longer the middle in terms of displacement, power or price, they are no longer the middle / center of the market, and they no longer even follow unwritten displacement category rules. Whew!
What should we call trail sleds previously known as middleweights or 600-class machines? How about“ a whole lotta fun!?”
At the Snow Shoot / Rode Reports testing event of 2026 snowmobiles last spring, we narrowed our focus to two-strokes and then grabbed every sled we could get our mitts on between 599 and 650cc of displacement for some diabolical testing. This being an odd year at the event, we’ ll add some caveats up front.
Caveat 1: Arctic Cat did not attend the spring testing event with any 2026 snowmobiles because they were in the midst of what became an ownership change.
Caveat 2: Lynx brought a very limited lineup to the event, with no 600s. Therefore, we’ ll cover those brands as an overview based on previous experience.
Caveat 2: The Ski-Doo and Polaris sleds we rode were not evenly matched in focus, so we’ ll include notes from our test team on each sled but will not make a lot of direct comparisons.
With Arctic Cat back now on its feet( paws?) and Lynx continuing its North America expansion, hopefully the Snow Shoot / Rode Reports event will return to its previous glory and more regular shootouts will return for model year 2027.
2026 Ski-Doo MXZ Neo +
All caveats aside, let’ s start with a snowmobile that few people would expect in a 600-class story: the truly surprising 2026 Ski- Doo MXZ Neo +.
Now, before you and your horsepower-loving friends bombard us with hate mail, look at the specs. Yes, that’ s a liquid-cooled 599.4cc single-pipe engine tucked between the MXZ Neo’ s narrow side panels. It does not have the 125-ish horsepower of a traditional 600; instead, it’ s a detuned, fuel-injected 600 without variable exhaust. This version has been purposely tuned to spin a mere 55 horsepower off the crankshaft.
The MXZ Neo + is different in more ways than engine output, however. It comes on a lower-set chassis, features smaller ergonomics, uses a truly unique single-shock rear suspension and has a narrow ski stance.
Perhaps most important, though, is that it comes with an MSRP of $ 7,849. And for 2026, it’ s been improved in many ways.
What’ s New?
The MXZ Neo and Neo + move to the most modern REV Gen5 chassis platform for model year 2026. That brings with it a fourth engine mount to further damp engine vibration, brighter high-performance LED headlights and
JANUARY 2026 / SNOWGOER. COM / 15