This season, thanks to the collaboration of Les Motoneiges Géro , a BRP dealer in St-Jean de-Matha, I had the chance to test the Ski-Doo Renegade Enduro 900 ACE Turbo (130) 2023.
To sum up, if you are looking for a sporty, high-performance, comfortable and economical snowmobile, you will be fully satisfied with this snowmobile.
Rotax 900 ACE Turbo Engine
Once again this year, I am impressed with the performance of the Rotax 900 ACE Turbo engine, even though it has 20HP less than its 2021 predecessor (150HP).
The engine is smooth, powerful and linear under acceleration. The torque feel is excellent at all engine speeds and the powerband is consistent.
This engine offers 130 HP, a level of power that is highly sought after by both performance and touring snowmobilers.
I was surprised by the fuel economy of this engine. In fact, the fuel consumption of this engine is almost identical to the consumption of the naturally-aspirated 900 Ace engine, with the difference that you have to run it on premium gasoline versus regular gasoline for the naturally-aspirated engine.
Driving with Different Modes
With this turbo engine, whether in standard or sport mode, the ride is very pleasant.
The standard mode offers lively acceleration with a level of response that is predictable. I found this mode very interesting for driving on winding and wooded trails.
In sport mode, acceleration is much livelier. It’s ideal for an adrenaline rush. It’s my favorite mode in the fields, among other places.
I find that the previous turbo model (150 hp) was too nervous for driving on winding trails. The new 130 turbo, although nervous, has a less hasty response time, allowing us to use the sport mode in all kinds of trails. Also, the engine’s compression is much lower when decelerating compared to the previous 150-hp version.
I also noticed that in sport mode, to get the same speed as in standard mode, you have to apply less pressure on the throttle.
The ECO mode is also available and offers slower acceleration, but stronger than I expected. It’s not a mode I really used, as standard mode already offers excellent economy.
rMotion X Rear Suspension with Air Shock and RAS X Front Suspension
The air damper adds comfort to the already high-performance rMotion X.
The front suspension, RAS X type with HPG shocks, offers almost 1 inch more travel compared to the RAS 3. It also allows you to change the distance between the skis by offering 3 possibilities: 42.1 – 43.0 – 43.9 inches.
Normally, we find a 42.4 inches gap on most of the other BRP snowmobiles.
I chose to set the skis at 43.0 inches for this season.
The Enduro also comes equipped with Pilot TX skis that allow you to change the depth of the runner in the snow according to your preferences and trail conditions.
I didn’t feel any swaying. Also, when the trails were hardpack, I put very little depth on the rail.
The skis bite very well on the trail without requiring too much effort to turn and don’t try to lift in the curves.
I find the Ski-Doo Renegade Enduro 900 ACE Turbo (130) 2023 very comfortable and enjoyable to ride.
It handles very well on the trail and is predictable. You can ride it both touring and more aggressively, and sporty.
The air-controlled shock absorber is largely responsible for the advantage of being able to drive the snowmobile according to our preference.
As for traction, the ice ripper Xt track works very well.
I didn’t slip when trying to cross roads and the few patches of ice I encountered didn’t bother me.
Various Equipment
The snowmobile is equipped with a 7.8″ wide color LCD panoramic display, which offers excellent visibility of the main operating parameters. All the relevant information is displayed, including speed, revolutions per minute, engine temperature, distance travelled, time, etc. Personally, I would like to see the figures for engine temperature, distance and time larger.
We have 3 choices of display: clear for the day, dark for the evening and automatic. Indeed, I found that with the clear display, it was easier to visualize the information during the day.
Technical Advantages
You can also connect to the BRP Connect application, which allows you to have a map of the trails and your position. We put our cell phone in the heated case in the glove compartment, plug it into the USB port and that’s it. I found it interesting to be informed on the screen that a call came in on my phone with the name of the person who contacted me.
However, I am a person who takes a lot of pictures with my cell phone. I noticed that I have to unplug it from the USB port to get into photo mode when I am on the BRP Connect app.
Visibility
On the mirror side, the visibility is excellent towards the back. It’s very easy to see if someone is following me, without really having to focus on the mirrors.
The adjustable windshield is very appreciated, I noticed immediately the difference between the low and high positions.
Our visibility is not affected at all. We drove even in freezing temperatures and I was envied. I also noticed during freezing rain that adjusting the windshield to the highest position helped a lot to have less ice on our visors.
A snowmobile ready for the winter weather
The heated seat is efficient, we feel the heat very well. The same observation applies to the heated handles and the heated thumb. Moreover, our partner “Les motoneiges Géro” also installed ice scrapers and I already had to use them on some occasions.
The snow in the trails was so hard that the slides were complaining and the ice scrapers immediately solved the situation.
Finally, on the lighting side, the long-range LED headlights installed by our partner make a big difference. I can see much better during the day and at night everything is clearer.
Overall Driving Experience
For my part, I really enjoyed my driving experience with the Renegade Enduro 900 ACE Turbo 2023.
I repeat my message from the beginning of my review; if you are looking for a sporty, high-performance, comfortable and economical snowmobile, you will be fully satisfied with this snowmobile.
I can easily accumulate kilometers and am not tired at the end of my rides. The more I ride it, the more mileage I want.
Winter was too short with my Ski-Doo Renegade Enduro 900 ACE Turbo (130) 2023
In conclusion, I would like to thank Les Motoneiges Géro, a BRP dealer in St-Jean de-Matha, for the loan of this snowmobile for my long-term test ride. I invite you to go and meet the Géro team in the store to see the new Ski-Doo and Can-Am off-road machines.
Follow us throughout the season to learn more about all the products we have on trial.
