Why do people complain about others spending 40k on a maverick?

[Leuf]

Literally, the ONLY vehicle that currently exists which fits that arbitrary list of criteria is the 2025 maverick lariat hybrid/awd.

Except that the Maverick XL with aftermarket seat covers also fits that arbitrary list and I'm pretty sure you could get some pretty sweet seats for less than $8k if that was really all you cared about. Is it "complaining" to point that out?

There are also not black and white answers to fitting a vehicle to every criteria on that list. Plenty of people manage to transport dirty things in the back of an SUV by throwing a tarp in there. It works well enough for them for what they want. They are popular for a reason. The Maverick doesn't really have a very good turning radius so it doesn't necessarily fit the criteria at all.

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[MakinDoForNow]

I get it, 40k is a lot of money, the interior is from a $20,000 vehicle, and the lariat is just putting lipstick on a pig etc. etc.

but I'm going to list things I need in a vehicle, and try to come up with something for me.
-has a bed for dirt/mulch etc so it doesn't get in the cab. (my wife likes to garden and we have a decently big property to do work on)
-gets good gas mileage because my wife and I live outside the city and commute about 60 miles to work one way
-has a good ride quality/decent handling. I've daily driven sports cars my whole life so I have some expectation that it doesn't drive like complete crap like a "real" truck.
-leather/pleather seats for ease of cleaning. we have a dog and scrubbing mud out of cloth seats sucks ass.
-has 4-5k towing capabilities for a trailer to do home renos/dump runs etc.
-is less than $50k.
-AWD for winter driving
-is small enough to park in the city easily, good turning radius etc.

Literally, the ONLY vehicle that currently exists which fits that arbitrary list of criteria is the 2025 maverick lariat hybrid/awd. The xlt doesn't come with pleather seats, 2024 models don't come awd and hybrid, any crossover/suv isn't going to have a seperate area for dirt so it's going to end up all over the cabin. Any "real" truck is going to be too big, too fuel hungry and crap to drive.

Everyone talks like getting a ranger is some huge upgrade for a few grand more. It's a completely different class of vehicle. It's like asking why someone bought a miata when they could have bought a duramax because you can't haul 20 sheets of plywood in a miata. Like maybe the "more capable" vehicle is actually worse in the ways that matter to that person, and much more inconvenient in other ways? Anyways I'm just tired of hearing about this and wanted to get your guys thoughts.

My MSRP loaded lariat first edition was out the door including ext warranty was just over $40k. In Feb 2022 when there were not any.

 

[colinl]

To each his own, I loved my ‘24 XLD AWD Sticker $28K, drove it for three months but then stumbled onto this ‘23 $61K sticker which I bought two months ago for $40K after selling the maverick for $27,750
The gas mileage is bad on the gladiator but I don’t care

yeah, but I've driven a Gladiator (and a Wrangler) and they are horrible on the road. recirculating ball steering and live front axle are tolerable off-road but a major handful at highway speeds.

so, you got a screaming deal on the worst midsize truck there is, with the worst resale value / highest % depreciation.

think I would pass on that deal, lol.

 

[Tbone289]

It's your hard-earned money. Spend it the way you want to. Buy what fits your needs and makes you happy, and don't be concerned about what other people think. You only live once, yadda, yadda...

 

[ExpoGuy]

New cars today are expensive. Last month I placed a deposit on a Rav4 XSE hybrid. It's a higher trim level and I also bought the higher optional package. The MSRP is $44,672. The out the door price is $51,000. That's plenty expensive for a compact SUV.

My Lariat hybrid with the 4k tow package has an MSRP of $40,800. I think you get a lot of bang for the buck. I'll cancel my Rav4 hybrid order.

 

[yank283]

Except that the Maverick XL with aftermarket seat covers also fits that arbitrary list and I'm pretty sure you could get some pretty sweet seats for less than $8k if that was really all you cared about. Is it "complaining" to point that out?

There are also not black and white answers to fitting a vehicle to every criteria on that list. Plenty of people manage to transport dirty things in the back of an SUV by throwing a tarp in there. It works well enough for them for what they want. They are popular for a reason. The Maverick doesn't really have a very good turning radius so it doesn't necessarily fit the criteria at all.

Regarding the turning radius - Not as good as SUV's but way better than most midsize trucks. I have Tundra currently and if I never have to complete a 3 point turn again in a parking lot I'll be happy.

 

[DoLoJo]

The Maverick doesn't really have a very good turning radius so it doesn't necessarily fit the criteria at all.

Sorry, but I have to politely yet strongly disagree. Before buying my ‘24 Maverick Lariat EB AWD 4K in September, my wife made me test drive the Nissan Frontier (nice truck, terrible acceleration and steering), Hyundai Santa Cruz (one huge super screen, no tactile controls, and a front grill that looks like a close up of Mr. T’s necklace collection), Toyota Tacoma (ridiculously overpriced and horrible ride), and Honda Ridgeline (uncomfortable stitching on steering wheel, weird push-button transmission, even worse plastic interior than the Maverick). The Maverick EASILY had the best turn radius. (For inquiring minds out there, the Frontier was the worst and it wasn’t even close.)

We also own 2 Volkswagen Tiguans (a 2018 SE my daughter drives and a 2024 SE that my wife drives) and a 2020 Chevy Trax (which my son drives). The turning radius in the Maverick is not noticeably different than any of these small and medium size SUVs. Regardless of what the spec sheets might say, my real world experience has been that the turning radius in the Maverick is BETTER than comparable trucks and SIMILAR to comparable-sized SUVs.

