As new snowmobile introductions go, interest is high in a comparison of the Arctic Cat Catalyst 858 vs 600. The unveiling of the all-new Arctic Cat Catalyst was much anticipated and is gaining even more momentum as the all-new 858 Stroker engine and the integrated Garmin G8 display become available.
The past few years I’ve demoed and reported on a number of Ski-Doo and Polaris models. I’ve logged hundreds of miles and tested them in all conditions. It’s a job…er hobby that I love to do and hope you folks have enjoyed the journey as well. My motto is: May the best sleds win and then score big for the consumer!
Arctic Cat Catalyst Evaluation
With sled prices topping, and sometimes exceeding $20k, it behooves one to try out a sled first and then decide what to buy. But that isn’t always possible. Hopefully my evaluations and research, based on a combination of test rides and collected information, have a positive effect on your ride of choice.
Yes, it is now time for the new Arctic Cat Catalyst to be examined and tested. It’s no secret that the ProCross chassis had been a stalwart performer for the Arctic faithful since 2013, but in the high-end stakes of the performance crowd that ship has sailed. It is time to raise the bar in the snowmobile world. Cat needed a new chassis to ignite the green crew’s fire once again.
The wait took time, a decade to be clear. Some Arctic Cat faithful that bleed green say it was too long and jumped ship to the Ski-Doo and Polaris brands. Honestly, I can’t blame them. With Textron buying the Arctic brand everyone, including yours truly, was anxious to see what this multi-billion-dollar company would bring to the table.
Birth of the Catalyst Chassis
Out of this brain trust of mostly very dedicated Cat engineers and Textron’s financial backing came the Catalyst chassis. An even more rider forward platform with the whole sled designed around the engine, not the other way around.
An insanely low-forward mounted engine meant it has an extremely low, if not the lowest center of gravity, of all the current manufacturers. I couldn’t measure the actual CG but a rudimentary tape measure to the top of the engine revealed an astonishing 24 inches above the snow! If true, the Catalyst ZR should rail the corners like no other, simply based on physics alone.
Arctic Cat Catalyst 858 vs 600
You folks are in for a rare treat. I have for you a special trail test of two similar but very different Arctic Cat Catalyst ZR sleds. I reached out to Andrea Cornell, the Northeast Arctic Cat sales representative, and was granted early and exclusive access to a one-of-one pre-production Catalyst snowmobile.
I will share my observations on not one, but two different Catalyst models. Number one is the new 2025 Catalyst ZR with the all-new 858 stroker motor. The second is a 2024 Catalyst ZR with the enhanced 600 motor nestled deep inside. How’s’ that for value added?
True to my promise, I will share everything I know about both of these sleds, some of which you won’t find anywhere else, in print or digital media. I make a point to dig deeper than other reviewers, uncovering the best features and attributes, then deliver real world findings to fellow snowmobile enthusiast like you.
It’s no secret that I’m a Cat guy at heart. I own a Turbo and bleed Green. While contemplating how to frame this article, I had to ask myself two simple but very important questions. First, having waited so long for this chassis would I write an article stating the new Catalyst is the greatest thing since sliced bread, heaping lavish praise even if it’s not true?
As you know, the snowmobile media goes nuts whenever any new model hits the snow, regardless of brand. You could easily be convinced that every new sled intro is nothing short of the anti-gravity Star Wars Trail Shedder.
Secondly, would I compare this chassis to my experiences on the REV and Matryx series fairly and completely, or would the green bias tip the scales of snowmobile justice?
You have my word, I will report the accurate facts as best as I know them and deliver seat of the pants observations based on decades of riding experience. Numbers and specifications don’t tell the whole story, riding does. This is where the rubber meets the trail, if you will. Does the rider feel in command of the trail or is the trail in command of the rider?
2025 Catalyst 858 ATAC with 137-inch track
That said, let’s dive right in and examine the 2025 Catalyst 858 ATAC with the 137-inch track. One of the first things you will notice is the short snout. How did the Cat engineers tuck everything in there and still deliver a pleasing look? Form follows function and I applaud the compact stance of the sled. It looks quite nice on the snow, with the chiseled nose and well-placed graphics.
