Some questions regarding the Hybrid vs Ecoboost

[glassman]

Hey all, new member here.
My name is mike and I'm a full time estimator for my glass shop I own. I spend 3-5 hours in the car each day and looking for a good daily and this seems to check most the boxes.
No towing, but need a bed for the casual hauling needs. Plus, it will be doubling as a mountain bike hauler.

Been on car forums for almost 20 years now and I've really enjoyed the forums, being a car guy. I've met some good people along the way...

I've looked for some good pro's and cons regarding the Eco vs Hybrid and didn't really find what I was looking for.
I am pretty certain I will be purchasing a new Maverick for my daily in the next couple weeks (month or so) and letting go my 2020 Colorado RST.

Maverick Lariat, still deciding color...
will hopefully test drive the two for comparisons sake, but I've been on this site for a couple hours now and there is some really good feedback in the different threads I've viewed

Questions and opinions I'm looking for, along with a couple comments....

Handling:
-what are some of the differences in handling between the two drivelines?
-how well does it handle (realizing this is a very subjective question)
-I want it to handle well, and will most likely be lowering it with the Eibach kit (I've done that to my '11 Carrera C2S), my Colorado (and it sucked cause the leafs were a flip kit and the ride quality was not good) and other vehicles....
-hows the steering feel?

Performance:
-is the hybrid really that much slower than the Ecoboost? There are times "I'm running behind" lol...
-are the real world published numbers accurate? they seem to be from what I've read...

Any other comments are welcome and thanks for chiming in, Mike

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[paneubert]

Welcome.

Not addressing any of your actual questions, sorry. Haha. I am commenting in the hope that you have gotten up to speed about the availability of the Maverick? Or lack of? Do you have a lead on one that will come available and not be sold the instant it hits the dealership? They are possible to find, but usually (almost 100% of the time) will have a 5-10K markup over MSRP, which is the only reason they are not sold yet. You may or may not get to test drive one. Things are slowly becoming less crazy and more normal than they were in 2021/2022 and even earlier this year. But buying a Maverick is still nothing like the experience you might have had in past vehicle purchases.

Somewhat answering one of your questions, you are probably 5-10X more likely to find an EcoBoost to buy versus a hybrid. Especially if you have a specific trim in mind. Finding one that is both Hybrid and your desired trim level (and a specific color) may be a tall order. Unless you are willing to take those "3-5 hours in the car each day" driving to a far away dealer to get the one you want!

Edit to add: The order banks are still open for the 2024 model year. So you can order a 2024 in whatever trim and engine and color you want. But you will be waiting a while for it to be selected for production (possibly 6+ months). And there is the chance it won't be selected at all. Just FYI!

 

[AF Blue]

Hello Mike, and welcome!

A few threads shown below "similar threads" ....
I will only say the hybrid cost more than the ecoboost now.

Anything else is subjective...oh ... if mostly highway driving the MPG gap becomes less of a
arguing point.

 

[Scott Asheville]

One thing to be aware of is that the AWD model gets an independent suspension. Most of the reviewers thought it was a -bit- better than the non-AWD model. About steering feel - that is so subjective. I miss the very heavy steering of my Ranger, but I think most people prefer light.

Also, my Ranger tracked better. That might the tires. It might be the steering. It might be the suspension. I could take my hands off the Ranger wheel for miles on a straight road. In my AWD Maverick, 5 seconds and the thing is wandering. I do recall one fellow on the forum changed tires and reported better tracking.

My Eco is also a relative pocket rocket. I had fun just an hour ago accelerating (legally but quickly) onto the interstate in front of a Mustang. He was challenged enough by me leaving him in the dust on the on-ramp that he floored it and must have been going 100 just to assuage his injured ego. Of course 15 over 55 (or just 80 mph) in NC gets you an automatic month's license suspension, so he failed that intelligence test.

 

[LSchicago]

One thing to be aware of is that the AWD model gets an independent suspension. Most of the reviewers thought it was a -bit- better than the non-AWD model. About steering feel - that is so subjective. I miss the very heavy steering of my Ranger, but I think most people prefer light.

Also, my Ranger tracked better. That might the tires. It might be the steering. It might be the suspension. I could take my hands off the Ranger wheel for miles on a straight road. In my AWD Maverick, 5 seconds and the thing is wandering. I do recall one fellow on the forum changed tires and reported better tracking.

My Eco is also a relative pocket rocket. I had fun just an hour ago accelerating (legally but quickly) onto the interstate in front of a Mustang. He was challenged enough by me leaving him in the dust on the on-ramp that he floored it and must have been going 100 just to assuage his injured ego. Of course 15 over 55 (or just 80 mph) in NC gets you an automatic month's license suspension, so he failed that intelligence test.

Hybrids get a twist beam, which is like a semi independent suspension.

