By Cody Hooper. Photos by Casey Cordiero and Cody Hooper.
The four-seat 2017 Can-Am Maverick X3 MAX X ds looked enormous when it made its debut. With a 135-inch wheelbase, 154-horsepower turbocharged Rotax engine and four adult-size seats, it stretched the original Maverick X3 platform into largely unexplored territory.
Initial reactions were divided. Some riders saw the long wheelbase as a recipe for exceptional stability, while others expected the car to drag its belly over every dune transition. We took the X3 MAX to Glamis for a weekend of hard testing to find out which prediction was closer to reality.
Our test group included two- and four-seat versions of the 2017 Maverick X3 along with a 2017 Polaris RZR XP Turbo. Driving the machines back-to-back also let us collect impressions from the passengers occupying the seats without steering wheels. What we found was a remarkably capable four-seat performance UTV—and one that handled its considerable length much better than expected.
A 135-Inch Wheelbase
The MAX was based on the then-new two-seat Can-Am Maverick X3, but Can-Am added 33 inches to the wheelbase to accommodate its second row. For comparison, the contemporary four-seat RZR XP Turbo was 27 inches longer than its two-seat counterpart.
| 2017 model | Overall length | Wheelbase |
|---|---|---|
| Polaris RZR XP Turbo | 119 inches | 90 inches |
| Can-Am Maverick X3 X ds | 131 inches | 102 inches |
| Polaris RZR XP 4 Turbo | 146 inches | 117 inches |
| Can-Am Maverick X3 MAX X ds | 164.4 inches | 135 inches |
The Maverick X3 MAX was approximately 18 inches longer than the RZR XP 4 Turbo in both overall length and wheelbase. That created a practical concern for owners whose toy haulers lacked nearly 14 feet of usable cargo space. On the trail, however, much of that additional length translated into an exceptionally spacious passenger compartment.
All four seats were adjustable, and the rear compartment provided more legroom than many midsize automobiles. Tall adults could sit in back without pressing their knees against the front seats. Angled rear footrests also gave passengers a useful place to brace themselves in rough terrain.
The obvious disadvantage was the amount of chassis between the front and rear tires. More than 100 inches of wheelbase could potentially hang up when crossing sharp dune crests or abrupt transitions. In practice, the MAX never became high-centered during our Glamis test. Head-on crests required more planning than they did in a short-wheelbase car, but the X3 MAX negotiated the dunes with surprising composure.
Testing a Heavily Accessorized X3 MAX
Our test unit arrived with a substantial selection of Can-Am accessories, including front and rear dune bumpers, an Adventure roof rack carrying a spare tire and lights, full-length rock sliders, a LinQ 8-gallon cooler and a LinQ Pivoting Rack. We estimated that the accessories added close to 300 pounds and reduced the car’s static ride height, factors worth remembering when judging its acceleration and suspension performance.
Despite its visual size, the MAX was not dramatically heavier than the competing RZR XP 4 Turbo. The manufacturers’ published dry weights differed by only 44 pounds, with the Polaris holding the advantage.
154-Horsepower Rotax Turbo Performance
The X3 MAX’s turbocharged, three-cylinder Rotax ACE engine produced a claimed 154 horsepower. Even with four occupants and the weight of our accessories, the car was genuinely fast.
We conducted our dune testing on the stock 29-inch Maxxis Bighorn tires and beadlock wheels. Running approximately 10 psi in front and 12 psi in the rear gave the tires sufficient flotation and predictable response while carving Glamis’ larger bowls.
Bottom-end response was strong, while turbo and clutch lag were minimal. Above approximately 45 mph, the combination of the Rotax engine and stable chassis made the X3 MAX especially impressive. The triple-cylinder engine also had a distinctive soundtrack, producing a turbo-snowmobile wail at high rpm along with growls, pops and burbles when transitioning on and off the throttle.
Although the Can-Am carried a claimed 14-horsepower disadvantage against the 2017 RZR XP Turbo, the two machines were remarkably close in a drag race. Both provided more than enough acceleration to deliver a serious adrenaline rush.
Dune Handling
We spent considerable time in the smaller, choppy dunes near the Glamis flats to evaluate quick direction changes and off-camber transitions. Despite being the 64-inch-wide X ds rather than the wider X rs, the MAX remained stable and balanced.
Like the two-seat X3, the four-seat car responded best when steered with the throttle. The steering wheel established the initial direction, and a measured application of power adjusted the car’s trajectory with controlled wheelspin. Riders with dirt-bike experience might compare the technique to steering a two-stroke: flick it in, apply power and use the rear tires to finish the turn.
The long chassis could not match a two-seat UTV for outright agility, but the X3 MAX was far more nimble than its dimensions suggested. Its behavior remained intuitive and predictable, even when making quick corrections in chopped-up sand.
Interior Comfort and Visibility
The X3 MAX offered excellent seat comfort, driving position, legroom and adjustability. The low seating position let the driver stretch both legs forward, creating a confident driving posture and reducing the likelihood of striking a knee against the door in rough terrain.
