The rate at which UTV’s have improved in the last 10 years is nothing short of insane! So much so that I’m starting to wonder if the engineers at the various UTV manufacturers are working with alien technology that somehow made it to earth from a distant off-road paradise planet full of epic riding and lacking asphalt of any kind. Most manufacturers are making amazing advancements in everything from horsepower to suspension, to technology and more but the two at the bleeding edge are Polaris and Can Am. Last year, Polaris released the all new RZR Pro R, a 225hp naturally aspirated beast that most considered to be the new king of UTV’s. Since that release, anyone paying attention to the high horsepower UTV market has been waiting to see how Can Am would respond. Well, they just answered with the all new Can Am Maverick R and needless to say, we’re impressed!
Engine
The engine in the all-new Maverick R is a brand new boosted 999 cc 3 cylinder Rotax that boasts an impressive class leading 240 horsepower. To pump out all that power, Can Am added a new 54mm turbocharger bolted directly to the engine block allowing it to be integrated oiling and cooling. To handle all the power, Can Am went to a closed deck head design and used 8 tension rods running through the block to handle pressure from the increased power. They also added forged aluminum pistons and plasma coated the cylinders.
Transmission
The new Maverick R ditches the ubiquitous belt that has driven most UTV’s for the past few decades for a new Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT). The gear on gear design of the DCT gives you a more connected feel and allows you to select what gear you want and when. Shifting through the 7 gears in manual mode is done using paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel.
If you want to take a break and let the computer do all the work, you can switch the transmission into automatic mode.
Can Am is not the first to use a DCT in a sport UTV but there are a few things that make their take unique including the ability to shift on the fly between high and low gear and the electronically actuated Park, High and Low.
Drive Modes
There are 3 drive modes available on the new Maverick R to help you have the right amount of power and performance at the right time, they are: Normal, Sport, and Sport+. Normal mode is designed for every day riding and Sport mode gives you more power and performance for when the terrain opens up a bit. Sport + mode is where things get interesting. Sport+ mode activates Can Am’s new Advanced Response Technology (ART). I won’t bore you with the details but in short, it uses black magic to begin to spool the turbo greatly reduce turbo lag. In combination with the new Dual Clutch Transmission, the power is almost instantaneous.
Suspension
The most glaring difference between the new Maverick R and any UTV on the market it the innovative new suspension. While the looks of the new suspension is jarring, even more jarring is the impressive travel numbers, with 25 inches of travel out front and 26 inches of travel in the rear on the Smart Shox equipped models. The design definitely takes some getting used to but Can Am and their engineering team are betting the improved suspension performance is worth it. One of the biggest benefits of the new suspension design is the reduced load on other suspension components including an 85% reduction in load on the front upper control arms and a 15% reduction in load on the tie rods. The unique rear suspension reduces load on the toe line by 45% and 38% on the upper links.
Sparing you the nerdy details, the new suspension reduces its tendency to roll by half keeping you flatter in corners and giving you more predictable handling.
Interior
There are some major changes to the interior starting with the new 10.25 inch center screen and infotainment system. The new screen allows you to view front and rear cameras, driving stats, performance info, music, and more. It also brings Apple CarPlay to the Maverick R, an industry first. Controlling the infotainment screen is now even easier with new steering wheel mounted controls on a redesigned wheel. Tilt and telescopic steering is also available.
How Much is the New Maverick R?
The new Maverick R is available in 4 trim levels.
Maverick R
- Price: $35,499 USD
- Features:
- Smart-Lok front differential
- Fox 2.5 Podium Piggyback shocks with QS3 compression adjustment
- 30 in. ITP Tenacity XNR Tires
- 15 in. Flow Formed Wheels
Maverick R X
- Price: $38,399 USD
- Features:
- Maverick R features
- 4 point Harnesses with shoulder pads
- Rear camera
- 25 in. Touch screen display
- Telescoping steering wheel with infotainment controls
Maverick R X RS
- Price: $42,599 USD
-
Features:
- Maverick R X features
- 16 in. Flow Formed Wheels
- Front and Rear camera
- 32 in. ITP Tenacity XNR Tires
- Fox 3.0 Podium RC2 Piggyback Shocks
Maverick R X RS with Smart-Shox
- Price: $44,299 USD
-
Features:
- Maverick R X RS features
- Fox 3.0 Podium RC2 Piggyback Shocks with bypass and Smart-Shox Technology
Wrap up
There has been so much progress and improvements in the high horsepower top end UTV market over the last few years that it has become very difficult to impress. When Polaris released the RZR Pro R, many proclaimed that it was simply the best UTV ever made. With that kind of expectation, Can Am had a difficult task ahead of them with the new Maverick R. Time behind the wheel will tell but one paper it appears they were up to the challenge and may have even set a new bar.