Once the 858 stroker started I noticed a lot of vibration coming from the handlebars and footwells. As a four-stroke rider for the past five years I almost forgot what vibration was, finding the sensation quite odd. Possibly, it could be minimized with a damper to the outer sheave of the drive clutch, handlebar isolators, or softer durometer rubber motor mounts. To be clear, this is a pre-production unit and final calibrations, including noise, harshness, and vibration, will be further addressed before release to the public.
Catalyst ZR Seat and Panel Ergonomics
Based on the short teardrop or step-down keyhole shape, the seat and position were comfortable. That front step-down seat design places your butt closest to the front body panels. Your knees now rest on the smooth left and right side panels, allowing the knees to splay somewhat in the hardest of chop.
This is what I call the attack position and fits my 5-foot 8-inch frame quite nicely. Smooth, with no hard edges, the panels will not transfer painful contact during your ride. Good job Cat.
Seat height delivers the perfect knees below the waist position, which was quite comfortable for the 75-plus miles I racked up on the odometer. Sitting way back on the seat is what I would call the drag race position and a nice place to move your body around on for those 200-plus mile days.
Some folks of tall stature liked the rear of the seat best, where most of the padding was located. As far as overall seat comfort goes, it could be wider at the front, as it tended to be more between my legs than supporting my bottom. The foam was compliant but a little too hard for my taste.
Interestingly, the 600 ZR I tested had an aftermarket Rox seat cover installed by the owner. The Rox seat cover has a tackier surface that some riders prefer, while I lean towards a less tacky seat which makes it easier to move around. In a related matter, a heated seat isn’t offered when ordering your ZR, however it appears you may be able to buy one as an accessory, if desired. Incidentally, a single Dzus fastener secures the seat. No more annoying Torx bits that you can never seem to find in your toolbox.
Arctic Cat Catalyst 858 Test
The decal on the side of the Arctic Cat says 858 Stroker. It’s called a stroker because the connecting rod travel is longer therefore allowing more air/fuel into a given bore size.
This design allowed Cat to keep the engine narrow. You may conclude that the engine is likely taller. However, with its laid down architecture the overall height in the chassis is minimized. Additionally, a smaller bore disperses heat better. Remarkably, Cat claims this engine is slightly lighter than the 600!
As for the 858 motor itself, what a pleasure it was to ride. Once started it had two modes of idle, based on how hot the motor was (I think).
I normally saw 2550 rpm while hot, which I thought to be somewhat high, and then a low of about 1800 when cooler. Possibly this has something to do with emissions burn off. Engagement was a normal 3800-4000 and as implied above, there were no clunks, bumps or clatter to be heard.
I did not detect any RPM peaks or flat spots under acceleration. It just kept pulling and pulling, smoothly and firmly, as opposed to some two-strokes that suddenly come alive and pull hard around 5700-6000 rpm. There’s no way to clutch or calibrate abruptness out of a peaky two-stroke, as it’s mostly inherent in such a design. This 858 had none of that. Off idle it delivered four-stroke run quality, no high spots, dead spots, burbles, or hesitations. Almost electric in its seamless powerband.
While official horsepower numbers haven’t been published yet, the old 800 was said to make around 160 HP. Cat states the new 858 Stroker makes 11% more horses than the previous C-TEC2 800.
The new clutch on the 858 has a steel spider, not Aluminum as on the 600. Why? I don’t know. Using the supplied tool to screw into the driven clutch, it’s an easy affair to change a belt trailside, as the driven is high up and accessible, not buried low in the belly pan.
Engagement is butter smooth and positive with the idler bearing on the drive clutch making for a tightly belted drive system. The combination of a tight belt and the new Adapt clutch with Team driven makes for smooth takeoffs and slowdowns. Once up to speed the clutches seemed to match the powerband of the engine precisely.
