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Snow Goer Names Top 10 Snowmobiles For 2024

Each year Snow Goer names a Snowmobile of the Year and also the Top 10 Snowmobiles. This article appeared in the November 2023 issue of the magazine.

There’s an old truism about not wanting to bring a knife to a gun fight, and we’re not about to argue that going into an Old West-style shootout unarmed is a good idea. But can you imagine cutting a steak or spreading some butter with a revolver?

Clearly, when used properly, a gun and a knife have different roles for which they are purpose-built. 

So it goes with the snowmobile world. Each year, somewhere north of 150 new snowmobiles are unveiled by the five brands that sell into North America, and the vast majority are well targeted to specific subsets of the snowmobile market.

But which individual machines best serve their niches?

That’s the question we answer annually in our Snow Goer Top 10 Sleds feature. These are the machines that best serve specific snowmobilers, whether they are trail riders, speed demons, mountain climbers, crossover enthusiasts, newcomers, etc.  This is separate from our 2024 Snowmobile Of The Year award winner, which is based on innovation, technology, market acceptance and more. (The Top 10 are listed in no specific order.)

Best Muscle Performance Sled

Ski-Doo MXZ X-RS With Competition Package 850 E-TEC Turbo R

2024 Ski-Doo MXZ X-RS With Competition Package 850 E-TEC Turbo R
2024 Ski-Doo MXZ X-RS With Competition Package 850 E-TEC Turbo R

The only thing longer than this sled’s name are the legs it has when zooming across a lake. As if to say “hold my water/methanol mix and watch this” to its high-output competition, Ski-Doo didn’t just “drop” its turbocharged 850 into a trail chassis and call it good. Instead, it created a water injection system to enable longggg pulls of wide-open throttle. But it then placed the motor in a reinforced but lightweight chassis setup that’s ideal for ditchbangers, with high-end shocks plus the SHOT hot restarting system. That created a no-holds-barred trail and lake blaster with no compromises… other than the pricetag, of course. 

Best Collector’s Item

Yamaha Sidewinder SRX LE

2024 Yamaha Sidewinder SRX LE
2024 Yamaha Sidewinder SRX LE

Call this a nostalgia pick. Yamaha’s announcement that it would leave the snowmobile market after model year 2025 coincided with the brand creating the best looking SRX in decades. A good paint job alone, however, doesn’t warrant Top 10 status. Even with the turbocharged two-strokes now available, there’s something truly special about the way Yamaha’s high-output 998cc four-stroke triple builds power, and the way this big chassis carries that speed. Mix in electric-assist power steering, an iQS shock package and more, and you’ve got a premium model. Those features, plus its incredible throwback colors and graphics package, will make this 2024 model a true collector’s item.

Best Middleweight Performance Special  

Polaris 650 Indy XCR 128

2024 Polaris 650 Indy XCR 128
2024 Polaris 650 Indy XCR 128

Each year when leaving our Rode Reports event, we ask our flatland riders to name the sleds on which they had the most fun. Without exception, the 650 Indy XCR has been named by multiple riders in recent years. Everything about it is quick, from the way it pivots in corners to the speed at which the power from the spry 650 twin gets through the clutches and to the track. It reacts immediately to inputs, with spot-on ergonomics that let the rider truly influence the machine. Plus, a stab on the brake handle provides a startlingly rapid lockup of the track, whether controlling its attitude in the air or setting up for a turn. The XCR is fun defined.

Best Crossover

Ski-Doo Backcountry X-RS 850 E-TEC 146

2024 Ski-Doo Backcountry X-RS 850 E-TEC 146
2024 Ski-Doo Backcountry X-RS 850 E-TEC 146

Ski-Doo has led the extreme crossover market in recent years by building Backcountry models highly capable both on trails and in powdery meadows. For 2024, Ski-Doo designers raised the bar even higher. It starts with a move to the REV Gen5 chassis platform, which offers improvements in the ergonomics, gauge, headlight and overall fit and finish. Also new is the cMotion X rear suspension geometry plus a rack steering system to improve the sled’s on-trail performance. But designers didn’t forget the off-trail enthusiasts: Ice scratchers are now standard, and a buyer can opt for SHOT push-button restart. Added together, these features make the Backcountry the sport’s most versatile sled.

