Towing Test MPG with 2025 Maverick Hybrid AWD - by TFL Truck

[SafetyGuy]

My Grandpa and I built a 2" receiver hitch for a Ford Festiva once, towed a 750cc Polaris Waverunner, got 32mpg at 60mph with that setup.

Then sold the waverunner and got a 1997 Polaris Scrambler 500cc 4x4, it weighed about 750lbs without trailer and gear, so probably close to 1000lbs behind a 1600lb car that had 55HP, it got about 24mpg with that set up at 70mph in 3rd, didn't have enough power to shifter to a higher gear.

Looking back, man I was definitely young and dumb!

I wouldn't say dumb, as we all have made choices when we didn't have the knowledge to back us up in it, or ring a warning bell in the back of our minds.

It sounds like you have learned a lot since then
..good job!

As have I, and I am still learning stuff!

Andy

Sponsored

 

[Tbone289]

My Grandpa and I built a 2" receiver hitch for a Ford Festiva once, towed a 750cc Polaris Waverunner, got 32mpg at 60mph with that setup.

Then sold the waverunner and got a 1997 Polaris Scrambler 500cc 4x4, it weighed about 750lbs without trailer and gear, so probably close to 1000lbs behind a 1600lb car that had 55HP, it got about 24mpg with that set up at 70mph in 3rd, didn't have enough power to shifter to a higher gear.

Looking back, man I was definitely young and dumb!

People used to do cool stuff that worked and didn't worry what other people thought about it.

It might have been dumb cool stuff, but cool nonetheless!

 

[riparian]

I enjoy the TFL videos and generally find their observations very reasonable, but I was surprised that they were surprised by the mileage results here.The Maverick didn't seem to struggle in the test and got reasonable mileage for the conditions, but it's not the vehicle you'd buy to pull a load like this every day. For someone who uses a vehicle mostly for towing, I don't think any hybrid (or EV) makes much sense given the current state of the technology.

 

[SafetyGuy]

I enjoy the TFL videos and generally find their observations very reasonable, but I was surprised that they were surprised by the mileage results here.The Maverick didn't seem to struggle in the test and got reasonable mileage for the conditions, but it's not the vehicle you'd buy to pull a load like this every day. For someone who uses a vehicle mostly for towing, I don't think any hybrid (or EV) makes much sense given the current state of the technology.

Excellent point, but I do think in the right work-space/usage area it would do fine.

This would be not towing on the hwy at high speed with max loads!

I would think if you were carrying out towing tasks of all weights in its range in a suburban environment, the Maverick would absolutely fare better than on the TFL test circuit. You would allow the battery to better assist with some of the acceleration while getting battery recharge at every stop sign/red light or coasting situation.

Example, alawn maintenance guy or company would benefit from the Mavericks hybrid set up...mainly town city driving, lots of stops and start cycles.

It isn't a towing beast on the highway (though it does surprisingly well, IMHO). that is not it's reason for being.

Also, it was at, or a bit over it's max tow and hitch capacity and not many vehicles are going to make it look easy at that point. And it faired pretty well, all things considered.

Well, that is what I saw, anyways! I am good to go towing for my needs, and very happy with their results.

Cheers

Andy

 

[colinl]

Full size trucks are going to have similar economy pulling 4K load or more.

they have huge gas tanks to compensate for it, though. towing at highway speeds an ecoboost can easily go below 12mpg, which isn't much range at all when you have a 16.5g tank. math is probably similar for hybrid heavy towing, better mpg and smaller tank.

 

[chilicharger]

The TFL dudes ran the speed limit supposedly, which is 65-75. I routinely get under 30 mpg when doing long trips crossing Texas interstates at 75+. This thing did about half that while max towing. Thats not bad. I bet if they just maintained a constant 60-65, they would gain another few mpg. My other truck is a ‘03 6.0 GMC Sierra. It struggles to reach 12 mpg when unloaded. Once loaded, it will do around 10 mpg. It also uses 91, versus the 87 of my Mav hybrid.

14 mpg with a 14 gallon tank gives a range of just short of 200 miles. That is 3 hours of driving at an average of 65 mph. That isn’t bad to get a small break every 3 hours to stretch the legs while refilling.

 

[heady]

I'm really glad TFL bought a Maverick Hybrid so we can see these kinds of extended test results. I started switching from diesels to hybrids about 10 years ago for towing and hauling for our farm and household operations for every single application where they fit - the drive trains are far more robust and bulletproof, they're simpler and easier to work on, and cost less on fuel and maintenance. In that time I've easily towed tens of thousands of miles on those drive trains. My most recent test mule prior to the Maverick was a 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV as a low cost tester with a "simpler" single speed transmission:

That one did just under 5,500 miles all high speed highway testing/use for me over about 3 months, I keep towing logs separate on fuelly, and will do the same for the Maverick:

https://www.fuelly.com/car/mitsubishi/outlander_phev/2019/avm1/1301736

Just about 21 MPG for an average of 2,500 lb loads. The Mitsu is relatively poor on highway MPG because it doesn't use the eCVT/Synergy drive style planetary drive that many other hybrids use. It uses a single speed gearbox like an EV, with the addition of a clutch that disengages the engine from the wheels below 40 MPH - this is the same thing the Chevrolet Volt did, more or less. Similar manual transmission levels of robustness like all hybrid transmissions - but the disadvantage was that the engine RPM is locked to the travel speed, and at 70+ MPH the engine is always over 3,500 RPM even at light load. At only 117HP from the engine and 200HP combined, it was also fairly limited for long duration hill climbs at high GCW.

