number1kyster
TY 4 Stroke God
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Well im not sure where to start here i had time to do a side by side comparison this weekend. Here is what i thought and i am gonna be unbiased here.
Ride and handling and ergonomics.
My 05 vector is set up to handle the best i can get it too and i must say the jag handles better! The jag had a little bit of push in the corners but i would much rather have a little bit of push than inside ski lift. This sled could be set up to eliminate push. The Jag handles better! As far as ride goes the Jag is better as well. It rides a little bit better than my vector. I did notice when i would hit bumps it would make a rubbing noise underneath. Not sure what that was.
Now ergonomics, this sled is the most comfortable sled i have ever ridden! It is 10 times more comfortable than a rev and i love the way it feels! Another added bonus is how warm the sled is. The foot wells are super hot and that is a nice feature as well when it is cold out. This sled is the real deal and cat did an excellent job with it. For this segment the Jag wins!
Power:
Initially i thought the jag had more power. It isnt as smooth as my vector so it does feel more powerful. However vectors are deceiving. I got off the jag and said it had more power and he got off mine and said mine had more power. So we had to settle this once and for all with a drag. It was about 10 degrees F and we lined up on a hard packed groomed rail trail. We each had no studs my sled has 5k on it and his had 300 miles. His sled was not broken in by the book it was broken in the way he rides which is fast and hard. We lined up and when we took off i pulled him by 4-5 sled lengths and it stayed that way all the way till i topped out and he still didnt gain on me. I was suprised but he wasnt. I beat him by a good bit. Here is the good part for you cat guys and the bad part for the yammi guys. My sled has a clutch kit in it and is geared lower. So in all honest i think and jag and a stock vector could swap wins all day long depending on who had the better lane. This section is a Tie.
Economy:
The Jag was getting around 14-15 MPG on our ride. My vector was getting about 17, it used to be better but i lost about 2 MPG with my gear reduction. The only other 4 stroke in our pack that was getting worse gas mileage than the jag was a brand new apex RTX. The apex gt and er in our pack were getting 16-17 mpg. As far as economy goes the vector wins this one.
Fit and Finish:
When the new cats came out i hated them. Now that they are on snow i have changed my mind. I still hate the green ones but the black one is IMO the best looking cat ever made. The fit and finish is 100 times better than old cats and about 10 times better than a rev. Almost everything is painted black and there is harldy an plastic. This sled looks sweet. Cat did a great job! The adjustable winshield is a little flimsy, the rear trunk lid came unlatched a couple times and the seat when pulled all the way forward is a little flimsy but other than that its great. The yammi has a little bit of an edge here but not as much as they used to!
Reliability:
All sleds have there probelms. The new Jags arent proven yet but we did have a fuel line crack right in front of the fuel filter. No big deal. We fixed it in a few minutes time. The rubbing in the rear skid could be the track rubbing the Diamond Drive but im not sure. The vector is proven homwever my sled had some issues as well. For now i cant judge this category till the jag is proven.
Conclusion:
In the past cat has been my least favorite brand but i cant hide how i feel about this sled. I loved it! The overall package is awesome! Skidoo should be really nervous because cat has made a sled that looks, handles, and rides better than the rev. Yamaha ought to be worried because they now have some major 4 stroke competition. The Jag is one hell of a sled and in all honesty i would like to find a used one for my girlfriend in a couple years. I thought my next sled was gonna be an Apex but if cat makes one of these with a turbo im gonna have a hard time choosing between the two. In my opinion the biggest downside to the sled is the price. I feel that cat missed the boat in this department. The cat has an MSRP of $10,499. The most expensive vector model is $8,999. There is a $1500 dollar different there and I honestly think the Jag is a better sled but not $1500 dollars better. If I were gonna be spending that kind of money on a sled i would spend $300 less and get and Apex ER or $100 more and get an Apex RTX. I really think if cat could have priced this competively they would sell a lot more Jaguars. The turbo version will most likely be almost 12K us dollars and will probably be the fastest sled on snow. I can sense a new T-cat in the works here! That is my write up of the Jag vector comparison. For the money i think that a vector is a better bang for you buck but if money is not an object get a Jag you will not be dissapointed.
Ride and handling and ergonomics.
