Driven: 2024/25 Can-Am Maverick R X RS With Smart-Shox – a Mouthful, but Totally Worth It

Can-Am was nice enough to send us to the deserts of Reno, Nevada, to try and get the most out of what they call the most capable sporty UTV ever built. Yeah, Yamaha and Polaris want a word about that. But, to Cam-Am's credit, what they had on offer for us in Reno was some of the most fun we've ever had riding side-by-side. Keep in mind that the 2024 and 2025 Maverick R two-seaters are practically identical, apart from some changes in paint and decal choices. So, the critiques for one apply to the other. Knowing this, let's look at the details.

On first looks alone, the Maverick R is a machine that exudes machismo and a sinister aura as soon as you lay eyes on it. Keeping in theme with rivals like the Kawasaki Teryx, Yamaha YXZ1000R, and Polaris RZR Pro R, the Maverick R looks poised to sprint to its top speed even when standing still. With dimensions of 140 inches long, 78.1 inches wide, 71.5 inches tall, and weighing in at 2,250 lbs, the Maverick R is nothing short of a ball of energy. One whose clever suspension setup juts out of the bodywork forward of and behind the door, so you can see it going to work as you drive along.

The handles for the Maverick R's twin suicide doors open from the opposite end of the vehicle than normal. A light pull actuates the handle with a delightful tactility as you step inside. Here, you'll find an interior that is so automotive-like that you may delude yourself into thinking this is a car you could drive on the highway. Seriously, that 10.25-inch capacitive center display looks like something you'd find in a well-sorted mid-size sedan. Elsewhere, the seats were a surprising source of positive feedback, with plenty of bolstering and robust weather-resistant seat coverings.

The digital gauge cluster was easy enough to read, although you might have to crane your neck a bit to view it if you're on the taller side. Meanwhile, that gear select stick by your right hand also looks like something you'd find in a sports sedan. The level 3 JL stereo system did a great job of projecting high-quality audio while traversing rough terrain at high speeds as well. The optional upgraded level 4 and level 5 systems are even more crazy, with a suite of speakers built into the roof lining.

All in all, this was a fantastic place to spend a day off-roading. Even more so when you fire up the absolute firecracker of an engine. It's a 999 cc turbocharged three-cylinder engine from the eccentric team of German engineers at Rotax. By way of its ownership under the BRP group, Rotax builds all of the light combustion engines for vehicles under the Can-Am banner, alongside its work developing engines for light aircraft. With throttle-by-wire technology and a screaming high-flow exhaust, this is a drivetrain built for thrills.

In truth, the engine isn't the most impressive part of this drivetrain. That'd be the seven-speed, double-clutch transmission built in-house by Rotax just for this application. It makes the Maverick R one of the few sporty side-by-sides ever built that doesn't use a rubber-belt CVT, as has been standard since the form factor was founded. With 240 horsepower to work with on the trails, there are plenty of passenger cars out there that make just a fraction of that figure. The implications for a vehicle this light and this agile are nothing short of insanity.

Plenty of sporty side-by-sides will rock you back in your seat off the line. Even ones far less powerful and less capable than the Maverick R can do that. But how many of these can sustain that surge of power well beyond the meat and potatoes in the rev range? Thanks to the clever gearbox and an engine that loves to rev, your confidence as you mash the throttle in any gear is off the charts. We know UTV manufacturers seldom publish fuel economy figures, but the fuel dial barely budged during our two-to-three-hour jaunt just outside of Reno.

But you can't talk about the Maverick R experience without mentioning the suspension. With 25 inches of travel in the front and 26 inches in the rear via a rear four-link and front double A-arm with sway bar, no wonder BRP turns these rigs into racers. Over slow, rocky inclines, the Smart-Lok locking front differential made quick work of even the difficult stuff. It's all made to work brilliantly thanks to FOX 2.5 PODIUM piggyback shocks with bypass upfront plus FOX 3.0 PODIUM piggybacks in the rear, all with Can-Am's semi-active Smart-Shox technology. It's only available on the Maverick R X RS, and it's worth every penny if you ask us.

Out on the trail, where the Smarx-Sox adjust their firmness as many as 200 times per second, that extra hardware makes for quick work of ruts, dips, rocks, small boulders, and just about anything else you're liable to encounter over the sands outside Reno. Need we remind you these same sands turn pro drivers into paste during the annual Las Vegas to Reno time trials every summer? For a UTV to be capable enough that even novices feel like racers only speaks to how mind-blowing the Maverick R is to drive.

This power surge of a drivetrain mixed with space-age suspension and 32-inch ITP Tenacity XNR tires with beadlock wheels combine to make difficult terrain a joy to drive over. If all you care about is the most exciting experience possible, price tag be darned, then you can't do much better than the Maverick R without buying a racer and some sponsorships. You also do so in relative comfort and with auto-grade connectivity at your fingertips. For an MSRP of $44,299 for the fancy Maverick R X RS with Smart-Shox, as we drove today, it better be a world-class off-road experience.

But that begs the question, is the Maverick R better than its main rival, the Polaris RZR Pro R? Well, we've driven both here on autoevolution. Even with the RZR Pro R's 1000 cc advantage in engine displacement, that rev-happy Rotax engine and proper dual-clutch transmission in the equivalent Maverick R is simply a more enjoyable experience. Granted, this might not apply as much lower down the line. In fact, we actually prefer the RZR Pro XP to the equivalent BRP, the Can-Am Maverick X3. But at the highest echelons of the sporty UTV sector, that gearbox makes all the difference in the world.

There's just nothing quite like rowing through physical gears when the going gets quick. Be it on asphalt or pavement, this applies universally. Thanks to BRP's Smart-Shox, there's also the sense the Maverick R is a bit more precise and poised over the really rough stuff than the equivalent RZR. At least this time around, and even if the RZR Pro R's infotainment suite might be more impressive, the advantage goes to team BRP. Will this be the same this time next year? If the Polaris vs Can-Am rivalry is anything to go by, this won't be the case for very long.

But what do you folks think? Would you rather take home the bombastic French-Canadian BRP juggernaut over the all-American RZR Pro R? Let us know in the comments down below. One thing's for sure: this is the kind of competition that can only help the entire industry to do better. So, by all means, keep building crazier and faster, sporty side-by-sides for us to drive. We'll take all comers.