Can-Am Maverick X3 Door Options

In its short lifespan, Can-Am's family of Maverick X3 side-by-side models have caused quite a stir in the sport utility market. In an industry that was dominated by Polaris RZRs for years, Can-Am hit the ground running and pitched the king of the hill of its peak with dominant horsepower, top level suspension performance, and aggressively stylish good looks.

It's hard to complain about the X3 line of vehicles, especially the Maverick X3 X ds Turbo RR and its big brother the Maverick X3 Max ds Turbo RR with their neck whipping 195 horsepower, Smart-Lok traction technology, and race-inspired FOX 3.0 Podium RC2 shocks with four-link TTX suspension components helping deliver 22-inches of travel. If there was one thing you could nitpick I guess it would be in the looks department. Sure the X3s are by far the sportiest and sexiest looking side-by-sides in the market, (they look fast sitting still), but those triangular door covers that only cover a portion of the cockpit leave a lot to be desired.

There are some people that may really like the open look the stock doors provide and in the summer they allow for a ton of airflow when jamming around on those triple digits days. But when it comes to ripping places like Glamis or other sand dune areas, you often end up with a thick layer of sand sitting on the cockpit floor that then gets blown around in your face.

If you're looking to fill in the gap blow the stock door for a more finished look to your vehicle or you want to try and keep dirt, sand, and debris from flying into the cockpit then you're in luck, there's a couple of options. You can turn to the aftermarket with companies AnnLynn's Can-Am Maverick X3 Max Aluminum Doors or the Assault Industries F-22 Door Skins, however, for this article we are going to stick to the Can-Am parts and accessories catalog and look at some of their door choices.

Basically you have two options: Lower Door Panels or Aluminum Half Doors.

Lower Door Panels

The Lower Door Panels are injection molded polypropylene covers that fit up against the bottom of the stock door to close off the lower cab area. Depending on if you own a two-seater or the four-seat Maverick Max you will either need to order just the Front Lower Panels ($354.99 for a pair) or the front and Rear Lower Door Panels ($359.99 for a pair). The panels come with a lower frame that bolts up to the stock frame and then you secure the panels to the lower frame. These are very easy to install and only take basic hand tools. The don't look quite as good as the other option because you have that slight gap where the upper and lower halves meet and they only come in black, so you'll have two-tone doors but that's not a huge issue due to there being so much other black components on the vehicles.       

Aluminum Half Doors    

These are basically door skins that are formed out of 5/6-inch aluminum and fit directly in place of the stock door covers. Just like the lower door panels, depending on which vehicle you own you'll either need just the front Aluminum Half Doors ($724.99 for a pair) or the front and Rear Aluminum Half Doors ($724.99 for a pair). The doors feature a heavy-duty black textured powdercoat finish that helps protect against scratches and they come with thick seal for a tight closure to keep debris out. The really nice thing about these doors which the lower door panels don't come with is exterior and interior door handles. No more wasting time trying to get into your vehicle by fumbling around the inside of the door for that flappy door release strap. The doors come with Deluxe Door Handles that sit nearly flush against the outside of the doors. On the inside there's a bright orange handle that's easy to find and operate. These doors are a bit more work to install as opposed to the lowers because you have to remove the rivets that hold the stock door covers in place. It's not too difficult but the process does take a bit longer than installing the door lowers.

While the aluminum doors do cost a bit more than the lowers, my personal opinion is that they look a lot better and the door handles make a huge difference when it comes to getting in and out of the vehicle. Can-Am does offer just the Deluxe Door Handles that can be installed in the stock doors however; they are $169.99 a pair for the front and another 169.99 for the rear, so if you go with the lowers and handles you're almost at the price of the Aluminum door halves. The nice thing is, like I said earlier you do have several options, so if you don't like the offerings from Can-Am, there's always the aftermarket.