Can-Am recently invited select media to experience the company’s hardcore Maverick and trail-ready Defender side-by-sides at Iron Mountain Resort, an off-road motorsport park near Dahlonega, Geogia. A torrential downpour of rain failed to dampen spirits and provided me with an opportunity to experience UTV performance in slippery terrain far different than higher-speed desert running in the desert of Southern California.
The storm churned Georgia’s famous red clay into a froth of deep puddles and muddy chunks, perfect for spraying gunk and grit over everyone and everything in the woods. But the dirty day also provided Can-Am with a chance to show off the fun factor that helped the entire SxS industry blow up in recent years.
I first climbed into a Maverick X3 Max X RS Turbo RR. The hilariously long name indicates all the maxed-out features in the four-door, which I chose purposefully to provide a bit more of a steady wheelbase amid the muddy slipping and sliding. The Turbo RR also compares and contrasts perfectly as market competition with the RZR Pro XP 4 I drove for four months last year.
In the high-spec ‘RR’ Mavericks, Can-Am uses a turbocharged Rotax ACE three-cylinder engine displacing 900cc and cranking out 200 horsepower to a CVT automatic transmission. Critical measurements for my four-door include a 1,924-pound dry weight, a 72-inch-wide wheel track, and a set of four Maxxis Carnivore 32-inch tires.
Read more: Deep Mudding In The New Can-Am Maverick X3 Max X RS Turbo RR