Lip Ripper wanted me to comment on this. I did ride the 2010 Assault last week and it is not a typical consumer sled, but the 2011 is supposed to be. I’ve got a relative at the Polaris dealer meeting in Vegas this week and he is giving me the rundown on the new Assaults. The 2011 are toned down suspension wise from 2010 and this was much needed. The 2010 Assault gave you tons of confidence to do anything but unless you drop 30 foot cliffs or ride in 4 foot high moguls at high speeds all day this sled in a stock form is over the top.
The 2010 800 motors I rode in the mountains were awesome, electric smooth with plenty of grunt. The power was always there the instant you needed it to get up a hill or out of the powder. There has been lots of discussion about stutters and other problems with the 800 but I am confident Polaris has this worked out. The 2011 is supposed to be even better, not sure of the exact details on HP but I will find out. The fuel consumption was good, I’m sure not as good as the Etec but still better than my 600 carbed engine.
The new Pro Ride Chassis is a bigger improvement than the jump from the Edge to IQ/RAW RMK. The Rush gives you more control, quicker response to rider input and more predictable than previous chassis. Polaris has dumped a ton of money into R&D the last few years and it is paying off.
My riding style is boondocking on fire roads, through the trees, occassional trail riding, and going to the mountains. This is the sled I will get this or next year depending on the finances.