Last winter Polaris borrowed the goodness developed from their cross-country and iron dog racing endeavors and injected it into their short track Rush model. For 2018 they have done the same but this time opting for the longer and more versatile 137-inch Switchback model. Just like the Rush version, the 2018 Switchback XCR will come in both 600 and 800 power and feature a laundry list of chassis toughness and suspension goodness to set it above both the Pro-S and Pro-X variants. Those goodies include a chromoly rear pivot, reinforced rail beams and front track shock mount, solid bogie wheels, and a solid rear axle taken directly from the race ready snocross prepped IQR. The toughness continues under hood where a solid and hardened jackshaft spins a race-ready brake system that touts improved feel, greater stopping power, and is more heat resistant. It even features a hood scoop to bring more cooling to the rotor for maximum performance. Finally no race ready buggy is complete without competent shocks and the XCR has those in spades with premium Walker Evans units with high and low compression adjustability and a valve stack already tuned for big bumps at big speed. Typically we’ve found this caliber of tune from Polaris to be extraordinarily stiff unless driven at a 1 percenter pace, but we came away from the spring ride sessions thoroughly impressed and pointing to the Switchback XCR as the best handling sled we rode during the spring ride and photo event.