 

[Timothyd]

Hey all, new member here.
My name is mike and I'm a full time estimator for my glass shop I own. I spend 3-5 hours in the car each day and looking for a good daily and this seems to check most the boxes.
No towing, but need a bed for the casual hauling needs. Plus, it will be doubling as a mountain bike hauler.

Been on car forums for almost 20 years now and I've really enjoyed the forums, being a car guy. I've met some good people along the way...

I've looked for some good pro's and cons regarding the Eco vs Hybrid and didn't really find what I was looking for.
I am pretty certain I will be purchasing a new Maverick for my daily in the next couple weeks (month or so) and letting go my 2020 Colorado RST.

Maverick Lariat, still deciding color...
will hopefully test drive the two for comparisons sake, but I've been on this site for a couple hours now and there is some really good feedback in the different threads I've viewed

Questions and opinions I'm looking for, along with a couple comments....

Handling:
-what are some of the differences in handling between the two drivelines?
-how well does it handle (realizing this is a very subjective question)
-I want it to handle well, and will most likely be lowering it with the Eibach kit (I've done that to my '11 Carrera C2S), my Colorado (and it sucked cause the leafs were a flip kit and the ride quality was not good) and other vehicles....
-hows the steering feel?

Performance:
-is the hybrid really that much slower than the Ecoboost? There are times "I'm running behind" lol...
-are the real world published numbers accurate? they seem to be from what I've read...

Any other comments are welcome and thanks for chiming in, Mike

Hi Mike, I can only comment on my hybrid Lariat which I love. Some things that stand out: the hybrid powertrain is sooo smooth, I'm still amazed by it. And, running around Chicagoland in all kinds of traffic I haven't felt it's lacking, You're not going to be worrying about passing or shooting for the spot on the on-ramp.
I was pleasantly surprised by the handling, very capable and even with a load it's okay. The most I've had is maybe 800-1000lbs of firewood but it did ok. My other rides are a 750 motorcycle and a Miata and I don't miss them much when I'm in the Maverick. Well, perhaps the motorcycle.
The size is great, not too big or small.
My 2wd did well in the winter. Little sketchy in one bad ice storm in Central Wisconsin but I got through it. I'm averaging about 45mpg in mixed driving.

What else? Hope to see you in your Maverick on the road

 

[Maverick2023]

the suspension in the hybrid is terrible compared to EB. This is from my personal experience

 

[icegradner]

the suspension in the hybrid is terrible compared to EB. This is from my personal experience

Terrible? Man if the hybrids suspension is bad, you've only driven vehicles with really nice setups. I've driven worse, stiffer setups, and ones that were better. I'd call it, okay for a budget setup.

 

[Exranger]

Yes any suspension mods will be better on the awd version. I’ve read the tremor has the best of all but I have not verified it. The AWD FX4 is a great ride on the highway which is what I chose. Needed for the mtns. I do agree it does wander from time to time.

 

[icegradner]

The hybrid is rather unforgiving on unpaved roads, mostly due the rear end setup, and potholes are nasty. On paved roads, at least ones that aren't falling apart, it's smooth.

 

[Maverick2023]

Terrible? Man if the hybrids suspension is bad, you've only driven vehicles with really nice setups. I've driven worse, stiffer setups, and ones that were better. I'd call it, okay for a budget setup.

i'm only comparing the suspension set up between the two, hybrid vs. EB.

 

[glassman]

Welcome.

Not addressing any of your actual questions, sorry. Haha. I am commenting in the hope that you have gotten up to speed about the availability of the Maverick? Or lack of? Do you have a lead on one that will come available and not be sold the instant it hits the dealership? They are possible to find, but usually (almost 100% of the time) will have a 5-10K markup over MSRP, which is the only reason they are not sold yet. You may or may not get to test drive one. Things are slowly becoming less crazy and more normal than they were in 2021/2022 and even earlier this year. But buying a Maverick is still nothing like the experience you might have had in past vehicle purchases.

Somewhat answering one of your questions, you are probably 5-10X more likely to find an EcoBoost to buy versus a hybrid. Especially if you have a specific trim in mind. Finding one that is both Hybrid and your desired trim level (and a specific color) may be a tall order. Unless you are willing to take those "3-5 hours in the car each day" driving to a far away dealer to get the one you want!

Edit to add: The order banks are still open for the 2024 model year. So you can order a 2024 in whatever trim and engine and color you want. But you will be waiting a while for it to be selected for production (possibly 6+ months). And there is the chance it won't be selected at all. Just FYI!

I'm willing to road trip. Even 1/2 way across the country. I like driving....I'm in the Bay Area and bought my Carrera from a dealership in Michigan. I've drivin my Camaro across country 4 times with the GoodGuys Road Tour...it's a great country and worth seeing every nook and cranny if life permits. I recommend it, highly.

