Realized today you couldn't pay me to go back to my (prev gen) Ranger

[Scott Asheville]

Disclosture: I'm not a Maverick fanboy. I don't even like my Maverick all that much (I do, however, respect it). And shocker of shockers, I like the Santa Cruz a lot. That said...

I realized today that you couldn't pay me to go back to my 2010 Ranger after almost two years in my Ecoboost Maverick. I miss a few things about my old Ranger: manual shift, bigger bed, two doors, and a foot shorter. But I don't miss axle hop over bumps. I don't miss the incredibly crude ride (my wife hated that truck). I don't miss the horribly underpowered 4 cylinder (but it did get 28 mpg). I don't miss all the systems that failed expensively over the decade and 100,000 miles I owned it. I don't miss the cacophony of rattles and shakes as I bounced my way down a typical country dirt road.

My Maverick rides like a car (that's a good thing), but delivers 75% of the utility of my old Ranger. My Maverick goes like a "bat out of hell" when I want it to, which is rarely. It's really overpowered for most people. The styling doesn't offend anyone. The bed is just usable enough for a gardener, though it sometimes requires ingenuity to fit big things in a small bed, or possibly two trips.

In the software engineering world I used to inhabit, we would said that the Maverick covers the 80% of use cases that constitutes core functionality, and that's where we should stop adding new features (and the associated costs). So kudos to Ford for exercising "feature creep" discipline.

So there it is. You couldn't pay me money to go back to my 2010 Ranger. Even if you offered me a brand new 2010 free, I wouldn't make the swap. I still don't like my Maverick, but I do appreciate and respect it for what it is. A better ride for your average utilitarian "trucklet" person.

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[prsncat]

I found your post rather interesting. I encountered a decision point a month ago.

A little background to make my situation more clear.

• My wife drives a 2022 PHEV SEL Escape. The real benefit is the ability to drive alone in the HOV lanes in California. The stickers that allow her to drive in the HOV lane will expire next year.
• I have had an off and on again appreciation for my 2023 Maverick EB AWD BAP/CP360/4KTow since I purchased it in January 2023. In the last year, I have: upgraded the stereo; 2-inch strut lift kit with new wheels and 245/60-17 tires; JCR Off Road skid plates; Wet Okole seat covers (with heating and adjustable lumbar support); and replaced the A.R.E MX-series (mid-rise) shell with an A.R.E. V-series (cab high). I like the Maverick more now than I did when it was new.
• I am very involved in AYSO soccer here in southern California. As such, I always seem to be carrying something in the bed. Yet, the bed is small and limits what I can carry.

The background helps set the stage for what happened a month ago. My wife realized the Escape won't allow her to drive in the HOV lanes alone at the end of 2024. Thus, she declared that I could buy whatever I wanted to replace it since she plans on taking my Maverick for the last few remaining years before she retires.

The thought of ordering a new F-250 Superduty or F-150 crossed my mind.

Then... I realized I like the Maverick after the modifications I have made. And, the F-150 or F-250 might mean more requests to help with AYSO or friends moving or any other reasons people ask to borrow a big truck.

I decided to keep my Maverick, buy one for her, and we will float two cars for her until the end of the year when we will sell the PHEV SEL Escape. We picked up an Atlas Blue 2024 XL Hybrid from Long McArthur Ford in Salina, Kansas the Friday before Easter.

The Maverick is not a perfect vehicle. Yet, as you eloquently stated, it fits the 80% rule for what people need nicely.

 

[Bill Quattlebaum]

I agree with most of what you said. I also drove a 2010 Ranger XLT for a little over ten years. It was a good truck, but was a bit underpowered. My Maverick is much more fun to drive and handles much better. My average mileage with the Ranger was about 22. The Moverick is averaging around 29 so far. The only thing I don't like on the Maverick is all the computer bells and whistles. I'm having trouble getting use to all the extra stuff on my XL ecoboost. Overall, the Maverick is a much better truck. I love having a back seat.

 

[FischAutoTechGarten]

My wife and I sold both our 2009 Honda CRV EX AWD and 2006 Nissan Frontier XE ExtCab 2WD vehicles to become a 1 car family again. Sounds severe, but we split our time 50/50 Mex/USA and were always a 1 car family in Mexico.

