2023 Arctic Cat Alterra 600 Test Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024
- 2023 Arctic Cat Alterra 600 Test Review . We recently had the opportunity to put the 2023 Arctic Cat Alterra 600, Alterra 600 Mud Pro, and Alterra 600 Black Hills Edition to the test. After wrapping up a tour of the Arctic Cat factory in Thief River Falls we traveled over an hour to the Beltrami Forest for testing. We grabbed an XT, Black Hills Edition and Mud Pro and headed out for a few hours to see that the Alterra 600 line had to offer.
Compared to their full size 4x4s of old, the Alterra 600 is leaps and bounds better than anything we’ve experienced from Arctic Cat previously. Its performance is definitely at home and competitive with the other machines in the 500cc-600cc 4x4 segment. Big low-end power, the ability to take advantage off its IRS design while retaining a stable feeling ride make the Alterra 600 a unique machine we enjoyed riding.
Experiencing the XT, Black Hills and Mud Pro we came away impressed with Arctic Cats numerous, well thought out options. The Mud Pro is similar to the Yamaha Grizzly 700 XTR, a trail worthy, mud tire equipped 4x4. However, the Mud Pro possesses true mud ATV specific capabilities and features for $800 less than the Grizzly.
The Black Hills Edition could be a great choice for the person who typically rides rocky eroded SXS trails thanks to its larger tires and added ground clearance. It retains the length and width of a typical 4x4 ATV and costs $6,299 less than the Polaris Sportsman S or Scrambler S, renowned for their rough trail capability and out of reach retail prices.
As typical all around trail riders ourselves, we came away most impressed with the nearly base model Alterra 600 XT. The smaller 25” tires of the base model and XT yield the best handling on smooth to moderate trail conditions along with the most responsive feeling engine performance. We could easily see Arctic Cat filling the need for an affordable sport 4x4 with the Alterra 600 platform.
We guess the takeaway is this, Arctic Cat has targeted the most popular segment in ATVing with a number of uniquely specked models offering something for every type of 4x4 rider and overall performance that should be taken seriously. .
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After waiting more than a year for a test rider we must say that the Alterra 600 is the best full size, 4x4, ATV from Arctic Cat we've ridden. In the highly contested 500xx-600cc 4x4 category it's definitely competitive. Can't wait to year your thoughts.
Only question I have is do they over heat like the old ones and beak like them idc what they look like tbh
I had a 2017 500. My very first ATV. I should have Spent the money on a quality machine instead of anything from Arctic Cat. 👎🏼
Have to add, this takes me back to around the early 2010s when this channel had the most in depth, honest, and bar none best atv reviews on TH-cam. It's nice to see content like this again on the channel.
We have more stuff like this coming down the pipe. I hate to be one of those redundant TH-cam's but make sure you have your notifications turned on if you want to see our latest tests. We really appreciate the positive feedback. Makes us want to get going on the next one.
Thorough look at this line, guys. Excellent work as always 👊💥🎉
We're looking forward to Dirt Trax full review. Can't wait to see how our opinions compared. Loved your onboard footage in your walk around video.
Glad to hear the OG dude narrate this one. Interesting to see Arctic Cat restructure their focus based off the market and consumer sentiment.
We like seeing manufacturers respond to market demand. With a lean lineup Arctic Cat should be in a good position to deal with the economics of the time. As your long time narrator, I'm not going anywhere. We're just trying to spread the load out in hopes of ramping up content volume. I will still be doing narration on a number of tests, a majority of any shootouts and for sure any vintage testing or projects. Thanks for watching and listening to me. Joe
I Bought a new 2022 Alterra 600 LTD , I have 1875 KMS on it and so far there have been no issues , I live up north and ride in remote areas where reliaibility are a must and the machine has never let me down , I recently used it on a three week Moose trip where it was used on really ruff terrain , Cut Blocks , washed out and deactivated FSR roads , swamps , meadows etc , Traction , Power and Handleing are excellent , The Gauge Cluster is totally unreadable when its dark , this could be improved with a brighter light instead of the Red Glow they built into it . Front Head lights are excellent and really do and excellent Job mine is the LTD model and the extra lights on High really light up the road in front of you , I used it to to pull two Bull Moose off really bad cut blocks and did the job with ease , my hunting partner has a brand new Polaris 570 Trail and it kept getting stuck and bogged down trying to haul one of them out but the good ground clearance and excellent power Alterra 600 saved the day, Fuel milage and range are really good I used 20 liters less on the trip than my two hunting partners with their 570's and yes are odometers were all within 10 kms of each other at the end of the trip , only BAD I can give Arctic Cat is for not putting a front diff locker on the 2022 models and now they have it on the 2023 models , this could of easily been done on the 2022 what a stupid move on your part Arctic Cat !! hopefully they come up with a refit kit for the 2022 ??
