5G Ranger vs Maverick real world review

[olderbudwiser]

Sup all. Long post alert. But if you’re interested in my situation, you’ll read it.


So I just traded my 21 Ranger XLT FX4 with 5K miles for my 22 Mav XLT AWD. Haven’t had it long but I wanted to give my perspective of one versus the other. It’s going to seem like I’m bashing the Ranger. I’m not. I liked the Ranger and if you get into any hardcore off-roading or tow more than about 3500 pounds regularly, the Ranger might be a better vehicle for you. But I’m loving the Mav. Here’s why in no particular order. Some of these are subjective and personal…some are not.

The Mav is a good bit smaller externally but pretty much the same inside. It actually feels more open and roomy probably because of the lack of a shifter impeding in the center and the more upright design of the top portion of the cab as compared to the Ranger. The Ecoboost Mav has 2.4” more rear legroom than the Ranger and this is noticeable.

The rear windows roll all the way down into the door. Small praise I know but the Ranger having 2-3” of glass sticking up was annoying to rear passengers.

There is useable storage under the rear seats. Storage under the rear seats in the Ranger is laughable.

Ride height is more user friendly. I’m young (ok, middle aged) and can get in and out of the Ranger fine. But it’s easier to get in and out of the Mav, easier to reach stuff in the bed, and easier to load/unload stuff.

Ride quality is much improved. I expected the unibody Mav to ride better but some commented that it still rides like a truck. Ehhhh, kinda. It rides like an SUV. In fact, it rides a lot like my wife’s 19 Highlander…a good blend of sporty and comfortable. The Ranger rode okay. It wasn’t terrible but you always knew you were in a leaf sprung pickup. You will notice an improvement from the Ranger to the Mav.

Related to ride quality is handling. I haven’t beat on it (it’s got like 50 miles on it) but the Mav handles curves and corners better. Its lower center of gravity really help it feel planted for what it is. The Ranger had horrible bounce and body roll when new and stock. Eibach Pro 2.0s in the rear helped a lot of the body roll but the stock Mav still handles better than the Ranger with the Eibachs.

This is one of my big ones. The 8spd trans in the Mav is MUCH smoother than the Ranger’s 10spd. I’m not sure if it was because of the gear skipping or what but the Ranger trans rarely felt smooth. It often felt like it was hesitating or briefly hitting one gear before settling on the next one up. I am very impressed with the Mav’s 8spd. Again, I’d compare it to the smoothness of my wife’s Highlander which is high praise.

The Ranger also had a very subtle but very annoying shudder when accelerating from a stop. It is a very common problem and has been reported as a pinion angle issue. I think Ford has a “fix” but results seem to suggest that it’s unlikely their fix will actually solve the problem. This is very minor but also very irritating because it did it every single time. This, combined with the mildly jerky trans was unpleasant. None of this in the Mav.

I expect the Mav to get mildly better fuel economy. Ranger was showing 19.6 lifetime average with never anything but 93 octane. Not enough miles on the Mav to say but it hasn’t been above 55-60 yet and it’s showing 21+ with whatever the dealer filled it up with…I imagine 87 octane.

Doors shut more solid on the Mav. The Ranger doors always had this weird hollow sound to them.

The Mav is quieter overall. Road noise might be about the same. Hard to say. But engine noise from the 2.0 is definitely noticeably quieter than the 2.3 at idle and under acceleration and at speed.

Lastly, unless I think of something else, I think the Mav is just a better looking vehicle. I never cared for the sloping front end of the Ranger. This, along with the severe factory rake, make the Ranger very wedge shaped. The Mav is more squared off and aggressive. The front end does not slope down like the Ranger and it has much less rake. The Mav looks low and wide. The Ranger looks tall and skinny…and a little goofy, lol. I just think the Mav looks so much better.

That’s it for now unless I think of something I missed. Better pics to come later.

Thanks for the write up.

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[Old Ranchero]

Sup all. Long post alert. But if you’re interested in my situation, you’ll read it.


So I just traded my 21 Ranger XLT FX4 with 5K miles for my 22 Mav XLT AWD. Haven’t had it long but I wanted to give my perspective of one versus the other. It’s going to seem like I’m bashing the Ranger. I’m not. I liked the Ranger and if you get into any hardcore off-roading or tow more than about 3500 pounds regularly, the Ranger might be a better vehicle for you. But I’m loving the Mav. Here’s why in no particular order. Some of these are subjective and personal…some are not.

The Mav is a good bit smaller externally but pretty much the same inside. It actually feels more open and roomy probably because of the lack of a shifter impeding in the center and the more upright design of the top portion of the cab as compared to the Ranger. The Ecoboost Mav has 2.4” more rear legroom than the Ranger and this is noticeable.

The rear windows roll all the way down into the door. Small praise I know but the Ranger having 2-3” of glass sticking up was annoying to rear passengers.

