I'm a long time Kawasaki owner but I admit I've liked the looks of Arctic Cat for a time, as well as they seem to have a good selection of models to chose from (one of Kawasaki's cons). I currently have a 400cc machine and driving by the dealer that handles AC and Can-Am I discovered they have a 450 on the lot. One thing I'd heard of was that it has a lower center of gravity and sitting on it I noticed that right away. I'm also impressed that this is EFI so if I were to venture to the mountains I wouldn't have to worry about re-jetting. I do see on the website this model isn't offered with power steering, is this true? If so, why not? Also noticed it doesn't have a recoil starter but can have one put on, which I think is good as I've had to make use of mine before due to a dying battery. I was just going to ask if anyone here has this model and what they think of it? I use a snowplow on mine and would get one for this if I got one too. I also noticed the place for a winch. Will any winch work or does it have to be one AC sells? Oh, and I think it's neat the AC comes with backup lights.

 

Power steering is not added until the 550. I have a 500 and honestly i really notice no difference without it. Might be a little different in the technical stuff but im used to it so makes no diff to me. Iv had no issues with my 500 and love it.. we actually take possession of another one today for the GF. Pretty much any winch with a warn bolt pattern will fit with no mods, off brands you may have to relocate a few holes

 

I have a 2013 450. It is a nice machine. I also own a 550 with power steering. I like the power steering but overall the 450 is better in my opinion. Low center of gravity with excellent power. One thing though, AC warranty work was poor for me when I had warranty issues.

 

The 450 is lower vs the 500 or 550 since its a "mid size" frames while the 500 and ups are "full size" frames like the 700 and 1000.

Also the 450 has 7" of suspension travel vs 10" on the full size chassis.

I think you have to go to the 500 to get diff lock which is very handy in the snow. 4 wheels push snow better than 3 wheels.

Did you check out the new 450 Outlander that replaced the old 400? The thing is rated at 38hp that's about the same as the 550s and all Can Ams are true AWD.

But the 450 Outlander is a "full size" chassis so it will feel bigger.