We sold the CRV first (got allot of money for it too). I thought I would view the Maverick with it's sea of plastic as less refined/comfortable than the CRV, but nothing could be further from the truth. Everything about the driving experience was better in the Maverick and the fuel economy is about 20% better to boot.

The Frontier sold just last week (stayed parked all winter on a ranch in AZ). I thought I would miss the toughness and room of the Frontier, but nope. After we picked up the Frontier and I followed my wife back to our home, I could not keep up with her on the windy hilly roads that work their way around the mines west of Green Valley AZ. I realized pulling stuff out of that frontier was much more work than pulling stuff out of the Maverick too.

So, the Maverick has successfully replaced both of those vehicles for us. It's just good enough.

 

[ianjay]

A four time Ranger owner, I still have a rust free 2008 Ranger in addition to the 23 Lariat Hybrid that I have had for a few months. The Ranger is crude but very simple. The a/c works, the cruise works and I never feel guilty if it gets a little dirty. It seems to be easily repaired but it really hasn't been a problem because it rarely has any problems. I had a F150 Lariat which I traded on the first XLT Mav I had. The F150 was lovely, but just too big for tight city work.

 

[Bob The Builder]

At 7 months and 2100 miles I have found very little to dislike about my Maverick. I also found very little to dislike about my 05 Ranger and the 97 before it and the 88 before that. There were all solid, always ran like a top, never left me stranded in 33 years of ownership.

 

[2seater]

Still have my '97 Ranger, 4.0, 4wd supercabWinter only duty now. Never left me completely stranded, and I have it since new. Only 98k miles. Rough ride, but pretty quiet, and doesn't rattle. Terrible fuel mileage from new. Could break 20mpg if dropped from a cliff, just barely double digit mpg in the depths of winter. The Maverick is my first dip into the hybrid world. Way better mileage, as fast or faster than the old 4.0 but of course only fwd. Summer only, as it splits time with the Ranger. The Mav isn't perfect, and it is light years beyond the simple old Ranger, but I like them both.

 

[Timothyd]

Disclosture: I'm not a Maverick fanboy. I don't even like my Maverick all that much (I do, however, respect it). And shocker of shockers, I like the Santa Cruz a lot. That said...

I realized today that you couldn't pay me to go back to my 2010 Ranger after almost two years in my Ecoboost Maverick. I miss a few things about my old Ranger: manual shift, bigger bed, two doors, and a foot shorter. But I don't miss axle hop over bumps. I don't miss the incredibly crude ride (my wife hated that truck). I don't miss the horribly underpowered 4 cylinder (but it did get 28 mpg). I don't miss all the systems that failed expensively over the decade and 100,000 miles I owned it. I don't miss the cacophony of rattles and shakes as I bounced my way down a typical country dirt road.

My Maverick rides like a car (that's a good thing), but delivers 75% of the utility of my old Ranger. My Maverick goes like a "bat out of hell" when I want it to, which is rarely. It's really overpowered for most people. The styling doesn't offend anyone. The bed is just usable enough for a gardener, though it sometimes requires ingenuity to fit big things in a small bed, or possibly two trips.

In the software engineering world I used to inhabit, we would said that the Maverick covers the 80% of use cases that constitutes core functionality, and that's where we should stop adding new features (and the associated costs). So kudos to Ford for exercising "feature creep" discipline.

So there it is. You couldn't pay me money to go back to my 2010 Ranger. Even if you offered me a brand new 2010 free, I wouldn't make the swap. I still don't like my Maverick, but I do appreciate and respect it for what it is. A better ride for your average utilitarian "trucklet" person.

I remember my mid 90s Ranger supercab fondly. Only, it was a dog with that 4 cylinder and the lower set of plugs were a bitch to get to. I parked my Mav next to one awhile ago and it (except for the bed) was smaller!
If the new Ranger was smaller and got better milage I probably would have gotten one.

I wonder when the Mavericks are going to get bigger?

