I Think The Maverick is The Best Entry Level Vehicle Ever Created

[TNFurb]

what do you think the cons are of the hybrid?

As a hybrid owner I will try and answer objectively. In my view the only cons are lack of all wheel drive and lower towing capacity. I can’t think of any other cons. Seems like several of the EB owners on here like to criticize the hybrid, but it has been a great first month for me. If I needed towing or AWD I would have bought an EB. But it would be nice if the hybrid had at least AWD and would be icing on the cake if the towing capacity was 4k towing. Although I wouldn’t want to give up much on the fuel efficiency to have those two things either.

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[TNFurb]

this is a pretty ineffective rebuttal against my assertion that the ecoboost awd Maverick is superior to the hybrid in every way except fuel economy.

if your top priority is fuel economy, the hybrid has that box checked in the 'pros' column.

everything else is a push or a pro for the ecoboost. the post I was replying to asked the cons and I answered.

I’d say the reason some of us hybrid owners bristle a bit at your response is the use of the word “everything”. That comes across as though there are a lot of differences between the two. Perhaps said another way from a hybrid owners perspective, the answer could be “nothing except for AWD and towing”. That would likely be much more palatable yet the two versions of answer actually say the same thing.

 

[Tremor guy]

Ford makes the best vehicles ever produced period my explorer has 476000 miles on it only the a/c compressor and water pump has gone out changed the oil every 3000 miles no I’m not joking plus I love my Tremor

 

[colinl]

As a hybrid owner I will try and answer objectively. In my view the only cons are lack of all wheel drive and lower towing capacity. I can’t think of any other cons.

the ecoboost awd is a lot more fun to drive fast. they both drive like cars, which is a positive attribute, but one of them feels somewhat sporty, and the other starts braking when you lift off the gas.

ecoboost has a lot more power in hilly and mountainous terrain, especially at high altitude. if you usually drive with less than 40% throttle, and many of us here do, the hybrid does pretty well for flat ground. but if you go to the pass on the interstate, or up a steep hill, you'll immediately notice a very big difference between the ecoboost and hybrid powertrains.

that is why I said they are either the same or the ecoboost is better, in everything except gas mileage.

someone else commented that they have another vehicle that does the things an ecoboost maverick might. another replied with what sounded like idealogical reasons. those are all fine, for the money we're spending, obviously each person should buy what suits them.

those preferences do not make the hybrid a better vehicle. except mpg.

 

[ndmiller]

Honda CRX, Older Subaru's, 90's Mazda 323 manual (a hoot in the snow). All inexpensive back then, reliable and fun to drive.

 

[AutobahnSHO]

Can anyone else name an entry level product from any mainstream brand that's been this affordable, practical, reliable, efficient, good looking, fun to drive? While also having this much character? I've never seen another affordable vehicle that has this much passion put into it.

The Model T.

 

[InfoSports]

The 1964 Ford Mustang comes to mind.

But yes at less than 20K initially for the hybrid I found that to be the best buy in recent history.

 

[AutobahnSHO]

BTW page 2 or 3 a lot of people were saying the Civic was a Maverick competitor as best entry level vehicle.

NO. Maverick is a great vehicle from first Model year.

I've owned 3 different Civics- early and late 80s, and a 2015.
The original Civics were tiny gutless cheap transportation boxes which everyone made fun of. They bought them only because they needed a cheap car.

The Civic now is a very refined great car- but it wasn't like that from day 1 like the Maverick.

 

[TNFurb]

the ecoboost awd is a lot more fun to drive fast. they both drive like cars, which is a positive attribute, but one of them feels somewhat sporty, and the other starts braking when you lift off the gas.

ecoboost has a lot more power in hilly and mountainous terrain, especially at high altitude. if you usually drive with less than 40% throttle, and many of us here do, the hybrid does pretty well for flat ground. but if you go to the pass on the interstate, or up a steep hill, you'll immediately notice a very big difference between the ecoboost and hybrid powertrains.

that is why I said they are either the same or the ecoboost is better, in everything except gas mileage.

someone else commented that they have another vehicle that does the things an ecoboost maverick might. another replied with what sounded like idealogical reasons. those are all fine, for the money we're spending, obviously each person should buy what suits them.

those preferences do not make the hybrid a better vehicle. except mpg.

All of what you said makes sense, so thanks for the clarification. I am not advocating that either version is better than the other. I also don’t view your comments as making the EB better. It’s just a different drive train. I do know on the hybrid changing the driving mode also adjusts the amount of regenerative braking when letting off the accelerator. So perhaps in sport mode it behaves closer to the EB. I also haven't found any issue with passing power whether on flat ground or on a hill. So for me, that difference is not a con. I appreciate the healthy discussion though.

