I went and demoed the 2013 Ski Doos this morning. It truly was cheating, since I have no intention of selling my Assault (2012 with the 5.1 track) and buying a new sled. Pretty much just curiosity of how the XM is different from the XP and straight desire to ride brand new sleds for free. Spent most of the day on a 154, but did dabble with both the 146 and 163 for a bit. First, my observations are mine and are of course subject to my biases. I say them with utmost respect for Ski-Doo riders, and do not mean any of this as a bashing.
We did find some trees and a couple good slopes with 10-14" of untracked fluff, so it wasn't all hardpacked riding, though far from what we all dream of.
First off, I had a preconception that the Doo made a ton more power. Didn't feel like it to me. I am not at all picky about clutching, but I could feel the difference and inferiority of the Doo clutching versus my Assault, which is bone stock. Now, the Doo is hauling around more weight and is spooling up a heavier track, so that does negate some of the power advantage. As to the weight, you do not notice the weight when riding it, as many have said. But I laid it over a little too far in a meadow and tipping it back up sure made me feel the weight.
On to handling, my least important complaint was the god awful trail manners. My Assault is no picnic on trails, but a pleasure comparatively. In the trees, I was able to pick lines very nicely. Same thing climbing. But the XP issues are still lurking under there. The sled will start going up on edge easily, and will balance well at that initial point where I'm guessing the T-motion and flex track are helping you. But go farther to where you need to be to sidehill or carve, and the propensity to either level out or flop over is still there like on the XP. (Bad flashbacks to my XP days) Definitely not the awesome stability of my Assault on edge. I got on one sidehill that was steep enough that I paneled (and running-boarded) out. (It should be noted that I am far from extreme) One final handling note, the sweet spot for your feet is still about a foot behind the driveshaft on the XM, whereas the Pro chassis is fine with your feet under the foothooks, meaning that I can carve the Pro a lot easier in almost any conditions without jumping side to side.
All in all, it made me love my Assault even more. Although, I did have a good time. The XM is a good sled and maybe all my complaints are due to not being familiar with it. If you're on the fence about waht you are going to snowcheck, try to demo one. You probably will like it. It's just not my cup of tea.
We did find some trees and a couple good slopes with 10-14" of untracked fluff, so it wasn't all hardpacked riding, though far from what we all dream of.
First off, I had a preconception that the Doo made a ton more power. Didn't feel like it to me. I am not at all picky about clutching, but I could feel the difference and inferiority of the Doo clutching versus my Assault, which is bone stock. Now, the Doo is hauling around more weight and is spooling up a heavier track, so that does negate some of the power advantage. As to the weight, you do not notice the weight when riding it, as many have said. But I laid it over a little too far in a meadow and tipping it back up sure made me feel the weight.
On to handling, my least important complaint was the god awful trail manners. My Assault is no picnic on trails, but a pleasure comparatively. In the trees, I was able to pick lines very nicely. Same thing climbing. But the XP issues are still lurking under there. The sled will start going up on edge easily, and will balance well at that initial point where I'm guessing the T-motion and flex track are helping you. But go farther to where you need to be to sidehill or carve, and the propensity to either level out or flop over is still there like on the XP. (Bad flashbacks to my XP days) Definitely not the awesome stability of my Assault on edge. I got on one sidehill that was steep enough that I paneled (and running-boarded) out. (It should be noted that I am far from extreme) One final handling note, the sweet spot for your feet is still about a foot behind the driveshaft on the XM, whereas the Pro chassis is fine with your feet under the foothooks, meaning that I can carve the Pro a lot easier in almost any conditions without jumping side to side.
All in all, it made me love my Assault even more. Although, I did have a good time. The XM is a good sled and maybe all my complaints are due to not being familiar with it. If you're on the fence about waht you are going to snowcheck, try to demo one. You probably will like it. It's just not my cup of tea.