New Exhaust Valve Design
A small portion of this four-stroke run quality may stem from the precise fuel mapping programmed by Arctic Cat and the superb Adapt and Team clutches. However, I would submit to you, much of the superb run quality is within the engine design itself. Solid engineering.
The design feature of the twin cylinder Arctic Cat 858 engine that’s of particular interest in this discussion, and which helps deliver that four-stroke nature, is the curtain-style exhaust valves. Instead of the traditional guillotine style valve this has a curved moveable curtain in a backwards “C” shape that is located closer to the piston and opens and closes more in an arc as opposed to a straight line.
Being closer to the piston, and yet farther away at the edges, lessens the chance of an exhaust valve sticking and slows the formation of crusty carbon deposits that seem to plague traditional guillotine designs. According to Cat the degree of rotation from the valves is 250% greater than traditional designs and allows a much broader spectrum of fuel delivery. The valves are servo controlled by onboard software, and man do they just plain work!
Catalyst Steering and Handling
Upon the first few miles of riding down the trail, it felt as though something was missing. What was it? I tried to put my finger on it but simply couldn’t. Slowly it started to come to me. The hard steering is gone! No more of that annoying push the right side, pull the left side of the handlebars, and vice versa. Just an easy glide through the corners like you’ve never felt before.
What a relief not to waste so much energy turning in the corners. Cat calls this Progressive Ratio Steering. It was developed from their race program years ago and they were waiting to build a consumer chassis to house it. What took you so long? Previously if you wanted power steering you only had one choice: the Arctic Cat Thundercat or its Yamaha twin. Now the game has added another choice – the Catalyst.
But easy steering is only half the equation. The sled must track well in the corners or the light feel is worthless. Not only did the Catalyst steer easy but it railed around the corners, even though the ski stance on the Catalyst is a half inch narrower than the ProCross chassis. There was no thought at all about how to set up for a corner, it was natural and neutral. No stress, just point and shoot, that’s it.
The sled did not dart or hunt one bit during the extended ride, it was an absolute pleasure to ride. The faster the corners, the more the machine liked it. Honestly, I hadn’t felt this level of precision cornering for quite some time. The smile on my face began to get wider and wider. Wow, what a bonus. Shout-out to the White Mountain Ridge Runners Snowmobile Club for continued grooming of the local trail system.
Catalyst ZR Chassis with ATAC Suspension
Spring temperature breed washboard stutter bumps, which were perfect for this trail test of the Arctic Cat ZR Catalyst chassis.
I’m not sure what makes it this way, but it is the most solid feeling chassis I have ever thrown a leg over. I’ll have to dig deeper into how they accomplished that feat of engineering.
Previously Polaris claimed that title with their aerospace bonding techniques. The Catalyst ZR chassis feels solid as a rock, and it shows up mostly in the handling department. Time will tell whether it stays that way or not, but initial reports are looking good.
To dovetail along with that, Arctic Cat’s fit and finish have really come up quite a bit in the last few years as well.
The optional ATAC suspension system on both sleds allows the rider to adjust ride quality of the front and rear shocks independently, which is another bonus feature. Simply hit the button on the handlebar control pod to switch from firm, medium, or soft shock stiffness. I weigh 185 pounds and felt that firm was way too stiff. I rode most of the time in soft mode.
Still, soft was not compliant enough for my weight or style of riding but one can always have the shocks re-valved for their weight and riding style, so it’s not a deal breaker. I found the rear suspension up to the task but not overly stellar in its performance. Rounding out the suspension was the capable and solid Camoplast 1.25 Ripsaw track.
Composite Running Boards and ATACH System
The gray thermoplastic composite running boards are trick and “add” to the overall light weight of the Arctic Cat Catalyst.
Chances are these running boards could even be warmer during extreme cold weather, as they are all plastic and less conductive. The non-adjustable footholds up front are good and provided a snug fit for my size 11 boot.
As you know, running boards can start to look a little tired after a few seasons, especially colored ones. Not these boards.
The rear of the tunnel has the ATACH system as standard equipment employed for saddlebags, gas cans and all manner of storage boxes.
