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Hi Maverick Truck Club,
For your consideration, here my review of my Maverick.
Background
I drive a lot for work. My last vehicle was a 2017 Chevy Cruze Premier, which I purchased because it got great gas mileage. I figured since it had 75,000 miles on it and I could get a good trade In value, it was time to update the car. Previously I had own a late 90’s Camry and 2003 Outlander. My wife and I have children, so I wanted something with more utility.
Buying Process
We managed to find a dealership that had a Maverick and let me test drive it. I’m a large man, so I wanted to make sure I could fit in a “compact” truck. It was an XL with a $5k markup. My wife said you need to purchase a Maverick, but not this one because I use cruise control daily. That begin my search…
I knew I wanted an XLT or Lariat because cruise control. I made a spreadsheet with all the different builds I could do. It came down to either an XLT, Lux, Co-Pilot, and a rear window or Lariat, Co-Pilot, and outlet in the cab. I was going to go with the Ecoboost, since I largely drive country highways and did not want to wait for 2026 for a new truck. Before I placed an order, I emailed every dealership within 200 miles that looked like it would have an XLT or Lariat coming in via the Ford inventory search. One had an XLT, Lux, FX4, Co-Pilot, and a rear window for a $3k market adjustment. I offered to meet them in the middle at $1500 and it was rejected. Another dealership had an XLT base with an $8k markup. They said brokers were calling them offering $5k over MSRP daily. I declined.
The last dealer I emailed had a Cactus Gray XLT, Lux, Co-Pilot, rear window, and sunroof. They said it was in transit and should be there by the end of the week. He also said they sell at MSRP and their only fee was a $299 dealer fee, but I needed to cover tax, title, tag, and state fees. I immediately called and asked if I could reserve it. He asked for a $500 non-refundable deposit. I said okay on two conditions: they gave me a good price on my Cruze and I fit in the truck. The sunroof had concerned me, since I like to sit very straight. We agreed and he took my credit card number.
I tracked this truck every 5-6 hours to see if it was updated. Once it was delivered I called the dealership and asked if I could pick it up that afternoon. They worked with me and got it ready. I took it for a test drive and I knew it was perfect. The sunroof does take a couple inches off headroom, but I still have 2”-3". We signed the papers and sure enough, it was MSRP, $299 dealer fee, tax, title, tag, and state required fees. My Cruze appraised for $13k, but inspection caused us to reduce that to $12,000. Since I owned $8,500 on my Cruze, the $3,500 was applied towards the Maverick. I also got the $750 college student discount. (I’m in Grad school.) Out the door price: $26,125. I feel like I got an absolutely smoking deal that I will never top as long as I live.
The Good
This is the largest engine I have owned. It drives much faster than my Cruze, which seems like an odd thing to say about a truck.
Interior is spacious. I have great shoulder room.
The heated seats and steering wheel get plenty hot. I love the visibility. Sitting in the truck I noticed I’m higher up than most SUVs and some other trucks. I do not feel as if I’m drive a tiny truck, but it also does not feel like I'm driving a huge truck or SUV. It's right in the sweet spot of high visibility, utility, and width.
It has a fun factor that is hard to explain. I enjoy driving this truck.
There are a lot of automatic features that haven’t been covered. If you have heated seats and steering wheel set to auto, the truck will sense the temperature outside and turn them on when you start the truck. That’s a nice little feature.
The sunroof. I thought I’d hate this thing, but it’s super nice to have it ventilate the cab while I’m driving. The kids love to open, too. I usually like to keep the heat off unless it’s below 50, so it’s nice to have a bit of extra air going on.
Co-Pilot is amazing. You should get it to stay safe and get the insurance discount. It helps keep you in your lane and has those little blindspot monitoring lights. Well worth the money. My insurance dropped $120/year.
The Neutral
Others have complained about the audio system. I listen to classic and blues rock, podcasts, and audiobooks. I have no problem with the system. I boosted the bass two notches, but that’s it. It does get distorted at 20+ volume, but I’m happy with it at 12-15. I think it sounds fine bordering on good. Keep in mind speakers need a burn in period, too.
I wish I could keep it set in a particular drive mode. I like ECO mode… yeah…. I said it. It’s annoying that I need to change it every time and I’ll end up forgetting lots of times.
I am getting a small crease on the left side of the driver’s seat. Not a huge deal, but I’m only 200 miles in. I have some concerns for the future.
I miss my key fob and smart key features. Every time I try to open the door and realize I need to hit the unlock button on my key I am reminded that I don’t have this feature. That’s annoying. Why Ford didn’t include push button start and smart key on the XLT, I don’t know.