Thanks for sharing your honesty, experience and real world feedback.
@@ATVonDemand Just to Add some info on Maintenance for the DIY owner , I did the First service myself , engine oil change is fairly easy , when you pull the oil plug its best to have a glove on and control the release of the oil , if you completely pull the plug you will get oil everywhere as the hole in the skid plate is way too small for the full flow of oil, Also the oil is refilled through the top of the engine into the large black oil cap not through the dip stick port , I have seen lots of threads on the net where owners are asking where the re fill port is and Its not described in the Owners Manual or the Shop Manual , that's a Big Miss by ARCTIC CAT in their Manuals , Changing the Transaxle is a bit of a chore , you have to lift the rear of the machine and completely remove the right rear A Arm to access the drain port , they put a real tiny slot through the skid plate for the oil to flow through , Its totally inadequate and oil will get into the skid plate and go everywhere , I enlarged the slot on mine its worth the effort. Front Diff straight forward just take care removing and re installing the drain plug its quite small and the fine threads would be easy to cross thread or even stripped out The air cleaner is well placed and will do an excellent job of keeping intake air clean, removing and reinstalling takes patience , A lot has been said about the placement of the battery being exposed to the elements , I just bought some 1/4 " rubber matt and cut a piece to form around it and its held in place with zipp ties , its an easy fix and has kept the battery in mine clean and free of and dirt / mud etc. Again why did ARCTIC CAT not put a simple plastic cover on the battery , these small attentions to detail are what would take this machine to the next level IMO
Love my 2023 600 TRV. Starting to see more of these on the trails. Great fit and finish. Its a great mix bet trail and work. I ride this more than my Rubicon. Front locking differential comes in handy.
Like to see more reviews on the Alterra line up.
The only negative was the 10,500 price of the trv limited. But i ordered from the website to nearest dealership and got free shipping.
I like that Black Hills Edition!
We'd like to get one out on some chunk for further evaluation.
These will be (are) the best machines for performance in the class without a doubt. Maybe even surpassing current 700 class models, not to mention thousands of dollars less. I've owned many Cat atv's in the past and currently own 2. Thousands of miles on each one and I would keep buying Cat now that they have invested heavily in this Brand new chassis / drive train. Great job Cat can't imagine what your 800 class engine will be like.... might sell my Thunder Cat went that comes out!!
Looks better than I thought it would be.
Great job guys! Been waiting for someone to give us some real opinions about these new bikes.
Glad you enjoyed it. We have been waiting to ride these for over a year. We weren't disappointed.
After 8 months on my 2023 Trv limited, i have not had any issues and i seeing more of them on the trails in Georgia. Everyone thst rides it, loves it. I ride it more than my Rubicon and canam. Its a all around great machine.
Great video. Thanks for the honest review. it helped give me the courage to pull the trigger on my new 2023 Black Hills edition. I've been looking at all models and makes you name it. I think this is definitely the best Bang for the buck. Arctic Cat in 2023 will definitely be a force to be reckoned with. They keep this quality up well into the future.
Very cool! Give us an update on how you like it.
@@ATVonDemand will do.
I really like this new model line from Cat. I think they look good, and it would be great to see Cat back relevant again in the market. Biggest issue in my area is dealer network, the Cat dealers are long gone. Gonna have to say this is kind of exactly the machine I want, a sporty midsized trail 4x4.
They really stressed to us their interest in building a stronger quality dealer network and providing them with good support. There are some holes in the market they could certainly move to fill. We hope to see more from Arctic Cat in the near future.
@@ATVonDemand I hope so because I'd jump to Cat if they had better dealer network. You guys think like I do, I seen that gauge setup and was thinking about a set of Flexx bars on there.
Looks like a shoot out with the Outlander 570 XMR is in order
Never, Artic Cat will never compete with CanAm
Absolutely love arcticats my 2021 300 arcticat has 3300 miles on it and it’s been rolled twice haven’t broke a single thing mechanical beside the Throttle when I rolled it idk why people hate on them so much
Sad to see they don’t sell a 1000 now. I like my 500 and would buy another, but want that upgrade. Now I have to go to a different manufacturer.
The 600 MUD PRO is great direct competition to the can am 570 outlander XMR , being only 3HP difference
I'd say if Arctic Cat really wants to put their name back out there they should revive their DVX line, and potentially even make a new DVX 450. An extremely untapped market there with a lot of demand and would finally give Yamaha some competition. One can dream I suppose.
