Luke dives in deep into the inner workings of Polaris’ DYNAMIX Semi-Active snowmobile suspension and how this technology, which was originally developed for off-road, has been successfully adapted to snow providing even smoother ride and handling.

Then Luke takes a closer look at MBRP’s all-new auxiliary lighting kits for your snowmobile that adds considerable illumination delivering a safer ride and a clearer view while riding at night or in low light conditions.

Then in TEST RIDE AJ reviews Ski-Doo’s in-season trail option, the 2025 MXZ Adrenaline 600R E-TEC featuring the all-new RAS RX front suspension.

However, this latest iteration with a more or less “custom” powerplant changes the game and elevates the cache of the XCR moniker in a significant way. The 9R engine boasts oh-so-close to 180-hp with huge torque numbers in the midrange while its running mate the Patriot BOOST makes arguably just a touch more than 180-hp. These numbers are extrapolated from dyno reports on the base Patriot 850 engine that produces 165-hp. 

Moreover, Polaris didn’t call us up and tell us our estimates are wrong – which is not unlike being right. Not to worry. The XCR 9R is a formidable weapon delivering agile handling, amazing bump control and lake-shredding top end thrust. 

Now, let’s talk about the Indy VR1 with DYNAMIX. This is truly one of MY25’s standout new models. Polaris has been working with semi-active offroad suspension for more than five years, debuting the technology on their ridiculously popular RZR Pure Sport Side x Side. DYNAMIX is completely different than any other adjustable snowmobile suspension. While competitive semi-active snowmobile suspensions use a series of sensors mounted on the shocks, DYNAMIX uses a sophisticated chassis-mounted “IMU” (Inertial Measurement Unit) that measures the inertia of the sled. 

The IMU processes chassis pitch, roll and yaw as well as the sled’s ground speed to garner the best response from the snowmobile’s shocks under the widest range of circumstances. In particular, DYNAMIX monitors 3 key active events. (i) Acceleration and Deceleration, (ii) Cornering and (iii) Air Born (or when there is less than 1G of force to the ground). The system constantly monitors and adapts resulting in flat, controlled, and predictable handling. 

There’s more. DYNAMIX is the only semi-active snowmobile suspension controlling all four electronic shocks, specifically, the front arm coilover shock. Employing this mid-chassis damper is especially noticeable for the MATRYX chassis with its Bite vs Lite handling characteristics. 

Is DYNAMIX the best working semi-active suspension system for snowmobiles? Further evaluation this coming winter will answer that, but we can categorically say DYNAMIX makes a positively profound impact on handling. 

One more thing – and it’s a biggy: There are three selectable DYNAMIX modes the rider can choose from as terrain dictates. These modes and exactly what they’re doing underneath you can be tracked instantaneously on the 7S display. That, my friends, is too cool.

Follow along as Luke and AJ head off-trail for a fun time aboard a pair of Widescape WS250 stand-up snowmobiles and challenge each other to go places no the tracked vehicle has gone before.

Then in TEST RIDE, Motorhead Mark shares his thoughts on the 2024 Polaris Indy XC featuring the PROSTAR S4 4-stroke engine.

Then AJ’s lighting up the trail aboard the fully jammed and fully turbo’d 2024 Polaris Indy VR1 137 featuring the Patriot Boost turbocharged 2-stroke engine.

It’s no secret Polaris has been working with semi-active suspension control in its off-road side-x-side vehicles for quite some time now. We’ve been driving DYNAMIX-equipped RZRs since about 2018 and after this much exposure to DYNAMIX and its benefits we have to say we have the highest respect for this technology and we suspect that after one ride, you will too.

You might be wondering if DYNAMIX is the same as SMART-SHOX and here’s the important detail that sets DYNAMIX apart. While SMART-SHOX gathers, processes and adjusts both compression and rebound damping using accelerometers on the front IFS and rear arm shocks, DYNAMIX is notably different as it gathers suspension inputs using a chassis-mounted Inertial Measurement Unit or IMU.

The shocks on the front IFS, front arm and rear arm do not assimilate information to the IMU. The IMU is constantly reading the movements of the sled’s chassis. Things like roll, pitch, accelerative G-forces and braking effects on the chassis. All this information is processed by the IMU, then communicated to all four shocks making necessary compression adjustments to all four to keep the chassis level fore, aft and side to side.

A simple example is what DYNAMIX does on a WOT (wide open throttle) take-off. As the sled’s track gets bite, the IMU senses the rear of the chassis squatting under accelerative forces and immediately stiffens the rear arm to control chassis pitch. You can actually feel this intervention.

The same situation occurs when the sled is pushed into a turn at speed. The chassis will start to roll to the outside causing the IMU to increase damping on the outside front IFS shock – effectively levelling the chassis side to side.

Catch a bit of air and the IMU makes adjustments to all four shocks to compensate for harsh landings based on speed and hang time.

This kinda stuff is happening hundreds of times a second. The good news? You can feel it and you’ll be a more confident rider because of it.

Making the system even more impressive is the rider’s ability to track what each shock is doing right on the 7S screen in each mode you select. Toggle between COMFORT, RALLY and EXTREME based on your riding style and you can actually see compensation levels rise and fall for each shock represented on screen.

That’s a brief and elementary run through DYNAMIX. What it is and does is overwhelmingly impressive and we’ll be sure to share more about this technology with you in the weeks ahead.

I know we talked a lot about VR1 Patriot BOOST last season but what we weren’t prepared for was the material changes Polaris has made to the ride and acceleration of this 2-stroke, factory turbo trail sled.

Last year the Boost laid down an almost vicious response to throttle inputs over 6000 RPM. The sled would transition from essentially no boost to a full-on 3 PSI gulp of O2 in a spread of less than 500 RPM.

The sled was fun to take into the boost zone, but required deliberate concentration to modulate and more importantly to find traction. This response came across as somewhat unrefined, but nevertheless, impressive.

The new MY24 VR1 BOOST has received a serious re-mapping, netting a dramatically altered response to throttle inputs across the entire RPM range, essentially from engagement at 4000-4500 RPM to full shift at 8250 RPM.

According to Polaris, its team did a significant amount of tweaking to the main injectors and even more work was done to the boost port injector.

Surprisingly there was little clutch calibration tweaking, but what you end up with is a silky-smooth transition from no boost to full boost blended in an overwhelmingly formidable surge which will (I’m not kidding here) require you to move up on the seat and roll your wrists around the grips when you hammer the throttle wide open. This recalibration of the fuel delivery process is quite amazing.

We said this last year and we’ll say it again here because repetition is the law of emphasis: Buy and install enough traction studs to establish a three stud per grouser pattern with two studs in every middle belt and alternating one stud per outside belt. This is the minimum we would recommend.

If you bought and paid for a VR1 BOOST then you’re going to need traction studs to have a decent chance at getting hooked up on long pulls down Kevlar Lake.

It’s good news all around with the 2024 Polaris Patriot BOOST Indy VR1 137 and one rip may leave you struggling to erase the biggest smile you’ve produced all winter.