 

[commadorebob]

I would 100% take back my 2005 Dodge Dakota crew cab with a V8 (how Chrysler got away with that I'll never know).

But I like my Maverick. It is my favorite vehicle since said Dakota.

 

[AlsMaverick]

Disclosture: I'm not a Maverick fanboy. I don't even like my Maverick all that much (I do, however, respect it). And shocker of shockers, I like the Santa Cruz a lot. That said...

I realized today that you couldn't pay me to go back to my 2010 Ranger after almost two years in my Ecoboost Maverick. I miss a few things about my old Ranger: manual shift, bigger bed, two doors, and a foot shorter. But I don't miss axle hop over bumps. I don't miss the incredibly crude ride (my wife hated that truck). I don't miss the horribly underpowered 4 cylinder (but it did get 28 mpg). I don't miss all the systems that failed expensively over the decade and 100,000 miles I owned it. I don't miss the cacophony of rattles and shakes as I bounced my way down a typical country dirt road.

My Maverick rides like a car (that's a good thing), but delivers 75% of the utility of my old Ranger. My Maverick goes like a "bat out of hell" when I want it to, which is rarely. It's really overpowered for most people. The styling doesn't offend anyone. The bed is just usable enough for a gardener, though it sometimes requires ingenuity to fit big things in a small bed, or possibly two trips.

In the software engineering world I used to inhabit, we would said that the Maverick covers the 80% of use cases that constitutes core functionality, and that's where we should stop adding new features (and the associated costs). So kudos to Ford for exercising "feature creep" discipline.

So there it is. You couldn't pay me money to go back to my 2010 Ranger. Even if you offered me a brand new 2010 free, I wouldn't make the swap. I still don't like my Maverick, but I do appreciate and respect it for what it is. A better ride for your average utilitarian "trucklet" person.

I loved my 2001 extended cab 4.0 Ranger. Good truck

 

[Hoagus]

After 20 years in an ’02 Ranger, I bought the Maverick because it was cheap, hybrid, and has better safety features. It there was no hybrid available, I’d still be driving the Range.

 

[MankDeems]

$500 a month, plus full coverage?... I've thought about going back to a danger ranger... Miss my 5 speed 4wd, now I choose to work 2 jobs to start a business so I guess I'm doing things I couldn't or wouldn't with my 3l 5 speed 4wd... The maverick is a novel steed that performs in all the places I've needed in my new life...

I guess I miss the lacking of responsibility I could have back then...

 

[ejgroth2620]

Disclosture: I'm not a Maverick fanboy. I don't even like my Maverick all that much (I do, however, respect it). And shocker of shockers, I like the Santa Cruz a lot. That said...

I realized today that you couldn't pay me to go back to my 2010 Ranger after almost two years in my Ecoboost Maverick. I miss a few things about my old Ranger: manual shift, bigger bed, two doors, and a foot shorter. But I don't miss axle hop over bumps. I don't miss the incredibly crude ride (my wife hated that truck). I don't miss the horribly underpowered 4 cylinder (but it did get 28 mpg). I don't miss all the systems that failed expensively over the decade and 100,000 miles I owned it. I don't miss the cacophony of rattles and shakes as I bounced my way down a typical country dirt road.

My Maverick rides like a car (that's a good thing), but delivers 75% of the utility of my old Ranger. My Maverick goes like a "bat out of hell" when I want it to, which is rarely. It's really overpowered for most people. The styling doesn't offend anyone. The bed is just usable enough for a gardener, though it sometimes requires ingenuity to fit big things in a small bed, or possibly two trips.

In the software engineering world I used to inhabit, we would said that the Maverick covers the 80% of use cases that constitutes core functionality, and that's where we should stop adding new features (and the associated costs). So kudos to Ford for exercising "feature creep" discipline.

So there it is. You couldn't pay me money to go back to my 2010 Ranger. Even if you offered me a brand new 2010 free, I wouldn't make the swap. I still don't like my Maverick, but I do appreciate and respect it for what it is. A better ride for your average utilitarian "trucklet" person.

It's not a fair comparison. The technology between then and now is an order of magnitude better, and the old Ranger was deliberately on the cheap as a business vehicle and for overseas markets.

