Can-Am's $48,000 Maverick R Blew My Mind Off-Road (And Makes Your Raptor Look Dull)

With the desert blasting by and Can-Am's PR rep sitting next to me audibly chuckling over the sounds of the turbocharged three-cylinder, I looked down for a second to check the speedo. 110. I did a double take; the shortest possible-double take I could do, without steering face first into the nearest growth of creosote scrub that lines most of Johnson Valley's trails. The big, bold, "110" was still displaying on the dash. 

This time, I looked long enough to see that it was measuring kilometers per hour. Frankly, it could've been 110 miles per hour and I would've believed it.

My foot buried to the floor, and the rear of the massive side-by-side starting to float laterally along the top of the desert sand whoops, it was hard to tell just how fast I was going from moment to moment. I backed off the throttle for an approaching turn, laughed at the audible pops and burbles coming from behind me, and gave my right-seat passenger a big thumbs up. Can-Am invited me out to the California desert to watch some epic off-road racing at King of the Hammers, and while I was there, I drove their newest and greatest side-by-side: the Maverick R.

After several hours of driving the Maverick R around the desert, I had another distinct thought: This is what buyers really want when they drive out of a dealership with something like a Ford F-150 Raptor R, or a Tacoma TRD Pro. To be clear, that's no dig on the Ford or Toyota products, they're great at what they do. I've done a steady 60 miles per hour over desert whoops in the F-150 Raptor R, then driven home with the heated seats on and no sand in my teeth. But even rigs that powerful and capable can't match the sensations you get in an open-air side-by-side like the Can-Am Maverick R.

Powerful, light, and with suspension built to tackle some of the world's most abusive terrain, the newest Can-Am Maverick R provides a nearly-all-senses experience. With the sights, sounds, smells, and physical inputs of the desert rushing at you, it feels like driving a superbike on four 16-inch bead-locking wheels and knobby tires. A side-by-side this fast requires maximum attention when you're on full attack, but it's also one of the most engaging driving experiences available for the price.

When you think of 200-plus-horsepower turbocharged engines, your first thought is likely a small hatchback or sedan. In fact, there are plenty of sporty compact cars (the Honda Civic Si comes to mind) that make do with 200 horsepower or less. The folks behind the Maverick R think that's not nearly enough. Sporty side-by-sides like the newest Polaris RZR Pro put down as much as 225 horses, so the competition is stiff, but the Can-Am Maverick R with its turbocharged three-cylinder Rotax engine is rated at 240 hp. According to Can-Am, that makes it the most-powerful side-by-side on the market.

Specifically, I was driving the 2025 Maverick R Max X RS with Smart Shox. The "Max" part of that hilariously-long name means it's the four-door family-friendly version. It provides plenty of space for your family or friends to ride along for a good time, but it's more than just spacious. The longer wheelbase makes it significantly more comfortable at high speeds than the two-door version. Riding back to back in different versions of the Maverick, I got the sense that the comfort differences were marginal, but a nice bonus if you opted for the Max. 

The top-trim Maverick R comes with a healthy equipment list. Like the turbocharged 999cc three-cylinder engine, a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission is standard, plus a locking front differential and several unique drive modes. There are paddle shifters, or you can leave the DCT to handle gear-changes itself. Shifting with the paddles can be a fun part of the experience, but with so much desert coming at me so fast, I opted to leave it in automatic mode most of the time.

Standard 265mm front brakes and 255mm rears stop the Maverick R with relative ease, never biting too hard. The brakes and the throttle are both well-tuned for pedal response, too. There's enough travel in the top of the pedal action for both, to accommodate the slightly bouncy right foot you'll inevitably have over rough terrain. One of the Maverick R's biggest party tricks, though, is the Tall Knuckle suspension.

The Tall Knuckle suspension is one of the Maverick R's calling cards. When you first see it, static and hunched over the front wheels, it looks a bit strange. But barrelling over the uneven desert floor, going full-steam ahead towards rocks and whoops, you can watch the Maverick R's suspension undulate as you go, and it starts to make much more sense. Seeing the tops of the aluminum knuckles move helps put into perspective just how much is happening beneath you without translating to cabin movement of any kind.

