After my big talk about the 160-inch-plus vs. 150-inch-plus track, I came really close to choosing the 155 850 Pro RMK, but that model ended up lower down on my list. With Polaris’ rigid chassis, it’s almost easier for me to work a shorter track than the longer ones, especially in not-so-deep snow. But with the snow conditions (read: really deep) at this year’s photo shoots, I was hugging the 166 like my best friend. I even took a liking to the 174 in some conditions. Can’t say enough about Polaris’ new 850 Patriot engine, which I think is more complementary to the AXYS chassis than was the 800. The chassis also has some key changes for next season which build upon the RMK’s already good snow manners. Hands down though, the Patriot 850 is the talk of the Polaris lineup for 2019 and for good reason. Ride the Liberty 800 and then the Patriot 850 and it’s a marked improvement. The power bump is nice but it’s the smoother powerband that really stands out.
4—Arctic Cat M 8000 Mountain Cat 162
Perhaps one of the most pleasant surprises for model year 2018 was the Mountain Cat with Cat’s new 800cc C-Tec2 powerplant. All of a sudden it was fun to ride an Arctic Cat mountain sled again. The new narrower Ascender Platform helped the new engine shine and that continues for this year. Now, with new G2 ProClimb 7 skis (Cat’s previous skis tended to dive in powder snow conditions) providing better front-end flotation and a handful of other changes, the Mountain Cat is my favorite Cat to ride. The PowerClaw track on the Mountain Cat, regardless if it’s the 153 or 162, is only available with 3-inch deep lugs and that’s okay. It works great. The PowerClaw can move a mountain and move you up a mountain.