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Everybody says that if you’re gonna upgrade a sled you should look for a model at least 2 years older than the one you have in the moment. So I decided to check what Arctic Cat did with the 2007 F5 model and if the 2009 version is worth getting as an upgrade. To tell you the truth the only upgrade I notice is in the price. Other than changing the design a little bit the sled is absolutely the same. Not that it’s bad, but for the new price it’s given there are so many better sleds out there. For that money you can easily get something lighter, faster and more reliable. Compare the characteristics if you want, so it won’t be like I’m just talking all those things out of the blue:

MODEL    F5
M.S.R.P. *    8,199.00
ENGINE    Suzuki, 2-stroke, liquid-cooled, 2-cylinder
DISPLACEMENT    499 cc
BORE X STROKE    71 x 63 mm
CARBURETION    38 mm throttle body batteryless EFI
HORSEPOWER    84 hp
IGNITION    3D
CLUTCH    Drive: Arctic (rpm sensing)
Driven: Arctic (roller cam) ACT drive system
SUSPENSION    Front: AWS VII double-wishbone A-arms with hydraulic twin tube shocks and swaybar; 9.5 in. (241.3 mm) travel
Rear: Slide-action frame with coupling blocks, adjustable torsion springs and hydraulic twin tube shocks; 13.5 in. (342.9 mm) travel
BRAKES    Hydraulic disc
LUBRICATION    Oil injection
EXHAUST    Tuned pipe and canister
SKIS    UHMW plastic saddleless
LENGTH    118 in. (2,997 mm)
WIDTH    47.25 in. (1,200 mm)
TRACK LXWXH    128 x 15 x 1 in. (3,251 x 381 x 25.4 mm)
SKI STANCE    43 in. (1,092 mm)
DRY WEIGHT    509 lbs
FUEL CAPACITY    12.6 gal. (47.7 l)

The 2007 F5 was preferable over the 2007 F6, so is this one. As a matter of fact the 2007 F5 is preferable over this one too, so if you’re thinking of an upgrade you better look for another completely different sled. The “upgrades” of the 2009 F5 are definitely not worth the $1000 over the 07 model. Looks is just a small part of the sled you’re getting. If you’re smart you’ll be thinking about the performance first.