Horsepower – Polaris
We’ll try not to talk in past tense when it comes to the Liberty 800 because it’s still the go-to for model year 2019. It just now has a beefed up brother it’s constantly going to be compared to.
According to Polaris officials, the 850 Patriot engine is 9 percent more powerful than the Liberty 800 H.O. The bore of the 850 Patriot and Liberty 800 are the same (85 mm—compared to the Rotax engine at 82 mm) but the stroke is different. The 850 stroke is 74 mm and the 800 70 mm (compared to the Rotax 850 at 80.4 mm).
Of the bore/stroke design on the 850 Patriot, one Polaris official told us the bore and stroke were selected specifically for inertia and the best performance through increased power while retaining responsiveness and ensuring durability. It was also explained that less inertia equals better throttle response and thus, handling of the snowmobile because the power is manageable and not peaky.