2019 Real World Sled of the Year 

So true

Right . They don’t pick Polaris every time either.

Mic Venz if i am correct skidoo won last year

Mic Venz when was the last time they picked another brand? You have to go back a few years

@@ebsell Because its been a few years since anyone built a sled our crew collectively liked better than a polaris. Its not rocket science. We ride them all, every day... we jump from one to the other, every day. When its ll said and done, we sit down and decide which one we liked best... sometimes its difficult because we like a bunch of them (and I legitimately liked all 4 of them this year), but when you sit down and ask yourself "which of these sleds would I spend my own money on"... that how you know which one is the winner. And this year, %99 of our crew, without even a seconds hesitation, picked the 850 polaris. Simple as that.

Nope not true luke lester responded to me and said polaris 850 is the most reliable new engine from any manufacture.......

how many sleds

Oh stop it, that downed POO still beats a runnin' doo.

Dean Heath In your dreams sure

Your comment is a breath of fresh air. Its nice to see someone actually GET IT for a change. Yes... they are all fantastic sleds. The things we pick on are so minimal its almost laughable. But... its our job to find even the smallest differences and determine which we think is the best, even if only by a tiny margin.

@@pavmentsurfer13 I get what your saying but most guys don't buy a new sled every single year, they want the sled they do buy, to perform day in and day out over a decent period of time, which is probably the most important aspect of buying one..... and in that case I wouldn't touch anything made by Polaris...… If I was buying a new one every year, hell yeah i'd buy one..... Polaris warranties are worthless, BTW I haven't been burned buying a Polaris, no axe to grind here, but the interwebs are filled with stories of folks that have been....

These new engines hate low octane fuel and ethanol. You probably dont have ethanol additives in Sweden though. You should be looking to run 95 octane or higher if you want to run the engine on the high octane tune. If you dont have a good quality fuel, you will get predetonation and you can blow it up. If all you have access to is 91 octane, i recommend visiting an airfield and buying some 100 low lead av gas, mix that 50/50 with 91 octane.

In Sweden we have 95 and 98 octane RON, that is 91 and 94 US octane. Our 95 octane has 5% ethanol in it.

Same chassis and skid but different engine and clutched

@@barbecuesquirrel2324 different clutch but the engines are identical

Casey Antonissen 600 Etec is too slow 🤢

crashingkid Yeah, my friend has an older etec 600 and he wont even come ride with us much because “my sled sucks it has no power to play around”

Chuck Beef the new 600r preforms like the old 800r

crashingkid not the new 600r

Edward Abraham III still slow

Yep you will really enjoy it ,,, when its time to change the spark plugs,, it will also need pistons rods and probable a crank,, I know hard to believe,,,,, you will see,, mark my words,, good luck

thats why poo are 3 grand less than doo ,once you use up all your warranty for engine replacements or repairs the 3000 grand covers you for one engine replacement.

prove please provide how many 850 engines failed

@@edwardabrahamiii3742 i guess my friends 09 800 dragon with durability kit is an odd ball, he has a lot of miles on it. i am told the 015 & up 800 engines are better. i have on my 019 850 i believe around 1500 miles & no issues

with that kind of luck i don't blame you for switching. this past winter ski doo dealer by me had 6 ski doo 850's go down. i have been on a polaris sled since 1964 & never had issues like what i read here, good luck with your ski doo@@edwardabrahamiii3742

Lucas Echenique I doubt that. Always problems with Polaris shitty snowmobiles

@@drlhomeimprovements Said this like a dozen times... even said it IN the story. The failure rate of the 850 was less than 1 percent. Thats lower than pretty much any other new engine intro in the past 5 years. People LOVE to hate on polaris for some reason so all you ever hear about is the bad. but their bad is actually LESS bad than much of their competition. thats not an opinion, its a fact based on numbers. The internet is a great place to go if you want to read bad news. But the bad news you read doesnt always reflect the truth of the situation. the 850 is a great motor. We had no trouble with ours so thats how we rated it. Just like when skidoo had belt troubles with their 850's... we didnt have any so we didnt report on it. That seems fair to me.