We share a very similar dream with them. Food for thought though, they never had the DVX line. It was built by Suzuki. At this point they should just buy the line from Suzuki and bring it back..
@@ATVonDemand Ah interesting. I knew there was some collaboration but I never knew they were that involved. Hopefully one of the big companies takes that leap in the near future.
@@ATVonDemandThanks for the review! I had both a DVX400 (2004) and a Z400 (2006), they were quite possibly the best machines I've ever owned. I sold them a few years ago after getting a SxS (I got a Havoc X and love it) and regret that decision to sell the quads immensely. I would agree that AC should bring back the line and give Yamaha some competition. If they don't, I'll likely pick up a Raptor 700 in the future to get back to having a sport quad to ride, or a used Z400/DVX400 (if I can find one).
Also, regarding dealers, I'm in the same boat with not having a local dealer - hence why I've tried contacting AC numerous times lately (left messages on their VM as the "Become a Dealer" link on their site doesn't work) about becoming a dealer in my area - but sadly, no response from them. Got a direct line to someone there? Tell them Freedom Offroad in NY wants to sell Arctic Cats!!
@@mx3727 I was going to sell my atvs to get a sxs. But ended up keeping my raptor and z400 and bought a sxs (yxz). Perhaps it's just me/my upbringing, but I still have way more fun on an atv...to the point of considering just going back to atv only. Definitely pick up a quad again.
I have no idea who this brand is you keep saying, "arc-tic cat"? Round these parts is ARTYCAT!!
lol solid review and video
Thanks, I'm pretty sure.
I was skeptical as I've had terrible experience with my 500. But these do look promising! Especially if they fixed the steering
2 of us were riding and we both agreed that the steering accuracy was good. on the 600. I have experience on the old 700 and was not a fan of its steering manners.
Great job on the video guys WOW you are tru Pros!!
200 ;-) man suc.s they dont sell in europe- the new 600 model is really awesome ! got 20.000kms on my old 650 and still goin strong !!🤩
It is surprising to hear that they don't sell them in Europe.
@@ATVonDemand ..iasked them bout one year ago- they said cause of emmissions- which i dont believe- since all the other companies sell their products here :-/
excited to see them bring back a mud pro, like the tank down low but they missed the that's cool look. appears to be to budget. would love to see them split the line IE. a budget line and a premium line with some LEDs.
The way things are going these days we will just wind up with a higher price on the premium units and a higher price on the lower cost units. Seriously though, they do offer a 450 and a 300 that are more budget oriented.
@OfficialATVonDemand don't know how to DM
@@315rocky2They are scammers, they're not affiliated with this channel.
Sadly, I received my 2023 Alterra 600 ltd yesterday. I rode it down to the end of the driveway 3 times, and parked it. This morning I went out and started it, it idled for maybe 10 minutes while my nephew and I walked around it, and then he took it down to the end of the driveway. The quad clocked 1 mile on the odometer, when we noticed a fresh oil leak under it. Looking at it all I could see was oil dropping steadily off the starter into the sub frame and then down to the ground. The dealer's response was excellent, they were there in 38 minutes to load it up and take it back to the shop. Unfortunately it's the head gasket that's leaking.. on a brand new quad with 1 mile on it. Still waiting to hear how Arctic Cat will resolve this, or how long till it's repaired. 😢
That sucks! Here is betting they completely take care of it for you. Please keep us posted.
@@ATVonDemandWill do. The dealer mechanics believe whoever assembled the engine didn't torque the head bolts to spec. There was no mixing of the oil and coolant, it was only oil leakage. Arctic cat is trying to expedite a new head gasket, and a few other parts to arrive early this coming week.
I think the arctic cat rep ought to toss a nice gift card towards more accessories for this failure..
I keep updating.
For the cost of the mud pro/hills youd be better off with a can am 700 or the polaris 850. Cost is crazy for a 600cc bike.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I wish there was a Prowler 600!
I ordered a 2023 600 trv limited. Will there be bigger displacement engines in the near future?
In the near future, we don't believe so but in the distant future, probably. Please keep us posted on how you like your new machine.
@ATVonDemand I ordered the 2023 trv limited for my wife, I was considering one for myself but I'm a big guy and not sure if that will do for me. I am currently looking to sell my 2022 Defender 6x6 and get a Outlander 1000 max.
Does anyone know if the steel wheels are heavier than the alloy ?
I just got my 2023 arctic cat 600 ltd.
One thing nobody has mentioned it starts freewheeling going down a steep downgrades, unless throttle is applied!! Seems very counterintuitive to needing to use the throttle and brakes to hold it back on a hill.
