In recent years, the trend towards off-trail hybrid snowmobiles has been promoted by manufacturers, and Arctic Cat had no choice but to offer a product that meets expectations for 2020. With the Riot X, we’re talking about a very nice compromise with 2-inch studs and a 146-inch-long track.
I really liked the new model, because it behaves well on trails and we still have something very good off the trail.
Several elements make the Riot a beautiful hybrid product. Depending on whether you take Riot or Riot X, you must be very careful, because they are very different from each other. There are mainly three significant differences between the two:
| Model | Track | Front Suspension | Handlebar |
| Riot | Cobra 1.35 or 1.6 inches | Arctic Race Suspension (ARS II) | 5.5-inch elevation block oriented towards the sitting position |
| Riot X | Challenger 2 Inches | Arctic Mountain Suspension (AMS) | Vertical height adjustable |
New in 2020, the new CROSS-ACTION rear suspension does the job well. It allows a better weight transfer during acceleration while having good performance off the beaten track.
The AMS front suspension, identical to the mountain model, allows the Riot X to drive efficiently in deep snow, especially on the mountainside, where its strength lies. The problem is mainly on trails, being more designed to do most of the counter-steering, I don’t think it’s very pleasant to drive a hybrid. One advantage is that the width of the skis is adjustable from 39.5 inches to 41.5 inches on the X version, so it helps for stability on the trails, but still, I wouldn’t take this model if I mostly do trail riding.
As an option, it is possible to have the QS3 suspension, which offers a simple, fast and high-performance adjustment. On the X version, the steering wheel is adjustable, and I really liked being able to choose between the low or high handles depending on the type of driving I wanted to do.
I can’t say that the Riot X offers the best off-trail performance as a hybrid, but we do have a product that is very versatile and effective in all types of terrain. That’s why the Riot X is my favourite among the cats.
