Like any performance side-by-side, as you strap yourself into the driver’s seat you just feel like you’re in the cockpit of a performance vehicle. But once you step on the throttle … it was like zero to 45 in about five seconds.
What?
Well, the Can-Am x RS turbo has two keys. The black one is designed to make the Maverick something less than a “MAX Turbo.” But once you insert the grey key … well than it became a “zero-to-faster-than-I-wanted-to-go” in about five seconds.
Huge difference.
Even with the black key, the Maverick is a great trail ride. All the power is there for climbing terrain … it’s just limited to 45 mph. It makes it a fuel-economy-friendly vehicle that keeps your power in check.
But with the grey key, now the electronically controlled wastegate automatically adjusts boost pressure for optimal performance … even at altitude. We started our ride at about 5,000-foot elevation and rode up to just less than 9,000-foot elevation. There was no drop off of power throughout the ride.
And when the trail got rough and rocky, the innovative rear suspension with torsional trailing A-arms provided a controlled, predictable ride.
Another interesting feature that was fun to play with was the Tri-Mode Dynamic Power Steering. There was three settings—minimum, medium and maximum assistance. Just like Goldilocks, the minimum was a little too hard, the maximum was at times a little too soft. But the medium steering assistance worked in all conditions. Once we got use to the maximum assistance, it could really grow on you … especially on a tight twisty trail.
The Maverick comes with Maxxis Bighorn 2.0 tires which offer great traction and positive handling. But the tires do tend to sling the mud just a little too aggressively. Either that or the Maverick needed better fenders or mud flaps to tone things down. It only took a couple of puddles to cover everything (including driver) in clumps of mud.
After our ride up to Relay Ridge in eastern Idaho’s Big Hole Mountains, we took the Maverick MAX down to the river bottoms along the Snake River where we encountered a riverbed of rocks and again, the Can-Am was right at home in the rough stuff.
