We’ve been getting a lot of weather over here on the west coast lately, and that’s great. It’s been drying out pretty badly the last couple years, so all this moisture is most welcome indeed. Yeah, its good for aquifers and the crops and all that stuff, but most importantly, at least for those dirtier petrol-heads out there, rain equals mud. Under the wheels of the right vehicle piloted by the right pair of hands, these wonderful chunks of mashed Earth make for one extraordinary car control canvas.

That’s one thing the boys at XCAR can certainly attest to. In this video,->ke278 we find the BRP Can-Am Maverick, a two-seater, slop-chewing troublemaker with a 1-liter, V-twin engine pumping out just over 100 horsepower. In a vehicle weighing only 1,300 pounds, that’s more than enough to quickly find many a hairy situation. The gearbox is a continuously variable transmission, with two selectable drive modes that send power either to the rear, or all four wheels. There’s intelligent throttle control that compensates for the inevitable violence of max attack by modulating input, so that even if the bumps force your foot to stab the pedal, power delivery is still silky smooth. The wheels and suspension are purpose-built for terra domination, and even though this thing is basically no more than a steel cage welded to a highly capable engine and suspension package, the Maverick is still road legal in the UK.

After a quick demonstration by off-road hot shoe Edd Cobley, the hosts take their respective turns behind the wheel. The results are grins and giggles: long power slides, steep incline climbs, deep standing-water crossings, and even a spot of atmosphere grabbing. According to the host, “it’s like you’ve stolen the keys to a mini Dakar monster, and somehow inherited its knowledge. It empowers you.”

Unfortunately, that confidence inspiration is not always totally deserved. We won’t spoil exactly what happens, but we will say that the rolls bars on the Maverick work quite well.

BRP Can-Am Maverick