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When you think of 4-stroke touring you probably imagine burning off a couple hundred miles in one day, very possibly with your significant other riding on the back. You’re thinking fun, and scenery and, well, probably hoping you’ll have enough dough left to rent a motel room and enjoy a meal at trail’s end.
If so, how does a 300-mile riding range sound? And an $8,799 entry price, along with a sled that burns gas at about 28 mpg and doesn’t burn through a quart of oil every fill-up or two?
We think it sounds great too!
Serving up an ACE
Ski-Doo’s new Grand Touring Sport 600 ACE delivers on all counts. But we should probably mention it also has only 60 ponies, so if you’re not too concerned with your macho pride and your male ego won’t be hurt, this one is a winner. Those 60 horses will power this easy handling, pleasant riding touring sled for any long-distance trail ride.
If you are afraid the sled won’t man-up for you, well, it’s not really aimed at you anyway. No, this is for serious touring riders, folks who value the experience over the speed and possibly for those with a little social conscience too. Nothing wrong with that!
We imagine it also is gonna be a big hit with the rental sled folks. The Sport with its 60-horse ACE 4-stroke engine is a quiet, efficient sled. Some have likened its engine tone to that of a sewing machine and while that may sound derisive to some, it well could be considered a compliment for folks looking for grins, not grunt. You can start the 600 ACE, which comes in several of Ski-Doo’s entry-level sleds, and still have a conversation while standing next to it. It’s that quiet.
This clean-burning engine will be replacing our old Ski-Doo pals, the fan-cooled motors, in the next few years as EPA and other government restrictions cause those low-tech and higher polluting models to join the extinction list. Whine if you want, but it’s what’s happening.
While we’ve always loved the light and lithe fans, this 60-horse is a worthy replacement. Power comes on quickly due to snappy clutching. So low-end torque is good, a benefit when moving a larger two-up touring sled, especially when you have two folks aboard.
Top end? Well, it feels a little limited as you accelerate beyond 55 or so. We saw nearly 70 mph on the speedo during testing out West, where, due to elevation you’re down on power.
In the lighter and sportier TNT we tested last season, we saw the mid-70 mph range on Midwestern trails with the same engine.
Again, you’re not out for a rocket ride if you’re two-up touring. But the sled’s smooth operation and crisp handling will count for a lot. We like the front-end geometry on all the REV-XP models, including the Grand Touring. The Pilot 5.7 SL skis are excellent with mild, if any, darting and you can put the sled exactly where you want it in turns and it does not push.