2024 Maverick R X rs Review

2024 Maverick R X rs Review

Suspension:

Can-Am’s engineers really took a clean-sheet approach to this one. For years, Can-Am Maverick X3s have been notorious for certain suspension mounting points and parts being susceptible to accelerated wear if the cars were driven hard. We get the feeling that Can-Am has remedied that complaint and then some after spending some time with the new Maverick R.

First, the unique tall knuckle design allows Can-Am to reduce the forces that the suspension components apply to the frame by increasing the amount of leverage the car has over its own components. This is a very simplified way to put it, but effectively Can-Am has stretched the A-arms really far apart to give them a solid grip on the knuckle, which is the part that holds the wheel end assembly to the suspension. 

There are already a ton of aftermarket upgrades, too. Check out these 27 Awesome Maverick R Products!

The net effect of this can be summarized pretty easily, and video demonstrations of this can be found on our social pages. Imagine you are holding a broom handle vertically out in front of you, with one hand above the other. Each hand represents a ball joint in this exercise, and the broom stick represents the knuckle. If you hold your hands about 6 inches apart, this would represent about the distance the ball joints are separated on an X3. Imagine now someone grabbing either end of the long broom stick and twisting or pulling it. Your wrists would have a hard time dealing with the force being placed so closely together.

Now, imagine the same exercise, but with your hands slid about 20 inches or so further apart on the broomstick. This more closely represents the distance between the ball joints of the Maverick R. With your hands placed further apart on the broomstick, outside influence to the ends (the wheel) are much easier to control. The outside force has not changed, but your ability to deal with it has. Can-Am says the change to the tall knuckle design reduced frame loads from suspension impacts by up to 85% in their testing. That’s huge. 

Travel numbers are abundant: 25 inches up front, with 26 inches out back. The rear suspension also gets the tall knuckle design, placing a single radius rod up under the fender to allow the Maverick R to deal with big off-road impacts without having to be built like an iron tank. Can-Am has multiple trim levels of Maverick R available and three different shock packages, but our time spent in the car makes us want to point everyone that is able to afford it to the Smart Shox package, as it is well worth the asking price. 

2024 Maverick R X rs Review

Interior:

The new Maverick R has a ton of interior features that make it stand out, most notably the 10.25 inch touchscreen display. It has seats that adjust forward and backwards on a slider and can be height or pitch adjusted by moving some bolts around. It has the same seats as the X3, which aren’t bad for stock units. The X3 we drove had four point harnesses as well. Fit and finish of the interior was excellent, and the tilt/telescope steering wheel allows you to really dial in a comfortable position.

Visibility is increased over the X3, but storage is not. As the most expensive UTV in the industry, this Maverick R puts a lot of faith in its accessory catalog for storage capacity, and most owners may not be too happy about that. Regardless, there are a ton of awesome storage accessories available from Can-Am. As it comes out of the box, there just isn’t a lot here.

Can-Am’s new infotainment system works very well for the in-car control parts. There are redundant buttons on the steering wheel and center stack, as well as touch screen options. Important functions have buttons. The shifter ergonomics are great, and the whole car is easy to operate. It is a big step ahead of the X3 in development and fit and finish. Can-Am’s GPS tech and integrated apps are a little on the basic side at launch, and the car can be updated easily by end users with new software patches. It will be a work in progress until it is up to Ride Command standards, but we are glad to see Can-Am taking the initiative to get it started. Onyx compatibility is coming soon, which we are really excited for.

2024 Maverick R X rs Review

Tires/Wheels/Brakes:  

An industry-first 16 inch wheel graces the Maverick R at each corner, with a square tire setup up to 32 inches available from the factory. We have verified in person that 35 inch tires do indeed fit the Maverick R with room to spare, and a 35 also lays flat in the bed. Tire options were obviously limited at the launch test, but we will say that the car feels like it will take the abuse from big tires very well, as the 32 inch ITP Tenacity tires on our test rig never exhibited a shimmy or wobble in the steering wheel all day.

Brakes are massively strong and do not give up, even when pushed hard repeatedly. Pedal effort is easy, and the transmission aiding you with rapid downshifts helps slow the car steadily and rapidly. We did see a couple of valve stems get taken out by rocks on the trail, which could have something to do with Can-Am’s unique wheel and suspension design, as the valve stem is placed very far inside the wheel. Could we be running a 35 inch tire on 17 inch wheels here soon?