longterm test crossfire 600

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Our first Crossfire ride was up in Thief River Falls in February '05. Here we got our initial taste of Cat's 136-inch track Crossfire 700. We were hooked.

But Arctic Cat also had plans for attacking the 600 segment as well. It had a 6 in the same hybrid Firecat and M-series chassis ready for us to test for the 2005-2006 season. We had little doubt that this smaller sibling with its new 600 EFI II engine would appeal to the majority of our test crew.

First thoughts reversed
After drooling over the power, hookup and more forward riding position of the 700 we moved down an engine size to the 600 2-stroke liquid and were a little miffed at the noticeable difference. However, our apprehensions were dismissed when we saw how competitively the Crossfire 6 ran, even against short-track sleds at the Real World Shoot-Out last January, and simply how comfortable it was.

At the Shoot-Out, the Crossfire 6 emerged from the shadow of its bigger sibling and completed the quarter mile in just 14.31 seconds. This was not far behind the Ski-Doo MXZ 600, Cat F6 and Polaris Fusion 600 - all in the low 14s. The Crossfire finished ahead of Yamaha's 4-stroke Nytro and posted a higher top speed.

Trail tested
Cat's extended 136-inch track and chassis were not built for speed. We did the majority of our testing on powdery trails and boondocking through Northwoods forests and abandoned logging roads. Because of the bump-soaking ability of the longer rear skid, the Crossfire was the No. 1 sled of choice in our demo group for rough trails and off-trail romps. We managed a surprising 15.27 mpg out of the new, fuel-efficient EFI engine in our Real World testing.

Throughout a season of abuse the only real maintenance we did was to tighten the track after about 200 miles.
The 6 started in two pulls every time and we didn't so much as foul a plug in close to 1,000 healthy miles.

F6 quick comparo
While slower on top end, the Crossfire 6 hooks up better than the standard F6 and it's comparable to the F6 Sno Pro off the line and through the midrange. The Sno Pro eclipses the Crossfire on top end though. Crossfire pushes more in the corners than the F6 but is much more comfortable in the bumps, and with the taller windshield the Crossfire was the top choice in the subzero temps.

Final thoughts
With new 500, 800 and 1000cc brethren, the Crossfire 600 is the lone survivor from Cat's entire '06 performance and crossover lineup and will again prove its worth on the trails this winter. While not the fastest, nor the most luxurious sled, the Crossfire 6 is one of the most versatile, easy to handle sleds with possibly the most comfortable long-term riding position of any in our 2006 demo fleet.

Arctic Cat Crossfire 600
Engine: Suzuki 599cc Suzuki EFI II 2-stroke
Exhaust: APV with tuned pipe & canister
Drive/Driven: Arctic (rpm sensing)/Arctic roller cam ACT drive system
Front Suspension: AWS-VI double-wishbone A-arms with lightweight aluminum Arctic gas IFP shocks and adjustable preload springs with sway bar
Rear Suspension: FasTrack long-travel system slide-rail, adjustable torsion springs, lightweight aluminum Cat IFP shocks, torque-sensing link rear arm
Ski Stance: 42-44.0 in. adjustable
Track: 15x136x1.25 in.
Fuel Capacity: 12.4 gal.
MSRP: $8,699 US/$11,099 CA

Real World Stats
Top Speed: 94.54 mph
¼-mile time: 14.31 sec.
MPG: 15.27