Both the front and rear suspension on the model I tested had 24 inches of suspension travel. Along with 17 inches of ground clearance, that's more than enough to soak up any reasonably sized whoop I threw at the Maverick R, and even some of the less-reasonable ones. The Tall Knuckle design, according to Can-Am, improves stability, handling, and overall control. The Smart-Shox on the top Maverick R trim uses Fox live valves to help control rebound and compression. Put this all into one package and you've got a vehicle that's virtually unflappable over the roughest of desert floors.

Hopping out of a regular four-door pickup, it takes time acclimating to something as purpose-built as the Maverick R. In the open desert, there are a lot of trails carved out by off-road vehicles over time. They criss cross, avoiding big rocks, even-bigger bushes, and heading in the direction of interesting landmarks. When you get a 90-degree intersection of these trails, however, it can mean big impacts. Differences in terrain height, carved by tires in the sand, translate to drop offs of several inches or even a few feet.

Typically, you have to approach these intersections with a lot of caution. This is where you slow down the most, avoiding a nose dive into a deeper section of sand. With the Maverick R, going full speed towards these big intersections felt intimidating at first, but after a few reps it was like spreading room-temperature butter over warm toast: easy and satisfying. 

A small difference in approach speed is required when the trail drops off by a few feet, but lifting your foot off the throttle scrubbed off just enough. After a while, the Maverick R made me feel like a hero, capable of taking on any road that the desert could throw at me. It's tough to get used to, but it's an addicting sensation that I doubt would fade over time.

When you select Sport+ mode in the Maverick R, the exhaust comes alive. Pops and burbles during throttle overrun are added to the mix of an already-brappy soundtrack. The sounds it doesn't make are just as encouraging. The exhaust is aggressive enough to put a smile on my face, but it's not so loud that my ears are ringing after four or five hours behind the wheel. Some riders (especially those in the rear, closer to the engine) may want to use ear plugs, but up front, I didn't feel the need.

Thankfully, the Maverick R's soundtrack was devoid of a few specific sounds: squeaks and rattles. Sure, there are all sorts of sounds of tires, suspension, and engine doing their work as I put the Maverick R through its paces, but nothing unpleasant. The build quality felt strong; none of the exterior panels were misplaced enough to cause rubbing issues, and even with all of the abuse, none of the interior panels felt like they were in danger of falling off. Even the most expensive trophy-truck versions of standard pickups can't pull that trick off.

More than just a suspension wizard with four doors that's powered by a screaming three-cylinder engine, the Maverick R gets some pretty modern touches. The standard 10.25-inch touchscreen on the dash is large enough to intimidate the screens in most compact cars. It also has high contrast colors and fonts, excellent for spotting all the information you need on the fly. It's worth some added praise to note that I was wearing tinted goggles for my Maverick R drive, yet I could still see the high-res screen clearly. 

It can be used to select individual settings for ride, throttle response, and steering, and it responds well to touch inputs even while wearing gloves. Sport mode in the suspension helps increase cornering stability, but I preferred comfort mode, especially over high-speed bumps and whoops.

The 4.5-inch digital driver's display is a little bit less modern and slightly harder to read. After a day of fun out on the sand and the rocks, the Maverick R's low-fuel light popped on and I had to slowly navigate my way back to base camp. A brighter, easier-to-read display may have helped me notice the fuel level a bit earlier, but I'll chalk that up to my heavy right foot. A USB port, a DC outlet, and LED headlights are all part of the standard equipment too.

With its dramatic acceleration, its extraordinary suspension, and its intense commitment to performance, the Maverick R doesn't come cheap. A standard two-door Maverick R has a starting price of $35,499. That's a lot, but not uncommon in this class of high-performance desert toys. After all, a RZR Pro R Sport is about the same – $34,999. Add an extra set of doors and the Maverick R Max version checks in at $39,199.

From there, the X, X RS, and X RS with Smart-Shocks trims all add progressively more equipment and associated cost. The Max X RS with Smart-Shox is the top of the Maverick R ladder, and the most expensive side-by-side Can-Am makes, with a sticker price of $47,799. That's before you start adding options: in-roof stereos, windshields, mirrors, light bars, rock sliders, auxiliary batteries, and extra cargo storage are all available directly from Can-Am, and that's before the seemingly endless series of aftermarket accessories. No matter what configuration or options you choose, the Maverick R is certain to put a smile on your face: it's just a matter of how big you want that smile to be.