By Jon Crowley
We picked up our new 2024 Can-Am Maverick R from MotoExpo Concord and immediately began putting it through very different types of terrain. After breaking it in on the Rubicon Trail, we brought it to Sand Mountain, Nevada, to find out how Can-Am’s 240-horsepower sport UTV performed in the dunes.
This was our first dune trip in the Maverick R and our first chance to evaluate the 77-inch-wide chassis, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and Smart-Shox suspension in the type of open terrain for which the machine was primarily designed.
Can-Am Maverick R Dune Review Video
Power in the Sand
The Maverick R had plenty of power at Sand Mountain, even with its stock 32-inch ITP Tenacity XNR tires instead of dedicated sand tires. The turbocharged 999cc Rotax triple produces a claimed 240 horsepower, but the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is just as important to the driving experience as the engine itself.
Sport+ mode delivers the quickest throttle response and most aggressive transmission behavior. The Maverick R accelerates hard and carries speed well across the dunes, while the geared transmission avoids the rubber drive belt used by a conventional UTV CVT.
Engine, exhaust and transmission noise were all surprisingly tolerable for a machine with this much performance. That makes the Maverick R more comfortable to drive for extended periods than its horsepower number might suggest.
Seven-Speed DCT in the Dunes
The Maverick R’s dual-clutch transmission can be operated automatically or shifted manually with the steering-column-mounted paddles. Automatic mode is convenient, but in rolling dune terrain it sometimes appeared to hunt for the right gear as the load and vehicle speed changed.
Using the paddle shifters gives the driver more control when approaching a climb, setting up for a transition or trying to hold a specific gear through a series of dunes. Even when the transmission is left in Automatic, the driver can use the paddles to request a downshift.
The DCT is fast and engaging, but the original 2024 machine did not include a launch-control mode. That felt like a surprising omission on a flagship sport UTV built around acceleration and performance.
Stable, Solid Dune Handling
The Maverick R’s track width and 108-inch wheelbase are well suited to the dunes. The car feels planted and solid, with a stable stance that inspires confidence while crossing uneven sand or carrying speed through broad turns.
The chassis also provides excellent ground clearance. Sand Mountain did not place the same demands on clearance as our Rubicon break-in trip, but the Maverick R’s 17 inches of claimed ground clearance provides useful room over sharp transitions and uneven terrain.
Forward visibility is better than it was in the Maverick X3, although it still is not outstanding. The bodywork and seating position can make it difficult to see the terrain immediately in front of the machine when cresting dunes or approaching abrupt transitions.
Smart-Shox Suspension Performance
Our Maverick R X rs with Smart-Shox handled small and medium whoops well. The wide chassis and long-travel suspension helped it remain composed, and the entire machine felt more substantial and solid than the Maverick X3.
However, we were able to bottom the suspension on some dune transitions—even in Sport+ mode. That differed from our experience during the Maverick R media-event first ride, where the suspension felt almost impossible to bottom over high-speed Nevada desert terrain.
The Maverick R also lacked a dedicated button that would let the driver immediately command maximum shock firmness before a large impact or unexpected transition. An on-demand full-stiff setting would be useful in the dunes, where a driver may see a hard landing only seconds before reaching it.
Brakes, Gauges and Navigation
The brakes did not provide as much confidence or feedback as we expected from a vehicle with this level of speed and performance. They worked, but the pedal feel was not as strong as the rest of the Maverick R’s performance package suggested it should be.
We also found several omissions in the instrument display:
- Coolant temperature is shown as a bar graph rather than a specific numerical temperature.
- There is no transmission-temperature gauge.
- Navigation requires a connected phone rather than functioning as a completely independent onboard system.
Actual coolant and transmission temperatures would be especially helpful when monitoring a high-output turbocharged vehicle in deep sand and hot weather.
What We Liked
- Strong power, even with the stock 32-inch tires
- Quick throttle response and acceleration in Sport+ mode
- Tolerable engine, exhaust and transmission noise
- Track width and wheelbase are well suited to dune riding
- Excellent ground clearance
- Stable, planted and solid chassis feel
- Good performance through small and medium whoops
- No CVT drive belt to overheat or replace
What Could Be Better
- Smart-Shox suspension bottomed on some transitions, even in Sport+ mode
- No dedicated button for immediately selecting maximum shock firmness
- Automatic DCT mode sometimes hunted for the appropriate gear
- Forward visibility is improved over the Maverick X3 but still limited
- No launch-control mode
- Coolant temperature is displayed as a bar rather than a number
- No transmission-temperature gauge
- Navigation requires a tethered phone
- Brake feel was not as strong as expected
Can-Am Maverick R Dune Review Verdict
The 2024 Can-Am Maverick R is a natural fit for large dunes. Its 240-horsepower engine, wide stance, long wheelbase and solid chassis provide the speed and stability needed for open sand. Sport+ mode makes the machine extremely quick, while the DCT gives the driver considerably more control than a conventional automatic CVT.
Our first dune trip also exposed areas that were less apparent during the controlled media launch. The Smart-Shox suspension could still bottom on sharp transitions, Automatic mode did not always select the gear we wanted and several useful temperature readouts were missing from the display.
Even with those complaints, the Maverick R delivered the power, stability and confidence we expected from Can-Am’s flagship sport UTV. This Sand Mountain test confirmed that the Maverick R was designed with open desert and dune terrain at the center of its mission.
