfire.
Why to buy
This platform is going by the wayside so if you can find one of these sleds still new at the dealer, chances are you can work a pretty good deal on it.
It’s a little talked about fact, but us magazine guys are given the option to buy our demo sleds at the end of each season. If we were strictly looking at price, this 2-stroke 800 EFI twin would have been MORE than a bargain! I can’t tell you our exact price, but this 163-hp long-track has A LOT of off-trail capability, and you get a ton of performance for minor coin.
Our demo sled was wickedly fast and in our Real World acceleration test it was the quickest sled of all our demos at the 1,000 foot mark. From a dead stop this one is a rocket! It was our quickest long-track from 0-30 mph, from 0-60 and through 660 feet. It completed 1,000 feet in 10.83 seconds. Not bad for a 141-incher!
Our Snow Studs traction package of 188 Big Shot studs, combining single and double backers and mounted down the center gave us great grip. With 8-inches of carbide we were glued to the ice and trail too.
We know it has begun to look a bit dated, but the Crossfire was also the warmest in our group of demo sleds thanks to its nice big windshield, good bar warmers and excellent wind flow around the rider. Crossfire also has a monstrous trunk for storage, and changing a belt or doing any other maintenance or modifications under its hood is 10 times easier than on nearly any other 2011 platform. Also you may consider it a small thing, but we were pleased that Cat still chose to have REAL tools in the provided tool kit.
Ours was the standard Crossfire, which means instead of FOX Float shocks up front we had the FOX Zero Pro (IFP) shocks. Likewise in the rear, instead of having the FOX Float system, we had the coil over rear spring and FOX Zero Pro (IFP) rear shock. The coil over system in back worked just fine for us and only about 5% of riders will ever really use the Float system in the rear to its full potential.
Wondering if you’re in the top 5%? Well, you’re probably not because the guys that are, KNOW they are!
This sled remains more of an off-trail minded machine as we feel it pulls more positive DNA from its M-sled roots than its Firecat trail sled background. With an adjustable 42-44-inch stance, well designed running boards for deep snow carving, and perfect balance in the deep snow, this one is fun to plunge into the meadows and run through the powder.