AJ takes a look at winterizing your side-x-side to get year-round use out it with a Commander HD4 track kit from Kimpex.

Then he’s in the TRAIL TECH shop showing you how to update your 2023 or 2024 Ski-Doo 10.25-inch display to get the most out of its GPS capabilities.

Then in TEST RIDE, Motorhead Mark hits the trails aboard the 2025 Ski-Doo MXZ XRS 137 featuring the 850 E-TEC engine, SMART-SHOX semi-active suspension and the all-new RAS RX front end with Pilot RX skis.

After my first 100 klicks I came away flat-out impressed with its handling prowess from the new Pilot RX skis and RAS RX front end. The 2025 MXZ X-RS can go toe-to-toe with a Polaris in the twisties. Frankly, the response to steering inputs in tight trails when you’re sawing on the bars and aggressively squeezing the loud handle are way, way familiar. 

What we mean is the MXZ in its many variants, going back more than 10 years, can’t hold a candle to the new G5 with RAS RX and Pilot RX skis. This move – above all other tweaks Ski-Doo has brought to the table year after year – is pure steak. No sizzle here; just genuine, game changing filet mignon.

You also can’t help but be impressed by Smart-Shox when you run into choppy trail surfaces. You’ll get to the point where you won’t even back off the throttle in the presence of sucker bumps or square edgers. The front shocks read the terrain and then warn the rear arm shock what’s coming, and it works as fast as greased lightning. 

KYB Pro Series dampers, ECU and associated chassis sensors have been available for two model years. However, due to a supply chain glitch with the original Smart-Shox in previous model years, followed by a disastrous winter last year, I hadn’t had a genuinely good opportunity to rip on them. I can now say with conviction that I am totally impressed with how this setup rides.

Usually, I’ll brace myself or pull myself up off the seat when encountering trail craters, but not here; just stay on the throttle and steer. You so rarely ever feel any harshness that you quickly become comfortable enough to dial up the wick in gnar. 

Here’s the verdict: Semi-active suspension is the future of snowmobiling. Keep in mind our 2025 Polaris Indy VR1 features the all-new DYNAMIX semi-active suspension and our initial exposure to it in West Yellowstone earlier this year produced overwhelming approval. For sure we’ll have these two state-of-the-art trail sleds running head-to-head in the next few days so stay tuned for more insightful impressions.  

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.

Luke takes a deep dive into Arctic Cat’s ALL-NEW 858 2-stroke engine designed specifically for the CATALYST platform, speaking to Cat’s engineers and exploring details of this engine from concept to development.

Then AJ’s in the TRAIL TECH shop with our 2024 Ski-Doo MXZ XRS Competition Package enhancing traction with Woody’s Gold Digger Traction Master studs and then takes it for a rip to see the difference.

Then in TEST RIDE, Luke harnesses all 180-horsepower of Ski-Doo’s factory turbo 2-stroke trail rocket – the 2024 MXZ XRS Competition Package featuring the 850 E-TEC Turbo R engine.

While the name-change amounts to just one more letter in an already full bowl of alphabet soup, this latest front end revamp is hands down, running away, the most significant massaging of the Ski-Doo G5 platform.

We’ve held nothing back here at World Headquarters when it comes to our feelings on the RAS and RAS X IFS and its response to turning inputs and bump control. Year after year we’ve anointed Polaris’ IFS as both the handling leader and the most controlled IFS in bumps because it’s a fact that nothing goes through gnarly terrain or holds a stronger line through the twisties. Nuff said.

Conversely, Ski-Doo has owned the rear suspension compliance award since 2011 when rMotion was introduced. To this day it remains fully in command of that well-deserved reputation. However, the RAS IFS dating back to the late 00’s has never kept pace with rMotion. RAS continually delivered a “segmented” response in tight, fast turns. The sled never felt settled and most certainly did not provide rider confidence to feed more throttle after planting the outside ski.

In contrast Polaris’ IFS would beg riders for more throttle in turns while providing intuitive, initial turn-in and a firmly planted feel out of the turn’s exit.

For MY25 Ski-Doo’s raised roll center RAS RX IFS responds virtually identically to the Polaris setup. Go ahead, carry more speed toward the apex, drag the brake slightly on corner entry, let the tail gently swing out and serve as your signal to squeeze in more power from the center of the turn to corner exit.

You’ll scratch your helmet when you first experience this response but I’m telling you one thing that’s boiler plate – you’ll never be satisfied with your current G4’s or G5’s handling after sampling RAS RX.

Our only question is why didn’t Ski-Doo do this geometric tweak sooner?