My 08 700 arctic cat would creep down a hill in 4x4 low.
that's not good IMO
@trailblazeratv6306 Yeah, I wasn't expecting that to happen. But from what others have said it's normal, and something to get used to. I'm not particularly comfortable with it yet.
Would buy one if they had dealers near me and were about 500 bucks cheaper than their msrp
Good dealers matter.
In 2001 Arctic cat 500 was heavy, slow bad steering got stuck more broke tie rods axles and the frame rusted out 5 times faster than Honda Yamaha, Honda rancher 350 and Yamaha kodiak400 where what I compared them to
can you test arctic cat diesel?
They did not have it at the event. It's a unit we will have to look into in the future.
@@ATVonDemand Arctic Cat is probably the only manufacturer that offers diesel quad bikes?
If they want to really get some durability test they should build a xc machine
These are priced insanely high. I see Alterra as maybe a bit better than a CF Moto, not a Can Am competitor
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
they arent competing with can am their in a class of their own lol.
@Jon Hathaway I love the old Arctic cat. I just don't know if I trust alterra.
I call BS on the tracker branding. It's just a dumbed down version to have an opportunity to sell in a big box store. Reality, AC killed 95% of AC dealers here.
My other issue, AC has priced themselves higher than the big 2 brands after killing the name with the tracker BS.
Why should I buy a mud pro over a 570 XMR or an 850 High Lifter? One is cheaper and more powerful and the latter is way more powerful and only $300 more?
Forgot to mention, I'm an Alterra 700 owner and extremely happy with it. Yet unwilling to stay loyal based on pricing.
@@EC_ATV_Outdoors would like to see a comparison with the xmr or HL but at first glance it appears AC is way off base here with what they are offering for the mud pro with that msrp
So they dont have power steering?
I have a 2023 altarra 600, , I find the shifter hard to get into gear or to shift into any gear??? What could this be?
Perhaps there's a lankage that needs adjusted. If your machine is pretty new, I'd try to get the dealer to deal with it.
I feel like my 22 grizz is a better all around machine abit more money though glad to see arctic cat getting back in the game
I work at a arctic cat dealer and the primary and secondary clutches in these are junk had four new 2023 alteras come in and we have a double x come in with 78 miles and needed a motor in my opinion arctic cats junk
Oh my, that was Harsh
Wow
Thanks for the heads up.
@Zack Trautmann.. Honestly, it's the first time I have heard anything like this. Don't know if what you are saying is true, or even if your credentials are true.. Anybody can say anything on here... that being said, I have not heard anything like that from anyone who owns these machines... furthermore, all brands have their lemons.. ALL!!!..., So I suggest everyone conduct their due diligence in research and find out for themselves if this machine is the right one for them... and don't forget, they have this thing called warranties for a reason👍
Hi
I dropped my 2023 black hill edition of at the dealer aftet 10 km because the clutches are jerking around when going slow.they say its because of the heavy duty clutch design.all good.tjats bullsh...
What can be done?you almost fall of off it.
👍👍👍
Thanks for watching the premiere doc.
Did I hear correctly that not all models come with a front locker? If so, that's a bit disappointing considering that nearly all the competition come with that standard.
Yamaha grizzly for me but great video
Thank you.
This should be interesting 🤔
I hope you found it interesting.
What is a transaxle? Is that the CVT ?
It’s everything after the engine’s crank shaft.
For a company that has lost its reputation in the last few years you would think they would come out with a competitive price point. Why buy a cat when you can get anything else in the same price range?
yeah, its a whole new engine/chassis design. new everything. would be nice to get the diff lock , better lights etc at a lower price point but looks to be a great step in the right direction for the company. id take this bike over a polaris anyday if we were talking american machines .
A step in the right direction for sure! But I ain’t buying a cat over a can am. And the only quad I’ve ever owned was a 2006 400cc cat. Overall it was good but it’s dead now and getting replaced with a 500cc can am because it’s a better quad and better price.
I’m not being nasty about it whatsoever but I still just don’t see good enough design elements to sway me .
The regular allterra isn’t bad looking but the others are fairly hideous . Very cheap looking grips , and all the switches look very cheap . The shifter and shift gate design ….just no. I will give them props for a robust power output for a 600. 45hp Is solid . But after having a couple Yamahas , 4 Hondas , two Polaris , three Kawi brutes and now a 22 750 KingQuad ranging from 250s to a 1000, the only way to consider this over a Japanese equivalent is if it was at least 2000$ cheaper or maybe even more .
Just an opinion!
They are slightly better looking than the old fugly artic cats lol
How do you like your King quad?
