Lariat Hybrid tow test: Airstream Bambi (3500 GVW)

[Bic]

Ford’s Towing Guide for the Maverick shows a Lariat towing an Airstream Bambi 16 Sport and notes that the 53Q 4K Tow Package is required for trailers over 2,000 pounds. The diminutive Bambi 16 Sport is the runt of the Airstream line at just 3,500 GVW.

My Hybrid Lariat has the 53Q package and so may tow the littlest Bambi according to Ford. The Maverick's odometer just passed the 1,000 mile mark so that (Ford) requirement is met too.

But how well is a 2.5 liter, conventionally aspirated Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder going to do actually towing 3,500 pounds over 8,000 foot mountain passes?

How much help will regenerative braking be in slowing those 3,500 pounds on those miles- long 6% mountain grade descents?

Is the electronic trailer sway control effective?

And how about all that ProTrailer automation for positioning the Maverick to tow?

“Blind Spot Information System® with Trailer Coverage” sure sounds helpful. How is that going to work?

Then there are those tiny skull-shaped mirrors…are they even adequate?



I had lots of questions!

Maybe it is time to get Bambi on the ball and seek some answers?

Bambi came to us used and supposedly complete with the requisite hoses, block and chocks, even a BBQ grill and a folding table. I suggested a short shakedown cruise to find out what I needed to fix, replace or reprovision. Her Highness welcomed the chance to test out her expertly-curated tiny cooking kit and demonstrating her prowess crafting amazing meals in the miniscule kitchen. Just a couple of days to check out how the Maverick does towing Bambi and lets see what happens…


Here is the hitch setup. Simple: NO weight-distribution, NO sway control

And here is Bambi on the ball:

The Mav towed Bambi the 500 yards from my storage site to the gate on the e-motor alone.

Towed it just fine but then I realized that I should really be in Tow-Haul Mode!

The first day we plan about 100 miles of secondary highways and 50 miles of interstate, will report on how that went in my next post...

Sponsored

 

[710-oil-614]

I look forward to your experiences and feedback!!

 

[Milwrdfan]

Check out Fast Lane Truck's towing torture test with their '25 Hybrid XLT. I think you'll be just fine with your Mav.

 

[Phimosis]

Ford’s Towing Guide for the Maverick shows a Lariat towing an Airstream Bambi 16 Sport and notes that the 53Q 4K Tow Package is required for trailers over 2,000 pounds. The diminutive Bambi 16 Sport is the runt of the Airstream line at just 3,500 GVW.

My Hybrid Lariat has the 53Q package and so may tow the littlest Bambi according to Ford. The Maverick's odometer just passed the 1,000 mile mark so that (Ford) requirement is met too.

But how well is a 2.5 liter, conventionally aspirated Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder going to do actually towing 3,500 pounds over 8,000 foot mountain passes?

How much help will regenerative braking be in slowing those 3,500 pounds on those miles- long 6% mountain grade descents?

Is the electronic trailer sway control effective?

And how about all that ProTrailer automation for positioning the Maverick to tow?

“Blind Spot Information System® with Trailer Coverage” sure sounds helpful. How is that going to work?

Then there are those tiny skull-shaped mirrors…are they even adequate?



I had lots of questions!

Maybe it is time to get Bambi on the ball and seek some answers?

Bambi came to us used and supposedly complete with the requisite hoses, block and chocks, even a BBQ grill and a folding table. I suggested a short shakedown cruise to find out what I needed to fix, replace or reprovision. Her Highness welcomed the chance to test out her expertly-curated tiny cooking kit and demonstrating her prowess crafting amazing meals in the miniscule kitchen. Just a couple of days to check out how the Maverick does towing Bambi and lets see what happens…

Here is the hitch setup. Simple: NO weight-distribution, NO sway control

And here is Bambi on the ball:

The Mav towed Bambi the 500 yards from my storage site to the gate on the e-motor alone.

Towed it just fine but then I realized that I should really be in Tow-Haul Mode!

The first day we plan about 100 miles of secondary highways and 50 miles of interstate, will report on how that went in my next post...

The one place you’re breaking the rules is the frontal area. I couldn’t find published frontal area number for the Bambi, but I see it’s 6’3” tall inside, so let’s say 7.0 feet when you include box frame, floor and ceiling. It’s 8.0 feet wide, so 63 square feet. Then add a couple extra feet for the AC unit on top and another foot or so for the tires and you’re around 66 square feet of front area.

Ford literature basically says, “tow a normal size camp trailer under 4k lbs and your engine might blow up.”