@@drlhomeimprovements Maybe I'm basing this off my personal bias towards Polaris. I've never actually owned a new sled, so all my experience on Polaris has been on my Indy Lite and my RMK 500

I cover every state in the Northeast including Quebec as well. Polaris's are everywhere so I have no idea what you are talking about.

bedlambikes agree 100%

@bedlambikes im seeing what your seeing

Great question!

Well said. Thank you for commenting.

sitting on the motor ? you should try sitting on the seat instead of the sitting on the hood.

Great analogy. Very nicely put.

@Mike Miller better than yammaqueers

Tucker Hibbert rode Arctic Cats to 11 Sno-Cross championships and 14 X Games medals. I've got 11K miles on my 2010 F8 LXR with the original piston and rings. No issues and still smoke by my friends new 850 Doo :)

@@scottinman5788 I love my 5 cats lol (older from 02-06) all run great and are reliable but new cats r good 2

Patrick sullivan cuz cat are literally scrap

I appreciate that you recognize we are, in fact, sponsored by all 4. That is true. But Arctic cat came 3rd place last year and won sled of the year what, 3 years ago or so. They are NOT always at the bottom. But when nothing changes, you cant expect them to jump to the top. Next season they have a whole new front end... and it works AMAZING. Who knows how theyll stack up in next years sled of the year competition.

And to be honest, 600 is PLENTY in a sled, my old polaris 680 triple did triple digits with ease. OVER 20 years ago!

Should have only been one demo at each dealer... If you feel the dealer was abusing the system call 1-800-Polaris and rat them out.

Rink Rat they loved the 900 according to Luke but because they don’t like the throttle they didn’t consider it. Pretty narrow minded to make a decision based on something as foolish as that. I got used to the throttle in a few short days and now love it.

@@ebsell has anyone read posts by this person, he stated he had polaris 850 that blew up & his dealer gave him loaner sled . i don't find what is posted worth believing

GenSparks the pro chassis is getting old too the pro chassis came out in 2011 for Polaris and cats was 2012 and all Polaris did was give it axys and changed the body panels a little bit and cat changed there plastics but started using their own engine and the new cats are narrower but cat and Polaris need to change there design soon

eyes open doubt that they own any, why would you when you are given multiple brand new sleds to ride every year

they don't own them,, they are all on loan from Polaris,, new ones every year,, you know Polaris can"t build a engine to last more than a season

@@pnthrsee1 You sure? My RMK assault as been running fine since 2014 :/

@@vergy if it is a 800,,, time my boy Polaris has the highest engine failure rate Period by far Just think of these words A FIXER KIT they could not build a triple and cannot build a twin our local dealer had six 850 with seized bearings,,, that is no accident its too bad because I like them

James Barnick I completely agree. I have never been impressed with the build quality or the ease of servicing.

James Barnick built better than Arctic Cat

crashingkid not since they teamed up with Yamaha 2 or 3 years ago

Steven Vanheel Arctic Cat builds the chassis still - nothing to do with Yamaha. Polaris quality has gotten better last 5 years

Purely Opinion, yes. Welll I have owned every brand. I am not brand loyal. What ever you own you at that time you think is the best, I get that. Your statement that they break down and wouldn't buy anything from them is crazy. You are just a troll that hates everything but what you own. I have had a Polaris 800 and had to tow a skidoo 800 etec back home because it blew up. Does that make it a bad company now? There are a small percentage in every company that has a problem but since the dawning of the internet, everyone like you has to beat up every brand you don't like. Between my Yamaha, skidoo, arctic cat and polaris,.... I would buy a polaris again. Yamaha, before they were a CAT, great engine, comfort, not the greatest suspension but to heavy for me for long rides when riding aggressive. Arctic cat 2 stroke, seating position was bad, it seamed like you wanted to slide backwards, engine performance was great. Skidoo has made great advances since in riding position since they revolutionized the industry. But the ride height of the handlebars and front suspension from my buddies 1st etec, I felt like I was getting worn out riding it but every year he got a new one it got better. This years sled is miles above the 1st one they made but the Polaris is just that much better still. Before you hammer on me like I know some of you will, go test ride it before you give an opinion. If you haven't rode one then you don't know how good it can be for the overall experience.

