Yesterday I got a chance to compare my sled (3" Pro RMK) to a 16 Assault with a 2.6(20/40 chain case) and a 16 Pro RMK 163 with 2.6" QD belt drive. All riders swapped back and forth and we all came to the same conclusion, my sled had the best throttle response and feel through out the entire RPM. Main difference between the sleds was gearing. And I have had great luck with my clutch belt life this year, 850 miles on one belt which is a personal best. I absolutely love the lower gearing. It keeps my clutches cooler since they're not having to work as hard in the steep n deep. Anyways this was my experience with as close to back to back comparison of all the different options polaris offers.