 

[RR - All the way]

Frontal Area......... I think it is called an Airstream because they were one of the first to consider front end aerodynamics. Makes a ton of difference in wind resistance and handling. I would guess that Ford's 40 sq ft does not match up with many campers unless they are pop-ups.

 

[Phimosis]

Frontal Area......... I think it is called an Airstream because they were one of the first to consider front end aerodynamics. Makes a ton of difference in wind resistance and handling. I would guess that Ford's 40 sq ft does not match up with many campers unless they are pop-ups.

That’s exactly my point. The 2k tow package will be nearly maxed out on weight and frontal area with a popup trailer, but it is still within their recommendations.

But then you step up to the optional 4k towing package and the towing weight goes up by 100%, but they only increase the recommended frontal area by 37%.

It’s effectively saying “popup campers only”

 

[bsenecal]

The one place you’re breaking the rules is the frontal area. I couldn’t find published frontal area number for the Bambi, but I see it’s 6’3” tall inside, so let’s say 7.0 feet when you include box frame, floor and ceiling. It’s 8.0 feet wide, so 63 square feet. Then add a couple extra feet for the AC unit on top and another foot or so for the tires and you’re around 66 square feet of front area.

Ford literature basically says, “tow a normal size camp trailer under 4k lbs and your engine might blow up.”

The one place you’re breaking the rules is the frontal area. I couldn’t find published frontal area number for the Bambi, but I see it’s 6’3” tall inside, so let’s say 7.0 feet when you include box frame, floor and ceiling. It’s 8.0 feet wide, so 63 square feet. Then add a couple extra feet for the AC unit on top and another foot or so for the tires and you’re around 66 square feet of front area.

Ford literature basically says, “tow a normal size camp trailer under 4k lbs and your engine might blow up.”

The one place you’re breaking the rules is the frontal area. I couldn’t find published frontal area number for the Bambi, but I see it’s 6’3” tall inside, so let’s say 7.0 feet when you include box frame, floor and ceiling. It’s 8.0 feet wide, so 63 square feet. Then add a couple extra feet for the AC unit on top and another foot or so for the tires and you’re around 66 square feet of front area.

Ford literature basically says, “tow a normal size camp trailer under 4k lbs and your engine might blow up.”

The info just says “if you exceed those suggested frontal area recommendations, your performance will suffer, every truck I have had paid a heavy penalty when towing.
Brian

 

[Phimosis]

Frontal Area......... I think it is called an Airstream because they were one of the first to consider front end aerodynamics. Makes a ton of difference in wind resistance and handling.

Airstream says that when they compared their best 28 foot trailer wit the competition’s worst 35 foot box trailer, they found that the airstream was 25% more aerodynamically efficient.

Completely unfair test and wildly optimistic, but 25% reduction. So the 16 ft airstream is still 50 square feet of frontal area if you make fudge factors for aero profile. That’s still 25% over what Ford recommends.

 

[Phimosis]

The info just says “if you exceed those suggested frontal area recommendations, your performance will suffer, every truck I have had paid a heavy penalty when towing.
Brian

The flip side is that if your engine/trans/differential failed and you told the dealer that you had been regularly towing a trailer with 65 ft^2 frontal area at 65 mph, do think they would try to deny your warranty claim for not following the recommended maximums in the towing guide? I’m betting that they would. These numbers are more than mere recommendations. They are disclaimers to limit their legal liability.

 

[bsenecal]

The flip side is that if your engine/trans/differential failed and you told the dealer that you had been regularly towing a trailer with 65 ft^2 frontal area at 65 mph, do think they would try to deny your warranty claim for not following the recommended maximums in the towing guide? I’m betting that they would. These numbers are more than mere recommendations. They are disclaimers to limit their legal liability.

Very true.
Brian

 

[SafetyGuy]

The one place you’re breaking the rules is the frontal area. I couldn’t find published frontal area number for the Bambi, but I see it’s 6’3” tall inside, so let’s say 7.0 feet when you include box frame, floor and ceiling. It’s 8.0 feet wide, so 63 square feet. Then add a couple extra feet for the AC unit on top and another foot or so for the tires and you’re around 66 square feet of front area.

Ford literature basically says, “tow a normal size camp trailer under 4k lbs and your engine might blow up.”

Hello Phimosis and @Bic

Some excellent points as to wind resistance and frontal area...if new to towing there is a large learning curve with everything that is not known.

It is my thought that quite a bit of the trailer frontal area of the trailer is "hidden" behind the truck itself...as in the truck is breaking the wind for the trailer that is being towed.