U don’t need someone else’s opinion for ur choice. If they get upset cuz a tv show didn’t like it in their opinion then that’s just sad

There's nothing wrong with a cat. A class leading sled sold by a lousy dealer isn't going to make you feel good about the sled of the year. A good dealership means a lot to your overall experience IMHO.

@Don Olypopper Thanks Don Appreciate it. I know I've heard a lot about the belts. and not much about Motor failures. just wanted to see if the Snowtrax have heard anything about it from Ski Doo.

Verum Quaesitor 3000km and your glad your on the same belt I would hope so 3000 km is to trips up north

Verum Quaesitor golf lol have a good night also

I know of one that went at 1700 miles rod went through the case but warranty took care of it. However bring the first ride of the year the guy still doesn't have the sled back.

I agree,ski foo is good in my opinion but I like polaris better

I’m guessing by your ignorance you’ve never ridden one

cudwood exactly that’s what I thought

LOL... thats all there is to it I guess. We had 3 skidoo turbos. Great motor, terrible throttle. Bad enough that many people just didnt want to ride it. If they could find a way to put a proper throttle body setup and cable throttle on that turbo it would be one hard to beat package. I dont think our competition, who pick their "sled of the year" at the beginning of the season after only riding it for a day at a new model intro, had enough seat time to fully evaluate how that sled worked, day in and day out. Anyone in our crew who had a choice, chose to ride our 600 Etec over any of our turbos without batting an eye.

Luke Lester I put 4000 miles on one this year and the throttle in sport mode you get used to in a short time if it’s your everyday sled. That’s what you fail to realize in my opinion. You guys have complained about throttle lag for years on the 1200, now it’s the throttle mapping on the 900. You can jump on the 900 and put in a 300 mile day and not have thumb cramps. And no mention of the Polaris started sounding like something off a 20 year old worn out pickup lol

Wasup Fool haha shouldn’t have to “get used to it” if you had a medical issue, would you just get used to it? After a while you would but...

Casey Antonissen you had to get used to rider forward sleds when they first came out. Your point don’t make any sense

Wasup Fool haha, sorry you don’t understand

Well Polaris is their biggest sponsor so if they don't get #1 in guessing the funding dries up.

@@JimmySeahawk ya deff makes sense just sucks if ur looking for unbiased opinion to steer u in the right direction of which sled to buy.

Lol... yeah man. Every 850 they sold blew up. Your totally right. Not a single happy customers. Come one man, less than 1 percent failure rate is actually BETTER than almost any other new engine release in the past 5 years or more from ANYONE... thats a fact. Polaris replaced motors quickly, gave an extra year of warranty (5 years total) and gave anyone who had a problem an accessory credit for their trouble. Name any other manufacturer who went this far above and beyond to make up for a mistake. You cant, because no one ever has. The polaris won because this season its the best sled on the snow. Not by much... but its still the best. The minute ANYONE else builds a sled our crew collectively likes better, that sled will win. But keep believing its about the money... it never has been, and it never will be.

@@pavmentsurfer13 point proven again. This past season 2 of my friends bought polaris 850 assaults and at 1200 miles the one blew up and the other at 900 miles so thats 2 right there and after a quick google search i found its very common issue that they have now fixed. I havent heard of big issues with 850 skidoo shitting the cranks yet. I also know a few people in thd industry that sell skidoo and polaris.

how many 850 motors went bad

Steve B I would get the new 850

Yeah, you're missing that they are from Ontario and Canadians pronounce the last letter of the alphabet as "zed" rather than "zee".

@@kokyudosa Damn Canadians :).

But they say "ZR", not "Zed R". Because Arctic Cat is an American company? I don't know

Zeds is the way the letter Is pronounced in English Zee is how pretty much only Americans pronounce it

Because again Polaris will produce another gem!

mikewskpf that will blow up and need to be replaced as always

Thanks very much for your comments. I promise, if we had experienced any motor issues with any of our 4 850s... we would have covered it. But we didnt... I know there WERE problems. Less than %1 failure rate and Polaris got in front of it, warrantied new motors, added a year of warranty (5 total) and gave an accessory credit. Cant think of any other MFG who's gone that far and above to make things right. But your totally correct, everyone seems to KNOW someone who had a problem, but ive still yet to MEET someone who has.