Originally this was going to be replaced with a RAV4 PHEV, better transmission for towing, more power, higher factory towing suggestion - but a far worse AWD system. Then the '25 Maverick Hybrid AWD came along - better in almost every category, except peak power! The engine-supplied power is within ~10HP Maverick vs. RAV4, which is really what matters for determining realistic interstate highway towing performance. Of course TFL already noted that the Maverick simply doesn't struggle at max GCWR even with a poorly sized, unareodynamic load.

The combination of extreme high output reliability from low engine power density per cubic inch, constant mesh gearset transmissions, and pinch hit torque from the hybrid battery acting as an energy accumulator makes towing with a hybrid of any kind basically the best and most trouble free experiences towing I've had in 30+ years; and I tow a lot.

 

[710-oil-614]

they have huge gas tanks to compensate for it, though. towing at highway speeds an ecoboost can easily go below 12mpg, which isn't much range at all when you have a 16.5g tank. math is probably similar for hybrid heavy towing, better mpg and smaller tank.

OK so we're talking about range then, not fuel economy.

14 MPG hauling 4K is what most trucks will average pulling that around unless you're talking a diesel full size and you're paying more at the pump to offset that efficiency gain.

 

[HenryFord]

OK so we're talking about range then, not fuel economy.

14 MPG hauling 4K is what most trucks will average pulling that around unless you're talking a diesel full size and you're paying more at the pump to offset that efficiency gain.

Yeah, I think depending on the size and wind drag of the item I am around 14-15mpg in my Cummins farm rig with something large like a bulk grain bin or something like that loaded light at highway speeds. Something more low profile and less wind drag that economy is a little higher than that in the big truck. So the Maverick isn't winning any prizes in the towing capability, but it does many other things better than the big work truck. So pick the right tool for the job.

 

[Walter56]

I wouldn't say dumb, as we all have made choices when we didn't have the knowledge to back us up in it, or ring a warning bell in the back of our minds.

It sounds like you have learned a lot since then
..good job!

As have I, and I am still learning stuff!

Andy

Great comment. This is how civilization has progressed by making mistakes. It's the basis for science and experiments. Just learn from them. I'm always telling my 15 yo grandson this

 

[colinl]

OK so we're talking about range then, not fuel economy.

yes, that would be my top concern if routinely hauling 4k in a Maverick.

I'm guessing the ranger has range issues also, rated to tow 7500 and having an 18 gallon tank. I usually stop every 300 miles anyway, at most, even going 75+.

range anxiety is not a lot of fun!

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

Does anybody remember if they ran the Denver 100 (111) loop on a 2.0EB AWD in the past? I haven't been able to find the video if they did.

Thanks, HRG

 

[heady]

I never saw the test for the EcoBoost if they did it, but the MPG trailer for trailer at these higher engine loads should be roughly the same - same tow rating, and the hybrid will be switched on its intake cam timing to Otto cycle instead of Atkinson for most of the run with a really bad aero oversized trailer setup like this. The weight is not really very relevant for most interstate travel, you could get considerably better MPG with the hybrid vs. EcoBoost at max GCWR with a compact load on a single axle trailer, and in fact both trucks would be just fine safely towing 7,500 lbs day to day just like the old S10's and Rangers could do in the 90s - the ratings changed simply because they introduced SAE J2807, which is great for forcing apples to apples manufacturer's ratings and testing in worst case conditions.

As for range, even the little Mitsubishi it wasn't a real problem over thousands of miles, and it only has an 11 gallon tank! When towing interstate and high speeds, I like to check the trailer every 2-3 hours anyway. In deeply remote locations it could be a concern needing to carry a jerry can, but I never ran into it over my decades of cross country towing.

 

[710-oil-614]

yes, that would be my top concern if routinely hauling 4k in a Maverick.

Which again, is not something I would do regularly in a Maverick. Long hauling 4K routinely? That is not a use case for the hybrid Maverick.

 

[heady]

I specifically bought the hybrid Maverick for that exact use case, and anticipate zero real world problems, based on many years and many miles of experience with very similar, but smaller, vehicles. It's not a real world concern, SAE J2807 ratings are comically conservative and hybrids are frankly the most reliable drive trains for hauling I've used in personal, business, and military transport (HEMTT A3) applications.

I wouldn't personally worry about or suggest anyone else under rate an already factory under-rated truck. That said, I don't mind if people oversize their trucks for emotional reasons, either. I have an F-250 and a Transit 350HD that have been mostly gathering dust since I started running hybrids for towing, but the 250 still gets hooked to my gooseneck now and then, maybe once every few years on average it's needed. The tires age out faster than they wear out!

Sponsored