My 05 vector is set up to handle the best i can get it too and i must say the jag handles better! The jag had a little bit of push in the corners but i would much rather have a little bit of push than inside ski lift. This sled could be set up to eliminate push. The Jag handles better! As far as ride goes the Jag is better as well. It rides a little bit better than my vector. I did notice when i would hit bumps it would make a rubbing noise underneath. Not sure what that was.
Now ergonomics, this sled is the most comfortable sled i have ever ridden! It is 10 times more comfortable than a rev and i love the way it feels! Another added bonus is how warm the sled is. The foot wells are super hot and that is a nice feature as well when it is cold out. This sled is the real deal and cat did an excellent job with it. For this segment the Jag wins!
Power:
Initially i thought the jag had more power. It isnt as smooth as my vector so it does feel more powerful. However vectors are deceiving. I got off the jag and said it had more power and he got off mine and said mine had more power. So we had to settle this once and for all with a drag. It was about 10 degrees F and we lined up on a hard packed groomed rail trail. We each had no studs my sled has 5k on it and his had 300 miles. His sled was not broken in by the book it was broken in the way he rides which is fast and hard. We lined up and when we took off i pulled him by 4-5 sled lengths and it stayed that way all the way till i topped out and he still didnt gain on me. I was suprised but he wasnt. I beat him by a good bit. Here is the good part for you cat guys and the bad part for the yammi guys. My sled has a clutch kit in it and is geared lower. So in all honest i think and jag and a stock vector could swap wins all day long depending on who had the better lane. This section is a Tie.
Economy:
The Jag was getting around 14-15 MPG on our ride. My vector was getting about 17, it used to be better but i lost about 2 MPG with my gear reduction. The only other 4 stroke in our pack that was getting worse gas mileage than the jag was a brand new apex RTX. The apex gt and er in our pack were getting 16-17 mpg. As far as economy goes the vector wins this one.
Fit and Finish:
When the new cats came out i hated them. Now that they are on snow i have changed my mind. I still hate the green ones but the black one is IMO the best looking cat ever made. The fit and finish is 100 times better than old cats and about 10 times better than a rev. Almost everything is painted black and there is harldy an plastic. This sled looks sweet. Cat did a great job! The adjustable winshield is a little flimsy, the rear trunk lid came unlatched a couple times and the seat when pulled all the way forward is a little flimsy but other than that its great. The yammi has a little bit of an edge here but not as much as they used to!
Reliability:
All sleds have there probelms. The new Jags arent proven yet but we did have a fuel line crack right in front of the fuel filter. No big deal. We fixed it in a few minutes time. The rubbing in the rear skid could be the track rubbing the Diamond Drive but im not sure. The vector is proven homwever my sled had some issues as well. For now i cant judge this category till the jag is proven.
Conclusion:
In the past cat has been my least favorite brand but i cant hide how i feel about this sled. I loved it! The overall package is awesome! Skidoo should be really nervous because cat has made a sled that looks, handles, and rides better than the rev. Yamaha ought to be worried because they now have some major 4 stroke competition. The Jag is one hell of a sled and in all honesty i would like to find a used one for my girlfriend in a couple years. I thought my next sled was gonna be an Apex but if cat makes one of these with a turbo im gonna have a hard time choosing between the two. In my opinion the biggest downside to the sled is the price. I feel that cat missed the boat in this department. The cat has an MSRP of $10,499. The most expensive vector model is $8,999. There is a $1500 dollar different there and I honestly think the Jag is a better sled but not $1500 dollars better. If I were gonna be spending that kind of money on a sled i would spend $300 less and get and Apex ER or $100 more and get an Apex RTX. I really think if cat could have priced this competively they would sell a lot more Jaguars. The turbo version will most likely be almost 12K us dollars and will probably be the fastest sled on snow. I can sense a new T-cat in the works here! That is my write up of the Jag vector comparison. For the money i think that a vector is a better bang for you buck but if money is not an object get a Jag you will not be dissapointed.
jimmie d
TY 4 Stroke Master
I still cannot understand why Yamaha is having so much difficulty with getting the suspensions right on their new models.
Jim
Jim
Groomerdriver
TY 4 Stroke Master
jimmie d said:
No. 1's Vector is a 2005. I've got one and it took a while to get the skid set to my liking. Put an M10 in it this year and love it! Had to revalve the front ski shocks and have the front springs 3/4 tight. With the limiter strap in "neutral", the ski pressure is not heavy at all. Matter of fact, I want to try different carbides then diffrent skis to get the sled to turn better.