The “Bad”
I am not getting 30 MPG on the highway. It might be a result of break-in, but I drive like an old granny and I’m getting 25-27mpg. Average MPG per trip is inching up as I get more and more miles. Hopefully once I’m at 1000 miles it’ll be in the 30+ range. Keep in mind I’m used to getting 43+mpg out of my Cruze. I drive steady and generally in cruise control.
As I mentioned, I’m a large man. My thighs are hitting the auto stop/start button and turning it off/on. That’s not a safety issue, but I wish they were half an inch to the right. It’s also a pain to keep hitting that drive mode button...
The power seats annoy me. Why? Oh why, Ford, did you not allow the seat to tilt up/down? I would be 25% more comfortable if I could tilt it down. See here. While I can’t be sure, I think the manual seats actually go a hair lower than the power seats. That’s unusual. I wish the seats were just an inch or two longer and lower.
Seatbelts… Ford uses much shorter seatbelts than GM. I fit, but only have 3”-5” to spare. I’ll be going on a diet and getting an extender in the meantime. The belt buckles in the back give my kids trouble. The kids are in booster seats and the buckle gets hidden in the backseat. I’ll need to find them an extender, too.
Ford keys just feel cheap. My wife’s C-Max fob and the Mav switchblade key both feel like they are one drop away from breaking. I bought a little rubber key protector from Amazon and solved that problem. The hood button is really the remote start button, but who’s going to know? Link.
What’s Next?
I need to find a tonneau cover and warranty. The covers are hard to find. My family and I take roadtrips, so I want something as waterproof as reasonably possible and has security. It’ll be a hard fold or roll up one. I’ll purchase the warranty from Flood Ford in a couple months. It’s $950 for 6 years and 100k miles. That’ll cover the loan and make sure nothing major breaks.I might add the fender flairs.
Seat covers. I’d love something in the $200 range for fake leather seat covers. It’ll take time for manufactures to adjust and I’m sure they will make their way to marketplaces. Either way, I need sometime to protect the fabric from the kids.
I'll likely put the Bronco Sport engine cover on this engine.
I ordered the LED bulbs for the taillights. I'll also upgrade the third break light and do some research into the headlights.
Oh and I need to get tailgate letters. I’m thinking black would look best on a cactus gray. Those with Alto Blue Mavs — I love the orange letters. Reminds me of the Mets!
Ask me anything!
My grandfather had a late 70's F100 in light blue. This looks like a modern version of his old truck.
His name is Little John. He reminds me of the Robinhood character and well… the little antenna looks like a Robinhood hat.
For your consideration, here my review of my Maverick.
Background
I drive a lot for work. My last vehicle was a 2017 Chevy Cruze Premier, which I purchased because it got great gas mileage. I figured since it had 75,000 miles on it and I could get a good trade In value, it was time to update the car. Previously I had own a late 90’s Camry and 2003 Outlander. My wife and I have children, so I wanted something with more utility.
Buying Process
We managed to find a dealership that had a Maverick and let me test drive it. I’m a large man, so I wanted to make sure I could fit in a “compact” truck. It was an XL with a $5k markup. My wife said you need to purchase a Maverick, but not this one because I use cruise control daily. That begin my search…
I knew I wanted an XLT or Lariat because cruise control. I made a spreadsheet with all the different builds I could do. It came down to either an XLT, Lux, Co-Pilot, and a rear window or Lariat, Co-Pilot, and outlet in the cab. I was going to go with the Ecoboost, since I largely drive country highways and did not want to wait for 2026 for a new truck. Before I placed an order, I emailed every dealership within 200 miles that looked like it would have an XLT or Lariat coming in via the Ford inventory search. One had an XLT, Lux, FX4, Co-Pilot, and a rear window for a $3k market adjustment. I offered to meet them in the middle at $1500 and it was rejected. Another dealership had an XLT base with an $8k markup. They said brokers were calling them offering $5k over MSRP daily. I declined.
The last dealer I emailed had a Cactus Gray XLT, Lux, Co-Pilot, rear window, and sunroof. They said it was in transit and should be there by the end of the week. He also said they sell at MSRP and their only fee was a $299 dealer fee, but I needed to cover tax, title, tag, and state fees. I immediately called and asked if I could reserve it. He asked for a $500 non-refundable deposit. I said okay on two conditions: they gave me a good price on my Cruze and I fit in the truck. The sunroof had concerned me, since I like to sit very straight. We agreed and he took my credit card number.
I tracked this truck every 5-6 hours to see if it was updated. Once it was delivered I called the dealership and asked if I could pick it up that afternoon. They worked with me and got it ready. I took it for a test drive and I knew it was perfect. The sunroof does take a couple inches off headroom, but I still have 2”-3". We signed the papers and sure enough, it was MSRP, $299 dealer fee, tax, title, tag, and state required fees. My Cruze appraised for $13k, but inspection caused us to reduce that to $12,000. Since I owned $8,500 on my Cruze, the $3,500 was applied towards the Maverick. I also got the $750 college student discount. (I’m in Grad school.) Out the door price: $26,125. I feel like I got an absolutely smoking deal that I will never top as long as I live.
