A funny run in with Santa Cruz and a RANT!

[MaverickSVT]

I was riding my motorcycle when I pulled up behind a Santa Cruz and his license plate said “MAVER1K” lol!!!

do you think he wanted a ford maverick and compromised to get the Santa Cruz?

Now the rant! Why on earth did FORD with this Swiss Army knife, Ford Maverick, not have where we can mount permanent roof rack rails?
what a terrible oversight for such a wonderful truck that’s already so versatile as is. The mounting points for roof rails would have % pushed the truck over the top in my opinion.
I already have Malone cross bars that I’m not using and would love to use them on my maverick. I also have Thule Hull a Port XT’s for my kayaks that I’m not using.
Ford if you’re listening for the 2024 Maverick, please add mounting points for permanent roof rails.

if The maverick just had a way to easily mount roof rails, I could put all that stuff to use again.
Even my 2012 Kia Soul had mounting points under the roof strips and I built a killer roof rack setup.

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[Maverick Grabber]

If you lined a few of them up in a parade you would have a SOUL TRAIN

 

[Subsailortrainman]

There is a tall bed rack available. it also gives more carry power than a roof rack

 

[Scott Asheville]

OP, you might very well get Ford's attention with this post. I watched an excellent interview yesterday on Munro Podcast, where the VP of electric vehicle programs (I think) made the point that Ford very closely follows social media. They made changes to the Lightning and Mach E based on social media and customer feedback.

You might not think Ford is listening to you, but believe me they are. Up to the very senior levels.

This is an excellent watch, by the way...

 

[Exranger]

I was riding my motorcycle when I pulled up behind a Santa Cruz and his license plate said “MAVER1K” lol!!!

do you think he wanted a ford maverick and compromised to get the Santa Cruz?

Now the rant! Why on earth did FORD with this Swiss Army knife, Ford Maverick, not have where we can mount permanent roof rack rails?
what a terrible oversight for such a wonderful truck that’s already so versatile as is. The mounting points for roof rails would have % pushed the truck over the top in my opinion.
I already have Malone cross bars that I’m not using and would love to use them on my maverick. I also have Thule Hull a Port XT’s for my kayaks that I’m not using.
Ford if you’re listening for the 2024 Maverick, please add mounting points for permanent roof rails.

if The maverick just had a way to easily mount roof rails, I could put all that stuff to use again.
Even my 2012 Kia Soul had mounting points under the roof strips and I built a killer roof rack setup.

That is funny! I just realized my license frame says Santa Cruz! (CA)

 

[MaverickSVT]

This is what was under the roof strips on the Kia!
all that’s needed is for ford to make a similar style mounting points on the mavericks roof just like these ones! Get some stainless fasteners and bam time to install a permanent, tubular roof rails setup!

 

[Maverickman74]

I desperately wish the roof had mounting points. We are getting a topper for our bed ande have rails on it but would very much like to have them over the roof aswell for hauling long lumber that we do occasionally. Literally all I have seen is the 2022 Team Eibach Maverick build had a "FrontRunner" roof basket on it but it apparently never made it to production.

If anybody has take their roof strips off for any reason please post up some pics. I would even be willing to make a mod plan one day for existing Mavericks to upfit theirs. Hopefully future Mavs will have it on the re-design.

 

[TheSEARCH]

Long time sea kayaker here. Yes it would be NICE to be factory done. But since its not you do know about the clip on roof rails available? There is another thread on a guy who had attachment rails permanently installed on his roof to. So you do have options. The clip on being the least costly. I myself will do that.

 

[colinl]

I feel like there's probably a reason that Ford doesn't have rack rails integrated. It's not like, whoops, we forgot to engineer that. Nah. They knew and chose not to for whatever reason.

That reason might be cost, but maybe there's other reasons as well. Perhaps the hit to highway mpg is much more severe than using a bed-mounted rack system because of how much of the kayak is forward of the windshield.

Roof racks are expensive, I have used them for bicycles for a lot of years. IMHO with the cost of the crossbars and racks you might as well get the bed base towers instead of clamping something onto the roof and closing a door on it.

 

[Scott Asheville]

Remember that the Maverick is a Walmart Blue Light special. I don't mean that in a nasty way. I'm just saying they cut costs at every opportunity to give us all this wonderfully low price. I wager roof rails fell onto the cutting floor. Along with Sync 4. And a full size screen. And a zillion other things where the Maverick went to the bargain bin for parts and pieces.

I think more than a few of us are hoping for an upscale Maverick. Or maybe some refinement in a MY 2025 refresh. Or even an up-contented Lincoln version. That said, the logic in Ford Product Planning might be "if they want nicer, they can buy a Ranger". Which you have to admit is kind of valid logic. The soul of the Maverick is low cost. I imagine it took a lot of discipline on the program manager's part to keep saying "no" each time an engineer said "we need to add feature X".

I guess what I'm trying to say is, every time we chafe because feature "x" is missing or is the cheap implementation, we should profusely thank the Maverick program manager for making sure it wasn't $30,000 base price.

 

[Joofchicago]

Long time sea kayaker here. Yes it would be NICE to be factory done. But since its not you do know about the clip on roof rails available? There is another thread on a guy who had attachment rails permanently installed on his roof to. So you do have options. The clip on being the least costly. I myself will do that.

Are those clips a Ford product?

 

[T-Dog]

Are those clips a Ford product?

I was riding my motorcycle when I pulled up behind a Santa Cruz and his license plate said “MAVER1K” lol!!!

do you think he wanted a ford maverick and compromised to get the Santa Cruz?

Now the rant! Why on earth did FORD with this Swiss Army knife, Ford Maverick, not have where we can mount permanent roof rack rails?
what a terrible oversight for such a wonderful truck that’s already so versatile as is. The mounting points for roof rails would have % pushed the truck over the top in my opinion.
I already have Malone cross bars that I’m not using and would love to use them on my maverick. I also have Thule Hull a Port XT’s for my kayaks that I’m not using.
Ford if you’re listening for the 2024 Maverick, please add mounting points for permanent roof rails.

if The maverick just had a way to easily mount roof rails, I could put all that stuff to use again.
Even my 2012 Kia Soul had mounting points under the roof strips and I built a killer roof rack setup.

This is my rack configuration. It wasn't cheap by any means but I am spoiling myself at 61. I am adding a hitch mounted extension for long loads i.e. lumber etc. Enjoy.

 

[TheSEARCH]

Are those clips a Ford product?

No Yakima for mine but I think Thule also sells a setup too. I also believe you can buy clip on cross bars from Ford BUT there made be either yakima or thule not sure which one they sell. If looking I suggest you got to etrailer.com at top put in vehicle choose roof rack and roof top and you will see who offers what. Yea they make ones for the bed but they are super over priced. Over a grand.

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