New Vehicle Build Quality

[Jeff D.]

I'm curious on what folks opinions are on build quality of their new vehicles after purchase. My wife and I have only purchased 4 brand new personal transportation vehicles. Two Jeeps and two Ram trucks. I've not been diappointed by any of those, although I wouldn't say they were above my expectations either.

I've also purchased 3 new class 8 trucks, two Freightliners and a Mack, and a bunch of new motorcycles.

The one that stood out to me most was a 2003 Honda Goldwing. The fit and finish on that did impress me, alot. I've switched brands for other reasons, but Honda's in general impressed me with their design and the finished product. Newer Bombardeir products, too.

I'm hoping I won't be let down when I do finally get my Maverick. Some on the forum have mentioned a person should keep their expecations low and that the truck is sold primarily for it's price point. I'm hoping I won't be disappointed. I don't think I'm particularly picky or have too high of expectations, so......fingers crossed.

Any brands stand out being way above or below what you expected when bought new? If so, what was it that caused you to feel that way?

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[AF Blue]

Seems like anything produced after the pandemic started is higher in price and lower in quality.
Doesn't seem to matter the brand or product.

I have never had a luxury vehicle myself ... all were "XL" level vehicles.
I love my XLT Maverick despite it's perceived "cheapness".
I got what I paid for (so far).

What trim level were you Jeeps/Rams ?

 

[Jeff D.]

My Rams were both Trademans, so base models, one a 2015 1/2 ton, the 2nd a 2021 3/4 ton. Both had the hemi's. I did like the engines, especially the bigger one which was 6.4liter I think. Plenty of power. My wifes Jeeps were more base models, too. A 2016(?) Jeep Patriot and 2020 Renegade Sport, which she has now.

Didn't really ever have troubles with any of them. Just didn't need a big truck anymore and the fuel was killing me.

 

[Exranger]

Happy with my Mav, first new car in 25 years so it seems really nice. Now I’m no longer the only one in the family with crank windows

 

[clos0791]

I've had my 2023 Maverick Lariat (fully loaded) for three months. These are my personal observations on built quality:

1. Paint is on the cheap/thin side. Paint and body panel imperfections here and there.
2. The plastic interior is very soft. It will scratch and scuff easily. Just accidentally running your finger nails on it with scratch. It looks like Ford used recycled material with sharp texture instead of rounded texture. My Jeep Wrangler's interior plastic is rounded and much more resistant to scratches and scuffs.
3. I have the dreaded dash rattle. It seems to be noticeable more in cold weather. I don't want to take it in to the dealership. I'm afraid that they will make it worse. I will try to pin point the source of the rattle myself and see if I can fix it.
4. This truck has a lot of exterior black plastic that will fade quickly if not properly protected. Especially if the truck is not garaged and you live in California, Arizona, Florida, etc.
5. The infotainment system has glitches. Maybe an update will fix this.
6. The undercarriage has some cheaper components. Rust can build quickly if you live up north with those salty roads. If you live in warm/hot climate areas, rust should not be an issue. Taking proper precautions and undercoating is a good idea.

These are my initial observations on the build quality in just a few months. Of course, there are many things that I love about the Maverick. So far, I am happy with my purchase. I have no regrets. It is a very unique little truck that turns heads.

 

[Clarkdonbran]

I've had my 2023 Maverick Lariat (fully loaded) for three months. These are my personal observations on built quality:

1. Paint is on the cheap/thin side. Paint and body panel imperfections here and there.
2. The plastic interior is very soft. It will scratch and scuff easily. Just accidentally running your finger nails on it with scratch. It looks like Ford used recycled material with sharp texture instead of rounded texture. My Jeep Wrangler's interior plastic is rounded and much more resistant to scratches and scuffs.
3. I have the dreaded dash rattle. It seems to be noticeable more in cold weather. I don't want to take it in to the dealership. I'm afraid that they will make it worse. I will try to pin point the source of the rattle myself and see if I can fix it.
4. This truck has a lot of exterior black plastic that will fade quickly if not properly protected. Especially if the truck is not garaged and you live in California, Arizona, Florida, etc.
5. The infotainment system has glitches. Maybe an update will fix this.
6. The undercarriage has some cheaper components. Rust can build quickly if you live up north with those salty roads. If you live in warm/hot climate areas, rust should not be an issue. Taking proper precautions and undercoating is a good idea.

These are my initial observations on the build quality in just a few months. Of course, there are many things that I love about the Maverick. So far, I am happy with my purchase. I have no regrets. It is a very unique little truck that turns heads.

I second all of this.

