I am going to upgrade my trolling motor.  My boat is a Triton 186.  The dealers in my area want to sell me an Ultrex, and do not promote XI5.  I lean toward the XI5 because I have Lowrance screens.  I would like to hear of experiences and opinions regarding the two trolling motors.

The ultrex is a country mile better, no contest. It does everything the Xi5 does, plus has all the advantages of a cable steer on top. Other than connecting with Lowrance. Now there is a very strong certainty that Lowrance (and Garmin) are working on their own trolling motors to compete with the Ultrex. If you can wait until after the icast trade show in July you might find a Lowrance tm is exactly what you want.

12 hours ago, jim canaday said:

I am going to upgrade my trolling motor.  My boat is a Triton 186.  The dealers in my area want to sell me an Ultrex, and do not promote XI5.  I lean toward the XI5 because I have Lowrance screens.  I would like to hear of experiences and opinions regarding the two trolling motors.

Either wait until Lowrance comes out with their new trolling motor or get the Ultrex. In my opinion the cable steer puts the Ultrex way ahead.

Over the last 40 years I have either used or owned nearly every kind of trolling motor available.

The Minnkota ultrex is without a doubt the best trolling motor I have used.

If you are concerned about linking the trolling motor and Lowrance , the first thing to decide is will you use it.

My last trolling motor had the I pilot link to my hummingbird. In 4 years of use, I actually used the link once.

I fish stained low country reservoirs, so I am not usually fishing deep offshore structure.

 

7 minutes ago, Russ E said:

The Minnkota ultrex is without a doubt the best trolling motor I have used.

If you are concerned about linking the trolling motor and Lowrance , the first thing to decide is will you use it.

@Russ E said it very well.  How you fish is key in choosing a TM.

 

I love my Ultrex and have it linked to my two Humminbirds. I spend most of my time fishing off shore but I use the remote and the foot pedal 95% of the time to control the TM.  The I-pilot link feature I enjoy the most is that it shows the trolling motor heading on the map.  This is actually the feature I would miss the most if I didn’t have I-pilot link.  Just about everything thing else can be done with the remote and is often easier with the remote.  The main thing you cannot do on the remote is use the follow contour feature.  I don’t use this as much as I thought I would when I bought the TM.  

 

I can’t overstate how much I love spot lock.   It’s the killer feature that I can’t live without.