 

[Darryl]

Can anyone else name an entry level product from any mainstream brand that's been this affordable, practical, reliable, efficient, good looking, fun to drive? While also having this much character? I've never seen another affordable vehicle that has this much passion put into it.

I've been in civics, in Kia Rios, Toyota tercels, cruzes, fiestas. There's always this underlying message of "We don't really care about you" that you get from something like a Corolla or a civic. It's a "They'll take whatever we give them" mentality. The maverick is the first entry level vehicle I've ever experienced that doesn't feel or act like an entry level vehicle, that's a major reason why it's sucessful imo. The efficiency and versatility is great, but it's also an affordable vehicle that values you as it's owner.

I rented several entry level cars. Some were competent. But they were simply functional. The Maverick CAN scream entry level "functional" too from the outside if equipped with the steel wheels and painted white. But once equipped with any other wheels and a spray in bed liner or tonneau cover, it's transformed into something that people actually say "that's nice. What kind of truck is that?" Yes. The interior contains a lot of hard plastics. But the seats are nicer than the average entry level vehicle in my opinion. And the 2025 refresh takes it up a notch with the revised cluster and touchscreen.

 

[Darryl]

BTW page 2 or 3 a lot of people were saying the Civic was a Maverick competitor as best entry level vehicle.

NO. Maverick is a great vehicle from first Model year.

I've owned 3 different Civics- early and late 80s, and a 2015.
The original Civics were tiny gutless cheap transportation boxes which everyone made fun of. They bought them only because they needed a cheap car.

The Civic now is a very refined great car- but it wasn't like that from day 1 like the Maverick.

Yes. The original Civic was a tin can on wheels. A reliable tin can. But a tin can nonetheless. i owned a 1971 Toyota Corolla in the early 1980s. It was a reliable car. But like the civic, it wasn't comfortable on the highway. The best thing going for it was the fact that the speed limit was 55. While it had a top speed of about 85 . The fastest I felt comfortable driving for sustained driving was about 65. And it was screaming then. Merging on the interstate was an adventure. I think driving the civic was a similar experience. On the other hand. From DAY ONE the Maverick is a vehicle that you'd feel totally at ease driving across the country at any sane speed and have no reservations merging into interstate traffic. And you could hold a conversation while talking at a normal volume.

 

[Cherokee]

This thread, LoL
What makes it entry level?
It stand s alone in the mini truck category IMO

 

[Timothyd]

Can anyone else name an entry level product from any mainstream brand that's been this affordable, practical, reliable, efficient, good looking, fun to drive? While also having this much character? I've never seen another affordable vehicle that has this much passion put into it.

I've been in civics, in Kia Rios, Toyota tercels, cruzes, fiestas. There's always this underlying message of "We don't really care about you" that you get from something like a Corolla or a civic. It's a "They'll take whatever we give them" mentality. The maverick is the first entry level vehicle I've ever experienced that doesn't feel or act like an entry level vehicle, that's a major reason why it's sucessful imo. The efficiency and versatility is great, but it's also an affordable vehicle that values you as it's owner.

My Saturn SUV was great. Simple, comfortable and cheap. Great gas mileage with that 5 speed. Zero troubles till I drowned it in a flood.

 

[Waterick]

This thread, LoL
What makes it entry level?
It stand s alone in the mini truck category IMO

Really only entry level in Ford's line, it's no Mitsu Mirage thankfully. How that vehicle survived as long as it did in the US market was only because it was so cheap. What used to pass for entry level won't work in today's market. A base Maverick XL does fit the entry level description, but it today it has many features once thought to be upmarket just to be sellable (A/C, power windows, remote locks, cruise control). Some makers stay away from entry level because they want more profit per sale just like the dealers. Ford and Stellantis did this, the Maverick has somewhat corrected this for Ford and I believe you will see a cheaper Dodge offering soon. What's offered is really a function of the economy during a given period. The Mirage is not being imported any more. If it sold well, it would still be offered along with other similar offerings. As it is, Ford dealers are starting to have to deal in volume to get more profits with the Maverick. They have gotten spoiled in recent years having no Focus or Fiesta and feeding off the excess profits in their large trucks.

 

[Suzukiridr14]

Can anyone else name an entry level product from any mainstream brand that's been this affordable, practical, reliable, efficient, good looking, fun to drive? While also having this much character? I've never seen another affordable vehicle that has this much passion put into it.

I've been in civics, in Kia Rios, Toyota tercels, cruzes, fiestas. There's always this underlying message of "We don't really care about you" that you get from something like a Corolla or a civic. It's a "They'll take whatever we give them" mentality. The maverick is the first entry level vehicle I've ever experienced that doesn't feel or act like an entry level vehicle, that's a major reason why it's sucessful imo. The efficiency and versatility is great, but it's also an affordable vehicle that values you as it's owner.

The Mustang when it first came out in 1964. Only us old guys remember that day.

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