2016 Can-Am Maverick X3 launch review

You've got to applaud Can-Am – the subsidiary of Quebec-based power sports behemoth BRP – for launching its all-new turbo-charged sports-by-side (SxS) vehicle, the Maverick X3, in a hard-as-nails proving ground – the California Baja desert in Mexico.

Logistically it was a massive operation, but the real gamble was whether the X3s could perform and hang tough on the unforgiving terrain which has claimed so many busted machines (and tragically lives) in races like the Baja 500 and Baja 1000 over the last five decades.

Can-Am could have thrown us on a warm and fuzzy closed-loop circuit somewhere closer to home, but it took the riskier option and has come out of the other side vindicated and raring to go to market in North America in just a few weeks. Australia will follow in the final quarter of 2016, with the two models priced at $33,149 (X ds) and $36,149 (X rs) respectively.

The X ds model will be sold in a Triple Black livery, while the X rs will grace showrooms in Gold and Can-Am Red. There is also a standard Maverick X3, but that one won't be coming to Australia.

There's no doubt the X3s cost a pretty penny, but the new machines are a quantum leap ahead of the current Mavericks, the end result of a three-year project designed to "reshape the market and dominate the competition".

The Maverick X3s have been designed with predominantly sports enthusiasts and "aggressive drivers" in mind, and a large part of that has been engineering suspension to cut the mustard of not only fast-paced action but plenty – as an extension of that raw speed – of high-compression hits as well.

A quick glance of the derrieres of the current Maverick compared to the X3s reveals the extent to which Can-Am has gone to town in beefing up the suspension on the new toys.

The flagship X rs has the premium Fox 3.0 rear shocks, the remote reservoirs looking ominous on their high-frame mounts, while there's also a "Trophy Truck inspired" front end. The X rs also has a massive 24 inches (610mm) of rear travel and 15 inches (381mm) of ground clearance.

That 676kg X ds has slightly lower-spec Fox 2.5 suspension on the rear, but there's still 20 inches of travel at both ends and 14 inches (356mm) of ground clearance. Both machines also have Can-Am's four-link torsional trailing-arm (TTX) rear suspension.

From the moment I hit the start-stop button for the first time, I was hooked. With kilograms lopped off the unsprung weight in new Maverick guise and a total width of 72 inches, the 718kg rs is phenomenally stable and composed, and even under fierce braking from those 262mm (front) and 248mm discs it doesn't falter – and then corners like it's on rails just to continue its level of authority at the coal face. It's simply an amalgam of poise, efficiency and maturity.

The astonishing stability allows the driver to really crank up the gas early – and there's a heap of firepower coming from the rear-mounted 154hp/153Nm turbocharged and intercooled 900cc Rotax triple. However, it's also miserly on gas too, and we really only seemed to make a small dent in the gauge for the 40-litre fuel tank between gas stations.

On sand, the rs is in its absolute element, where that wide track at the front and class-leading 102-inch (2591mm) wheelbase adds to the stability.

The rs also slices through deep sand whoops with so much poise, as the back stays in line with the front time after time. The machine eats rough and tumble for breakfast, to the extent that the only time we – me and another Aussie journo – got ourselves into minor Baja sweaty-palm moments was when we left our braking a tad late on a few occasions.

While the rs takes sure-footedness to a new level, the ds feels a little more 'funky' and animated in comparison, which amounts to a more a seat-of-the-pants experience. The front suspension on the rs doesn’t feel as rock solid or have quite the same damping properties (and there's two inches less travel as well), but you can still drive it incredibly hard and it weathers just about every storm in a similar strapping manner to the rs. And with eight inches less width than the rs, the ds really is boss cocky on tighter trails.

For both X3s, the level of agility and involvement means that you really hardly ever have to break stride – a term that admittedly I have over used ad nauseum over the years, but in this case it couldn't be more apt.

Over two days, we criss-crossed through the Baja Peninsula desert to the tune of about 300 miles – and a maximum elevation of around 7000 feet – with open, fast trails the staple.

Our overnight stopover was at a gem of a location called Mike's Sky Ranch, which is about 90 miles east of our starting point in Ensenada – although it took us the best part of a day to get there with all the launch business going on. It's a mini oasis in the desert, and we'll talk more about it in an 'Advice and Destinations' piece soon.

All that open driving obviously presented numerous opportunities to take the all-new 900cc triple to its maximum, and top speed is around the 135km/h mark – ideal for a tilt at the 2017 Finke Desert Race we say!

