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Ski-Doo's 600 E-TEC engine is one of the most talked about on the snow. In our opinion the direct injection technology is the 2-stroke engine's best chance of long term survival in the midst of tightening environmental standards. The fuel economy of the E-TEC was proved in our Real World Shootout with the '09 MXZ Renegade 600 H.O. E-TEC getting the best fuel economy, even beating the 4-stroke Nytro. With an eco-friendly 2-stroke engine under the hood the E-TEC offers excellent performance matching closely to the other two 600s in this test. When bolted into the super lightweight REV-XP chassis this machine has a big weight advantage over any competing 2-stroke, and especially the 4-stroke Nytro.
All this sounds like a recipe for success, as the XP is lightweight, powerful and environmentally friendly. However, we found the XP chassis to be simply an odd machine to ride in the mountains. In short-track MXZ configurations we love the chassis, but when it is long-tracked with a tall riser, it becomes tricky to ride. The rider forward position is just a bit too forward for our liking. Conversely, when it comes to pointing this machine straight up a hill it works very well, the lightweight and extra flotation from the 16-inch wide track really help.
All that said, we found this machine the toughest to hold a line on while sidehilling. It could be because of the sway bar, which for 2010 is 50% less stiff than before. But even with a softer sway bar we still had trouble. When sidehilling the sled wants to rip the bars out of your hands and set the ski back down, especially when hitting bumps or ruts laid down by other sleds. We would like to see Ski-Doo remove the sway bar and tune the front shocks to work without a sway bar.
For those riders looking for a less expensive 600 machine Ski-Doo also offers the Summit Sport with a 600 Rotax fuel-injected engine. While this engine doesn't have the direct injection technology like the E-TEC it is very similar performance-wise, it just isn't as fuel and oil efficient.