19 best snowmobiles

Equipping the cheapest utility model Arctic Cat can not be considered insufficient. Let's start traditionally with the engine: the snowmobile is driven by a two-cylinder two-stroke “air vent” with a working volume of 565 cm3. Thanks to the two Mikuni carburetors with 34mm diffusers, the motor not only has a good load, but does not choke at high speeds: if necessary, this 57-strong “utilitarian” can drive, as they say, “for all the money”.

Bearcat utilitarian advantages include a large cargo platform in the rear of the snowmobile, which can be further increased by removing the passenger seat, rail rail fastening which also serves as an eyelet for attaching luggage. If this is not enough, it is enough to attach a sled - the hitch is mounted on the snowmobile in the basic configuration. A long journey will not bring surprises with suddenly ended fuel - the volume of the fuel tank in Bearcat 2000 is a record 64 liters, and the fuel level indicator will always remind you of how much is left to date.

The Canadian Lynx in our rating is the first utilitarian snowmobile with a four-stroke engine.The Rotax 600 motor used here is very impressive with its characteristics: thanks to water cooling, it can work for a long time under difficult conditions, transport large loads without overheating. Electronic fuel injection makes it a record for efficiency - on its forty-liter tank Lynx will travel almost two times farther than the carburetor two-stroke. Do not forget that the resource of four-stroke engines is much higher than that of two-stroke engines - initially a large purchase price will be justified with long-term operation. Thanks to the dry-sump lubrication system, the engine does not suffer from oil starvation during abrupt maneuvers, rolls and overturning.

Transmission Lynx 59 Yeti is a variable, supplemented by a reverse and a reduction gear. Given the high torque of the four-stroke engine at low revs, the Canadian snowmobile is becoming a potential leader in the categories “Permeability” and “Cargo Transportation”. Reversing is facilitated by a “breakable” rear trolley design.

The suspension of the snowmobile is traditional for its class: there are telescopic shock absorbers at the front, and an adjustable torsion suspension with a 340 mm stroke at the back.

Thus, in the aggregate of all qualities, Lynx could become a confident leader in the ranking of the best utilitarian snowmobiles. Only the price let him down - for the same money, you can buy immediately the leader and outsider rating.

Multi-purpose snowmobile with a high-torque 500-cubic four-stroke engine. Compared to the purely utilitarian VK series, this snowmobile is also good for entertaining trips thanks to its comfortable fit and energy-intensive suspensions.

On the suspension should be noted: the front suspension is installed on two wishbones, providing 208 mm travel. This allows you to reduce shock and vibration transmitted to the steering wheel, compared with the telescopic suspension of skis common on public utility models. The back is a classic torsion "trolley" with a stroke of 313 mm and two gas-oil shock absorbers.

The variable-speed transmission has a reverse gearbox, but the downshift is deprived, which once again reminds of the greater focus of the snowmobile on recreational trips. But thanks to the economical four-stroke engine, the snowmobile can also be used to travel long distances, including with loaded sleds - the 36-liter fuel tank will last for a long time.

The only, but important “but” is the use of a 400-mm track on a snowmobile, which is why the snowmobile is prone to burying in loose snow. On the other hand, the purpose of a utilitarian snowmobile may be different: someone needs a simple “walktrack” for fishing trips, able to carry sleds with fish, someone has an affordable, but fast and maneuverable apparatus for driving winter hunting.

Rybinsk "Taiga" is still the cheapest utilitarian snowmobile of the domestic market. Her “heart” is a 500-cc two-stroke engine RMZ-500, equipped with a Mikuni carburetor. In our ranking of the best utilitarian snowmobiles, this one has the lowest power - 43 hp, and to ensure decent dynamics, the designers had to work on simplifying the design.As a result, "Varyag 500" lost weight to 265 kilograms. Alas, along with the excess weight, the snowmobile also lost an electric starter - only manual start-up.

Transmission of a snowmobile - a classic variator with mechanical inclusion of a lowering stage and reverse. Structurally, it is simple enough that for the Rybinsk technique that has not become the most outstanding reliability of the famous technology, it is a great advantage.