There is useable storage under the rear seats. Storage under the rear seats in the Ranger is laughable.

Ride height is more user friendly. I’m young (ok, middle aged) and can get in and out of the Ranger fine. But it’s easier to get in and out of the Mav, easier to reach stuff in the bed, and easier to load/unload stuff.

Ride quality is much improved. I expected the unibody Mav to ride better but some commented that it still rides like a truck. Ehhhh, kinda. It rides like an SUV. In fact, it rides a lot like my wife’s 19 Highlander…a good blend of sporty and comfortable. The Ranger rode okay. It wasn’t terrible but you always knew you were in a leaf sprung pickup. You will notice an improvement from the Ranger to the Mav.

Related to ride quality is handling. I haven’t beat on it (it’s got like 50 miles on it) but the Mav handles curves and corners better. Its lower center of gravity really help it feel planted for what it is. The Ranger had horrible bounce and body roll when new and stock. Eibach Pro 2.0s in the rear helped a lot of the body roll but the stock Mav still handles better than the Ranger with the Eibachs.

This is one of my big ones. The 8spd trans in the Mav is MUCH smoother than the Ranger’s 10spd. I’m not sure if it was because of the gear skipping or what but the Ranger trans rarely felt smooth. It often felt like it was hesitating or briefly hitting one gear before settling on the next one up. I am very impressed with the Mav’s 8spd. Again, I’d compare it to the smoothness of my wife’s Highlander which is high praise.

The Ranger also had a very subtle but very annoying shudder when accelerating from a stop. It is a very common problem and has been reported as a pinion angle issue. I think Ford has a “fix” but results seem to suggest that it’s unlikely their fix will actually solve the problem. This is very minor but also very irritating because it did it every single time. This, combined with the mildly jerky trans was unpleasant. None of this in the Mav.

I expect the Mav to get mildly better fuel economy. Ranger was showing 19.6 lifetime average with never anything but 93 octane. Not enough miles on the Mav to say but it hasn’t been above 55-60 yet and it’s showing 21+ with whatever the dealer filled it up with…I imagine 87 octane.

Doors shut more solid on the Mav. The Ranger doors always had this weird hollow sound to them.

The Mav is quieter overall. Road noise might be about the same. Hard to say. But engine noise from the 2.0 is definitely noticeably quieter than the 2.3 at idle and under acceleration and at speed.

Lastly, unless I think of something else, I think the Mav is just a better looking vehicle. I never cared for the sloping front end of the Ranger. This, along with the severe factory rake, make the Ranger very wedge shaped. The Mav is more squared off and aggressive. The front end does not slope down like the Ranger and it has much less rake. The Mav looks low and wide. The Ranger looks tall and skinny…and a little goofy, lol. I just think the Mav looks so much better.

That’s it for now unless I think of something I missed. Better pics to come later.

Congrats on your purchase! You really nailed all the important points on both the Ranger and Maverick. I've owned 4 Rangers between 1987-2006 and all used as daily driver and all other purposes and they suited me just fine. Inherited my wife's 1989 Chevy 2500 in 2006 and purchased econobox cars for DD/commuting until 2013 when I got my Jeep. We bought a 2018 F-150 (love it) and I sold the Chevy 2500- and have been wanting a compact truck again to compliment Jeep and handle 90% of my "truck stuff" that F-150 is overkill on.

Considered a Ranger when they came back in 2019, but never liked the cab layout or styling and it sits higher than I wanted too, so held off and always had F-150 to fall back on. Then the rumors of Maverick came along and I starting watching and researching to see how many of my boxes would be checked if/when the Maverick became reality. Happily, every single 1 of my needs AND wants came true after reveals, climbing all over a trainer Mav locally and then finally driving a stock unit. It just fits my requirements perfectly, and lower than I budgeted with all options I want. The test drive sold me on it, and the only thing delaying my purchase is selling an old house for the $ to finally order and buy it. Should have that part done soon and might have my order in for XMAS as a present to myself

 

[RayNash]

The present day Ranger looks VERY dated. The new updated Ranger that is coming out sometime during the summer of 21 looks much better.

 

[starquestbd22]

@Old Ranchero I've owned a few Rangers over the years myself. I can't even remember them all, lol. Very first pickup was a blue 95 or 96 reg cab short bed 4cyl 5 speed...bulletproof!! I've also had at least one early 2000s regular cab 4x4 V6 and probably my favorite, a 2010 regular cab short bed 4cyl 5 speed base model with the vinyl seats. Talk about utilitarian! But it was a great commuter truck.

The Maverick truly is the modern Ranger. The current Ranger is something in between the Ranger of yesteryear and the F150.

 

[djd3]

The present day Ranger looks VERY dated. The new updated Ranger that is coming out sometime during the summer of 21 looks much better.