Best Rowdy Basher 

Lynx Xterrain Brutal 850 E-TEC

2024 Lynx Xterrain Brutal 850 E-TEC
2024 Lynx Xterrain Brutal 850 E-TEC

Returning for its second year in North America, the Xterrain Brutal undergoes some notable improvements. They include a move to the upgraded EasyRide+ rear suspension that has a flatter approach angle for the monster 20- by 154- by 2.4-inch PowderMax track, plus new geometry on the front arm and the rear linkage. Adjustable KYB Pro 36 EA-3 R shocks are now found on the LFS+ dual A-arm front suspension. All these moves are decent refinements, but what hasn’t changed is the Brutal’s tough-guy attitude. With its sturdy chassis, strong power from the 850 E-TEC twin and quick weight transfer, it backs down to no challenges.

Best Mountain Muscle 

Ski-Doo Summit X with Expert Package 850 E-TEC Turbo R 165

2024 Ski-Doo Summt X with Expert
Ski-Doo Summit X with Expert Package 850 E-TEC Turbo R 165

The defending 2023 Snowmobile of the Year certainly didn’t get any worse over the last year! In fact, we were able to spend a lot more time on both it and then the 2024 pre-production model to reiterate the excellence of this incredible mountain sled. With its tMotion XT with the rigid rear arm and PowderMax X-Light track with full-width rods, it offers a very natural and connected feel. Items like a remote-adjust limiter strap, SHOT hot restart system, belt monitoring system, flat-top dash, high intake and more prove that Ski-Doo understands the mountain market well. Throw in a reactive 180-horsepower twin, and you’ve got the very best big bore mountain sled available.   

Best Mountain Middleweight

Arctic Cat M 600 Alpha One

2024 Arctic Cat M 600 Alpha One
2024 Arctic Cat M 600 Alpha One

On a deep-snow day, our crew took the top 2024 mountain sleds to a challenging location. At the beginning of the ride, turbos and big bores were the primary attention getters. That night over drinks? Every single rider was talking about their incredible experience on the M 600 Alpha One! The agility and deep snow capabilities enabled by the ideally balanced Catalyst chassis blew us away. When the lightweight new chassis was mated with the unique Alpha One single beam skid and a 154-inch PowerClaw, the horsepower disadvantage of the 600 twin hardly mattered when it came to where we could go, and how big of smiles we generated getting there.  

Best Full-Featured Trail Sled

Polaris 850 Indy VR1 137

2024 Polaris 850 Indy VR1 137
2024 Polaris 850 Indy VR1 137

Punchy power and premium features intersect at the corner of Indy and VR1 in Polarisland. Since its introduction, the high-end VR1 in the Matryx chassis has been a staff favorite no matter which powerplant propelled it down the trail. That’s due to its excellent handling, superb ergonomics and many high-end features.  Items like SmartWarmer temperature control for your hands, NightBlade beams for your eyes and 7S display with Ride Command mapping for your brain combine with premium Walker Evans Velocity shocks for your back and Pro Steer skis for your shoulders. Add a quick-reacting drivetrain for your soul and you’ve got trail riding bliss.  

Best Deal

Ski-Doo MXZ Neo+

2024 Ski-Doo MXZ Neo+
2024 Ski-Doo MXZ Neo+

No snowmobile dominates its market segment as overwhelmingly as the Ski-Doo MXZ Neo+. It is light, nimble, fun, reactive and rather full-featured. It also looks, feels and reacts like most modern snowmobiles. Those features alone separate it from its competition in the entry-level market. But it’s also by far the least expensive sled in a class where affordability is a major selling point. For just $7,549 (or $6,749 for the lower-output base Neo model), a customer gets a machine in a downsized REV Gen4 chassis, a fuel-injected and liquid-cooled twin-cylinder engine and an overall machine that doesn’t look, feel or ride like a discounted version of a “real” snowmobile.

