Ford Raptors are great for barrelling through rough terrain at-speed, from gravel roads to towering dunes, in air-conditioned comfort. On the other hand, performance UTVs—otherwise known as side-by-sides—are also pretty darn good when the going gets technical off-road. Collectively, though, both sacrifice something, whether it be speed or luxury, to achieve their end goal. That’s the space KNINE Racing’s Mini Raptor looks to fill with its no-compromise performance and cushy cabin, all built atop a Can-Am Maverick X3.
KNINE’s Mini Raptor features a sealed cab, which not only makes air conditioning and heat possible but it also provides sound-proofing for long days on the trail. Styling is influenced heavily by the full-size Ford, with aggressively wide fenders making way for upsized BF Goodrich mud-terrain tires. Collectively, its look can be described as a shrunken Raptor, as the name implies, with the most noticeable difference being the short wheelbase that aids agility.
Lightweight bodywork keeps the 4×4 Baja-mobile under 2,500 pounds, which is crucial when traversing soft sand and the like. Additionally, this helps the Mini Raptor err on the side of a UTV for the sake of performance, away from the 5,500-pound Ford pickup’s relative heft. Because of this, KNINE claims its creation can smoke a real Raptor from zero to 100 miles per hour without issue.
Customers can spec their Mini Raptor however they like, especially if they provide their own Can-Am for the base. The most capable Maverick X3 variant features a 195-horsepower turbocharged Rotax engine, and more can be squeezed from that already-potent lump thanks to the vast off-road aftermarket. As for suspension, owners can choose from Fox 2.0 and Fox 3.0 Podium RC2 remote reservoir shocks, which are desert-proven with loads of travel—20 inches of it, in fact.
Alas, all this four-wheeling aptitude is complemented by even more comfort and convenience. KNINE produces a slew of carbon composite parts, from the custom dash to the rear-mounted spare tire carrier, that make each Mini Raptor a more complete package.
Pricing isn’t explicitly listed by KNINE online, although we’ve reached out to find out exactly how much the kit will cost you. With all of the custom fabrication and parts production, don’t expect it to be cheap—we wouldn’t be surprised if this type of build landed in full-size Raptor territory. Still yet, it usually only takes a handful of modifications to make UTVs street legal, meaning your $60,000 toy doesn’t have to be limited to “other” terrain types.
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