If Instagram can be used as a barometer for a vehicle’s popularity, the Can-Am Maverick X3 has got a bright future ahead of it. The X3 is Can-Am’s new sport UTV flagship that was introduced back in August 2016 at Club BRP in Orlando. Immediately the Internet caught fire talking about the Maverick X3 X RS with 24-inches of suspension travel and 154 horsepower.
The line between a UTV and an off-road buggy were clearly being blurred, and we weren’t complaining. With big turbo horsepower, 102-inch wheelbase and advanced suspension, the Maverick X3 is as close to race-ready as you can get and this was proved when S3 and the Murray Racing both hit the Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno later that week.
We had a quick opportunity to get behind the wheel of the Maverick X3 at the dealer show, then again in the dunes at the UTV Invasion in Idaho (see Maverick X3 Dune Review) and again for a formal review with Can-Am down in Baja (see Can-Am Maverick X3 Review).
Polaris RZR XP 1000 vs. Can-Am Maverick X3 X rs at the UTV Invasion
After the Maverick X3 press intro in Baja Mexico, the waiting began. Enthusiasts got their orders in and dealers were waiting on units from the factory. While we waited, Can-Am teased us with the Battle BROyale video produced by the Hoonigans and starring BJ Baldwin and Ken Block.
Then October rolled around and dealers, enthusiasts and the aftermarket finally got their hands on the first production Maverick X3s. At first, it was the X ds model with 20-inches of travel and 64-inch width. SDR Motorsports in Southern California was one of the first, and posted theirs up in front of the shop.
And then the Maverick X3 X rs models hit, and our friends at TMW Off-Road slapped some sand tires on a Triple Black X rs and took it to the dunes. The X3 looks awesome in the sand!
Since then, @SDRMotorsports and @floengineered have finished up their first cages and are getting ready for Glamis and the 2017 race season.
One thing is for sure, these are exciting times to be in the UTV industry! The Maverick X3 has pushed the limits of the sport UTV market and we can’t wait to get back behind the wheel again. Hopefully we will get a demo unit soon (fingers crossed for a Triple Black Maverick X3 X rs) so we can do long term testing in the dunes and desert.
Triple Black Maverick X3 X rs
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