The new Matryx chassis: the rules have just changed!
The strategies developed in recent years at Polaris are paying off. Fans who want to enjoy exclusivity have no choice but to be aware of the latest developments in order to order “The” snowmobile designed exactly according to their tastes and preferences during the Snowcheck. As a result, more than 100,000 possible combinations are available to snowmobilers, almost certainly providing a unique snowmobile to their future owners.
2021 is a fertile year for the American manufacturer from Minnesota. Several new products and innovations will be added to some of the existing models and others will be completely redesigned. The Snowshoot presented in Montana in February 2020 showed us the work done by the designers of this renowned brand to propel its already popular snowmobiles forward.
A new version of the Switchback Assault.
Although some of the Polaris versions of the Switchback Assault have not received any changes, they are offering us a completely new and modernized 146-inch variant. You’ll see in the following paragraphs that they didn’t “sleep on gas” and that these changes take the Polaris name to another level.
2021 Polaris Switchback Assault 850 146:
A brand new chassis.
We believe that the Axys platform, which has been around for a few years now, provides a great driving experience. However, we agreed on one point, it was unpredictable and unstable at high speeds in a straight line. However, we are able to get past this observation by the pleasure this chassis is able to offer us in multiple circumstances.
Polaris introduces for the 2021 model year its new platform named Matryx. It simply reflects the original design at this manufacturer with significant improvements designed to enhance handling and control. When we see this new Polaris Switchback Assault 850 146 2021, we simply notice a more refined style of snowmobile while keeping the Indy look of the 90s. It’s clearly a Polaris, but different.
How did they do it? They simply created a narrower 4.8 inches at the console, 3.0 inches at the knees while the seat itself was lowered by an inch. The results are instant and noticeable, as this new platform inspires confidence because of the improved ergonomics.
The posture is radically different and we feel like we are one with the snowmobile. This new, more advanced position gives us greater freedom of movement and contributes to better stability, no matter what the conditions. Accompanied by new forged IFS front suspension axles, the result in turns creates a bite in the snow keeping both skis in constant contact with the snow surface. It doesn’t matter if the trail is bumpy or freshly groomed, we simply have more control with this major change.
With this new Matryx platform for 2021, the body panels have also been redesigned to allow the rider to conform to this Polaris Switchback Assault 850 146 2021 in addition to having more room to maneuver. All of this combines beautifully to create a very impressive end result.
Completely improved aerodynamics.
La nouvelle cabine assure une protection contre le vent pour procurer des randonnées plus confortables et chaudes. S’il y a une chose que nous pouvons reprocher à la devanture de l’Axys, c’est la déflexion du vent. Ce nouveau capot bénéficie de panneaux latéraux s’évasant vers le haut et vers l’extérieur avec des nouveaux déflecteurs de vent qui créent une bulle d’air autour du pilote et offrant une excellente protection. Les parties entières du corps sont bien protégées des aléas de dame nature tout en nous faisant bénéficier d’une mobilité améliorée.
Marty Sampson, product manager at Polaris, pointed out during his presentation last February that he compares the advantages of the Matryx platform to riding a motorcycle. The Matryx allows the snowmobiler’s body position to align more naturally with the centrifugal force generated during cornering. The less restrictive fuel tank and bodywork allows a rider to not have to use their legs and upper body strength to hold on to the snowmobile with as much energy as in the past to counteract the centrifugal force created during turns.
The rigidity and lightness of this new carbon fiber and aluminum platform are mirrored to harness the full potential of the now famous Patriot 850 engine, taking the exhilarating experience created by this 2-cylinder engine to a new level.
Intelligence at your fingertips.
That title might make you wonder, and rightly so. In fact, Polaris is the first snowmobile manufacturer to equip its snowmobiles with the Matryx chassis, hand warmers and thumb warmers, the most sophisticated to date. We can now pre-program low, medium and high settings to the exact degree.
Once we have entered the desired parameters, when the snowmobile is running, this system will produce the necessary energy to quickly power these accessories and maintain the pre-selected heat level. This means that we have constant heat, regardless of the outside temperature. When the freezing wind factor increases during the ride, the heating elements will produce a pre-set constant heat. It works great and it’s amazing. We don’t have to change the heat level anymore, as it adapts at any time by varying the voltage to maintain the set temperature.
Ride Command technology.
Previously used on its side-by-side vehicles, Polaris has now transplanted its Ride Command technology to its snowmobiles equipped with the new Matryx platform. As a result, the new Polaris Switchback Assault 850 146 2021 benefits from this driver-friendly technology with a 7-inch touch screen. This one is impressive, as it allows us to switch between the GPS screen, the speedometer screen or the Bluetooth phone interface. The screen is so oversized that it allows us to see all the necessary information better than anything we were used to before. This technology has for primary function, for each user, to enjoy the relative functions of our cellular phones without having to make stops. In addition, if our fellow riders have the same Ride Command function on their snowmobiles or phones, it is possible to follow their position in real time on the geolocation screen.
Behind this screen is a heated storage space. This is where we can store our cell phone and a multitude of other things. In fact, to be honest, this is one of the largest storage spaces at this level that we have witnessed. This trunk has a total capacity of 7.6 liters, which is more than enough to hold everything we want. If that’s not enough, just lift up the bench and you’ll find another large storage space.
Polaris made the decision to equip this snowmobile with Night Blade LED headlights. It uses 2 beams of headlights: 2 low beams and 2 high beams with LED to illuminate a wide and deep field of vision.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Polaris’ ultra-smooth, weight-transfer-sensitive Pro CC rear suspension, which is used to produce a superb ride quality that we can customize with Walker Evans Velocity shocks.
Testing
When we took possession of our Polaris Switchback Assault 850 146 2021, our expectations were very high. At the initial presentation by the Polaris designers, the confidence in their speech exuded a great deal of confidence in this new package.
We intentionally took an off-road trail with this new ride to see exactly what we had in our hands. It was a rather technical trail that would have required a lot of work practicing a balance between throttle and brake control. The climb should have tested our experience as much as the descent at first glance. It was in this exercise that we witnessed that we were in possession of a snowmobile that had a special package. We were impressed with how easy it was to transfer our weight and make turns more quickly and efficiently. This new platform allows us to move more easily for better control. We would even say that this snowmobile qualifies as a 60/40 rather than a 50/50.
We can however reproach the little artifice and the bland colors that are attributed to this snowmobile for 2021. More eye-catching decals could have been put on it and this timid aestheticism is diametrically opposed to the American culture. Secondly, at the Snowshoot last February, we were not assured by the designers that the geolocation system will be fully operational in the province of Quebec because they did not have a firm agreement in this sense with certain authorities. Finally, even if it is promised to a bright future and that we were conquered at the beginning by the general qualities of this system, it will have to prove itself on the Quebec ground.
The designers at Polaris really sprinkled this snowmobile with magic dust to achieve such a balance of handling. Our expectations have been met and Polaris purists will find all the DNA we are familiar with.