No more attaching buckles and tightening belts. They just pop right in. The attachments are lockable, so you won’t worry about someone liking your saddlebags more than you do.
Integrated Arctic Cat G8 Display by Garmin
The sled came with the new integrated Garmin G8 display, which is optional on some models. It has an eight-inch color diagonal screen that displayed a lot of digital information. Not only can you pair your phone, listen to music, podcasts or receive and make phone calls, but you can also listen to good old-fashioned silence, accompanied by the 858 growl, if you so desire.
Trail maps of the US and Canada come preloaded. I found the GPS system with trail maps easy to use and well thought out. You can also create a rider group and keep track of their progress on the map as well.
Is the Arctic Cat Garmin G8 better than the current top dog 7S display of Polaris or the Ski-Doo 10 inch? Right now, I’m not sure. More time behind the digital dash will tell.
Belt Drive Replaces Chaincase
Another first in the trail sled segment, Cat replaced the traditional chaincase with a belt drive system. Polaris has offered belt drive in the mountain segment but not on trail sleds, yet.
This system replaces the chaincase and all the gears and related parts. According to Arctic Cat it shaves about 12 pounds off the sled.
I liked the way it looked and the ease with which it would be to change the drive belt if needed.
It looks as though there is no belt adjustment, automatic tension is maintained in a fashion similar to modern accessory belts on cars and trucks. One less thing to worry about is all good.
Keep It Cool
Spring riding alert. During my ride the 858 gave notice of an overheating condition a few times. It’s factually important to note that conditions were warm, with sloppy spring temps in the 45–55-degree range. No doubt a major factor.
A bar graph on the left side of the dash displays temperature and relative heat by the height of the digital graph. It would flash orange with a temp symbol at the bottom as things started to creep up. As it got hot it would flash red and throw a wrench. Interestingly, it never stuttered or came to a stop. The sled simply let me know it didn’t like the riding conditions and I quickly looked for an opportunity to it cool it down.
Sure, snow scratchers would help, as they are basically required equipment nowadays anyways. I observed a high of 176 F and a low of 122F on the 858. The sweet spot for the motor is around 154F. According to 600 manual, the indicator will start flashing at 176F. If it reaches 185F it will throw more fuel in the engine to cool it down.
A look at the underside reveals a wide heat exchanger that runs down both sides of the tunnel with ribs throughout. It’s known that the manufacturers are looking to lower emissions all the time and a hot engine burns the bad stuff off. There was clearly room to install a bigger exchanger and I would gladly pay more to increase the heat exchanger size 10-15% to melt these problems away.
Note that 91 octane is required-not recommended. Furthermore, using 87 octane for an extended period of time can cause engine damage according to Cat.
As an oddity, Arctic Cat included a pull-start on this unit. The rope passes through an intermediate hanger pulley. It’s hard to pull over when warm and no one would look forward to pulling it over at minus 30F. Most will simply crank the standard electric start. It’s a bit perplexing that Cat could have saved money by simply deleting the pull-start assembly altogether. Electric start has proven reliable and really is all that is need. Think about it, ATV’s abandoned pull starts over a decade ago.
Arctic Cat 858 Gas Mileage
And now on to gas mileage. A quick look at the gas tank size for all the competitive players in the trail performance category falls in like this: Cat 858 Catalyst -10.4 gallons, Ski-Doo MXZ – 9.5 gallons, Polaris XCR – 11.5 gallons. As you can see Polaris wins the day with the most available gallonage. All things being equal that means more range and less “where’s the closest gas station” anxiety if you ride Polaris.
On the Cat side of the house, the gas tank is tapered like a wedge. The narrowest part of the tank is at the top and the gas gauge seemed to move a little quicker right after a fresh fill up. As the day went on and fuel settled in the mid-section of the tank, the gauge just seemed to stop moving, leaving you to wonder if it stopped working altogether. In reality, it settled into widest section of the tank where the bulk of gasoline awaits the command of your right thumb.
