With 2025 being a quiet model year for Ski-Doo, I was expecting to walk into this year’s Snow Shoot and have the Summit Adrenaline Edge be my top snowmobile for a second consecutive year. However, the 2025 Summit X, with the 850 E-TEC Turbo R engine, had other plans for me. Let’s see why.
The 850 E-TEC Turbo R Engine
I have never been shy about it, I’m not a huge fan of turbo-compressed snowmobiles. Admittedly, they are a lot of fun, but I find them harder to ride, less predictable, and they wear me out faster than their naturally aspirated counterparts.
Ski-Doo’s lineup of non-turbo engines consists of two powerful and reliable options: the 600R E-TEC and the 850 E-TEC. Both of them don’t need an introduction. For my personal riding style, I always found the Summit Adrenaline Edge to be the perfect package. It’s affordable, fun to ride, and has more power than I can handle with the 850 E-TEC. It is also offered with the 600R E-TEC engine.
Comparing it with the 2025 Summit X is tricky because they’re fairly similar. They both feature a 34″ ski stance, the tMotion X rear suspension, a short tunnel, and many more features. However, one key option that is unlocked by upgrading to the X model is the availability of the 850 E-TEC Turbo R engine. To me, this makes for a really interesting snowmobile. It combines the insane power of the Turbo R engine with the agility of the Summit X. And it blew our team’s mind during the 2024 Snow Shoot.
Powerful, Yet Smooth Riding
What made the scale tip for me is that even if it’s equipped with the powerful 850 E-TEC Turbo R, the 2025 Summit X rides surprisingly smoothly. It’s easy to initiate maneuvers, and effortless to keep it on edge. This is mostly thanks to its REV Gen5 platform. This same platform also allows for Summit snowmobiles to be very precise while sidehilling. And the X variant is no exception.
One thing that always impresses me riding the Summit is how quickly we get comfortable on it. Even after switching back and forth between other brands, Ski-Doo’s REV Gen5 platform always feels natural for me. Whether it’s cruising in neutral position or riding technical terrains, the Summit is precise, predictable and fun.
Packed With Technology
If you’re looking for the X model, chances are that you want to sprinkle in a few options. Well, there are a lot of them! The 2025 Summit X we had the chance to try out during Snow Shoot was equipped with the now well-known 10.25″ touchscreen and the adjustable limiter strap. Add to this the standard SHOT starter, the belt-monitoring system, and premium LED headlights and you get a sled loaded with technology.
Conclusion
There you have it! I was really impressed by Ski-Doo’s 2025 Summit X 850 E-TEC Turbo R. Even if I’m usually not a turbo guy, this model did resonate with me. Would I purchase one? Probably not. However, if you’re an advanced backcountry rider that wants higher-end features and a more powerful engine, you should definitely consider the 2025 Summit X!
