Can-Am's 2025 Outlander X MR 1000R Is Built for Muddy Bottoms

What a day…

I spent it riding with Dustin “Battleaxe” Jones and the all-new 2025 Can-Am Outlander X MR 1000R, tearing through the swamps of Louisiana. And let me just say, I’m impressed. Maybe it was the aggressive stance. Maybe it was the towering snorkel or those monstrous tires. Or maybe it was the thought of alligators and water moccasins that Dustin warned us about. Whatever it was, I’ll admit—I was a little intimidated at first.

If you’re an off-road junkie and you’ve ever watched events like Mud Nationals or Rednecks with Paychecks, you’ve probably thought, I could do that. But let me ask: have you ever tried rock crawling through water so murky you can’t even see the ground beneath you? Where the wrong line doesn’t just mean getting stuck—it means flooding your engine? That’s mudding. And there’s no better machine for it than the Can-Am Outlander X MR 1000R.

Right off the trailer, this beast makes a statement. The first thing that grabbed my attention was the massive 30-inch Cryptid tires. Can-Am didn’t go with the standard bogger style that clogs up and smooths over in thick slop. They went with a V-cut tread pattern—designed to self-clean and dig through the nastiest terrain.

Then I saw the snorkel setup. Can-Am elevated the belt box and air intake all the way up to the center of the handlebars. That means you can get chest-deep in the swamp without worrying about sucking water into the engine or ruining a belt mid-ride.

The controls are equally well thought out. New J-hook handlebars give you serious leverage and control, especially when you’re shifting your body weight out wide to maintain balance in off-camber muck. And for those “oh crap” moments, they’ve added rodeo handles—straight off a snowmobile—on the new Gen 3 Outlander platform, which brings updated ergonomics and geometry to the table. Your hands stay locked in, even when you’re soaked, off-kilter, and barely hanging on.

I also noticed the rear rack. This thing isn’t built for passengers, but Can-Am (with the help of Dustin Jones and S3 Powersports) made it functional in all the right ways. There are molded hand grabs and foot grips designed to help you muscle the machine around when you're buried in waist-deep slop. Whether you need to push, pull, or shift your weight just right to claw out of a hole, the design is there to help. And those rear foot grips? Perfect for pulling a water wheelie and flinging the muck off your machine—if you’re into that sort of thing.

After Dustin gave us a crash course in deep water survival, gator etiquette, and how to avoid getting your ankle tagged by a moccasin, we were ready to ride. The first fire-up of the X MR is deceiving. It starts up smoothly…quietly even. Barely any vibration, just a confident purr.

But that calm? It fades fast.

The second your thumb taps the throttle, the machine wakes up. With a 999cc Rotax V-Twin engine pumping out 101 horsepower and 69 lb-ft of torque, the X MR 1000R doesn’t just accelerate—it lunges. It’s raw power wrapped in refinement.

Now, don’t get me wrong—it’s not built to be a speed demon. But the speed? It’s definitely there. When you open it up on a straight, it hauls. But where this machine really shines is in its torque. It’s got enough grunt to break loose and get you sideways through tight trail sections, throwing mud and grinning ear to ear. And when things get nasty—when you drop into ruts that could swallow children or sink into muck that’s stickier than a spilled crawfish boil—just pop it into low, lock the front diff, and let it eat. The X MR doesn’t hesitate. It just keeps crawling.

One moment that stood out to me—and honestly made me a believer—was when I dropped into a rut that should’ve swallowed this thing whole. I stood the machine nearly vertical, trying to find traction. I had one hand on a grab bar and all my weight thrown forward, and somehow, it still clawed its way out. As long as I kept my balance and stayed in the right position, that machine refused to stop. It never gave up. It’s like it was built with one purpose in mind: to get through the impossible.

Resources:

• These Machines Are the Most Powerful ATVs on the Market Today
• Putting the 2025 Can-Am Outlander XT-P 1000R to Work
• We're Out Riding the 2025 Can-Am Outlander 850/1000R this Week
• First Ride: 2025 Can-Am Outlander XT-P 1000R
• First Ride: 2025 Can-Am Outlander 850
• VIDEO | First Ride with Can-Am's Over-the-Top '25 Outlander XT-P 1000R
• Can-Am Outlander 850 DPS Pt 1: First Impressions for a Long-Term Trial
• Can-Am Outlander 850 DPS Pt 2: Garmin Tread 2, An Important Add-On
• Can-Am Outlander 850 DPS Pt 3: Staying Warm in Winter
• Can-Am Outlander 850 DPS Pt 4: The Winch Before the (Snow) Storm