When it started to snow this past December, I got the bug to get back into the sport. I quite in 2002 because I had no one to ride with. Family was getting too old and friends were broke. Well, I married a out door type of girl in 06 and by 07 we were ready to get back into snowmobiling. We found a great deal of leftovers out there due the lack of snow the last couple of years. I decided on a 07 T660 Turbo Trail LE. I would let her ride it and borrow my fathers 01 Ski Doo Formula Deluxe for the first year and if we loved it, get another one next year. Well, when we went to pick it up at the dealer what was sitting at the dealer but an 06 FST Classic. As a joke I said to my wife that we should buy both and she said... "Go for it!" Well, after 4 trips north to ride I have logged enough miles on both to compare. I listed below the pros and cons of each from my experience.

Arctic Cat Pros:

1) Wider seat for us guys with no behind. Very comfortable and even heated although I don't turn it on much.
2) Decent sized mirrors that are very functional.
3) Very torquey on the low end. Pulls the skis right off the ground at low speeds.
4) Large controls for the heated grips and thumb warmer which are easy to use with big gloves on.
5) Very quiet. Little exhaust or turbo noise.
6) Overall the best all day luxury cruiser I've ridden.

Polaris Pros:

1) Great sled to look at. Love the modern street bike tail light setup.
2) I like the adjustable bars. I keep them all the way in. Plus they have a very comfortable curve to them.
3) I like the higher seating position. When I go to the Cat after riding the Polaris it feels like my rear end is dragging and my knees are really bent.
4) This machine has a great MFD. Way more features and options than on the Cat and all can be toggled through from the left hand handle bar controller.
5) Gauges sit up higher. Easier to look down quickly and view.
6) Great top end. This machine really moves out on the lake.

Arctic Cat Cons:

1) I'm not a fan of the gauge position. Kind of low.
2) The bars are a touch too wide for my liking.
3) The thumb throttle has kind of a heavy angle at first giving my wife bad thumb fatigue.

Polaris Cons:

1) Exhaust is noisy and at a certain RPM has a drone that feels like a dull butter knife boring slowly through my head.
2) Fuel gauge is off. The dealer tried the resistor fix that did little or no good and will not do the re bend of the float arm. Guess I'm stuck with it.
3) One of the hose tee connectors was sitting on the side of the muffler and melting. A couple of zip ties pulled it back, but it could have been a real problem if I noticed out on the trail when it was too late.
4) The seat, while having a great height, is too narrow for me and is literally a pain in the butt after an hour or so. It's also tough to stay centered when trail riding.
5) Mirrors are too small to be useful.
6) The grip and thumb heat controls are too small to easily manipulate with gloves on.

My overall impression is the Cat is a better built machine. Tighter, quieter, smoother, with not one issue. I had planned on riding the Polaris and my wife the Cat. We switched once on the second ride and never went back. She really likes the Polaris better and I the Cat. One of her favorite things is the Polaris engine puts out so much heat that it vents around her boots keeping her feet warm on even the coldest Island Pond mornings. The throttle is also more forgiving on her thumb. And... while it kills me that she is on the faster machine and will demonstrate just that when on the lakes, I love that comfortable Cat seat for all day riding. In the end we are both happy and being that I am not brand loyal, it's kind of fun to have one of each. No regrets on either and VERY happy to be riding again. In fact I wish I was out there right now rather than at this computer... Anyone up for a ride?

Good review and thanks for the comparo. I have just the opposite experience - the seat on my 06 Switchback seems pretty comfortable - other seats don't! I guess its all in the anatomy!

There is a fairly simple fix for the fuel gauge - do a search; the thread should come up or you could check over at polarisfiles.com.

nuthin

Hey Nuthin, are you talking about the rebending of the float arm in the fuel tank? If so, I have seen it. Just didn't want to do it myself and the dealer refused. You would think they would have to fix it under warranty by any means neccessary, but I guess it's not that simple with sleds like it is with cars. You are right about everyone being different with seating. Just glad I had two to choose from!

Nice review !! my wife likes the Rev chassis over her Sabercat. She rides better too!! Because of a elbow injury she hasn't put 1 mile on her new TNT...Doc just gave her the ok....This week will be her first ride on the XP...we'll see!!

As long as she's happy we are too right Peter?

Thanks for the review taken. I absolutely loved my Rev Renegade in ergonomics, ride and handling. That being said I had the chance to try a 660t touring. I was impressed with the torque the motor had when spooled up but it didn't have the rider forward fell of the Rev. I've read the reviews of the FST and had a chance to sit on a 08 Switchback it feels more like my Rev. Now if that 660T was in a Crossfire chassis then I would be interested.....

Right on Taken! Choice is good! Yup, I'm talking about the rebending of the float arm - some folks have reported good results with that. Haven't done it myself - but I'm so unmechanical I can't even fix a drink!

I hear you nuthin. I used to race cars and had a 69 Camaro that I built from top to bottom. Now, I am happy to stick to oil changes and tire rotations.

That would be neat to able to ride both those sleds for comparison, thanks for posting.
How did they compare for MPG?
From what i have read on here it would seem the Cat 660Turbo would be easier on gas, would that be correct?

Yes, you are correct. At the end of a long ride, the Cat takes about a gallon less on a refill. A short ride is about a half gallon. Both are pretty good on milage, but I haven't really calculated exact numbers on either. Still haveing too much fun riding!

I did a 1000 mile ride with a buddy that rode a 660 touring. I had a 06 FST Classic. I averaged 1 mpg (14-15 US) more than him the whole trip although he had a touring sled.

You've got that right !!!