Ski-Doo 2024 – Never Letting Up

Featured Articles New Models / Features February 21, 2023 0

When you’re the market leader with 60% of the worldwide snowmobile sales you can justify heavy budgets for research and development and you can...

When you’re the market leader with 60% of the worldwide snowmobile sales you can justify heavy budgets for research and development and you can recover those investments quicker and easier. It’s simple economics. And for that reason we again see Ski-Doo relentless in their desire to forge ahead with new products, new models and continued evolution of their portfolio.

2024 Ski-Doo Backcountry

Case in point, their REV Gen5 platform just introduced last year for the 2023 models. It was introduced on their most popular segments, mountain and trail. Now for 2024 we see Gen5 expanding to the crossover and 4-stroke segments. As requested and as expected, the Backcountry 850 E-TEC in X-RS and X models is now Gen5 based with the addition of a revised cMotion X rear suspension and rack steering, which makes a huge difference in the handling response and trail performance of the crossover platform. They’re still a mid-width front end stance at 39” but with the rack steering their trail manners just took a big step forward in predictability and confidence. Ski-Doo wanted to improve the trail side of their 50/50 crossover but didn’t want to take away from their off trail capability. They have resisted our desire for a wider front end Backcountry simply because they wanted to maintain their off trail performance. The addition of the rack steering actually surprised us in the improvement it made as it turns in more predictably and holds your line with less hunting or darting, especially though the rough where you experience less feedback. While we never really had an issue at all with their cMotion 146” rear suspension it is better yet and widens the gap from the competition in this segment. The mounting points have been relocated and 80% of the components are new, with a longer front arm and more travel being the focal points, along with standard rail-mounted ice scratchers.

cMotion X rear suspension

Ever since Ski-Doo came out with their 1200 4-TEC Rotax engines we have had a wider body version of each REV platform to house the larger 4-stroke engines. Now for 2024 we see the 4-stroke engines all (except 600 ACE) make the move to the Gen5 platform in a wide-design body variation with sound reducing insulation to further the refinement.

Gen5 narrow body

It looks very similar to the 2-stroke Gen 5 models, but you will notice the added wind protection! Our seat time on this new 900 ACE TurboR in Gen5 with Smart Shox demonstrated the evolution, being quieter and surprisingly capable in the rough terrain considering the added weight it carries.

2024 Ski-Doo Renegade X-RS 900 ACE Turbo R

Ski-Doo is making some changes to their model alignment for 2024 which might need some explanation. Moving forward, Renegade means 4-stroke and MX Z means 2-stroke. The Renegade name will now be used for 4-stroke models in the 137” track length. The only 2-stroke Renegades will be Enduro models (now Gen5 wide body sleds). There is no Renegade X-RS 850”. Ski-Doo didn’t get rid of their 2-stroke sleds in this track length, they’ve all been renamed to the MX Z badge. You can get an MX Z in 129” or 137” track lengths and only with a 2-stroke, naturally aspirated or turbo.

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

Turbo? Yep, turbocharged 2-stroke power is now available in a 137” track length MX Z Competition Package model. We have a First Ride report on this exceptional piece of hardware in our Spring 2023 issue, and it is even better than we had hoped for. Instead of adding a heavy intercooler Rotax opted for an auxiliary water/alcohol injection system to cool the airstream of boost pressurized air into the engine. Crazy, huh? This gives us a turbocharged 850 2-stroke that produces a full 180 horsepower with no fade or reduction in power as the boosted intake air temperature rises. When the air temp from the turbo goes up the system injects alcohol into the air and down comes the air temp so full power is maintained. Check out our First Ride report to learn more about this technology!

water/alcohol injection system

Ski-Doo also did some house cleaning and re-alignment on the deep snow sled side of the line-up, hopefully eliminating confusion and making it easier for everyone to understand the differences and what conditions each model is best suited for. One of the changes is the elimination of the Summit SP nameplate and instead using the Adrenaline name, making it more consistent with the model structure of the MX Zs and Renegades. A Summit Adrenaline is going to be the base high performance deep snow package going forward. All Summit and Freeride are short tunnel except the Summit Adrenalines. The Freeride continues the evolution of being a more aggressive package and is now calibrated and positioned even more for the rider into big momentum and jumps, and pounding the big terrain with both the front end and rear suspensions getting re-worked for this application. It now has a full 50% stiffer suspension package with a fixed rear arm (no pivot) along with full-width track rods (no flex edge) in the 15” wide tracks. We have a First Ride report on the Summit and Freeride models in our Spring issue so check that out for our on snow ride reactions and impressions.

2024 Ski-Doo Freeride

One new feature found on select trail and crossover models, is a new brake system that really ups the performance for those of us who like to cover the brakes with a finger or two. A new aluminum master cylinder and a 4-piston caliper with larger diameter disc not only gives us more responsive and consistent braking prowess but also improves the durability, especially in roll-over events. We found the new brake system to be especially welcome when riding the MX Z TurboR and enjoying the hard-hitting acceleration.

So we have a 2-stroke Turbo MX Z, the 4-strokes now get the Gen5 platform, the Backcountry is moved to the Gen5 platform and we have re-imagined Freeride models for the younger big terrain riders. Any one of these alone would be big news. What’s missing? We kind of thought we’d see a Turbo Backcountry but now figure that’s on the plate for next year. We kind of expected a new 600-class engine, maybe a 650 or 700, but the 600R is an excellent package and it isn’t that old, but we still think this is coming. We have to believe there will be a larger than 850cc naturally aspirated two-stroke at some point in time, something in the 900-950-1000 area? It only makes sense at some point to have an option to upgrade from an 850 but not have the expense of the turbo.

And then we have the rest of the world. All of these hot-shot models we’re talking about would appeal to people who are already into snowmobiling. If covid taught the snowmobile manufacturers anything, it was there are a whole bunch of people who would now entertain the idea of spending money and getting outside. Traditionally these people have been steered towards our 4-stroke models which provide more of the turn-key experience with quieter operation, no rope to pull, better long term durability and reliability. To a degree this still hold true but as we all know there is an emerging demographic that turns their nose up at anything powered by petrol fuels. You know, the greens. We’ve usually written them off as not being anyone we could satisfy, but all you have to do is look at how the left has embraced green anything and everything to see there is money to be made by offering machines that are even quieter, even smoother, even more environmentally friendly. Granted, you or I might never buy one, ever, but there is a great big world of people who just might ride a snowmobile if they could do so and feel good about it. That’s their choice and their decision.

2024 Ski-Doo Grand Touring Electric

We’ve all been watching the small start-up Taiga from Quebec with their tall tales and lofty goals of how many electric snowmobiles and watercraft they’re going to build and how they were going to build this great big new manufacturing facility, but so far it has been more missed targets and hot air than actually building and selling machines in any significant quantity. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t.

Meanwhile, Ski-Doo has been quietly developing their own electric-powered drivetrains that are being readied for a host of vehicle platforms. Again, maybe not what you or I would purchase but there is enough interest in them from a large enough piece of the pie that justifies investment and development. Being from Quebec, Ski-Doo is smack in the middle of the electric craze that exists in the province as it makes even more sense for them to at least offer options.

You guessed it, for 2024 Ski-Doo is going to release an electric-powered snowmobile. We’ve ridden it and have a First Ride report on the machine in the Spring issue of SnowTech. It’s a low-powered unit but oozes with quality and unmatched experience in building snowmobiles. It will only be available to commercial rental operations, but the reality is they will very quickly be building and selling far more electric-powered sleds than anyone else on the planet. Well played Ski-Doo, well played. 2024 has something for almost everyone and anyone, literally and figuratively.