@@zx9green791 I like it a lot ! Suzukis fit and finish quality is second to none . Silky smooth quality . Ride is fairly stiff from the factory and it’s clutched pretty soft but that’s no big deal. Good midrange torque and pull from the big single . It’s a solid well performing machine that I give a 8/10 and fully recommend.
The elephant in the room is A/C build quality. There are thousands of the older model a.t.vs sitting in junk piles. Would never buy or recommend A/c.
dont like the fish bowl gauges
Honestly Braydon Prices video where he bought a Tracker ATV showed all the reasons to not buy an Arctic cat. They may look ok and have decent power and stuff. But the design is absolutely horrible on them.
the tracker is not what this is lol.
The Tracker is very similar but more of a base level machine. In that particular video, he couldn’t figure out how to get to the belt while at the Bass Pro Shop.I’ve seen other videos that make servicing look simple.
The chryslers of the quad market....constantly rebranding themselves to stay afloat but continue to lack in quality.
Have you checked out their more recent models? Just curious.
Artic Cat is an ok ATV but it does not even come close to some of the other brands their technology is way way way way behind
Realistically I owned older artic cats like an 07 and 09 and there's just to much in common with these new ones they were both garbage I had a 650 h1 and a 550 and both sucked and we're underpowered compared to basically every other brand the lack of sway bar was aweful they just stuck stiff shocks to try to compensate. Led to a rough ride and unstable one to boot.. The h1 was super slow getting beat by a 650 Honda Rincon in a drag was humiliation incarnate.. The front diffs we're trash on both like don't touch the locker or it would fall apart the clutch's chirped and bogged aweful feel and they sound weak.. I owned 2 and will never go back just stick with regular known brands
We were not fans of the old H1. The new 600 line Seem to have very competitive engine performance and handle much much better than the old H1. We can't speak to durability. Thanks for sharing your experience.
absolutely can NOT agree - my 650 does 110kmh and is holding up strong- theres still some older 450s and 500s here in europe- sorry yuo got bad luck ?!
junk
Please tell us about your experience with it. We'd love to hear more
These all look horrible and the build quality clearly looks bad .
What do you see in the build quality that concerns you?
@@ATVonDemand some of the close up welds , plastics seem very very cheap , a arms look very thin .
Dont get arctic cats there junk i tell you!
So sad to see my once favorite ATV/UTV company destroyed by Textron....wtf man take a step back here, and look at the machines they now Make. The older "Real American Machines" we're by far the biggest strongest bulletproof machines made to that date. They had massive wrap around front/rear racks which acted like an exocage aswell as huge for carrying anything. They had a full on real locker on top of THE MOST ground clearance, suspension travel with the strongest frames. Their engines were built for low end torque, then the 1000 changed the world all on its own, Arctic Cat was responsible for the biggest leaps and bounds of the ATV UTV industry back in 2007 untill I'd say 2015-16 ish
Textron promised all of us they would continue to make Arctic Cat the best they have ever been, but it's clear ONLY city boys who value their money above all else are in charge now, no real men who actually understand what we need and want. They have destroyed a company which was legitimately leading the off road world in a fair fight with can am & Polaris yet was 1-50th the size of them
Textron has sadly become by far the biggest failure and disappointment in the entire history of off road. Get the city boys the fck outta full control and get the real men in their who actually know what they're doing, AND HAVE A DEEP UNDERSTANDING WHAT ARCTIC CAT MAKES! after all these years Textron has only released this machine on their own, they make JUNK with zero capability zero capacity with garbage wheelin abilities. They make all plastic junk which is guaranteed to fall apart rapidly for you. They make machines so fckn lame that knock off Chinese machines are genuinely BETTER!
Seriously who ever the fck is in charge over there at city boy Textron, unfortunately has to be fired as they've done the most damage and made the worst machines in off road history
Man you FCKs piss me off so bad I have to come back to tell you idiots wake up! Make something incredible with unmatched capabilities for it's Time! Make something someone looks at for the first time and says it's "insane"
Don't make this failure Junk alone, you need full on top shelf Flagship model's
1 the best east coast trail crawl/bashing, 1 for rediculous southern deep mud bogs, 1 for West coast sand dunes.
Make a machine with an option of fully manual 6 speed tranny, 18" ground clearance, Chevy 1/4 ton independent drive line and wheel bearings ball joints an tie rods, massive suspension allowing the 32" tires drop down or suck up for brutal traction with A locker, make a model to fit 4 people like the Yamaha Rmax 4. Make it as reliable and easy to maintain as possible and you have an automatic winner!
as the 600 is a great motor i gree they should ad a 800 and 1000 !- as in the past- you named it- thundercat !!