Can-Am Maverick: Ripping the great outdoors to shreds

Strap four wheels to a combustion engine and nine times out of ten you've got a vehicle designed to transport people and goods in relative safety and comfort on paved roads. That's not what we've got today. This is Maverick by BRP, a company that knows a thing or two about having fun. The Maverick kicks out just over 100 horsepower from it's one liter, V-twin engine with drive either going to the rear or to all four wheels at the flick of a switch. The gear box is a CVT, but we won't hold that against it as that only 588 kilos per power to weight ratio is more than healthy for something the size of a golf cart. Add to that some Maxxis Bighorn off-road tires, and a suspension just aching for some punishment. And you end up with a package that should put a smile on your face on or off road. Because as an extra party trick, the Maverick is also road legal in the UK. BRP call this a side by side because funny enough, there's room for two people in it. Meaning you can bring along a buddy for some muddy fun. If however like me today you don't have a buddy you can use Nick. [COUGH] Hello. Let's see what these can do. To get us started we were given a demo of the Mavrics capabilities from Ed Cobley. Ed amongst other things is the reigning champion of the inaugural defender challenge. But more to the point is a legend when it comes to extreme off roading. Mud is in his blood. Very quickly it becomes apparent that the only limitations to our day would come from our own driving abilities not any shortcomings from the Maverick. Ed made the thing absolutely fly. So hungry for a chance to tear up some country side we hopped in for a go. We've seen what Ed Cowley can do. The rally master extraordinaire. Let's see what you got. Gently! [LAUGH] Oh, this is steep. Oh, I think I want a six point harness with you driving. The second you set off in the Maverick you return to a child like state of giddy joy. The grass we were ripping up may have given little to no grip. But that just added to the fun. In a straight line you can get up to stupid speeds. But when you start to throw it around you realize just how capable this little rascal really is. Woo-hoo. Ha, ha. The suspension is amazing in this. You feel like it's going to flip you. But it just keeps going, going, oh [NOISE] [LAUGH] Whoa. Whoa. It's lazy journalism to say that, that this is as fun as it looks. [LAUGH] [NOISE] Oh! Oh, the humanity! From the smell of freshly cut grass I'm guessing this doubles up as a lawnmower. I've had a bit of fun. I could either let Nick have a go, or watch him wet his pants with excitement. I want to get in here! I choose the first option. Come on, come on. For something with an edgy look of bucolic apocalypse to it, the Maverick's drive is shockingly innate. Instinctive. Oh, it's so good. In two wheel drive no matter how slippery the terrain the mid engine lay out gives you a lovely balance and the steering responsiveness that even with such a small wheel base you always feel firmly in control. It's so much fun it's like ice driving. Oh I just ate quite a lot of grass [MUSIC] The intergent throttle control feels nicely progressive. And whilst it didn't have the speed or touch of something sporty even on rough terrain when bouncing about and in my case, shrieking like a 12-year-old schoolgirl. You once again feel in control and that's the key word with this thing. Switch it to four wheel drive on the rough stuff and that becomes even more apparent. The things we manage in this may look easy, but sitting behind the wheel doing it is an absolute rush. Like you've stolen the keys to a mini ZAT car monster and somehow inherited it's knowledge. It empowers you. Needless to say, that was unbelievable. Oh, my God. Oh. That is every boy's wet dream. That is just. Yeah, quite literally, actually. Yeah, I know. If, you have to be very quick on this cause on the, it, it's just like ice. But that's what you want. You can go ice driving in the middle of the Midland in, November Yeah, in green ice. Let's see how good this is on proper off roads, though. We switched the command into four-wheel drive to see how it could tackle some proper, off-road terrain. We weren't disappointed. [LAUGH] [INAUDIBLE] The suspension in the cart itself It is capable. My body isn't suspended, though. I keep preparing myself for a big impact, but it's not happening. We threw as much as we could at the Maverick as we could, which meant getting some mud in some really uncomfortable places. Ooh, that went straight in my pants. [LAUGH]. Oh. Did you bring dry clothes? Yeah. Okay. Here we go. They said if it looks deep, it is deep. Here we go. [NOISE] It's pretty deep. Victory! [LAUGH] But there was nothing the Maverick couldn't shrug off. [LAUGH] I think that's about as close as I'll get to a jump. I don't know if you're braver. Do you wanna give it a go? Yeah, sure. I can, I'll give it a go. Okay. And so at this point I regret not having made a will. Oh, [BLEEP]. Steady on the hill there. Woah! Woah! Woah! [LAUGH] [LAUGH] Oh my God! That was a big [INAUDIBLE] Woah! [LAUGH]. It's a little bit muddy but, I'm sure that'll buff out. [LAUGH] That was absolutely unbelievable and I loved it. I absolutely loved every minute of it. This is a toy that you can use It's the kind of toy that I would prefer. It's You can use it It's a toy I'm putting on my Christmas list. You can use this anywhere. You can. Drive it to your off road location. Take it, you know, mud plugging, going through water, spinning around in grass, then drive it back home again. But while there's still daylight hours, I think we should, burn every last one of them behind the wheel of this. Let's do it. Let's go. [MUSIC] So we just came down the hill there and it's a steep left turn at the bottom and turned in to steeply. And didn't command it well enough. And, rolls it onto its side, onto its roof, and then onto its other side. The car performed perfectly. We were in one piece. Nick's absolutely fine. I'm okay, a bit shaken up, but okay. And, and the fact that we are okay is all down to this amazing machine. Yeah so that happened, we've been calling it a toy and admiring BRP for developing such a fun toy but really it's a robust piece of equipment and it kept me and Nick perfectly safe. Not a scratch on us, only one tiny dent. In the Maverick. And when we pushed it back on to its wheels it started up straightaway and we drove it back here. So if anything to add is that, it's incredibly fun but also pretty robust and very safe. But the moral of the story is, don't drive like Drew