Luke evaluates the 2025 Arctic Cat CATALYST ZR 600 137 featuring the 125 horsepower Dual-Stage Injection C-TEC2 engine.

Then Luke and a buddy head off-trail for a unique experience aboard the Widescape WS250 stand-up snowmobile.

Then Motorhead Mark shares his thoughts on the 2025 Polaris Indy SP 137 featuring the Patriot 650 engine.

Luke takes a deep dive into the technology behind the ROTAX 850 E-TEC Turbo R engine that resides in the MXZ XRS Competition Package.

Then AJ’s in the TRAIL TECH shop providing a step-by-step installation of a Polaris 7S display on our 2024 Indy SP 650 that does not come from the factory with this display already installed.

Then AJ upgrades the carbides on our MXZ XRS 850 Turbo R Competition Package with some serious traction products from Woody’s.

Then in TEST RIDE, Luke evaluates the on-trail and off-trail capabilities of the ALL-NEW 2024 Arctic Cat RIOT 600 in the revolutionary CATALYST platform.

Enough trivia, we’ll get down to some technical verbosity on an impressive 2023 ride. The ride? It’s the Polaris MATRYX Indy SP 650 with a 137 sneaker out back. I felt like I never got enough time on our 650 Indy PR unit last season so I grabbed this unit as soon as Byers Equipment in Orillia, Ontario called me to pick the sled up.

First and foremost, I want to speak to the Patriot 650 SDI mill. This engine is heavily based on the 850 Patriot powerplant and as a result there is little, if any, weight saving going on here. However, in terms of efficiency there’s a lot going on.

Polaris’ tried and true Liberty 600 has been around for more than a decade and it shows it when compared to the new 650’s amazing fuel economy. We witnessed the claimed 15 percent improvement almost immediately.

Better than just a fuel economy jump was the reduced smoking with the 650. Most importantly is the improvement in overall performance. The 650 produces an arguable 135 to 140 HP. The reason we can’t be specific relates to Polaris’ ongoing reluctance to release HP numbers. From a comparison standpoint, the 650 will run almost ski-tip to ski-tip with the former 800 Liberty. Interesting.

Power here is abundant and just as impressive is the smoothness and refinement of the Patriot based 650. Engagement is ultra-smooth and drive-away is vibration free. The surge of thrust when feeding throttle to the engine is linear but noticeably stout. Once underway your right thumb feels more like an extension of your synapses. This righteous response can be mentally willed directly into the 650’s throttle bodies.

The P-95 clutching combo loves the torque curve of the 650 and it is so much less a screamer than the old 600 Liberty. When pulling away it’s all about a huge upshift, then RPMs settle into the meat of the power curve. One ride on a 650 and you’ll be convinced this is among the nicest spreads of power from any engine in the biz right now.

The MATRYX has already established itself as the handler in the industry. We find it to be the most intuitive corner carver among all the competition. Initial turn-in to about 15 degrees of handlebar input is linear and positive.

The sled begs you to go harder toward the apex with the promise the front end will bite progressively to the center of the turn. Once you’ve dropped the brake and completed your pivot, feed the 650 some throttle and feel the tail comfortably swing out and look for traction.

There’s no understeer or push. It’s up to you at this point to either keep opening the throttle or steer out of the controlled slide. I don’t know about you but I want a sled to handle this predictably when I’m facing a salad of twisty and challenging trails.

Ride quality here is good but not as good as it could be with a better set of compression adjustable dampers up front and on the rear arm. The SP has aluminum bodied, non-compression adjustable, non-reservoir IFP shocks. Of course, this would mean a higher MSRP and when it’s all said and done the 137-inch PRO CC skid does produce a comfortable and near bottomless ride.

So, if you think you want more damping control and a measure of added “plushness”, opt for a VR1 Indy MATRYX with Walker needles. Of course, you won’t be able to find an unsold VR1 so you might consider a set of aftermarket shocks.

After over 300 miles (500kms) on our SP 650 I am genuinely impressed. We’ll have more as the season progresses.

The nature of the question has to pretty much eliminate top performance sleds like the SideWinders, Thundercats, Mach Zs and any of the 800-850 2-strokes. These sleds sit at the top of the price charts and pretty much rule out anyone on a tight budget from buying one – especially a new one.

So where do you go if all your buddies are driving sleds like these and you’re finding it impossible to keep up? Where do you go if you still want the latest platform, better-than-average suspension and best-possible handling?

There are a couple of places to look and it all depends how much you’re willing to compromise to get solid performance at a bargain price. First place you’ll need to check out is the 600-650cc selection out there. Yes, some of the midrange 4-strokes like the Viper and 130-hp Ski-Doo turbo are decent deals, too, however, there is a price limit here and most of these cost more than their 2-stroke counterparts in the same chassis.

The performance level of Ski-Doo’s 600R, Polaris’ 650 and 600 and Cat’s 600 DSI 2-stroke twins fall into the 125-135-hp range and definitely produce enough power to keep your friends with bigger displacement sleds in full view.

Let’s look at these sleds – not in their premium form with all kinds of bells and whistles added to the top line models in the brochure – but rather at the minimalist versions with decent, functional shocks and less electronic stuff.

First, Arctic Cat: The Cat offers its Dual Stage Injected 600 twin. There is no baseline 600 at all and this pretty much eliminates the ZR 6000 from this comparison. Not to say buyers wouldn’t be happy with these choices: it’s just you’ll have to ante up an extra couple grand over the competition’s pricing on more value-tagged models available in their line-ups.

Next, let’s look at what Ski-Doo has to offer the more impoverished rider who still has an addiction to speed. Ski-Doo covers a lot of bases with the 600R E-TEC engine and the company’s top-line sleds like the XR-S and X-series models offer a ton of electronic and shock upgrades. These sleds are good value – if you can find the extra coin to buy them.

However, if you’ve taken a good look at the Adrenaline (137) and Blizzard (129) versions of the MX-Z and Renegade you’ll be surprised how much you get for a lot less than the aforementioned premium model Ski-Doos. Both the front and rear suspensions have been upgraded to match the more expensive ‘Doos with the latest X-series engineering. The only difference is in the dampers but they still use extremely well-calibrated, although less adjustable KYBs – and have a ton of built-in features that make them super-appealing.

The good news is the price has been kept as low as possible and that means a lot more jing left in your pocket. In some markets that can add up to about two grand in savings – for a really good, competitive sled!

Polaris now offers its 650 in a bargain-priced sled, the Indy SP. Its power and torque – especially when evaluated from the seat-of-the-pants, puts its drivability rating mighty close to some 800 class sleds from the past. Pricing puts it below Ski-Doo’s Renegade Adrenaline and MX-Z Blizzard 600R.

Our final rating of the Polaris SP and the Ski-Doo Adrenaline and MX-Z Blizzard clearly makes the value choice hard to decide on. You’ll pay a few hundred more for the Ski-Doo variations but you’ll get all the latest stuff. On the other hand, with the SP you’ll get a very competitive sled that can still compete against the big guys. Your wallet; your choice.