 

[Scott Asheville]

There's a difference between build quality, and build content. Cheap plastics is build content. Parts and pieces improperly or inconsistently assembled is build quality. The Sandy Munro videos talk about this a lot.

Most industry observers point out that it's really hard to get a poorly designed or built vehicle these days - the industry is just too competitive for anyone to ship real junk on a consistent basis. You can go view the industry metrics at several quality rating organizations, but those are both backwards looking and increasingly focused on infotainment. All the reports on this forum are anecdotal - we need 5 years or so of Maverick ownership for those organizations to issue a judgement.

My Maverick is on par with my old Rangers for build quality. It's worlds above in build content. I mean, yea they scraped the bottom of the barrel in some areas, but some parts of the car are surprisingly upscale (EcoBoost engine for example) for a cheap ride. Bottom line - not my dream car, but I still feel like I got way more almost-a-truck than I paid for ($30,500 for an AWD EcoBoost, Lux, CP360).

 

[Ozarkbeard]

I've had my base model XL for a little over a month. Fit & finish are mostly good, considering it's one of the cheapest Hybrid vehicles you can buy. Interior plastics are recycled plastic. They don't look cheap, IMO, but they are fragile, and scratch easily.

Any brand/model can have issues and lemons. Being a cheap truck ($23,339 OTD), I had low expectations. The Maverick has currently exceeded those.

The only problems I've had so far are 3 rattles that come & go. Two are in the dash and I have isolated, but not fixed those yet. They are both where the corners of the dash meet the windshield. The other one is occasional and I don't know what it is. The dash rattles I'll fix myself and will not be taking the truck to the dealer for them to f-up something else or declare they cannot find the rattles.

 

[dalola]

There's a difference between build quality, and build content. Cheap plastics is build content. Parts and pieces improperly or inconsistently assembled is build quality. The Sandy Munro videos talk about this a lot.

Most industry observers point out that it's really hard to get a poorly designed or built vehicle these days - the industry is just too competitive for anyone to ship real junk on a consistent basis. You can go view the industry metrics at several quality rating organizations, but those are both backwards looking and increasingly focused on infotainment. All the reports on this forum are anecdotal - we need 5 years or so of Maverick ownership for those organizations to issue a judgement.

My Maverick is on par with my old Rangers for build quality. It's worlds above in build content. I mean, yea they scraped the bottom of the barrel in some areas, but some parts of the car are surprisingly upscale (EcoBoost engine for example) for a cheap ride. Bottom line - not my dream car, but I still feel like I got way more almost-a-truck than I paid for ($30,500 for an AWD EcoBoost, Lux, CP360).

Agreed. I would break it down one step further, and add design (engineering) quality along with material quality & build quality. They all go hand-in-hand, but should also be separated for analysis.

So back to the original question of *build* quality, my Maverick is very good. Everything was assembled correctly, F&F is very good for the price point. Zero complaints.

 

[fossil]

Former auto workers like myself tend to be critical on build quality, fit and finish, NVH. Aside from the economy materials I'm very pleased with my MY23. Every thing works, opens/closes as it should even the sun glass holder.
One complaint is the on screen nannys, especially the seat belt blurb. Not a physical build issue but certainly a software build item.

 

[Raymundo76]

I'm curious on what folks opinions are on build quality of their new vehicles after purchase. My wife and I have only purchased 4 brand new personal transportation vehicles. Two Jeeps and two Ram trucks. I've not been diappointed by any of those, although I wouldn't say they were above my expectations either.

I've also purchased 3 new class 8 trucks, two Freightliners and a Mack, and a bunch of new motorcycles.

The one that stood out to me most was a 2003 Honda Goldwing. The fit and finish on that did impress me, alot. I've switched brands for other reasons, but Honda's in general impressed me with their design and the finished product. Newer Bombardeir products, too.

I'm hoping I won't be let down when I do finally get my Maverick. Some on the forum have mentioned a person should keep their expecations low and that the truck is sold primarily for it's price point. I'm hoping I won't be disappointed. I don't think I'm particularly picky or have too high of expectations, so......fingers crossed.

Any brands stand out being way above or below what you expected when bought new? If so, what was it that caused you to feel that way?

I would expect each MY to be an improvement; until there is a major redesign. As my Dad would say " never buy a new car in it's first MY". FYI my 21 Mazda CX-5 has been outstanding (no warranty work). I have owned 10 new cars, usually lower trims, they seem to get better as time goes on.

 

[robbyrob]

paint is on the cheap side
Join many Tesla owners
https://jalopnik.com/tesla-s-wrap-quality-might-be-as-bad-as-paint-finishes-1851043133

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