As for the suspension, compared to the leaders of the rating, it is not at all impressive. 105 mm of the stroke of the front telescopic shock absorbers and 190 mm of the stroke of the track are not so much: the suspension has to be made too rigid so that it does not pierce on a complex surface. To some extent, it saves the high steering wheel - the easiest way to escape from shaking is to get up in a cross rack on the steps.

Lost "Varyag 500" and in autonomy: the voracious engine RMZ-500 is forced to be content with a 40-liter gas tank.

A distant ride in deep and loose snow? This is undoubtedly the element of the Canadian snowmobile. Its three-cylinder Rotax engine with a displacement of 1.2 liters and a power of 130 hp. provides 322-kilogram snowmobiles excellent dynamics, and widely spaced skis allow you to maintain stability during maneuvers. The engine management system has three switchable settings: “Sport”, “Standard” and “Eco”. Brembo disc brake helps to stop the snowmobile on time.

The front suspension on the double A-arms has a stroke of 210 mm, and the easy multistage adjustment of the preload of the springs allows you to quickly adjust it to your requirements. The pneumatic suspension of the rear track provides it with a stroke of 340 mm.

The modular seat with integrated luggage compartment is very convenient, and you can easily find the optimum fit thanks to an adjustable steering wheel.

The power reserve for such power is quite good: the Expedition SE 1200 consumes about 13 liters of fuel for the “hundred”, a tank for 45 liters is enough for more than 300 kilometers.

The Grand Tourer series successfully combines high comfort for riders and throughput. The buyer of the GT 900 ACE will have at its disposal a dynamic snowmobile with a 900-cc Rotax engine that can drive along virtually any surface, from the virgin snow to the forest roads.

The snowmobile transmission is worthy of utilitarian models - there is a downshift available, turning the device with a four-meter track with a width of 500 mm into a true all-terrain vehicle. LXU Blade plastic skis are durable and do not burrow into loose snow, despite the heavy weight of the snowmobile (312 kilograms).

The suspension is similar to that used on the Ski-Doo Expedition snowmobile.

The Xtrim series is a sports and tourist snowmobile designed for trips to unexplored places. Therefore, they are created on a utilitarian base, but they get a powerful engine and comfortable seats and suspensions.

The 600HO engine is a two-cylinder, six-cylinder, two-stroke liquid-cooling engine, delivering 115 horsepower. Thanks to the power valves in the exhaust ports of the cylinders, it maintains good traction at low revs despite a high degree of boost. Snow radiators are designed for combined cooling, so that the engine does not overheat when driving on a strong crust, unlike models where cooling is calculated only on the flow of snow thrown by a caterpillar.

Transmission snowmobile has a mechanical reverse and downshifting. In combination with a long caterpillar of 500-millimeter width, it allows you to overcome almost all the obstacles that a snowmobile can meet.

But the developers did not forget about enough comfort. His pledge is not only long-stroke suspensions (210/340 mm), but also comfortable seats, high wind deflectors, heated handlebars and passenger handrails.

If you use analogies from the world of motorcycles, the “Arctic Panther” is more a sport-tourist than a tourist model. Primarily due to the engine: if the majority of tourist snowmobiles are equipped with four-stroke engines of large volume, then Arctic Cat engineers used a two-stroke engine, besides a carburetor.This unambiguously hints that a measured ride is not at all the element of the snowmobile. The problem with the same range was decided, as they say, "in the forehead," installing a 56-liter gas tank.

Despite the specificity of the snowmobile, it deserves inclusion in the ranking of the best. He has everything in order with the tourist qualities: the 500-mm track and wide skis provide a good cross-country ability to the snowmobile, and the power consumption and travel of the suspensions are at the proper level (216/330 mm).

All that is required for a comfortable ride is included in the standard equipment of the snowmobile: not only the handles and the gas trigger are heated, but also the passenger’s handrails. Windshield provides a high wind shield, and a comfortable fit - an adjustable steering column. In the presence of two sockets 12 V. In the dark, the head light with four halogen lamps can be very helpful.