There were a few disappointments. The center-console assembly felt flimsy, and attaching the electronic D.E.S.S. key caused the center stack to flex. We also preferred the solid T-shaped passenger grab handles used in some competing UTVs to Can-Am’s strap-style “ski pole” handholds.
Forward visibility when cresting a dune was another compromise. The low seating position and long hood made it difficult to see the front of the car when the nose was pointed uphill and the ground dropped away. Drivers learned to compensate, but the X3 did not provide the same forward sightline we experienced in the RZR or Yamaha YXZ1000R.
FOX RC2 Suspension in the Whoops
We initially left the suspension adjustments untouched to evaluate the car as delivered. The recommended clearance under the belly was approximately 12.75 inches, but the added accessories had lowered our machine to around 11 inches. Even at that height, the X3 MAX did not repeatedly bottom or drag its chassis in the deep sand whoops.
The FOX 2.5 Podium RC2 shocks fitted to the X ds were well calibrated. They absorbed small chop without giving up bottoming resistance on larger hits. We raised our two-seat X3 to approximately 14 inches under the chassis and would have made a similar ride-height adjustment to the MAX to recover clearance lost to the accessories.
The MAX was an absolute riot in long whoop sections, where its wheelbase became a major advantage. The front and rear tires often contacted different rollers three or four whoops apart, reducing the pitching and bucking motion common in shorter cars.
In our stock-for-stock testing, no other UTV present could match the X3 MAX through the rough sand whoops. It even pulled away from the two-seat Maverick X3 on our test loop. The result demonstrated that the length many riders questioned was also one of the MAX’s greatest performance assets.
Steering and Braking
Can-Am’s Tri-Mode Dynamic Power Steering allowed the driver to select among three levels of assistance. The two-seat X3 was easy to drive one-handed through rough, rutted dunes with the assistance set to maximum.
The MAX placed more weight and leverage on the steering system, so its highest setting felt closer to the medium setting in the two-seat car. Even so, little kickback reached the steering wheel when the tires were set to appropriate sand pressures.
Braking feel was also excellent. The four-wheel hydraulic disc system slowed the large car quickly without excessive wiggle or instability.
2017 Maverick X3 MAX Pricing and Trim Comparison
The following prices and equipment reflect the 2017 model year when this review was originally published.
The 2017 Maverick X3 MAX started at $24,999. The base model used three-position-adjustable FOX QS3 shocks rather than the X ds model’s more adjustable RC2 shocks. It also used 28-inch tires and non-beadlock wheels.
The midrange X3 MAX X ds tested here combined a 64-inch stance with 29-inch Maxxis Bighorn tires, beadlock wheels and FOX 2.5 Podium RC2 shocks.
At the top of the range, the $29,099 X3 MAX X rs expanded the vehicle to 72 inches wide. It offered 22 inches of suspension travel, 30-inch Maxxis Bighorn tires, FOX 3.0 Podium RC2 shocks, a roof, full-length HMW skid protection and color-matched chassis components.
2017 Can-Am Maverick X3 MAX X ds Specifications
Engine
- Engine: Turbocharged and intercooled Rotax ACE three-cylinder
- Claimed output: 154 horsepower
- Fuel capacity: 10.5 gallons
Suspension
- Front: Double A-arm with sway bar and 20 inches of travel
- Front shocks: FOX 2.5 Podium RC2 piggyback shocks with dual-speed compression and rebound adjustment
- Rear: Torsional Trailing-arm X four-link suspension with sway bar and 20 inches of travel
- Rear shocks: FOX 2.5 Podium RC2 piggyback shocks with dual-speed compression, rebound adjustment and bottom-out control
Dimensions
- Length: 164.4 inches
- Width: 64 inches
- Height: 65 inches
- Wheelbase: 135 inches
- Ground clearance: 13 inches
- Estimated dry weight: 1,735 pounds
Brakes
- Front: Dual 262 mm ventilated discs with hydraulic twin-piston calipers
- Rear: Dual 248 mm ventilated discs with hydraulic twin-piston calipers
Final Verdict
The 2017 Can-Am Maverick X3 MAX X ds proved that a four-seat UTV did not have to feel slow or cumbersome. Its enormous passenger compartment made it genuinely comfortable for four adults, while the turbocharged Rotax engine provided acceleration that remained exciting even with a full load.
The MAX required more care when approaching sharp dune crests, and its forward visibility and flexible center-console plastics left room for improvement. Those shortcomings were outweighed by excellent suspension control, predictable throttle-steer handling and extraordinary stability through rough whoops.
For riders who needed four usable seats and prioritized high-speed dune or desert performance, the original X3 MAX was one of the most capable options of its era. Its 135-inch wheelbase looked excessive on paper, but in Glamis it became a defining performance advantage.
Related: Explore the complete 2017 Can-Am Maverick X3 model family or revisit our original Maverick X3 first look.