The Good
This is the largest engine I have owned. It drives much faster than my Cruze, which seems like an odd thing to say about a truck.
Interior is spacious. I have great shoulder room.
The heated seats and steering wheel get plenty hot. I love the visibility. Sitting in the truck I noticed I’m higher up than most SUVs and some other trucks. I do not feel as if I’m drive a tiny truck, but it also does not feel like I'm driving a huge truck or SUV. It's right in the sweet spot of high visibility, utility, and width.
It has a fun factor that is hard to explain. I enjoy driving this truck.
There are a lot of automatic features that haven’t been covered. If you have heated seats and steering wheel set to auto, the truck will sense the temperature outside and turn them on when you start the truck. That’s a nice little feature.
The sunroof. I thought I’d hate this thing, but it’s super nice to have it ventilate the cab while I’m driving. The kids love to open, too. I usually like to keep the heat off unless it’s below 50, so it’s nice to have a bit of extra air going on.
Co-Pilot is amazing. You should get it to stay safe and get the insurance discount. It helps keep you in your lane and has those little blindspot monitoring lights. Well worth the money. My insurance dropped $120/year.
The Neutral
Others have complained about the audio system. I listen to classic and blues rock, podcasts, and audiobooks. I have no problem with the system. I boosted the bass two notches, but that’s it. It does get distorted at 20+ volume, but I’m happy with it at 12-15. I think it sounds fine bordering on good. Keep in mind speakers need a burn in period, too.
I wish I could keep it set in a particular drive mode. I like ECO mode… yeah…. I said it. It’s annoying that I need to change it every time and I’ll end up forgetting lots of times.
I am getting a small crease on the left side of the driver’s seat. Not a huge deal, but I’m only 200 miles in. I have some concerns for the future.
I miss my key fob and smart key features. Every time I try to open the door and realize I need to hit the unlock button on my key I am reminded that I don’t have this feature. That’s annoying. Why Ford didn’t include push button start and smart key on the XLT, I don’t know.
The “Bad”
I am not getting 30 MPG on the highway. It might be a result of break-in, but I drive like an old granny and I’m getting 25-27mpg. Average MPG per trip is inching up as I get more and more miles. Hopefully once I’m at 1000 miles it’ll be in the 30+ range. Keep in mind I’m used to getting 43+mpg out of my Cruze. I drive steady and generally in cruise control.
As I mentioned, I’m a large man. My thighs are hitting the auto stop/start button and turning it off/on. That’s not a safety issue, but I wish they were half an inch to the right. It’s also a pain to keep hitting that drive mode button...
The power seats annoy me. Why? Oh why, Ford, did you not allow the seat to tilt up/down? I would be 25% more comfortable if I could tilt it down. See here. While I can’t be sure, I think the manual seats actually go a hair lower than the power seats. That’s unusual. I wish the seats were just an inch or two longer and lower.
Seatbelts… Ford uses much shorter seatbelts than GM. I fit, but only have 3”-5” to spare. I’ll be going on a diet and getting an extender in the meantime. The belt buckles in the back give my kids trouble. The kids are in booster seats and the buckle gets hidden in the backseat. I’ll need to find them an extender, too.
Ford keys just feel cheap. My wife’s C-Max fob and the Mav switchblade key both feel like they are one drop away from breaking. I bought a little rubber key protector from Amazon and solved that problem. The hood button is really the remote start button, but who’s going to know? Link.
What’s Next?
I need to find a tonneau cover and warranty. The covers are hard to find. My family and I take roadtrips, so I want something as waterproof as reasonably possible and has security. It’ll be a hard fold or roll up one. I’ll purchase the warranty from Flood Ford in a couple months. It’s $950 for 6 years and 100k miles. That’ll cover the loan and make sure nothing major breaks.I might add the fender flairs.
Seat covers. I’d love something in the $200 range for fake leather seat covers. It’ll take time for manufactures to adjust and I’m sure they will make their way to marketplaces. Either way, I need sometime to protect the fabric from the kids.
I'll likely put the Bronco Sport engine cover on this engine.
I ordered the LED bulbs for the taillights. I'll also upgrade the third break light and do some research into the headlights.
Oh and I need to get tailgate letters. I’m thinking black would look best on a cactus gray. Those with Alto Blue Mavs — I love the orange letters. Reminds me of the Mets!
Ask me anything!
My grandfather had a late 70's F100 in light blue. This looks like a modern version of his old truck.
His name is Little John. He reminds me of the Robinhood character and well… the little antenna looks like a Robinhood hat.
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