I think a lot of that depends on what the prevous sled was.
My story started off on a 03 (yes i started late in life) 03 arctic cat 1m had it for 3 years, got a 08 skidoo xp and thought that was the leaps and bounds better, it handled better and I actually felt good when i got to the good stuff as opposed to being completly spent on the cat. A 09 polaris 700 rmk fell in my lap and even though it lacked the power of the xp (make sure you read FOR ME in this part) it made up for it in the handling. Fast forward I have a 12 freeride on the way as i type this about a week out give or take and I am hoping it will handle close to the poo but have the power I missed.
If your after all out sidehill, tree riding the freeride may be a little disappointing. Not really its niche. I love mine and it does sidehill great......but a summit or a pro are much better in this department