The Alterra 600 from Arctic Cat Offroad: First Impressions

Marc presents the Alterra 600 and dives a little deeper into details a mechanic notices.

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[blahbanks]

I have this quad and I’ve climbed a few mountains with it, perfect machine if you aren’t looking to do heavy mudding.

[dustytrailswithepa]

I’m really tempted to ride a Black Hills edition

[smokeyhunterparrot]

I'll have to disagree about the tires. I like that they put the cheapest tires on when new. It keeps the price down and let's you get it out on the trails. Then, when you're ready, YOU can decide which tire is right for you and upgrade accordingly.
Also, I'm not sure if I like the engine placement. It seems too far to the rear, and somewhat behind the rider. It could be an issue climbing steep hills, especially carrying a load, with the center of gravity being too far back. Other than that it looks okay. This coming from a Yamaha Grizzly owner.

[froglaps]

I just got my 2023 arctic cat 600 ltd.

One thing nobody has mentioned it goes into a freewheel 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.

[darrenhubbard]

Living in the bush, real world working with atv's, plastic racks are such a pain in the ass to tie moose quarters and stuff to... the steel racks make life easy to tie stuff to

[powersportsenthusiast]

a canadian machine, that oddly wasnt mentioned, has the most hp in class, the outlander 570 at 48hp (until the outlander 700 comes out, which has 50) the sportsman 570 is actually 1 behind the alterra at 44... but peak hp is a very small part of how a engine runs and isnt said enough. surprising to see you didnt know this machine was out for a while. pretty good video

[andrewsbbq]

Never take an Articrap further than you’re willing to walk. I’d go CF in a heartbeat over AC

[froglaps]

Another interesting thing about the alterra, no zerk fittings to grease, everything is sealed.

[michaellivingston]

Heck the cfmoto 600 cforce atv is 45 hp this year, up from 42hp in 2022 models, plus u get all the extras on it for less money and their plastic and maintenance is actually easy on all their models. Don't get me wrong I like Arctic Cat but I would have to wait a few years to see if this ATV is actually going to hold together and how their new design is going to react to some abuse. Hopefully it will turn out to be a good ATV I just wish the prices weren't so high it's like they're trying to force everybody out of the ATV market. And want us to buy sxs's which is ridiculous. Alot of us that's all we can afford is a atv, and I've noticed more and more people are going to atvs now and selling their sxs because they actually miss riding their own machine and not steering it. We see more and more sxs's for sale in wisc and their reason for selling them is wanting a atv again. Hope these manufactures can start to get alittle more realistic in price and then maybe they could sell more and we could have some nice updates again done to our atvs. Glad to see Artic Cat is atleast putting a foot forward in a all new idea and design.

[chrise.]

Dunno why all the negative comments here. This looks like a pretty nice machine especially in the higher trim(s). I had a 2017 TRV700XT, which I hated, and it gave me nothing but problems.
This redesign however seems to have in large part, addressed a lot of those issues.
Time will tell on the reliability end of things, but the basic layout and overall improvements seem like a massive step in the right direction. If they could just clean up the fit and finish, and give a slightly more refined package they would then be considered a legit contender to steal some market share and rid themselves of the longstanding stigma (and well deserved I might add), of being a cheap overpriced Americanized machine.

[michaelcrider]

Would have been nice to see the cvt and rear drive!

[EC_ATV_Outdoors]

I own a 2017 700XT, and the 700 is a near perfect and near zero maintenance engine. And yeah, it lacked that oomph. I put speedwerx rollers in and now it's peppier and can lift the front end easily. But this 600 has more HP than the 700. People need to get off the CC's and pay attention to HP. You can get a 1000cc sxs with only 60 HP.
I think where Textron has failed is by damaging the brand with the Tracker BS, cutting corners, revoking authorized dealer licensing, and then keeping the price higher.
No diff lock, back to the old tear drop pod, which the old pod had tach, battery, air and engine temps, and looked better.
The engine might be new, and many things easier to get to, but go ahead and check your air filter on these.
So as an AC owner, my 2017 has been rock solid on reliability, fit and Finnish is great except the rear storage door, which is flimsy. And it rides great. Not sporty, but a real nice ride.
I wouldn't buy another AC solely on the fact that them seem only half in on their composite rack quick technology and accessories, they have minimal dealerships now, and they are asking for far too much money vs the competition, who are literally 1st and 2nd in the market.
Lastly, and I'm not a fan of the Can-Am maintenance levels such as bushings, bearings, and rear diffs that get water in them, not to mention shock bushings that can't be replaced. So an $8 fix becomes a $200-$300 fix. But, take I to consideration that you can order an Outlander 570 2up, then add air and CVT filters, a rad relocate, factory snorkels, and a winch, and be $1500 less than the AC mudpronversion if this model.
Textron has pooched AC in every way and now pricing too
But if this motor is as reliable as the old 700, I wouldn't shame someone who bought it.

[lawsonlandry]

My argo atv, doesn't have a temp gauge either, and it drives me crazy!

[LuisTorres-shzx]

is this the same as the tracker branded ones at bass pro?

[Chevy_Alexander]

My 21 cfmoto cforce 600 still seems like the better option. Not even led lights? Arctic cat seems like a fail

[benmayhew]

Don't like it. Definitely not for me. The battery seems awfully low and it just seems very bland. But thanks for the review as always.

[trailblazeratv]

We take them off and sell those tires to the farmers out here in Idaho

[jurgfreiherrvonhartmann]

This brandnew Althera should have a 1200cc Engine!
, with the TITAN AT589 Tire

[edwardabrahamiii]

Arctic cats are junk i reccommend not buying them guys!

[gallopingg]

SO, , EASY TO WORK ON! BUILD QUALITY STILL SHIT!! AND VERY OVER PRICED FOR WHAT YOUR GETTING!!!! DEFFINATLY ONE TO AVOID. GREAT HONEST REVIEW.