Best Youth Sled 

Arctic Cat ZR 200/Yamaha Sno Scoot/Ski-Doo MXZ 200

2024 Arctic Cat ZR 200
2024 Arctic Cat ZR 200

Not since the era of private-label department stores brands (we remember you, JC Penney/Montgomery Ward/Sears, etc. sleds!) have three separate companies shared a single machine platform. But that’s not why this spry little machine – built by Arctic Cat using a Yamaha engine – cracks the Top 10. Instead, it’s the way it serves its audience. Many families now skip less capable 120s and put their 4- or 5-year-old on a 200 using a throttle stop. But the kids (and even adults) can ride these sleds for a decade or more. With its “real” chassis, suspension, driveline, track, etc., it can be made trail legal as the kids age or amateur riders get more confident.   

8 thoughts on “Snow Goer Names Top 10 Snowmobiles For 2024

  • Avatar for Bill Tedford

    Many years ago I was a subscriber to Snowgoer magazine and in fact, I pretty much subscribed to everything and any thing that was out there about snowmobiles. But then I realized that some of these magazines were redundant in that they may have published the same material in another magazine but under a different name. Today I am subscribed to Snowtech and Ontario Snowmobiler. Is you magazine different from these.
    On a side note, I started riding sleds in 1962 when I was 18 yrs old and still put on about 3-4000 miles a year. My present sled is a 2019 Pantera 7000 LTD. The back seat is off and I use it as a crossover and long distance tourer. It is time to update and now there are so many good sleds out there it is difficult to come to a conclusion. Do I go back to a 2 stroke such as the new Catalyst with the upcoming stroker 858 or stay with the 4 stroke and go to the last year of Yamaha LTX GT Sidewinder or will they put power steering on the the LTX Viper GT. I really don’t need the extra plumbing of a turbo. I believe my lake racing days are over, that is until the next long lake.
    Waiting for Snow.
    Bill Tedford

    Reply
    • Good afternoon, Bill: A couple of answers for you: First, we are a completely independent publisher and every single word in our magazine is our’s and our’s alone. None of our stuff is repurposed elsewhere. As opposed to the magazines you mentioned, we all test the new sleds, but Snow Goer is the only one that has actual aftermarket product tests, service and repair how-to stories, a tour/destination story in each issue, Snowmobile Science, David Wells’ Flashback articles and more. Nothing wrong with those other magazines — we enjoy reading them, Snow Tech in particular — but we are definitely different. RE: your equestion, the two-stroke vs. four-stroke thing is a very difficult one to lend any advice to because they are quite different and people like what they like. You mentioned long-distance touring — for that, the four-strokes really are ideal. If corner-to-corner zip and the ability to pop the sled up in the air on a lightweight sled is more important to you, then we might suggest the two-stroke.

      Reply
    • Avatar for Dan Studds

      Nice article from BRP-Goer

      Reply
  • Avatar for John Blatz

    I liked your top ten sleds article for the information, thanks to somebody that gives a realtime opinion. Our family here in the Mb prairies have been riding since 1966, and enjoy the winter outdoors. We may be biased a little to Polaris but enjoy them all, we’re currently teaching our grandkids ages 3-8 the safety ,responsibility’s and enjoyment of snowmobiling . Keep up the good work

    Reply
  • Avatar for Brian Gibson

    I ordered snow goer several months ago and still haven’t gotten an issue wth?

    Reply
  • Avatar for Viking

    How about an award for best quality control, best actual R & D test riders who do long term actual snow condition riding, least / no recalls.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Ted Johnson

    Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but the Polaris 9R is by far the most capable sled on the market currently! The Matryx chassis is beginner friendly while also allowing experienced riders to do anything they want. Not to mention the 7S display that allows you to locate your riding partners (only those who also have the 7S) My riding group is out west, so we only have experience on mountain sleds. However, we ride all brands and currently everyone I ride with prefers the 9R over the Boost and Expert turbo in almost every situation. Other riders I talk to and dealerships I’ve been to feel the same way. (I personally prefer the Khaos over the Pro RMK for a more playful ride). I hope those testing products get a real feel for the 9Rs abilities because I expect it to be the 2025 Mountain Sled of the year if other variations have not been introduced.

    Reply

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