By Jon Crowley
Johnson Valley, California, gave me a different test of the 2019 Can-Am Maverick Sport X RC than the red rocks at Sand Hollow. A month after my first rock crawling review at Sand Hollow, I brought the 64-inch-wide Sport X RC to pre-run for the 2019 King of the Hammers with several teams, including Can-Am racers Phil Blurton and Beau Judge. I also wanted to try a new set of 33x10R15 ITP Coyote tires in Johnson Valley’s mix of tight rock trails and rough desert.
This is an account of our December 2018 test, including the changes made to the vehicles we drove. For more background on the race and its terrain, see our King of the Hammers UTV race history.
Can-Am Maverick Sport X RC at Johnson Valley
I added side mirrors because the rear tire carrier blocked the view behind the Sport X RC. Its profile cage is shaped to accept Can-Am window and door accessories, so a typical round-tube mirror clamp would not fit. Axia Alloys profile cage clamps provided mounting points for the mirrors.
Sport X RC vs. Maverick X3 X RC in the rocks
Following Phil Blurton in a full-size Maverick X3 X RC made the different vehicle footprints easy to see. The Sport X RC’s 64-inch width, shorter wheelbase and tighter turning radius let me thread between rocks that the 72-inch-wide X3 had to climb. Its rear A-arms also let the rear tire meet some ledges without a trailing arm contacting the obstacle first.
The X3 had clear advantages across the rough open desert: a longer wheelbase, wider stance, more suspension travel and turbocharged power. It also felt steadier on some off-camber climbs. I went into the trip thinking a wider long-travel UTV would be too cumbersome for King of the Hammers, but Blurton’s pace through the tight sections challenged that assumption. The Sport was easier to place between obstacles; the X3 did not lose enough time there to erase its advantages elsewhere on this pre-run.
Both test vehicles had useful low-range gearing. Neither slipped a CVT belt during this outing with the larger 32- and 33-inch tires fitted to the vehicles. That observation reflects this trip, not a guarantee for every tire, load or trail condition.
Articulation, tires and wheel studs
We removed the front sway bars on both vehicles for this test. The additional front wheel movement is visible in the videos and helped the tires stay in contact with the uneven rock. These impressions therefore do not represent either vehicle in completely stock form.
The Sport X RC’s small-diameter wheel studs remained a concern to me, particularly when stepping up from its stock 30-inch tires to the 33-inch Coyotes. I would inspect the wheels and hardware closely when running larger, heavier tires in rocks.
Front visibility and the verdict
The Sport X RC seats the driver higher and more upright than the X3 X RC, but forward visibility over the hood was limited in both. In the X3, the low seating position and long hood hid the ground directly ahead; the Sport’s hood shape created a similar problem despite the higher seat. Picking a precise line over a blind ledge took extra care.
For the tightest rock passages on this Johnson Valley outing, I appreciated the Sport X RC’s compact footprint and rear suspension layout. For the desert sections and some off-camber climbs, the X3 X RC’s wider, longer platform made a strong case. Both were capable, but their strengths showed up in different parts of the same terrain.
More Maverick Sport X RC coverage
Watch our earlier Sand Hollow Maverick Sport X RC review below, or read about the 33- and 35-inch ITP Coyote tires.
