A Surprising And Enlightening Experience From First Maverick Road Trip

[Saul T Knutz]

Is it me or the front grill style is different for lariat than for XL

It's not you, the grill is different

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[richman555]

I keep hearing the Maverick is a great road tripper. Nice write up!

 

[projectvortex]

Nice photos, and that looks like a fun trip!

My experience shows a dramatic drop in MPG when you are pushing into 75-80 mph. The truck is a brick, after all! That being said, the hybrid truck is quite happy to keep up with the faster traffic, and still get 30+ MPG.

Agree. I’ve done many hundreds of mile stretches but never got over 37mpg. Still better than EPA but nowhere near where many claim to be.

 

[BlackXL]

Agree. I’ve done many hundreds of mile stretches but never got over 37mpg. Still better than EPA but nowhere near where many claim to be.

Turn off the climate control and drive 55. Bet you get above 40 mpg...

 

[Hoagus]

The whole trip from start to finish was quite a surprising and satisfying experience. We need to do this more often!

Nice write-up! You describe the joy of driving the Maverick very well. For a “cheap truck” it sure puts smiles on a lot of owners faces.

 

[vabchusa]

My wife and I just took our first road trip in our Hybrid XLT this last Friday. Yeah, from what I've been reading I know most of you probably consider 300 miles a jog around the park, but as I haven't really even left town in nine months of ownership, trust that it counts as a road trip for me.
Anyway, we drove from Charlotte, NC to the Blue Ridge Parkway and back to check out the leaves at their peak...and of course I was checking out the truck's performance and fuel efficiency as well.

As I said, I've driven almost entirely in the city since I've owned the Maverick and have been totally blown away by its amazing gas mileage. I routinely get 43-45 MPG here in town, but as the EPA has it rated at only 33 MPG on the "highway", I was fully expecting a big reduction on our trip. But as you can see from the readout, there was essentially NO difference at all, even after powering up all those steep grades. (The dash calculation is always 2-3 MPG high..) Wow! I honestly don't know what to think, and it makes me wonder exactly what the EPA considers to be "highway" travel. On our drive, there were long straight stretches of 65 MPH open highways before we even got to the mountains. Nearly a hundred miles or so each way. So considering that this is pretty much what all of my road trips will look like, I doubt I will ever see anything approaching that 33 MPG number. All good, and super impressive!

The truck's performance and handling were equally impressive. I found it to be extremely stable and sure footed in the curves, far better than any truck I've ever owned. And the power impressed as well. The truck easily tackled the steep grades without breaking a sweat, with none of the annoying gear "hunting" I've come to simply take as a given after a lifetime of experience with automatic transmissions. Acceleration was there smoothly and easily without having to "punch" it to get it to downshift. (As I've also taken as a given.) I am really sold on this hybrid configuration. It's an absolute blast to drive in the mountains. One advantage I expected to observe however, didn't pan out. I figured the regen braking would provide really strong resistance on the downgrades, greatly reducing friction braking effort. And it did....but for only a very short time. The high voltage battery reaches full charge so quickly that you don't really see much of a benefit. The engine braking does kick in to help, but as with all four cylinder engines, it doesn't really hold you back much. So I had to use the brakes on the downgrades pretty much to the same degree as other cars and trucks I've owned. Yes, I did try "low", but the engine braking reached such a fever pitch that I decided I'd rather just do the braking myself. Hey, that's what brake pads are for after all, and I'm cool with it.

Comfort was excellent. The seats were firm and supportive, and we didn't experience any fatigue at all, making the Maverick one of the best overall road trip vehicles I've ever owned.

Finally, I was pleasantly surprised to encounter more Mavericks on our trip than I have seen in town in all the nine months I've owned mine. We saw no less than five! And not one of them the same color. A Cactus Gray XLT passed us with a wave in Lincolnton, we got a smile and wave from a guy in a Cyber Orange XLT in Lenoir, and we passed a Carbonized Gray Lariat, and an Area 51 XLT on the parkway. Didn't get any photos of those as they were gone too quick, but I did park near a beautiful Oxford White Hybrid XLT at an overlook. Didn't see the owner before we left, but I took a picture. Gee, I hope he doesn't mind.

The whole trip from start to finish was quite a surprising and satisfying experience. We need to do this more often!

I believe the truck has a "Hill descent mode" to provide additional braking.

 

[Tailender]

We just went from PA to Georgia and back (heading to Florida but turned back because of Ian) doing 65 to 70 mph and we averaged over 40 mpg. I love this truck! Hybrid is the way to go unless you need to tow something heavy.

