Up front , the longstanding dual A-arm design that Polaris renamed after its Matryx chassis returns . Previously called the Polaris Race IFS , it now stands out for having shorter spindles and closer A-arms than competitive designs .
When carrying speed down the trail and on and off the fun flipper in and out of turns , the combination of suspensions and skis found on the Polaris continues to be the gold standard , though the gap between it and its competition is narrowing . Particularly after we upped the compression settings on the Walker Evans Velocity shocks a handful of clicks to control front end roll , the Pro Steer skis on the XCR grabbed ahold on their line and held it expertly through turns – especially when in the hands of an aggressive rider who was leaning into the corners .
“ This is a really fun machine to ride ,” one tester said . “ Typically when you have a go-fast machine , you have to make sacrifices elsewhere in handling , weight , nimble feel , etc . This sled covers all the bases and the go-fast engine is just a bonus . It felt very comfortable and capable on tight , twisty trails and would be a great ditch banging sled .”
The required steering effort on the Polaris was mid-pack : Not as light feeling as the Cat but not as heavy as the Ski-Doo .
Perhaps the biggest compliment to the Polaris design is when another factory improves its front end and people say , “ It almost feels like a Polaris in the way it handles .” And versions of that sentence were written in multiple test rider ’ s notebooks when talking about the Ski-Doo MXZ Adrenaline with Blizzard Package .
The impact of the new RAS RX front suspension geometry is legit . We never really thought about how much roll a Ski- Doo front end had in stock settings until we rode 2024 and 2025 Ski-Doos back-to-back earlier in the season and felt the
2025 Ski-Doo MXZ Adrenaline with Blizzard Package 850 E-TEC
Engine : 849cc liquid-cooled direct-injected two-stroke twin Bore X stroke : 82 x 80.4 mm Fuel : 91 octane Chassis : REV Gen5 L x W x H ( inches ): 119.6 x 47.8 x 49.9 Ski stance ( inches ): 43 adjustable Listed dry weight : 499 pounds Front suspension , travel , shocks , skis : RAS RX , 10.4 inches , KYB Pro 36 EA-3 , Pilot X Rear suspension , travel , shocks ( f / r ): rMotion X Competition , 10.4 inches , KYB Pro 36 Plus / KYB Pro 36 EA-3 Track : 15- by 137- by 1.25-inch Ice Ripper XT Fuel capacity : 9.5 gallons MSRP : $ 16,849
impact of the RAS RX changes . Skis stick to the ground well when rolling on and off the throttle .
That said , this Adrenaline with Blizzard Package model does not include the new Pilots RX skis that were designed to match the RAS RX front suspension , so in a sense it was sticking mid-pack skis to the ground better , and that kept the design a close second behind the Polaris with our testers .
“ It definitely cornered flatter in the conditions we encountered , and there was more calmness in stutter bumps ,” one tester noted . “ The skis were fine when we started on well-setup , firm trails but they didn ’ t fare as well when we got onto trails with loose snow .”
“ It required more steering effort at the bars , but it wasn ’ t bothersome for me ,” another tester noted . “ The only thing
JANUARY 2025 / SNOWGOER . COM / 19