2022 Editor’s Choice: The One We Bought

When it came time to put our own money on the table, we bought two rigs this year: a battered Can-Am Defender and a low-hour Maverick X3. That 2020 X3 X RS Turbo RR became an office favorite as it evolved from showroom stock to a well-modified machine capable of tackling whatever we threw at it. It also became our default for showing people exactly why we love side-by-sides. Out of the box, the big, 72-inch-wide Turbo RR is a rocket. Its 195 hp, turbocharged Rotax triple sounds great, and can punt the machine down a trail in a blur of forced-induction noise and fury.

But as we tweaked the machine to our needs, it became more than a one-trick rig. Ditching the stock tires for beefy 35-inch BFGoodrich KM3 Mud Terrain tires helped tame the X3′s razor-sharp throttle, and made it adept at navigating even the gnarliest climbs. This, from a rig designed for wide-open desert riding. A little armor, a few racks for storage, and we suddenly had a vehicle that could soak up days of riding, regardless of what that looked like.

We’re getting ready to sell this machine to fund the next project (shout at contact@utvdriver.com if you’re interested), and there’s not a person on staff who isn’t bummed about it. After hours of riding and miles of hard track, the big X3 never failed to get us back to the trailhead, even if that required a little creativity once or twice. Its wild capability, impossible speed, and vicious looks made it a winner to us, even as competitors boasted more power and more advanced suspension. Proof that, at the end of the day, it’s about what the spec sheet says, but what you do with the rig in your garage that counts.

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