The 2008 Snowmobile Show was held a few weeks ago at Place Forzani, in Laval, Quebec. Winter sports enthusiasts were able to get a close look at the upcoming 2009 models from four different manufacturers. Here's a preview of the new 2009 Ski-Doo snowmobiles.

Last year, Ski-Doo engineers went back to the drawing board and designed an all-new architecture that's even more advanced than the 2003 REV chassis. For 2009, they made some modifications while developing two new engines that could revolutionize the snowmobile industry once again. The REV-X will now include XR (refinement) and XU (utility) variants.

The revolutionary REV-X chassis.

4-TEC engine
First of all, an all-new, high-performance, 4-stroke powerplant will be available. This state-of-the-art engine was designed by Rotax and Petronas. The former has actual experience with this type of engine. For several years now, 4-stroke Rotax units have been powering ATVs, Sea-Doos and turbine-equipped sport boats manufactured by BRP.

The new mill was specifically developed to power a snowmobile. Thanks to a very sophisticated electronic fuel injection system and highly effective emission control technologies, Ski-Doo's 4-TEC is the cleanest engine in the entire industry. A new variant of the chassis, called REV-XR, was purposefully designed to accommodate the 1200 4-TEC engine. In fact, with this ultra-lightweight chassis, MX Z X, TNT and Renegade snowmobiles powered by the 1200 4-TEC all weigh under 240 kilos, which is about 30 kilos less than some rivals.

E-TEC engine
Admittedly, the recreational product specialist wants to make big waves this year. In addition to the aforementioned high-performance, 4-stroke engine, BRP engineers stepped to the plate with a new revolutionary 2-stroke mill. This 594-cc unit is derived from the famous 600 SDI, one of the most efficient 2-stroke powerplants ever produced. Once again, the manufacturer ups the ante in terms of efficiency with the E-TEC system, borrowed from Evinrude marine engines.

E-TEC system