Two-stroke engines are not in a hurry to give up their positions in the sport, and the Renegade engine confirms this: this two-cylinder unit of just 800 cm3 is almost equal in power to the Thundercat engine equipped with a turbocharger and produces 164 horsepower with a sharp “shot” forward characteristic of two-stroke engines set of revolutions. A variator tuned to almost 4000 rpm, easily tears the narrow Ripsaw crawler into a slip at careless handling of the gas trigger.

The front suspension arm is responsible for the handling of the snowmobile, in which the Kayaba PRO shock absorbers allow you to adjust your characteristics with just a flick of the wrist. Similarly, the rear suspension adapts quickly to the track with a 400 mm stroke, which makes it possible to use the Renegade on difficult tracks with numerous jumps and turns. It is worth mentioning the record low weight of the device - 218 kg.

The three-cylinder Genesis liter engine of this snowmobile, of course, cannot be compared with the Arctic Cat turbo-unit - its power is only 130 hp, but for a lightweight vehicle this is more than enough, especially for inexperienced drivers, and the price difference is 400 seconds. over a thousand rubles will be a very motivating factor.

If the elements of Thundercat are high-speed tracks, then the Viper can give a shot of adrenaline and on virgin soil: although a narrow 380-mm track is installed here, but high Camoplast Cobra lugs will provide sufficient traction with loose snow where Thundercat already breaks the track into a slip .

Constant comparison with the leader of the ranking of the best snowmobiles is not accidental here - Yamaha and Arctic Cat engineers have been cooperating for a long time, and the Viper suspension is an example of this: it is absolutely identical in layout to the suspension used on Thundercat. Shock absorbers are also provided by Fox.

High-speed cornering is the main feature of the Freeride family. When it was created, the engineers of Bombardier used the tMotion suspension, allowing considerable rolls of the snowmobile body relative to the track carriage, so that it is not necessary to “fight” with the snowmobile, bringing its own body to the side. For the same purpose, the special design of the FlexEdge caterpillar cord, centered and leaving the edges flexible, is applied - thus, with a strong tilt, the caterpillar as if breaks down, despite the rigidity of 57-mm lugs.

The decent snowmobile dynamics are due to the 800 cm3 Rotax two-stroke engine, the same as on the Renegade X-RS 800R sports snowmobile. But, if Renegade is intended primarily for sports tracks, then Freeride can be considered its version with improved maneuverability and controllability.

The main feature of sports suspension is the ease of adjustments - Freeride has retained fully. The handwheels of the Kayaba PRO shock absorbers are located in easily accessible places.

Thanks to a small weight of 200 kg and a powerful 800 cm3 engine, this American snowmobile boasts excellent dynamics and is the best cross in its series: the longest 174-inch caterpillar (4450 mm) with a width of 380 mm is used here; 76 mm.

The power unit here, as in the Ski-Doo Freeride, is a highly accelerated two-stroke water cooling. To ensure acceptable torque at low and medium speeds, Polaris engineers used a three-position power valve on the release - depending on the speed of the valve in the exhaust ports of the cylinders, they rise and fall, allowing the engine to expand its operating range.

The suspension of the snowmobile is made using Walker Evans adjustable single-tube shock absorbers. Forged aluminum front suspension arms reduced unsprung masses. You can adjust the characteristics of hydraulics (compression and rebound damping), and spring preload.

The SRX 120, which has become a novelty of 2014, is as close to the full-size models of snowmobiles as possible: here, in addition to the double-wishbone front suspension, you can detect the possibility of adjusting the rear.

123-cc air-cooled engine with a power of 3.5 hp It has only a cable starter and is connected to the drive of the track through a centrifugal clutch.Archaic band brake compact snowmobile, whose speed is limited to 13 km / h, is enough.

The plant did not save on the quality of the components: here you can find the Mikuni flat throttle carburetor, Camoplast track. To teach a child the basics of riding on a snowmobile, he would be the best option if it were not for the excessive price.

If you take a closer look at this children's snowmobile, you can see in it motifs clearly echoing “Taiga Lynx”, for example, an identical suspension design. But, unlike the Rybinsk snowmobile, the American colleague has a price that is more than doubled.

The filling here is almost the same as the Yamaha SRX 120, with the exception of using drum brakes instead of band brakes.