Here is my comprehensive outlook on snowmobiling:
1. Determine, really, what type of riding and what type of terrain you're going to be riding 90% of the time. That should ultimately dictate which snowmobile you buy.
With that said, here is my take on the latest crop of Skidoo and Polaris sleds.
Polaris Matryx RMK/Khaos
Pros - Chassis, 7S Gauge, N/A 9R Motor, easier maintenance , Series IX 3.25 track
The current crop of Polaris Matryx sleds are, hands down, the best handling best riding sleds on the snow. The chassis, suspension and track work absolutley amazingly in virtually every back country situation I've found myself in on my '24 Matryx. I am continually amazed at how much I like the Series IX 3.25" track and how well this chassis with that track gets on top of the snow and stays on top of the snow. Its just a joy to ride this way and I am pulling lines on this sled I definitely couldn't have on the previous two sleds I owned (One polaris product and one BRP product). I can't say enough good things about the handling and ride quality of this sled. Additionally, for back country riding, the 7S gauge is EASILY the best offering between BRP and Polaris. I have not yet used the new Cat/Garmin MFD so I can't comment on that, but what I will say is the 7S gauge stomps the 10.25" BRP gauge. On motors - the 9R motor VERY peppy when compared to any other N/A motor on the snow, and the 850 Rotax is very stout even in NA form, but you're looking for a NA sled .... that 9R rips right out of the box. Regarding the Pro RMK Vs. Khaos RMK debate - For the record, I don't have a lot of seat time on the Khaos sleds, but my impression of riding the 24+ offerings is that if you aren't really spending a lot of time on steeper inclines or steeper terrain, the Khaos sled is more fun and nimble. With that said - When you do get onto steeper terrain, you really do have to pay a lot more attention to body position and throttle with the Khaos sleds as they WILL come over backwards on you. I've seen this happen pretty regularly to a number of folks on the Khaos sleds, in particular the Khaos Boost sleds. But man they're fun on the flatter lower-risk terrain .... WIth that said, I've been on a Pro Boost this year, and for me it has just the right amouint of ski lift. I've been really happy with it. For technical back country riding, this is hands down the best chassis on the snow. It will stick side hills like mad and its point and shoot up stuff that other sleds just can't seem to navigate.
Cons -Reliability, Build Quality
As you might imagine, Polaris (still) seems to suffer much moreso than BRP or Cat from reliability and build quality issues. Ask almost any Polaris rider and they'll tell you that the motors on these sleds are ticking time bombs. Additionally, Polaris seems to be plagued with manufacturing defects and assembly line screw-ups (extra exhaust springs falling into belly pans and grenading quick drives, fuel pump issues, etc
Skidoo Summit X/Expert
Pros - Unbelievably good motor, better build quality, SHOT
Ok so, I personally have not owned an Expert, but I was on a Lynx the last two seasons and really wish I'd bought the Expert. I ride with a lot of guys on the Experts and we've swapped sleds enough the last several years I think I can make valid statements here though. Whats good about the Skidoo? Motor motor motor. Hands down, no questions, this is the best motor on the snow in NA or turbo form. The 850 Turbo R pulls strong from bottom to top and is just a joy to ride in the deep snow. The suspension on the Expert seems to do reasonably well at soaking up bumps and big hits, but as I'll get into below .... its not quite where Polaris is. BUT, did I mention how flipping good this motor is? Its so good it kinda makes you not care about other short comings of the whole package.
ALso, not that its a big deal to me, but the SHOT starter is nice so long as youy have a normal gauge. It will fritz the 10.25 gauge out.
Cons -Sub par chassis/suspension and handling, 10.25" gauge is a joke
So, I may get a lot of flack for this, so let me preface my comments here by saying this - Some folks seem to really gel with the G5 chassis and can manage the really technical tree riding with it. From what I've seen, those are typically smaller folks who hade been riding sleds in the back country for a lot of years, and their body geometry and experience lend itself to them being able to "figure out" this G5 chassis to ride it effectivley in the trees. Then there's the rest of us. WHile I will say absolutley the Expert chassis handles better than the Lynx, I still find it much more difficult to stick side hills on and hold them in the trees than the Polaris chassis. It seems to be that way for a lot of folks as well, as it seems like the #1 complaint I've had and that I always hear about the SKidoo sleds is they just dont handle as well as people will like. THe current crop of 3" tracks they offer seem to do fine in open areas, but the G5 offerings as of late simply do not claw their way on top of the snow the way that the Matryx sleds do, period ... making them harder to ride IMO. That to me is the big downfall of the G5 chassis ... It just still feels like its a generation behind where the Polaris sleds are on handling and whatnot. THe other big gripe I've had about the BRP offerings - THe 10.25" gauge is a joke. Don't buy it. It doesn't talk to other gauges, its buggy, and I know they upgraded it this year so at least you dont have to have your phone plugged into it constantly to use the map, but I had nothing but troubles with mine. It would shut off and stay off for like 2 hours then spontaneously come back up. Numerous firmware updates didnt seem to help. THe SHOT starter also fritzed it out, so I quit using the SHOT starter. If you're going to buy a SKidoo, dont get one with the 10.25" gauge .... if it was a $300 option ok, but at $1600 its a total ripoff. Id get the regular gauge then install a Trail Tech Voyager Pro and get the best of all worlds.
My $).02.