In a head-to-head comparison, a stock '05 Vector will lose to many sleds when it comes to handling and comfort.
NY_Nytro
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I rode my bro-in-laws new Jag VERY briefly over the weekend.
Very comfy. Riding position that he had set was excellent, wind protection was excellent. Seat was very soft and rear skid felt very plush but bottoming easily on one minor trail drop out at only moderate speed with my 170lb weight.
Ride was too short to comment on handling as the ride I took was a straight powerline trail with one turn.
Engine sound was pleasant with a muffled rumble. Overall very quiet at trail speed. Low end and mid range grunt seemed lacking as compared to my Nytro. Not able the check topend.
Looks are subjective, but I find fit and finish to be OK, but plastic hood grills look cheesy, almost toy quality. But the adjustable seat, bars & windshield really seem to work good.
The four of us all had new sleds (zero miles): 2-nytros, 1-Jag, 1-F1000. After the first 200 miles the MPG was 16.99 on my nytro, 16.5 other nytro, 13.6 Jag, 12.4 on the F1000.
Very comfy. Riding position that he had set was excellent, wind protection was excellent. Seat was very soft and rear skid felt very plush but bottoming easily on one minor trail drop out at only moderate speed with my 170lb weight.
Ride was too short to comment on handling as the ride I took was a straight powerline trail with one turn.
Engine sound was pleasant with a muffled rumble. Overall very quiet at trail speed. Low end and mid range grunt seemed lacking as compared to my Nytro. Not able the check topend.
Looks are subjective, but I find fit and finish to be OK, but plastic hood grills look cheesy, almost toy quality. But the adjustable seat, bars & windshield really seem to work good.
The four of us all had new sleds (zero miles): 2-nytros, 1-Jag, 1-F1000. After the first 200 miles the MPG was 16.99 on my nytro, 16.5 other nytro, 13.6 Jag, 12.4 on the F1000.
Mighty
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Correct me if I'm wrong but you are comparing the ride of your 05 Pro-action equipped Vector to an 07 sled.
RSVECTORFREAK
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I was surprised to hear the fit and finish was as good as you say. I was over at artichat and saw some of the pictures of the new twin spar sleds and they were downright horrible with owners actually heating and re-bending the plastic to fit better. As far as handling I can believe that the Jag handled better because I am still struggling to find what I want with my '05 vector. But then you factor in the weight and price of the Jag there is no way I would touch one especially if a clutched vector will walk away from it, a $10,500 attack must really eat it for lunch and it's the same price. Granted competition is good for everyone but I'll stay with the blue crew myself.
Oak Hill
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You are not comparing Apples to Apples. I bet if you compared an o7 Vector with that Jag you would be telling a whole different story! I have seen the Cats and the Fit and Finish is terrible. You must have a rare one to look at. By the way, great job on write up.
number1kyster
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I was comparing the fit and finish to the old f series. They are alot better. Less plastic makes it look a lot better!
Good report.
Do you work for a mag.??
The new cats I looked @ this fall @ the sno show didn't impress me much, the plastic hood has the outline and ripples of the inner molded flanges showing through the top side...looked like a kids battery operated toy.
Gas line split on a new sled is a recipe for disaster,MR.!
Most of all how will this sled hold up after 5000 miles with all those adjustable parts...great idea, but will it last.?
hats off to AC if they are actually building a better overall sled...time will tell.
Do you work for a mag.??
The new cats I looked @ this fall @ the sno show didn't impress me much, the plastic hood has the outline and ripples of the inner molded flanges showing through the top side...looked like a kids battery operated toy.
Gas line split on a new sled is a recipe for disaster,MR.!
Most of all how will this sled hold up after 5000 miles with all those adjustable parts...great idea, but will it last.?
hats off to AC if they are actually building a better overall sled...time will tell.
number1kyster
TY 4 Stroke God
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They have the ride and handling figured out that is for sure. This is a really comfortable sled! Only time will tell how reliable they are.
p0wd3rp1l0t
VIP Member
two sleds i wanna race this winter-polaris fst four stroke turboed machine and the arctic cat jag, which i am clutched, piped, carb springed, and bottled just in case i find someone that needs a real #*$&@ whoopin