 

[robryan]

I had a 1989 Ranger with the extended cab. I loved that truck, but the salt induced cancer was taking its toll (I live in Michigan). It was a bit underpowered, but it did the job, was fairly comfortable, and got decent MPG's. After I let it go, I drove cars for awhile, but missed having a truck. I eventually bought an extended cab F150 (they did not have F150 crew cabs until the following year), but it was big, and the back seat could not accommodate infant carriers. Plus the mileage was not great. I don't tow horse trailers, or haul pallets of cinder blocks so I eventually sold the F150. I was on vacation in Jamaicia once, and it seemed that every other vehicle was a Japanese compact crew cab truck. Hmmmmm. Fast forward a few years (decades) and news of a compact hybrid truck got me excited. In the interim, I had a Fusion Hybrid, followed by an Escape Hybrid. Both vehicles were great, and averaged over 40 mpg. So a compact (or what passes for compact these days) light duty truck, with usable seating for 4, and enough bed for Home Depot runs, golf clubs, camping, etc.... and a Hybrid powertrain? Perfect! So I now have a 2023 Maverick Hybrid, Alto Blue, Lariat. So far, it's everything I was looking for. It works great as a car when I need to get around, and as a truck when I need that. I've made a few upgrades to make the truck more like I want. After reading about so many rear end collisions with Mavericks, I added a brake light modulator to the center light. The model I have flashes three times (you can set it) initially, then won't flash again until it's been off for 20 seconds. This eliminates constant flashing at the person behind you in stop-and-go-traffic. The only issue so far was having to get the APIM module reflashed to take care of some center screen issues. My dealership is close enough that they came and picked it up, reflashed the unit, and dropped it back off. Very convenient. While I have fond memories of my Ranger, the Maverick is way better in just about every regard. I think anyone looking for a light duty, car based pickup would do well to consider a Maverick.

 

[Oscarcat]

I found your post rather interesting. I encountered a decision point a month ago.

A little background to make my situation more clear.

• My wife drives a 2022 PHEV SEL Escape. The real benefit is the ability to drive alone in the HOV lanes in California. The stickers that allow her to drive in the HOV lane will expire next year.
• I have had an off and on again appreciation for my 2023 Maverick EB AWD BAP/CP360/4KTow since I purchased it in January 2023. In the last year, I have: upgraded the stereo; 2-inch strut lift kit with new wheels and 245/60-17 tires; JCR Off Road skid plates; Wet Okole seat covers (with heating and adjustable lumbar support); and replaced the A.R.E MX-series (mid-rise) shell with an A.R.E. V-series (cab high). I like the Maverick more now than I did when it was new.
• I am very involved in AYSO soccer here in southern California. As such, I always seem to be carrying something in the bed. Yet, the bed is small and limits what I can carry.

The background helps set the stage for what happened a month ago. My wife realized the Escape won't allow her to drive in the HOV lanes alone at the end of 2024. Thus, she declared that I could buy whatever I wanted to replace it since she plans on taking my Maverick for the last few remaining years before she retires.

The thought of ordering a new F-250 Superduty or F-150 crossed my mind.

Then... I realized I like the Maverick after the modifications I have made. And, the F-150 or F-250 might mean more requests to help with AYSO or friends moving or any other reasons people ask to borrow a big truck.

I decided to keep my Maverick, buy one for her, and we will float two cars for her until the end of the year when we will sell the PHEV SEL Escape. We picked up an Atlas Blue 2024 XL Hybrid from Long McArthur Ford in Salina, Kansas the Friday before Easter.

The Maverick is not a perfect vehicle. Yet, as you eloquently stated, it fits the 80% rule for what people need nicely.

RE: F150/F250 - With 87 gas costing $5++ here in SoCal, unless I really needed an F series, it doesn't make sense.

Moral is, evaluate your needs. I had a 2016 GMC Canyon V6 that could tow 7k. Nice truck, hauled like a truck and rode like a truck. But I didn't need what it could do. I love my Mav and if I ever need to haul something huge, I'll rent a truck from Home Depot.

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