17" or 18" for my application?

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Doesn't the Lariat come with 18"s ? I see mine is coming with 225/60/18.

Yes, the Lariat that I'm getting has 18s, that's why I could keep the tires if I went with aftermarket 18s.
I'm comparing those to the 17" FX4 take offs.

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Yes:
1) Curb protection, usually smaller wheels are more easily protected with a slightly protruding sidewall, will allow you to approach parking spots with less stress.

2) Pothole protection, can be more severe than what people see offroad.

3) Improved acceleration and braking, in part because its often easy to shed a couple pound with a -1 setup, but also even at the same weight the wheel hub is closer to the axis of rotation which reduces resistance of the wheel to change in speed (like spinning someone in a chair when they stick their legs out versus when they tuck them in).

4) Improved suspension responsiveness if the wheel/tire package is lighter.

That said, 17 vs 18 is a pretty tiny change, so differences won't be huge as say comparing 16s to 20s, so simple things like what you think looks cooler might matter more especially if you're not concerned about a tenth of a second here or there.

Solid points, luckily, your last paragraph is definitely where I think I'm going to fall, although it'll be ease of acquiring them as opposed to cool factor that prolly drives my choice.

We don't have that many pot holes anywhere I drive and given the svelte build of the Mav, I'm hoping neither 1 or 2 will really apply. Of course, now that I've said that, I'll figure out a way to curb check the fuck out of all 4 wheels leaving the parking lot after install.

3 and 4 are both reasons I've avoided upgrading to 19s on my Vette (along with some increased sidewall flex helping with spirited take offs) so definitely good points but prolly pretty negligible on a grocery getter.

As always, you gave a complete & concise response, thanks!