When you hear someone say, “Go pound sand,” the response back is usually something along the lines of “Right back at ya” or some similar, not-so-pleasant reply.
Yet, when that suggestion was made to us here at Dirt Toys Magazine by Can-Am, we accepted and weren’t even offended by it. In fact we quickly accepted the offer, knowing full well we would be playing in one of Southern California’s biggest sandboxes and loving every minute of it.
With the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, aka the Glamis Dunes, as our sandbox, we needed a vehicle that could match the sheer grit of those dunes, which offer up 118,000 acres of motorized fun travel on a sea of sand. Can-Am delivered with its new Maverick X ds Turbo, quite possibly the most attractive turn-key sand duning/desert runner side-by-side for 2015.
We were happy to go pound sand in that dune tamer.
We knew going in that this was going to be an exciting evaluation, already aware of the legitimacy of the Maverick X 1000 and its sand abilities. Two years after the unveiling of the Maverick X comes a stock turbo model that will blow your socks off. This vehicle is built to excel on soft, unstable and off-cambered terrain.
Newbie Turns Into Expert
One of writers/pilots came to this Glamis gig fairly green to the sand scene, yet after a day and a half of riding in all kinds of situations while driving the new Maverick X ds Turbo, left with all kinds of confidence and feeling like a fairly accomplished duner.
Our seat tells us that the highly rigid, purpose-built chassis with the mid-engine configuration is a functional base for the Maverick and its confidence-bolstering agility, handling and traction. It took us the first half day of testing the waters, or rather sand, to get a feel for the Maverick’s capabilities on the Glamis Dunes and we found that those capabilities usually extended beyond the pilot’s, and especially the passenger’s, nerve even while driving with a little bit of caution to avoid an ugly “Witch’s Eye.”
In the right situation you can roll off a steep descent and throw this Maverick into a four wheel drift and it will hold a nice line with its awesome balance and stability. That creates confidence.
The sport-tuned suspension is an integral component of the overall handling and stability of the complete Maverick X ds package with the Torsional Trailing A-arms (TTA) in the back redesigned with 16 inches of travel and the Double A-arms in the front, also redesigned, with 15 inches of travel. The extra 3.7 inches of extended wheelbase to the rear of the buggy is now up to 88 inches and is another attribute to the improved handling attitude.
Fox Shocks
The shocks of choice for the X ds are the Fox 2.5 Podium RC2 HPG piggybacks built with numerous features and fine tuning adjustments including dual-speed compression, rebound and dual-rate coil-over preload adjustments. The back shocks also have a crossover ring bottom-out control. With what dune jumping we participated in, which wasn’t extreme by any means, the X ds handled the maneuver with grace and some comfortable cush.
We did have to have one of the Fox technicians who came to the vehicle intro at Glamis dial rebound out of the rear shocks from the factory settings, as the back end of the Maverick got quite happy, making us a little nervous and uncomfortable while hustling it through the big whoops at higher speeds. We also sensed the rear end hunting for a different line than the front when driving rutted sand on the flat, making for a bit of a “washy feel or sensation.” We feel confident that Can-Am and Fox will have a handle on these issues prior to production.
The X ds’ handling also benefits from the improved steering package that touts a one and three-quarter turn on the steering wheel to complete right to left lockout. Not new for Can-Am yet definitely a perk for the Maverick is the 3-stage DPS, as there is a noticeable difference between the three settings and it is a nice feature that compensates for terrain surface resistance and/or the amount of arm strong built into the pilot. Driving the X ds was a treat and could be accomplished single-handedly without compromise or uneasiness. We did put the tape measure to the X ds and found the turning radius on flat soft sand to be 33 feet on the inside track.
Creature comforts on the X ds are top notch with comfortable and secure-feeling seats along with an accommodating sport steering wheel for high performance driving. We like the fact that the very informative analog/digital instrument gauge pod tilts with the steering wheel, keeping things in clear view for the pilot, despite the angle. We also like the flat floor pans mostly for ease of ingress/egress and the toggle switch/dash layout with a large jockey box.