@@pavmentsurfer13 that is what i have been posting all winter, i have 1000 plus miles on my xc129, best sled i have owned, 2nd best 600 xc129

Yeah many of the long track models are completely modular for different seats and accessories

actually, the manufacturers are becoming very predictable... WE don't build sleds. We only test them. The fact that our testing shows similar results year after year means the positives and negatives of the sleds are staying very much the same. Everyone loves to hate on us because we pick Polaris... the high points of a Polaris have not changed in more than 6 years... the things we love about them are the exact same things we've always loved. And the things that push them ahead of the competition so often again, have not changed. If you disagree with what we like and dont like about the sleds weve tested in the past, and things are still very much the same, its no surprise you still disagree with us now. And im %100 OK with that.

@@pavmentsurfer13 Buying a new sled is extremely difficult these days. There are so many good sleds. I had a very difficult time deciding between Polaris and Ski- doo I finally bought the Ski- Doo Blizzard 600r . Can't wait to ride it. Thanks for a good honest review.

he didnt compare them at all. how can you....

Says more about the product than it does about brand loyalty. Just sayin'...

@@snowtrax I got a dozen of people in my area that have polaris new or old and the all have rebuilt them once if not twice. We used to run polaris and then switched to arctic cat and haven't had a problem yet 1981 Jag with 6000 miles have done nothing to it 2009 M8 haven't touched it 2000 zr 600 4000 miles haven't touched it. Just saying

Lol what about "real world sled" screams mountain sled to you?

Cool stats. Doesn’t change that I still left when I found out.

Is it our fault manufacturers continue to make sleds with the same positive and negative attributes year after year. On/off trail versatility is just a category to rate. its not the final decision maker. This year they pretty much all got the same score. Im not going to disagree with you though, I think its a category we should eliminate and likely will from next years competition. When sleds stay largely the same year after year in terms of their attributes, it shouldnt come as surprise that they line up very similar year after year.

Luke Lester I do agree with you, a lot of sleds remain mostly unchanged from one year to the next. So the latest is often the greatest... for now. In no way taking any credibility away from you guys but a lot of people take the results of your reviews and shootouts which are largely your opinions as gospel. And this affects their buying decisions. I’m sure you realize this. I think you should encourage your viewers to get out there and ride and compare brands and models (and also the dealership itself) for themselves and buy whatever THEY like and suits them. I’m sure there are snowmobile dealers out there that would appreciate it!!

GT500 VT What do you ride?

Rob Davidson are you high? They aren’t going to respond. They are in it for the sponsorship money and that’s it.

Stock sled , that's means ski Doo put it on ...call ski Doo

They are pretty much as expensive as the rest. As for the engine like he stated in the video if you even watched it they only make up for 1% of all units sold.

BMW 2017 I’ll give you fit and finish but durability the GAY motion is like bulsa wood lol. As far as looks the polaris blows ski doo out of the water lol. Look at how stupid the front end looks and on ski doo come on man you have bad taste just admit it.

Skyline Sand Sports I’ve towed way too many Polaris sleds in my days... blown plenty of belts in the process... I’m good. But thanks though ;)

SD....Looks?!?!? Please.

Someone had a bit too much zinfandel before commenting.

They have a reason for hating on cat, a trash company building a trash vehicle, what do you expect?

There sponsored by all the brands but it is weird how polaris is on top no matter what

Patrick sullivan it’s who is the biggest sponsor

It’s no secret. We get the same reviews in the dirt bike world. Ktm has paid the most to motocross action and dirt rider in recent years. Kawi suz ktm husky yamaha and Honda are all nearly identical in performance and handling. But everyone knows Honda and Yamaha build the most reliable and high quality mx bikes out of the box.

Lol... sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night. I wonder what might happen if, say, skidoo took a look at why the polaris keeps winning, then built a sled to address those things. Build a sled with equal or better front end ride and handling and teh outcome of our testing would be completely different. Any of them can do it... but non of them do. they keep building sleds with the same traits. Wanna win, build a better sled. It has nothing to do with who pays us... they all pay us. The reason they all pay us is because THEY trust us to be unbiased. If they didnt, they wouldnt keep advertising.

And he was never heard from again, LOL!!

Just ride one man, you will understand.