MY 26 will be the 10th model year of the G4/G5 chassis. The XP/XS chassis had a 9 model year run so...if they stick to the schedule...
New chassis for 2027 ???
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ncapster
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Years ago BRP put out a memo actually saying they were going to slow things down.
We used to get "all new" every 5 years, now it seems we're getting "evolutionary" every 5-6 years.
From a business standpoint, I get it.
To some extent, I think that they've reached the point of diminishing returns on ground up redesigns. What they currently have works really well and there's probably just not much room for a "game changer" improvement at this point. They tweak this and that and while the hard-core enthusiasts may say that a minor change makes a huge difference, the average recreational buyer doesn't notice. If you walked into a bar on a snowmobile trail, I'd bet that 95% of the riders in the place have no clue what front suspension is in their own sled or what model of ski it has. I'm pretty particular about my sleds and I like new tech, but my machines are all 1-3 years old and after the past couple of warm winters, they all have low miles. I can't think of a single improvement that would be enough to want to trade in at this point. They can make them different and that may trigger some sales, but I don't see how the sleds are going to get that much better.
I agree. Unless the winters start cooperating in big parts of the world (maybe North America is the biggest area of concern) what is the motivation to R&D new designs when the consumer is already paying high dollar for a few times a year use? Years ago families were more involved then what they are today, people have made choices to move on from the sport because it’s not practical to them anymore whether it’s financial or just not want to chase snow or even time. The last few winters I’ve had the demon in my head say it’s not worth all of this anymore until I finally get out with friends again and then I say different. I myself have a 2024 900t with maybe just 2000 or so miles and have no reason to upgrade. I actually am pretty content with the G5 and wouldn’t need anything else. But to your point, what can possibly be done to these machines to make the experience any better? Suspensions are great, those that want a IPad for a display you have it but only thing to improve on that would be how it all functions and if they can get it to be 100% stand alone functionality I think that would cover that topic, what else is there that we all need? The power plants on these machines are better than most of us ever had if your over 30 I’d say, I don’t know, I refuse to pay for a sled that is over $20,000 as I’m raising up a family and dealing with all of kids sports and such as it is through the winter.
The only reason I went from my 24 with 2k miles to a 26 is for the impending/potential/threat of tariffs and more importantly the 4 year warranty. Sure the new front end will be nice but 24 handled like a champion. Ford kicked the new F150 down the road and Chevy has already done the same. I think these type items are slowing down because people overall are keeping them longer due the extreme high prices. Fully optioned top of the line sled is $25k. Pick ups are $100k. The math isn't mathing.
Very difficult to predict the future, I'm sure everyone thought they were riding state of the art machines with their sleds of the early 1970s and would be blown away at what we have available now. Same can be said about pretty much everything.
That said I agree in that we have amazing machines available to us now with a wide variety to choose from in terms of how it's equipped, what's it's design focus is. It truly is hard to imagine how to make a significant improvement over what is currently available. But rest assured, someone will figure it out. The last 150 years of industry and advancement is proof of that.
I'm ok with ground-up new models maybe every decade or so. Insignificant changes touted as "all new" when they really aren't just give me a feeling of desperation in marketing to stay relevant. Not to confuse marketing insignificant changes with refinement here.
We last had our sleds from the mid-2000s to the early 2010s. A couple ZX and a CK3. Never really had a burning desire to get back into it, but we did this past winter. We owned our sled for three weekends of good rideable conditions and we rode all three of those weekends putting 760 miles on that brand new '25. To say I'm blown away at how different and improved the modern sled is over our old ZXs is a massive understatement. I was very happy with the ZXs, but I would never go back.
So we will just keep enjoying our Gen5, probably keep it around quite a long time. Maybe by then the next revolution will have occured and I could be coaxed into it. Will be interesting to see what the next big thing will be.
That said I agree in that we have amazing machines available to us now with a wide variety to choose from in terms of how it's equipped, what's it's design focus is. It truly is hard to imagine how to make a significant improvement over what is currently available. But rest assured, someone will figure it out. The last 150 years of industry and advancement is proof of that.
I'm ok with ground-up new models maybe every decade or so. Insignificant changes touted as "all new" when they really aren't just give me a feeling of desperation in marketing to stay relevant. Not to confuse marketing insignificant changes with refinement here.
We last had our sleds from the mid-2000s to the early 2010s. A couple ZX and a CK3. Never really had a burning desire to get back into it, but we did this past winter. We owned our sled for three weekends of good rideable conditions and we rode all three of those weekends putting 760 miles on that brand new '25. To say I'm blown away at how different and improved the modern sled is over our old ZXs is a massive understatement. I was very happy with the ZXs, but I would never go back.