The 858 had 300 miles on the odo and I believe break-in was complete. At least that’s what the owner’s manual for the 600 stated. Although I couldn’t calculate the exact mileage for the Stroker, I can guesstimate based on the gallons I pumped in the tank and the miles rode. My approximation is around 13-16 mpg. If I were to drill it down further, it would likely settle around 14, depending on how hard one works the flipper. Cat owners chiming-in on the internet may tell us more about that one. Also worth mentioning, upon startup and running down the trail, I did not smell any oil smoke whatsoever.
Stopping Power of Hayes Brakes
The Hayes brakes provided stopping duties, which Cat seems to have found a way to modulate better than anyone else. Positive and powerful, they slow you down quickly. During panic stops a pump of the brakes is still required to stay in a straight line.
Here’s my official brake testing protocol: Coming around a blind corner at a good clip, Bullwinkle and his brother were standing right there in the middle of the trail. Panic brake test initiated! All turned out well as they conveniently trotted off, but it was a sudden come-to-Jesus moment!
Headlights were not tested as this was a day ride. Previously Ski-Doo had the brightest most focused lights. Polaris lights were just plain dismal, yet they offer accessory light pods for each side of the cowl which made them good. More on this in a follow-up article.
Arctic Cat Catalyst 600 ZR Test
After the completion of the 858 demo, I had a chance to ride an Arctic Cat 600 ZR Catalyst in track length 129, from Luc Dube’s personal stable at Jericho Outdoors in Berlin NH. Luc and Jericho Outdoors were instrumental in making the test rides possible, and I want to thank him for going above and beyond to make the test ride successful.
The first thing I notice on the 2024 Catalyst 600 was the standard “older” 2024 instrument gauge. In comparison to the colorful 2025 Garmin pod, the standard gauge simply looks old school. Even though the standard gauge is basically good, with easy-to-use functions, it seems so dated next to the optional Garmin G8. Man, how great is the forward march of technology?
Cat made a number of changes to the 600 motor, and it shows. The newly updated 600 has way more spunk and midrange than the older 6000 series. The machine hauled the mail around 5700-5800 rpm. Not sure about top-end but on the lake I saw 83 and climbing. Upon startup and riding down the trail I could smell oil smoke at times. I also noticed it’s louder than the 858.
On the lake neither the 600 or 858 will hang with most four-stroke turbos, but that’s a different ballgame altogether. The two-strokes may win the holeshot, due to lighter weight, but the four-stoke turbo has longer legs, despite the extra mass. It’s a tradeoff for sure. That said, internet rumors swirl of a co-venture with Germany’s Weber of a triple cylinder turbo. Would such an engine fit in the Catalyst chassis?
Handling Comparison Arctic Cat Catalyst 600 vs 858
The handling of the Arctic Cat Catalyst 600 could best be described as light and playful. If all you ever did was tight woods trails and an occasional jaunt on the lake, this would be the Cat for you. It had the same lightweight steering feel as the 137 but with additional precise in the corners of hardpacked snow. If the trail had real sloppy conditions, the longer 137 stuck a little better.
To be fair the 600 is lighter feeling overall and was easier to pick up by the front bumper than the 858, despite Cat insisting they weigh the same. Picking up the rear felt the same on both sleds. Of note, the 600 twin had very little vibrations in the handlebars or footwells, as opposed to the 858. It showed no overheating whatsoever, as the coolant stayed in the 150’s. To my surprise, the 600 had a significantly smaller tube type heat exchanger secured under the tunnel.
Arctic Cat Catalyst Test Ride Conclusion
Tests of the Arctic Cat Catalyst 600 and 858 lead to a single conclusion – these are the absolute best Arctic Cat snowmobiles to date. Light, nimble, with Porsche-like power steering that rewards the rider mile after mile. If you’ve been waiting to buy a new Cat, now is the time.
My choice for a Catalyst would be the ZR with an 858 engine, ATAC suspension, G8 display, high windshield, in the 137-track length, offered at $19,161 for spring pre-order in March 2024. I hope this helps choosing your Spring Pre-Order sled easier.
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