skidoo renegadevspolaris sks
Amsnow
The Challenger Appears
Maybe that's why Ski-Doo entered the competition with its new Renegade model. Last season, when the first versions were beginning to appear, they were in the Summit family. Now they have officially been moved into the MX Z family since Ski-Doo marketers feel that this longish track MX Z will appeal more to boonie-bangers than serious powder cowboys.
Unlike the Polaris SKS, which only comes with the 700cc twin, the 2002 Renegade can be fitted with any of three Rotax twins -600cc, 700cc or 800cc. The 'Doo's engines also come with the nifty - and lightweight - electronic reverse system.
Ski-Doo's chassis is similar to the Polaris Gen II, but expect both to evolve into the newer performance chassis in seasons to come. Statistics-wise there is little separating the two companies' stretch track sports sleds. With 40mm Mikuni flat slide carbs the Rotax and Polaris 700cc twins are extremely comparable on the snow.
On paper, the Renegade has a weight advantage (Renegade: 487 lbs. Vs. SKS: 506 lbs.). But since we don't ride on paper, we have to say that the sleds are incredibly similar and your choice will hinge on whether you like Polaris blue or Ski-Doo yellow. Both sleds use exhaust valves to give you good initial low end while letting you retain decent top end. Both feature virtually identical track dimensions. And both have torsion bar front ends, slippery plastic skis and top quality shocks.
In a test run of a late season Summit Renegade with the 800cc twin, we found the Ski-Doo got to 60 miles per hour in 4.41 seconds, more than a second quicker than a Summit 800 with the 151-inch track. A standard Polaris 800 XC SP with short track got to 60 mph in 4.65 seconds in the same conditions. The 700cc SKS should be a titch slower, but it also should be in a virtual tie with a 700cc Renegade based on the 800s performance comparison.
Bottom line. Do you want the original, the Polaris SKS, or the challenger, Ski-Doo Renegade? Our test riders couldn't decide. They finished the scoring in a dead heat with a score of 7.7 points for each model.