6G ranger reveal is Nov. 24th

 

[mav_can]

Thanks for the 10spd comments. I have the same annoyances on my '18 Mustang and it's good to hear that I'm not alone. I have the ZF 8-speed on my other vehicle which apparently is regarded as the best in the industry so I thought I was just holding the 10spd to a higher standard than I should.

 

[staryoshi]

Ranger with the FX4 has a terribad suspension for road feel, imo. Has to be base or Tremor for me. (Tremor is actually super cool, but 19 mpg on an 18 gallon tank, oof. I'd strongly consider a Mav Tremor)

Ranger rides like a small truck, whereas Mav rides like a long crossover. I can't recommend the 5G Ranger now that the Mav exists for most use cases, but once 6G Ranger hits, I'll probably forget that Mav exists

Having driven both a fair amount and many of their competitors, my conclusion is to wait for 6G. Thx for the write up, first-hand accounts are useful for folks.

 

[Rodeoman74]

Ranger with the FX4 has a terribad suspension for road feel, imo. Has to be base or Tremor for me. (Tremor is actually super cool, but 19 mpg on an 18 gallon tank, oof. I'd strongly consider a Mav Tremor)

Ranger rides like a small truck, whereas Mav rides like a long crossover. I can't recommend the 5G Ranger now that the Mav exists for most use cases, but once 6G Ranger hits, I'll probably forget that Mav exists

Having driven both a fair amount and many of their competitors, my conclusion is to wait for 6G. Thx for the write up, first-hand accounts are useful for folks.

Wouldn’t that be cool, the mav with Tremor package.….Maybe some 2.5” King shocks…..

 

[ColoradoShooter]

Is the Tremor pkg like the Raptor?

 

[WJOHNM]

Lets face it the Maverick is basically a car the Ranger is a Truck it rides like a truck and has real 4 wheel drive. I remember years ago was at this thing at a farm everyone parked in the fields and it was raining hard by the end of the day the farmer had to pull all the cars and trucks out with his tractor, I got in my ranger put it in 4wd and drove out like it was nothing people were shocked the mav would still be there. BTW it took me months to get the MUD and GRASS out of my wheel housing and frame. Am not knocking the Maverick I ordered one but it has its place cant compete with a Ranger.

 

[Ron Neal]

Agree they are two different vehicles so hard to compare. I think the Ranger is the winner if you need a truck but if you need a trucklet the Maverick is the winner. I ordered a Mav but it will cost me a new light weight trailer to keep within the 4k limit so there will be no money saved.
If I knew for sure the Ranger G6 was coming out with a regal cab I would wait but thats still a couple years away and I am not getting any younger.

 

[mrjspence]

Great comparison. Love the cabin or (garage?) in pic. I’m also loving the silver rims over the all black

 

[mrjspence]

Everything is a compromise.

I sold my F150 to Carmax and ordered a Maverick, but one of the things I liked best about the F150 was the ability to fold up the rear seat bottoms and have a flat floor. I lose that in the Maverick.

The F150 would not fit in the garage, the Maverick will.

The 10-speed in the F150 would hunt between gears when on even a slight hill at highway speed, very annoying.

I have high expectations for the Maverick, I ordered 28 Oct, hoping to have it in my driveway by 1 June.

Our 04 f150 has a massive 4 speed lol. I am curious how 8 will feel in comparison. Also it’s 5.4 V8 sounds awesome but what a workhorse. I’ve never driven an EcoBoost of any kind… change is good, can’t wait to downsize to our maverick.

 

[starquestbd22]

Lets face it the Maverick is basically a car the Ranger is a Truck it rides like a truck and has real 4 wheel drive. I remember years ago was at this thing at a farm everyone parked in the fields and it was raining hard by the end of the day the farmer had to pull all the cars and trucks out with his tractor, I got in my ranger put it in 4wd and drove out like it was nothing people were shocked the mav would still be there. BTW it took me months to get the MUD and GRASS out of my wheel housing and frame. Am not knocking the Maverick I ordered one but it has its place cant compete with a Ranger.

It actually can compete with the Ranger. It will best the Ranger in a noise level competition, a ride quality competition, an everyday practicality competition, a fuel mileage competition...just to name a few, lol.

I'm just kidding. The purpose of this post wasn't to necessarily place the two trucks (yes, I call them both trucks because they both have a truck bed) in any kind of competition. It was simply to point out some first person observations based on every day use. You are correct that the Mav has its place as does the Ranger. There is a little bit of overlap there but not much. What you value in a truck and your needs and expectations from it will determine which is best for you.

 

[starquestbd22]

Great comparison. Love the cabin or (garage?) in pic. I’m also loving the silver rims over the all black

Thanks! It's actually a storage building/detached garage/work shop. It is very nice to have and was one of the big reasons we bought our home rather than building one.

Regarding the wheels, I think these wheels make the look of this truck. I am soooo glad I realized they could be ordered without the FX4 package and had my dealer make the change before it was too late.

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