The area's of the trailer sticking out to the sides and top of the truck will continue to fight you via wind resistance, but I am thinking measuring insitu would help with knowing exactly what area of resistance remains.

There may be ways to help with the resistance from the front of the trailer (if you feel you want to as you move forward) and that could be addressed by purchasing or having a bespoke air deflector made up that can be attached and removed from the top of the Maverick's cab.

It wouldn't have to be too large or aggressive...the reduction in resistance would really make a difference in my way of thinking. Decreasing wind resistance and increasing fuel mileage goes hand in hand.

Another idea could possibly be getting a truck cap or topper for the back of the truck and have a bespoke deflector made up and attached to it instead of on the cab of the Maverick.

The topper would also allow more storage space for all the camping items you feel you want, or for bringing home treasures you find along the way (think big rocks...a-la the old Movie "The Long Trailer")!



Now, for an example of another way to get the air deflection done from when I was a kid.

Dad had an F-150, we had a cap on the truck, and a small aluminum boat. We used to do a lot of camping and fishing so we flipped the tinny upside down, pointy end forward and strapped it down on the cap rack dad built.

This increased fuel mileage about 1-2 mpg (Imperial gallon, or 4.5 litres) on the highway.

Once realizing this, the tinny was used whenever we went out with the trailer.

Have a good one and I look forward to see your reports as you move forward. I am hoping you have a great experience with your truck and Bambi!

Andy

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

The one place you’re breaking the rules is the frontal area. I couldn’t find published frontal area number for the Bambi, but I see it’s 6’3” tall inside, so let’s say 7.0 feet when you include box frame, floor and ceiling. It’s 8.0 feet wide, so 63 square feet. Then add a couple extra feet for the AC unit on top and another foot or so for the tires and you’re around 66 square feet of front area.

And yet this is the exact trailer that Ford shows in it's towing guide,,,,,,

https://www.vdm.ford.com/content/da...f/2025_Ford_Maverick_Towing_Info_fnl-Dec5.pdf

HRG

 

[Phimosis]

And yet this is the exact trailer that Ford shows in it's towing guide,,,,,,

https://www.vdm.ford.com/content/da...f/2025_Ford_Maverick_Towing_Info_fnl-Dec5.pdf

HRG

That’s a great point! I wonder how Ford would square that away when trying to deny your warranty claim for towing the same trailer that they used in their photo shoot?

 

[Bic]

As others have noted on this thread, Airstreams aerodynamics are well established. Even the (heated) underbelly area is relatively clean aerodynamically. I had a 16ft Jayco before buying a 25 ft Airstream Flying Cloud. The Jayco was as aerodynamic as a shoe box. The Jayco's Murphy Bed meant towing an eight foot high vertical wall, eight feet wide. That was 64 sq ft of wind resistance. I was shocked at how well the Flying Cloud towed compared to the boxy little Jayco.

Much of the frontal area of the Bambi is in the lee of the Maverick tailgate (including 100% of the boxy propane tank cover). So it's not accurate to assume the the frontal area of the trailer is 100% additive to the frontal area of the Maverick itself. Also the edges of the Bambi are "faired" just as edges of aircraft are faired. Even the door hinges are faired on Airstreams!

I found the Bambi towed well even at 70mph but the fuel mileage at those speeds made for 150 mile fuel stops! At 15 mpg I'd rather be in the SuperDuty

The skull mirrors are marginal for multilane freeways but the BLIS (Blind Spot Information System w/ Trailer Coverage) meant that I was getting alerts from vehicles becoming adjacent to the trailer as well as adjacent to the Maverick. Its took about a minute to teach the Maverick the Bambi's dimensions (ball to bumper length and width) then when the Mav detected a trailer connected I was prompted to "select" the trailer from those previously saved. Once Bambi was selected the BLIS cone of protection was extended to include the trailer.

Regenerative braking works quite well! With cruise control engaged the Mav will downshift as required on downhills to keep the set speed. With the cruise disengaged a quick tap of the brake pedal is all that is needed to cause a downshift. I ran the entire day with Tow/Haul mode on so the ICE ran all day without ever switching to e-motors yet never had the regeneration braking decline as the hi-voltage battery reached some arbitrary set point.

First night stop in Olympia.

 

[Darryl]

Check out Fast Lane Truck's towing torture test with their '25 Hybrid XLT. I think you'll be just fine with your Mav.

You found it and posted it. So I didn't have to.

Sponsored