COMPARISON / 600-CLASS TRAIL SLED
Ski-Doo MXZ Neo + Polaris 650 Indy XCR Ski-Doo MXZ X-RS 600R E-TEC Polaris 650 Indy XC Lynx Rave RE 600R E-TEC Arctic Cat ZR 600 137 ATAC
2026 Ski-Doo MXZ X-RS 600R E-TEC 129
a bad thing. The machine remains on the latest iteration of the REV Gen5 chassis, with expertly sculpted body panels, a classy dash, a small but well-shaped seat, and – other than the handguards – virtually no wind protection to the rider’ s upper body. Back for the second year is the RAX RX front suspension. When it debuted for model year 2025, Ski-Doo officials promised that the taller spindles, higher-mounted and more widely spaced A-arms, revised steering arm and updated sway bar geometry would sharpen handling and better control body roll – especially when combined with the new, deep-keel Pilot RX skis. Our team feels the sled lived up to those promises.
In back is the rMotion X skid frame – the latest iteration of a highly adjustable, coupled design that’ s been dominating stutter bumps for almost 20 years. The specs say front and rear suspension travel measures 10.4 inches and 11.5 inches, respectively.
The demo sled was equipped with the KYB Smart Shox system on the front suspension and the rear arm of the rear suspension. It continuously monitors inputs from the shocks, chassis and throttle and automatically self-adjusts the shocks’ compression and rebound rates on the fly, based on the rider’ s choice of three driving modes: Comfort, Sport and Sport +.
Power comes from the efficient 600R Rotax twin that dates to model year 2019, with high-tech E-TEC direct fuel injection.
Adding the Smart Shox and 10.25-inch display to our MXZ X-RS 600R demo with a 129-inch track drove its MSRP up to $ 19,499 – startlingly high for a sled in this class, but certainly well equipped.
The Ride
Ski-Doo’ s marketing materials describe the MXZ X-RS as“ an uncompromising race-inspired sled capable of taking on the roughest trails with ease.” That sounds tough enough. But now that Ski-Doo has added a“ Competition Package” to its lineup above the base X-RS, one has to wonder how committed they remain to that original bluster.
We’ ve been down this road before. Before the X-RS package was added to Ski-Doo’ s lineup, the X package models were described as the biggest, baddest hombres on the snow. But before long, the X went from having high-end clicker shocks to non-adjustable units up front.
To be clear, this 2026 X-RS still has reinforced running boards and it can be ordered with 40mm KYB shocks, but they are the EA-3 units with only three settings. Our demo model with Smart Shox pushes the question further: The Smart Shox is impressive technology and the real-time self-adjustability is impressive. But this system isn’ t really aimed at the most hyper-aggressive ditch-banging riders.
So in this era, what is an MXZ X-RS 600R? Simply put, it’ s a really nice snowmobile in many ways.
It starts with the engine. Will it outrun a 650 Polaris in a drag race? Nope. But it could be argued that if top-end power is a customer’ s desire they probably aren’ t buying in this class anyway. The buttery smooth 600R E-TEC delivers a different experience. It idles quietly, accelerates consistently and, after an initial jerk at clutch engagement, it pulls the rider smoothly up to the upper 90s.
It fits perfectly with the REV Gen5’ s refined character, which minimizes vibrations, dampens noise and provides a comforting experience. Ergonomics are familiar to anybody who has ridden a modern BRP sled – including open footwells, two-stage ErgoStep side panels, tunnel violations near the rider’ s ankles for the brake and chaincase, and modern controls. That said, one nitpick shared by several of our test riders is how it now takes multiple button pushes to raise or lower the hand or thumb warmer settings.
22 / JANUARY 2026 / SNOWGOER. COM