This year, our SledMagazine.com yearly convention took place at the Domaine du Lac St-Mathieu. It really is a dream place to practise our favourite sport. You can read all about it in the many articles written by my colleagues covering all tastes.
While we were there, I had the chance to try out a revolution in off-trail snowmobiling that was fresh off the factory floor, the new Summit 850 E-TEC Turbo. At the launch, in the middle of the season, I couldn’t believe that a manufacturer would ever put a standard turbo on a 2-stroke engine. Well, our friends in Valcourt, who are always looking to innovate, launched this snow beast.
Knowing that the dealer Roger A. Pelletier was so generous as to lend us the “famous” Supercharged Summit, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.
For those who don’t know what the 2020.5 Summit is all about, it’s roughly the Summit X model with the Expert package from the 165. You have the short tunnel, the adjustable “limiting” belt, the smaller seat, the smaller handlebar, the Kashima coated shocks and the ski legs with a different angle. You can learn more about this model in the following article: The Ski-Doo Summit “Expert Package”… A Favourite.
Personally speaking, I find that these legs do a vastly different job on the side of the mountain, which, in my opinion, was one of the biggest problems for Ski-Doo. However, with this addition, the machine is much more linear.
To all these additions, we simply add the new turbo engine, the lightweight hood, and we get the 2020.5 Ski-Doo. You have to understand one thing: this is a turbo that is called progressive, which means that it works at altitude and allows, whatever the altitude, always to keep the same power, be it at sea level and this up to 8000 feet. After that, HP starts to decrease. With these numbers, we understand that it is not the machine that is the best designed for the terrains of Quebec. In the biggest mountains, we have around 3000 feet, which gives about 15 HP. The fact remains that it is not only a question of altitude but also of the atmospheric environment. Depending on the various conditions, the turbo always compensates and regulates the engine for optimum performance.
Based on my trial, I can say that it’s really a performance machine. The driving experience is truly incomparable, and the machine always wants to push further. I can’t say that the turbo is worth the price difference to a driver who’s in the 1,000-foot range, but for someone who goes to the Monts-Valin and the Chic-Chocs, the difference in strength is considerable. What impressed me the most about the turbo is the smoothness of the engine. Even though it’s a 2-stroke turbo engine, I found it to be very linear and, above all, constant in RPM. There’s nothing shaky about it, and we appreciate the performance and handling it provides.
Here is a short video of the Summit in action: 2020 Summit 850 Turbo in action.
Once again, I would like to thank dealer Roger A. Pelletier for making me live this privileged experience and to the Domaine du Lac St-Mathieu for the flawless service throughout the weekend.