Piercing The Darkness
Headlights are more than sufficient for night driving and the backlit toggles are great, as we found on one night ride during the Glamis event. We do have a few personal qualms with the cockpit though. We found that the center console or engine/transmission doghouse can become uncomfortably warm. The safety side net can be visually restrictive and annoying to the pilot so we are thinking doors are the real ticket here.
Finally, a ticky-tack issue is we would like to see the shift pattern letters on the console colored to contrast for ease of operation when looking at the shifter instead of the indicator in the instrument gauge, even though the shift pattern is basically the same as that of your car. All side-by-sides are not created equal and shifting patterns can be confusing to some.
Obviously, the big news concerning the Maverick X ds for 2015 is the forced induction shoved into the 1000cc Rotax 4-stroke. The turbocharger operates via Can-Am’s high flow dynamics and a Variable Computer Controller ranging from 0 to 8 psi, boosting the horsepower up from 101 to a quite respectable and stout 121. This Rotax also has an increase of 40 percent more torque up to 96 ft. lbs that dished out plenty of impressive grunt for the X ds to break loose the 2.0 Maxxis Bighorn 28 inchers on 14-inch wheels and sling sand while it performed on the Glamis Dunes with relative ease.
The 1-K turbo builds momentum like right now, bolstering your confidence to attack the big, steep dunes and run the ridge lines. We can only imagine how awesome this buggy would be with a pair of paddles. And speaking of grunt, the big cc V-twin had it to cover the bottom end, suffering virtually no lag until the turbo spooled up, and then full boost at 6000 rpm felt like overdrive as the X ds just kept pulling.
0-60
We accomplished three controlled 0-60 passes on firm yet somewhat loose sand and documented an average of 8.89 seconds by means of GPS, which isn’t too bad for a non-hard surface and two full-sized occupants on board. We also observed a top speed of 72 mph and for whatever it’s worth, all of the speed/time testing was done with a meager 6 psi in the tires which is well below the manufacturer specs, in order to assist with traction on the soft sand.
The standard bead lock wheels are a functional feature that allows for running the super low tire air pressures for improved duning characteristics, without pealing the tire from the wheel. We feel very confident that speeds would have been higher and times probably lower had the tires been a little harder, yet we decided to run the general setup that we were driving.
Cam-Am personnel did their homework compensating for the extra power and torque load being applied to and through the drive system with some necessary upgrades and refinements over the ’14 Maverick. A visually noticeable beef-up are the larger diameter rear axles, readied for the rigors of longer travel and power increase. What you can’t see on a general visual is the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) and its compartment. The CVT is comprised of a redesigned secondary clutch with a new Quick Response System (QRS) and an improved primary clutch that allows better power transfer and faster engagement.
Complementing this high performance CVT package is the housing or compartment in which it is confined. The CVT housing has been redesigned with much more efficient venting (read: air flow), a very critical component for the temperatures and power demands associated with sand duning. Our two days of testing and info-gathering at Glamis were quite warm at 97 degrees F the first day and 95 degrees F the other day with little to no cooling breeze.
We think that we test these vehicles as hard if not harder than the average consumer uses his. With this in mind and after 150 plus miles of exhilaration, the Maverick X ds never disappointed or faltered with power or the delivery of it as we tried to find a soft spot—but never did—keeping the excitement level on a continual high.
The Maverick is easy to look at. Our test vehicle was finished out in the Manta Green and Carbon Black, trendy colors associated with extreme motorsports these days. The 1000R Turbo is also available in a sharp White, Light Grey and Manta Green combo. The 1000R comes dressed out in a Black, White and Manta Green combo. There is a boatload of accessories available from Can-Am for personalizing and tricking out the Maverick X ds above and beyond an already thorough package, sporting some personalization of its own.
How about those comfy high-back bucket seats with the M styled headrests and the M shaped intercooler housing?
Whether by design or not, this thing has big M all over it and yes, this Maverick X ds Turbo has already proven to be very attractive for the 2015 side-by-side market.
Poundin’ sand doesn’t sound like such a bad thing after all.