 

[PNWMaverick]

Years ago. You should have heard the folks on the Scion iq forum. When I mentioned I really liked and was thinking about buying an Aston Martin Cygnet.

Missed opportunity! Had you bought the Cygnet I bet Aston would have flown you, and the other 2 that bought one, out to HQ for a fun day!

Edit:

On the topic of the Maverick at $40K, I think it comes down to a number of things. The truck originally was positioned as an affordable utilitarian vehicle. That really isn't the case anymore. Seeing a $40K MSRP on a truck that was positioned as starting at $20K will cause a reaction. The increase in the MSRP greatly outpaces inflation by several times.

The interior and paint quality simply do not justify $40K. Our interiors are made out of milk jugs (HDPE) and it shows. The paint chips with a large mosquito hitting it at freeway speeds.

Pending the 2025 models performance, Ford has yet to address the CV axle issue that haunts the '22, '23, and '24 model years. A defect in the design has been identified by multiple 3rd party manufacturers - linked on the Forum else where.

Ford has, unfortunately, succeeded in moving the Maverick up market without improving the overall quality of the truck.

 

[new to maverick]

yeah, but I've driven a Gladiator (and a Wrangler) and they are horrible on the road. recirculating ball steering and live front axle are tolerable off-road but a major handful at highway speeds.

so, you got a screaming deal on the worst midsize truck there is, with the worst resale value / highest % depreciation.

think I would pass on that deal, lol.

It’s a jeep thing, you wouldn’t understand

 

[colinl]

It’s a jeep thing, you wouldn’t understand

oh, but I do. I have a Bronco 2 door.

 

[NotARealTruck]

Except that the Maverick XL with aftermarket seat covers also fits that arbitrary list and I'm pretty sure you could get some pretty sweet seats for less than $8k if that was really all you cared about. Is it "complaining" to point that out?

There are also not black and white answers to fitting a vehicle to every criteria on that list. Plenty of people manage to transport dirty things in the back of an SUV by throwing a tarp in there. It works well enough for them for what they want. They are popular for a reason. The Maverick doesn't really have a very good turning radius so it doesn't necessarily fit the criteria at all.

Throwing tarps and seat covers into a brand new vehicle isn't a solution. If I wanted to do that I'd buy something used and cheap like a Kia sportage and throw plywood in the back. Unfortunately I'm an adult and want to drive a respectable vehicle that was designed from the ground up for what I'm buying it for. The fact is that the maverick (lariat) accomplishes this, other vehicles don't.

As a side note when I went to look at vehicles the xl interior was abysmal. Like worse than a rental car. The xlt was at least on par with a rental car and the lariat stepped it up to a 2016 hyundai interior. Which isn't saying much. No way in hell am I buying a new vehicle that has an interior worse than a rental car and slapping seat covers on it. The 8k for a lariat is actually a really good price when you consider everything you get with it.

 

[NotARealTruck]

Missed opportunity! Had you bought the Cygnet I bet Aston would have flown you, and the other 2 that bought one, out to HQ for a fun day!

Edit:

On the topic of the Maverick at $40K, I think it comes down to a number of things. The truck originally was positioned as an affordable utilitarian vehicle. That really isn't the case anymore. Seeing a $40K MSRP on a truck that was positioned as starting at $20K will cause a reaction. The increase in the MSRP greatly outpaces inflation by several times.

The interior and paint quality simply do not justify $40K. Our interiors are made out of milk jugs (HDPE) and it shows. The paint chips with a large mosquito hitting it at freeway speeds.

Pending the 2025 models performance, Ford has yet to address the CV axle issue that haunts the '22, '23, and '24 model years. A defect in the design has been identified by multiple 3rd party manufacturers - linked on the Forum else where.

Ford has, unfortunately, succeeded in moving the Maverick up market without improving the overall quality of the truck.

Not to be a ford boot licker but they're at least giving you more for your money now. The xl/xlt has a bigger screen now with sync 4a (wireless auto+carplay), digital dash now standard, hybrid is back to being standard, all trims get the upgraded transmission in the hybrid, start button is standard in the xlt and probably a bunch of other stuff I'm forgetting. I know that doesn't matter to everyone but it does cost something to add

 

[Scott Asheville]

oh, but I do. I have a Bronco 2 door.

The Bronco 2 door is my dream vehicle. Every time I see a Bronco 2 door, I sigh. I keep hoping Ford will chop the back off the 2-door Bronco and make a two seat truck like the Jeep J6 concept.

 

[Chewy]

As a side note when I went to look at vehicles the xl interior was abysmal. Like worse than a rental car. The xlt was at least on par with a rental car and the lariat stepped it up to a 2016 hyundai interior. Which isn't saying much. No way in hell am I buying a new vehicle that has an interior worse than a rental car and slapping seat covers on it. The 8k for a lariat is actually a really good price when you consider everything you get with it.

Other than the color/material of the seats and the color of some of the plastic trim pieces, the interiors are the same across the different trims. If having a Lariat makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, enjoy your $39k+(being in Canada that’s a big +) ride. I’m more than satisfied with my “rental car interior” equipped $25k XLT Hybrid.

 

[new to maverick]

oh, but I do. I have a Bronco 2 door.

Cool story, so do i

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