I have been happily surprised when Mr Denis Lavoie, President of the web magazine Motoneiges.ca, told me that I would try out the 2016 Ski-Doo Expedition Xtreme, one of the models that caught my attention at the Snow Shoot of March 2016. Let’s be honest, all Québec regions north of the St. Lawrence River are true paradises for utility snowmobiles with track of 20 in./50 cm. Besides, all together, these regions represent a significant portion of this market at global level. So, we were very interested by this new model and we hope that our readers are too. Thanks to our new long-term trial partner Contant Mirabel, Ski-Doo dealer in Mirabel, north of Montreal, we have been able to negotiate a long-term trial of this machine, unique in its category. The increased involvement of Contant representatives within our long-term trials shows their determination to publicize their products and also, their commitment in the partnership with SledMagazine.com.
Built on the robust XU chassis that supports all the Expedition models, the Expedition Xtreme is no ordinary utility snowmobile. In fact, even if its chassis and many components are similar to those found on the other editions, these ones are much more considered as premium utility snowmobiles close to Touring machines, but with outstanding off-trail capabilities. When we look at the characteristics of the Expedition Xtreme, we quickly understand that it is rather designed to be close to the Summit purposes all while taking advantage of a longer track. Type X air shock, track of 154×20 with profile of 1,75 in. / 392,3x50x4,4 cm, RAS 2 suspension, Pilot DS 2 skis, 1-up sport seat, more aggressive look and mostly, for the first time in the industry, the 800R E-TEC engine developing over 160 HP.
On trail
It is obvious that we are going to study thoroughly the off-trail performances of this vehicle. One of the qualities I appreciate in the Widetrack type of snowmobiles, at least in the best models on the market, is their versatility in all conditions. The Expedition Xtreme raises the standards in matter of trail riding in this category. Of course, to make the most of our machine on trail, we must proceed to two basic adjustments : to set the ski stance at 40,1 in./101,8 cm and to shorten importantly the front belt of the rear suspension. Once these adjustments achieved, we get an amazing trail snowmobile for this category. Thanks to the HPG and KYB shocks, the snowmobile is easy to handle in turns and attacks bumps with conviction. In fact, I am surprised by the overall comfort provided by this vehicle on bumby trails. After a few kilometers, we forget that we are piloting a large snowmobile with a dry weight of 625 lbs/284 kg. Of course, the performance of the 800 cc confirms its reputation and then again, accelerations are worthy of many performance snowmobiles. The track provides plenty of traction and due to the surface in contact with snow, we do not loose much track tour in acceleration.
Off trail
Despite the low amount of snow on the ground until now in the Province of Québec, we found some areas with few feet of powder snow to run our first tests. For this type of ride, I set the ski stance at 38,4 in./97,5 cm and I extended the front belt of the rear suspension to increase the transfer of weight from front to back in deep snow. Our first tests were ran on flat terrains with enough snow.
Without doubt, my first surprise is how easy it is to bend the snowmobile in powder snow. I have a good experience of snowmobiles with track of 20 in./50 cm and I have been very pleased by the easy handling of the Expedition Xtreme in snow combined with the traction and power. I did not expect to be able to make half-moons so easily and I quickly understood the pivotal point. For example, it weighs more than a Summit, but we can execute many figures I thought impossible with this type of snowmobile.
During my tests in the northern region of Monts Valin, I have also been able to speed up on frozen (and safe) lakes covered with more than 2 ft/60 cm of snow. There again, the power and traction of the snowmobile make it easy to get faster, so easy that we must be careful when the vehicle reaches its cruising speed. At that time, the front end of the snowmobile plunges back slightly forward and skis touch the snow. With such a narrow ski stance, stability is fragile and the smallest move of the handlebar may surprise the pilot. So, we must be careful, mostly with such an exhilarating vehicle.
Continuing our tests
We rode only our first 1 000 km but already, we are very impressed by the Ski-Doo Expedition Xtreme. We are sure that we will get other opportunities to put our beast to test, mostly when amount of snow on the ground will be more important. As soon as snowfalls will allow it, we will be on the terrain to test the limits of our machine. Many questions remain unanswered, but we can already confirm that this edition of the Expedition lineup will please lots of snowmobilers who want a vehicle that combines utility and high performance, which no other manufacturer offers except BRP. One thing is sure, BRP is the leader in this segment of the market until now. We must understand that, considering all the utility models offered by BRP, it is a profitable market that BRP people have understood. There is no better proof than the Expedition Xtreme.