 

[xplorguy]

My wife and I just took our first road trip in our Hybrid XLT this last Friday. Yeah, from what I've been reading I know most of you probably consider 300 miles a jog around the park, but as I haven't really even left town in nine months of ownership, trust that it counts as a road trip for me.
Anyway, we drove from Charlotte, NC to the Blue Ridge Parkway and back to check out the leaves at their peak...and of course I was checking out the truck's performance and fuel efficiency as well.

As I said, I've driven almost entirely in the city since I've owned the Maverick and have been totally blown away by its amazing gas mileage. I routinely get 43-45 MPG here in town, but as the EPA has it rated at only 33 MPG on the "highway", I was fully expecting a big reduction on our trip. But as you can see from the readout, there was essentially NO difference at all, even after powering up all those steep grades. (The dash calculation is always 2-3 MPG high..) Wow! I honestly don't know what to think, and it makes me wonder exactly what the EPA considers to be "highway" travel. On our drive, there were long straight stretches of 65 MPH open highways before we even got to the mountains. Nearly a hundred miles or so each way. So considering that this is pretty much what all of my road trips will look like, I doubt I will ever see anything approaching that 33 MPG number. All good, and super impressive!

The truck's performance and handling were equally impressive. I found it to be extremely stable and sure footed in the curves, far better than any truck I've ever owned. And the power impressed as well. The truck easily tackled the steep grades without breaking a sweat, with none of the annoying gear "hunting" I've come to simply take as a given after a lifetime of experience with automatic transmissions. Acceleration was there smoothly and easily without having to "punch" it to get it to downshift. (As I've also taken as a given.) I am really sold on this hybrid configuration. It's an absolute blast to drive in the mountains. One advantage I expected to observe however, didn't pan out. I figured the regen braking would provide really strong resistance on the downgrades, greatly reducing friction braking effort. And it did....but for only a very short time. The high voltage battery reaches full charge so quickly that you don't really see much of a benefit. The engine braking does kick in to help, but as with all four cylinder engines, it doesn't really hold you back much. So I had to use the brakes on the downgrades pretty much to the same degree as other cars and trucks I've owned. Yes, I did try "low", but the engine braking reached such a fever pitch that I decided I'd rather just do the braking myself. Hey, that's what brake pads are for after all, and I'm cool with it.

Comfort was excellent. The seats were firm and supportive, and we didn't experience any fatigue at all, making the Maverick one of the best overall road trip vehicles I've ever owned.

Finally, I was pleasantly surprised to encounter more Mavericks on our trip than I have seen in town in all the nine months I've owned mine. We saw no less than five! And not one of them the same color. A Cactus Gray XLT passed us with a wave in Lincolnton, we got a smile and wave from a guy in a Cyber Orange XLT in Lenoir, and we passed a Carbonized Gray Lariat, and an Area 51 XLT on the parkway. Didn't get any photos of those as they were gone too quick, but I did park near a beautiful Oxford White Hybrid XLT at an overlook. Didn't see the owner before we left, but I took a picture. Gee, I hope he doesn't mind.

The whole trip from start to finish was quite a surprising and satisfying experience. We need to do this more often!

VERY pleased to hear all your positive real world comments concerning the driveability and comfort of your new Mav. I am certainly hoping to, someday, feel the same wonderful emotions when my hybrid XLT "ship" comes in....

 

[Pacman]

Great review, and good looking truck!

 

[Edge Haley]

Picked up my Hybrid in Penn. and drove home to Atlanta via Blue Ridge Parkway…and got the best mileage I’ve had…Seems to be the up and down long stretches of mountain roads. You’re right Maverick handles curves and mountain roads exceptionally well…big part of that is the transmission…you don’t even know it’s there.

 

[Dad]

Is it me or the front grill style is different for lariat than for XL

They're different.
XL

Lariat

 

[Kingfish]

Great review! I took my first Mav-enabled road trip a couple weeks ago. Had the same experience. Such a pleasure to drive.

I live in Charlotte (well, Mt Holly) to, and can't wait to take it to the BRP.

 

[BEC]

My wife and I just got back from a 3400 mile road trip in our 2013 Mazda3 hatchback (six-speed manual) and we are fervently hoping that the next time we make this trip it will be in our Maverick Lariat hybrid (ordered the second day 2023 orders were open). Thanks for the report.

And yeah, those 75 and 80 mph speed limit stretches in Idaho and Utah suck the gas down relative to going a more relaxed pace.

 

[Scott Asheville]

OP: If you'd wandered into Asheville once you reached the BRP, you might have seen mine and a bunch of others. Mavericks are pretty common around here. I usually see several a week.

 

[the_mad_end]

Nice write-up, and an absolutely beautiful Maverick! You have good taste in color! LOL

Jim, I see your Maverick build is EXACTLY the same as the one I built, lol. Same engine, same packages, same order date. Good taste as well! lol

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