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Last year at this time we were naming Ski-Doo's new TNT our Best Sled of 2008. After a season on the TNT, it's fair to say we liked it then, we love it now.
Creating the lightest 2-stroke with great handling and rider position, and delivering it at a value-oriented price of $7,649 (US), Ski-Doo gave us a lot to like right out of the crate.
But, the proof is in the pounding. We had this long-termer out in all types of conditions through a snow season that started early in the Midwest this year. We had the TNT up in Canada, the UP and much of Minnesota and Wisconsin, slicing along the trails, some groomed and some not. We had it out in -20 degrees and on a few days when it was as warm as 40 F.
TNT excelsThe electric start on our TNT turned over easily every time and never failed. TNT was always one of the first sleds chosen to take out of the barn by the test crew. Outside of a broken rear wheel late in the season and a single fouled plug, we had zero mechanical issues with it. Early on, there was a recall to fix the handlebar warmers and replace the gas tank. Those were first-year annoyances, but didn't cost us any serious trail time and shouldn't be a problem with this year's TNTs.
Gas mileage was great for a carbed 2-stroke too. We averaged 14.7 mpg with a variety of riders in the saddle, from the hot-shoe young guy to the 50-something cruiser.
Rider position on TNT is close to perfect, although some would like a softer seat. This seat is well shaped for maneuverability though so it's easy to get up on the bars and rock and roll.
Handling is first class throughout the XP platform. The snowmobile feels light and is easy to toss around. Ski-Doo boasts 399 lbs. dry, but our wet weight was 499. Still, that's 62 lbs. lighter than our long-term Polaris Shift, a close competitor.
The upshot is that body input quickly translates to the TNT so you can sit back and relax or push hard on the bars to slice up a corner. Going corner to corner on the trail we found that the TNT could keep up with even the horsiest sleds.
Also helping handling are the Pilot 5.7 skis with their dual runners. These are about the best stock skis on the trails; darting is not a problem and there's good grip for steering in all snow conditions.
For most of us, the HPG aluminum-body shocks front and rear do a great job of soaking up most trail bumps too. There is some feedback to the bars, but I was never tired after a TNT ride. Larger and harder riders seem to think the rear SC-5 suspension could use a little beefing up though, there's also a little shock fade after pounding through a long series of stutters.
Power? Hey, if you're a rocket rider you'll want something bigger than the proven 500SS motor, a 593cc model that according to our dyno tests kicks out an optimistic 114 horses. That's not much shy of most of the heavier 600cc sleds on the market, so TNT still wins the power-to-weight war.
Is it quick?
Well, in our Real World Shoot-Out tests last January the TNT was quickest of the 120-horse sleds we tested in the ¼-mile, clicking it off at 13.43 seconds, just ahead of Yamaha's Vector GT at 13.52. Polaris' low-cost Shift 600 took top speed honors in this class at 92.04 mph, but TNT was second at 91.89.
Just getting away from the line, the lighter TNT also won the 660-foot and 0-60 mph battles. We're talking eyelash differences here and if I'm a lighter rider than my buddies, I'll be coming out ahead.
End decisionThe TNT is just a load of fun on the trails. A small drawback is that the windshield is useless for anything but keeping snow off the gauges. Also, you'll want to keep those handlebar heaters on because your hands freeze quickly on the TNT even though there are handguards in front of them. We'd certainly opt for a bigger windshield and side wind deflectors if you're a high mileage rider. Otherwise, we had no complaints. The foot holds are good, the gauges simple to see and read, reverse is standard and the sled is light enough that loading and unloading it, or moving it around in the barn were easy too.
2008 Ski-Doo MXZ TNTEngine: 500SS liquid twin 2-stroke
HP: 114*
Exhaust: Single tuned pipe
Ski Stance: 47 in.
Front Susp.: REV-XP, HPG T-A alum. shocks
Rear Susp.: SC-5, HPG T-A alum. shock
Track: 15x120x1.0 in.
Fuel Tank: 10.6 gal.
Dry Weight: 399 lbs.
Wet Weight: 499 lbs.*
Price: $7,649 US/$10,099 CA
*
AmSnow tested
REAL WORLD STATS Top Speed: 91.89 mph
¼-mile Time: 13.43 sec.
Avg. mpg: 14.7 mpg