Was reading earlier about the special order process....I'd like to (we just did with wifey's Subaru) but if I get something close I'd be happy.

I'll pay an ADM, what I deem reasonable (subjective albeit) I get the whole supply and demand thing, but I ain't paying 10k over (my neighborhood Ford dealer has a yellow Lariant, but 10k over....that'll change in time)

 

[paneubert]

I'm willing to road trip. Even 1/2 way across the country. I like driving....I'm in the Bay Area and bought my Carrera from a dealership in Michigan. I've drivin my Camaro across country 4 times with the GoodGuys Road Tour...it's a great country and worth seeing every nook and cranny if life permits. I recommend it, highly.

Was reading earlier about the special order process....I'd like to (we just did with wifey's Subaru) but if I get something close I'd be happy.

I'll pay an ADM, what I deem reasonable (subjective albeit) I get the whole supply and demand thing, but I ain't paying 10k over (my neighborhood Ford dealer has a yellow Lariant, but 10k over....that'll change in time)

Cool. So you at least aren't going into this totally blind. If you beat the bushes (and expand the online search radius to be super large), you may find what you want. Folks have had fairly good success just tossing a 250 or 500 mile radius into the online vehicle search sites and then start calling..... Do it weekly, if not daily. You being in California will probably help, if for no other reason than the density of ford dealerships.

If you are willing to buy used, you may have an easier time. Lots of folks were flipping their 2022 for a 2023 (some literally done by flippers who intended all along to make a quick buck, some like me, because of the batshit crazy timeline of the 2022 and 2023 order banks and production schedule necessitated buying a 2022 and then selling it a few months later for a 2023). Some are surprisingly fairly low mileage. Mine was less than 2k miles.

P.S. I agree about the willingness to drive. I am in Seattle and got my 2023 from Kansas. I cheated by flying there one way and then drove it back, but that was mostly because I was not going to get a good trade in if I drove the 2022 Mav to Kansas (and added another 1,700 miles to a truck that only had around that many to begin with).

 

[PNWMaverick]

I apologize on the writing style here as it is just going to be a bit of a flow of thoughts......

I have a hybrid, my brother has an FX4 Ecoboost, and they are two completely different trucks.

The fuel economy difference is noticeable. Acceleration is a little faster on the Ecoboost, but not as much as I expected. That is until you hit the top end of things at which point the EB hauls - it becomes a very quick little truck. The EB has only a small amount of turbo lag which helps with that low end power when needed. Meanwhile, the hybrid power delivery is just predictable and smooth. The hybrid does feel like it has more power than it is rated for. A lot of that is the fact that electric motors have full power at ~1 RPM so you have that instant acceleration.

The Start/Stop on the EB is very noticeable and, frankly, something I would turn off on it. He does. The Start/Stop on my hybrid is butter smooth and superior in function in every way. You don't notice it. In this same vein, the e-CVT transmission on the hybrid is just so good! The transmission on the EB is nice, however, it just can't compete with the e-CVT of the hybrid in terms of comfort and smoothness.

Towing. I haven't towed with my hybrid, although I have the tow kit. My brother has the 4K package on his truck and I guarantee that truck easily pulls more than 4,000 lbs. He hasn't, we don't abuse our vehicles, but it has zero problems towing within its rated specifications. You can move a (compared to the truck size) comically large RV with the EB!

The fuel doors are different. The hybrid's locks and the EB's doesn't.

The FX4 EB drives like a small truck and my hybrid drives like a small car. Both are fantastic.

If I think of more things I will swing by for an edit.

 

[Kingfish]

Honestly, there's no bad answer unless you need to tow more than 2k lbs (EB + 4k), need real-ish off road capavility (EB + AWD, Tremor), need to flat tow (hybrid).

The FWD version of each is similar enough (30 MPH vs 40 MPH which is amazing for a truck either way).

I have a hybrid XLT and find the ride quality to be equal or better than the cars I've owned before it. It gets a slight edge for me because I'm 68% city / 28% highway so the MPH and very smooth eCVT are nice (and I like burning/buying 20% less gas).

The other 4% are dirt and gravel road miles. I don't have any problems on them with the hybrid. But if that was 20% of my wheel time and the roads were any rougher, I'd spring for the EB with AWD.

As for quickness, I can jump to 40 MPH as fast as I ever need to (sport mode is fun). The EB will be faster 40 to 60, but I've never had a problem overtaking another car on the highway.

I think you'd love either one. I'd go for what's available, which is where the EB takes the lead.

In your shoes, I'd find a reputable dealer (we can help if you don't have one), place an order, then start contacting the dozen closest dealers to you. Some MTC members have found trucks on the lot at or near MSRP that way.

Oh, and post pics when you get it. They never get old

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