There's very little turbo lag on the X3, so a planted throttle produces an almost immediate burst of energy, which the lighter and stronger chassis is able to cope with.

There is plenty of mechanical noise emanating from the X3s, but that's part of the raw-edged appeal of the new flagships. However, there isn't a lot of bark coming out of the muffler, which is a little underwhelming.

As well as the new engine, the CVT transmission has also been updated, and plenty of attention has been paid to keeping the unit cool, which obviously has benefits for performance and durability. Not one CVT belt gave up the ghost in two days of Baja Peninsula torture – and there weren't any mechanical or drivetrain issues either.

The CVT transmission offers the standard high and low options, although we only used low range on a few snotty, sketchy trails – but such is the momentum that the X3s can maintain even high range would have still got the job done easily enough.

There's also an Eco mode option for the Maverick X3, but I can't say I used it once…

With sports-inspired side-by-sides, getting the ergonomics right is paramount, as well as keeping the whole plot low to the ground and maintaining line of sight for the driver. That's quite the remit, and one of the reasons why Can-Am has the shocks sitting up so high on the rs and protruding out the top. It was engineered as such to keep the front end as low as possible, and it's been a success.

Drivers and passengers can adjust the seat to fine-tune even more, and the seats are adjustable on rollers which are meant to stay 'fluid' even as grit and grime builds up.

There's also plenty of space in the footwells for driver and passenger, although I wouldn't want to go driving with motocross boots as that's probably overkill.

The Mavericks may be engineered to go fast, but the seats are extremely comfortable as well. I'm not sure if Can-Am has nailed the contours or what the X factor is, but over the two days I spent equal amounts of time in the driver and passenger seats and didn't feel uncomfortable once – even as we were being shunted around on some of the heavier terrain.

The steering wheel has a flat bottom, and it also tilts up to 25 degrees. The impressive part of the steering equation is that it requires just 1.5 turns to go from lock-to-lock, which is a boon for when you're in fast-paced mode.

There's Tri-Mode dynamic power steering system with three levels of assistance, but I couldn't really glean much of a difference between the settings.

The cockpit also features a multi-function analogue/digital gauge (speedometer, tachometer, odometer, trip and hour meters, fuel, gear position, seat belt and 4×4 indicator, diagnostics, clock and auto shut off) and a low seating position.

The biggest comfort issue – or lack thereof – on the launch was actually dust, and there was plenty of it. We tried to maintain big gaps between cars, but even a few minutes of exuberance (how people are content to dawdle in these things is beyond me) had us up the clacker of the driver in front.

Even a half windshield would have been a welcome addition, and Can-Am also offers a full one in its accessories catalogue.

Speaking of accessories, Can-Am has developed a couple of packages that may pique the interest of customers. The first is a 'Desert' package for the liquid gold and red rs, which includes front and rear bumpers, an aluminium roof (which one of the cars had fitted), a front intrusion bar, rock slider, rear cage extension and front skid plate. No prices in Aussie dollars yet.

There's also a 'Lonestar Racing' package for the triple black ds, which includes all sorts of goodies such as intrusion bars, spare tyre holder, rock sliders, bumpers, an aluminium roof, light rack, LED sports lights, fire extinguisher, number plate holder and electronic device holder. Don't worry about all that power being consumed, as the standard magneto in the X3 has plenty of oomph.

The absence of side mirrors was a bit of an annoyance, especially when there was luggage and/or a tyre strapped on the back, which just about made the panoramic rear vision mirror redundant. The side mirrors are available in the Can-Am catalogue as a single item – which applies across the board to all the goodies.

As well as its genuine accessories, Can-Am has also set up official partnerships with six other aftermarket suppliers. Yoshimura is one of them. As well, there are also six separate wrap kits.

'Unleash your inner Maverick'. That's what you'll be hearing plenty about over the next 12 months, which is Can-Am's catchcry for its three new Maverick X3s. The machines, especially the ds and rs models, are impossibly good fun and, although Australians have to jump through a few more hoops to enjoy them in a recreational sense, the end result is worth it.

The design influences for the Maverick X3s came from lots of sources – trophy trucks, buggies, dirtbikes and ATVs – and Can-Am has seemingly managed to shoehorn the best of those worlds into brilliant new packages. If you want to migrate up from an off-road motorcycle, look no further.

Without a hint of hyperbole, I've just arrived home from the biggest thrill of my journalistic career – and the tacos and enchiladas weren't too bad either…