Is the Maverick R the New King?

“Just as the cobra sheds its skin, so too must we shed our past over and over again” is something that Can-Am has probably never said. But with their new cobra-inspired Maverick R, they’re following that advice. It’s the most powerful Maverick in their lineup. And make no mistake—it sheds all previous Mavericks, including the X3. The Maverick R is an awesome new platform that looks impressive on paper (and on video).

But we won’t beat around the bush—the Can-Am Maverick R is a direct competitor to the Polaris RZR Pro R. So how does it stack up? We’re going through the headline features of the Maverick R and seeing how they compare to the Pro R.

Engine and Power

The Maverick R does what we were always waiting for someone to do: they paired a 999cc engine with a turbo. The result is 240 horsepower—15 horsepower more than the naturally aspirated Pro R, and the highest factory horsepower in the industry.

This comparison makes the Maverick R look real good for a couple reasons:

• The Maverick R has more power than the Pro R with half the displacement—999 cc for the Maverick and 1997 cc for the Pro R. That means that in competitive racing, they aren’t even in the same class, but the Maverick R still might outperform it.
• The Maverick R’s and the Pro R’s dry weight is roughly the same. If you take the heaviest trims of each machine, the Maverick R has 9.375 pounds per horsepower and the Pro R has 9.72 pounds per horsepower—that’s about a 3.7% margin in favor of the Maverick R.

Suspension

The Maverick R’s suspension is completely different from the X3, and has some features we’ve never seen on a side-by-side before. The result is some pretty impressive ground clearance and suspension travel.

Here are the key suspension numbers that Can-Am claims:

• It has 25 inches of front travel (or 26 inches with Smart-Shox) and 25 inches of rear travel. Compare that to the RZR Pro R’s wheel travel at 22.25” in the front and 24.5” in the rear (we’re going to ignore the Polaris’s “usable travel” spec for this comparison). That’s pretty impressive, but usually the real-world numbers come out a little lower. Either way, the Maverick R is 77 inches wide—3 inches wider than the Pro R—so it makes sense that it would have some travel advantage over it.
• It has 17 inches of ground clearance, making it the best in the industry. It’s only an inch better than the Pro R, but every little bit helps.

That Weird Front Knuckle

Of course, the first thing you and anybody will ever notice is the upper front A-arms. It’s like your Maverick’s face suddenly grew elbows. But they’re new and important, so we need to talk about them. Can-Am is calling them tall knuckles, and it’s brand new to the UTV industry. But it’s not a brand-new idea.

In the automotive industry, it’s more commonly called double-wishbone suspension, and it’s been in use in cars since the 1930s.

Using a double wishbone concept gives Can-Am’s engineers unparalleled control of the camber, caster, and roll through the suspension’s entire travel. The result is that you have better control and you get better feedback from the machine so you can always feel exactly what it’s doing.

That feedback and feel should be consistent whether you’re cornering hard in sand or going 90 down a rough and rocky desert trail.

It does look pretty dang vulnerable to impacts hanging out there the way it does. But they said it’s made of forged aluminum, so it should handle hits to the funny bone pretty well.

7-Speed Dual-Clutch Transmission

The Maverick R’s new transmission is a huge departure from everything Can-Am or Polaris have done before. Gone are the CVT and the belts required to run it.

Instead, they use a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, so you’ll never have to change a belt again.

This might be well-worn ground to any Honda riders out there, but there’s never been a DCT in a UTV this powerful before.

For those who don’t know why it matters, here’s what you need to know:

• There are no belts, so you will never have to change one again.
• “Dual clutch” means that the shifts are super smooth. Can-Am claims that it takes 0.2 seconds to shift gears and you won’t lose torque.
• There’s no “wind up” like you get with a CVT. You get much quicker engagement and power when you hit the gas. And you won’t need a clutch kit to make it feel better like you need with almost every other machine (check out our clutch kits since we know you don’t have a Maverick R yet).

It’s a pretty substantial upgrade, and there’s even a manual mode. Yep, they put paddle shifters on this thing so you can optimize your shifts to accelerate quicker… or at least have fun trying.

6-Bolt Hub with Beadlock Wheels

This one clinches Can-Am as the ultimate one-upper. “You’re Pro R has a 5-bolt hub? Well, we’ve got a 6-bolt hub! And it comes with beadlocks!”

A 6-bolt bolt pattern is technically stronger than a 5-bolt one, and that 6-bolt pattern gives riders access to tons of compatible truck wheels if you can fit them around the tall knuckle.

And the beadlocks do come on the X RS models, which are pricey, but if you want beadlocks on any Pro R trim, you have to provide your own.

The Maverick R Costs $35,499–$44,999

The most basic trim, the Can-Am Maverick R, has an MSRP of $35,499 compared to the basic Pro R trim’s price of $37,499. That’s a competitive price for this tier of vehicle.

The top trim though? The Maverick R X RS with Smart-Shox has an MSRP of $44,999 compared to the Pro R’s best 2-seater trim at $40,999. And the Pro R comes with Dynamix shocks which are commonly held to be the best UTV shock system on the planet. The Maverick R X RS doesn’t win here.

The Maverick R Is Rad

If you’re in the market for the best dune-destroyin’ and desert-devourin’ UTV on the planet, it looks like the Maverick R might be it. They just launched, so we’ll have to wait to get our hands on one before we can render a verdict. It’s definitely badass, and you know we’ll be champing at the bit to customize every bit of with parts and accessories you can get at SuperATV.com.