Arctic Cat’s 2012 turbo is like a turbocharged mill with another turbo on it.
The last couple of years Arctic Cat has been delivering huge horsepower in the turbocharged 4-stroke Twin Spar chassis to the level of 175 ponies. However, perhaps because of weight and chassis friction, the results had seen limited success. What we have this year in the ProCross platform is a Cat Turbo that absolutely delivers.
There’s always the question you could ask about whether a sled can have too much power. The answer is simple: If the chassis can handle the power, then there’s pretty much no limit.
Such is the case here. The new ProCross handles so well and by design is so well integrated with its 4-stroke, the Turbo version is flat-out outstanding.
Keep in mind, this is a sled for those who want only the ultimate in acceleration and top speed. Based on our riding experiences we would say the 160-plus horsepower 800 2-stroke is a more integrated package and has a better balance between weight, handling and usable horsepower.
However, there is always a segment that wants the absolute acme of any breed and this Turbo is the Bugatti Veyron of snowmobiles.
Acceleration is immediate, unrelenting and rude. You need to pay strict attention to where you’re going or you’ll be blowing past corners all day.
This sled is very much a different breed than its 800 and EFI 4-stroke siblings and will appeal to a more narrow segment of the market.
You can find a full detailed ride report on all the new Cats in the Online Edition of Supertrax (Vol 22 #5) available right now only on ZINIO.COM!
