2018 Ski-Doo Summit SP: New Model Review

It’s a new era of mountain snowmobiling, more about exploring new zones than just about staying on top of snow, more pushing yourself to ride more technical lines than climbing the highest.

Being able to go more places and master technical areas with less effort is exactly where BRP’s Ski-Doo development team has focused their efforts. It culminated in the Summit sleds built on the 4th generation REV platform and powered by the Rotax 850 E-TEC engine.

There’s now a Ski-Doo Summit with the Rotax 850 E-TEC engine and REV Gen4 platform for every kind of mountain rider with the 2018 Summit SP sleds. This unbeatable combination of power, responsiveness and agility has expanded to include 146” and 175” track lengths and is now available with 146, 154, 165 and 175” versions. And all but the 146 can be had with the snow-grabbing 3.0” lug heights. A new color has been added for 2018 as well, an all-black to complement the Black and Sunburst yellow choice.

From their core, the REV Gen4 Summit sleds are designed to be agile and effortless to ride – masses are centralized, the chassis is rigid and the suspensions tailored for boondocking. A host of features specifically designed for mountain riding ease sidehilling and powder play, including an extremely narrow body, open tunnel cap, snow shedding running boards and unique track design. The 850 E-TEC engine is the most powerful two-stroke in snowmobiling and its ultra-quick response adds control in deep snow.

But what really sets 2018 Summit sleds built with the REV Gen4 apart is its rider-centered design. The cockpit and seat is almost motocross-bike narrow and there’s ample room on the footboards, extending even further up front. The seat and switchgear are minimized. Together, the design unlocks the ability of the rider to effortlessly maneuver the sled. The ride has been described as “playful” and “lively,” “takes a fraction of the effort to ride” and “similar feel (to a snowbike).”

And because BRP never stops pushing, 2018 sees yet another remarkable technology debut making mountain riding less tiring and more fun: E-TEC SHOT Engine starting technology. Available as a factory-installed option, it uses E-TEC technology and an ultracapacitor to deliver push-button starting. Seemingly from science fiction, the SHOT system adds just two pounds of weight compared to manual start and eliminates dozens of pull starts per day.

Summit 175” Ride Impressions
This sled is the “perfect sled” for two totally separate rider categories, and you may be surprised here. The expert rider is not a surprise at all as he is always searching for that sick line in the deepest snow known to man. Unless you have a 175, you will not be able to get there on the deepest days. But when we get to beginner to intermediate riders, they like to be able to slow down when negotiating their line. On this sled, you can do that without the fear of getting stuck (at least not as often). In certain conditions you can actually come to a complete stop while pointed uphill, reposition or pick your line and take off again. It is an amazing sled for that. And best of all, it is still extremely nimble in the trees. In fact, it will open more riding areas up that you previously thought impossible.

This sled also excels on steep sidehills. You can traverse an almost vertical sidehill with ease, and it allows you to be a bit lazier with your foot positioning while doing so. When traversing a steep sidehill, it has much less of a tendency to wash out and leave you pointed uphill stuck.

The Summit 175” will climb about anything that snow will stick to. We’re not saying it cannot get stuck, but it is very resistant to it. We love the G4 Summit platform for its manners in deep snow. This sled will go much farther than the REV-XM Summit T3 174 that it replaces. Because of its balance side to side (equal weight on each ski), this new chassis is much easier to handle. Couple that great handling with the 850 engine and 175” track and you end up with a nearly unstoppable machine that is extremely fun to ride. It is sick, very sick, to have this kind of capability in a bone-stock sled.

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