So we will just keep enjoying our Gen5, probably keep it around quite a long time. Maybe by then the next revolution will have occured and I could be coaxed into it. Will be interesting to see what the next big thing will be.
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For most of my time on DooTalk, you have remained at the forefront.
I don't know what is next, but from what BRP has done for the Gen4 REV platform to reach the Gen5, I am thinking further refinements.
The biggest change for me between the Gen3 and Gen4 was the placement of the countershaft. To me, this change redefined snowmobiles. I understand how the improvements with the RAS front suspension has been the highlight, but to me it has been a progressive improvement.
From my perspective, the Gen4 was an overall remarkable improvement, like going from a ZX to a Gen1 REV. Then came the Gen5 which I believe was similar to the improvements from the Gen2 to the Gen3. It was not huge, but significant. I still remember so many threads showing opinions that the Gen2 to the Gen3 was only plastics. We could say the Gen4 to Gen5 held a similar improvement, but it was a large improvement from an already good design.
I do not know how much farther BRP can take the REV chassis, but in my in my opinion they have already pushed it light years further compared to the Gen1.
I also believe that BRP can address things that make the Gen4/Gen5 difficult to work on, but that is not something that sells. For a selling point, it needs to ride better. How are they supposed to do that???
I am confident BRP will keep improving, but from my point of view, they have already risen to the challenge.
2026 MXZ X 600R, 2023 Renegade 900 ACE, 2021 MXZ 600 EFI, 2024 120 MiniZ
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100% that massive warranty got me to take the plunge on a 2026. Traded in my 23 backcountry that probably had 4000ish miles. I’ll plan on packing the miles on the warrantied sled and letting others in the fleet be used by family over the next few years
Excellent point. I do most of my own maintenance and accessory installation so an easier takedown and reassembly would be a huge selling point for me. Not sure if that applies to most, but making things easier to maintain might attract a different segment of buyers who wish to do the same.
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Last 2025 season, I needed a surprising amount of help to get an MXZ 850 back onto the snow. I can maybe post a quarter of it today, but the learning curve was nuts. I am not going write the details, but it would be worth a number of essays. The total number of hours of help that I needed was on another playing field. The end result was the G4 made sense with a steep learning curve.
After my experience, I begin by saying the G4 wiring was designed for an Engine Harness installation prior to installation the engine into to the sled. I would have understood that simple sentence had it been written! What this means is to get the whole engine together, attach all of the Engine Wiring, and then put it all into the sled.
I do not want to make it sound too easy, because it is not. The Engine Harness needs to be placed in a way that it will reach the ECM and other components.
The Engine Installation should be done with an appropriate lift tool which I happen to own. Yet I managed to perform the install alone with my two arms. That is actually a pretty big advancement on its own.
Be great if they focused on strength of the bulkhead. For the cost of a new sled, it should be able to take a good hit and just need to replace an A arm. Also, I'm not a fan of having a computer screen for a dash. I want analog like on the xp or early g4. Computers, cold/moisture and vibration are not a happy combination.
Cat is now offering EPS on 2 stroke and 4 stroke sleds. IMO, this will be the next upgrade for BRP. They already have all the parts, and would be easy to implement.
I agree EPS would be a game changer for some sleds. For just a few pounds added weight you can reduce rider fatigue on a long day and allow a more agressive set up to reduce darting and not have a handling penalty. Maybe some how make changes to the tunnel to reduce ice build up....
Would mechanical power steering not accomplish this for the most part too? Bigger weight savings than power steering. Obviously the biggest improvement would be to just build it right from the get go where steering is easy no matter what, but I think that factor is different for every person.
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Are you referring to the steering system on the Gen1 REV?
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MPS is a great improvement but true PS would be huge. Many of us are getting older and the shoulders aren't what they used to be.
24 MXZ Blizzard 850 137” 24 MXZ Blizzard 600 129” 19 MXZ TNT 600 129”
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I absolutely annihilated a hidden boulder last winter on my gen 5 between 30-40 mph. Tossed me like a rag doll and royally messed up my shoulder. Mind you my son totalled his 2015 a couple weeks prior to this, so I was P1$$ED at myself for this happening, as I was already at risk with insurance company I Thought for sure the bulkhead would be in pieces, bent suspension, etc. After hours of inspecting everything in the garage, it was nothing more than a scuffed side panel and a broken windshield and killswitch. I used to do mountain/backcountry riding and have bent well over a dozen a arms, with tons of bad impacts under my belt, and this was by far the worst of them, with zero structural damage… impressed With the strength of the bulkhead if you ask me.
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