Like your inset photo. Stood in almost the same spot at Delicate Arch a couple of months ago. I brought a sleeping bag/pad and snacks and watched a sunset, moon rise and dawn in the area., but don’t tell the rangers.
Love the description and the the tripMy wife and I just completed a 6000+ mile road trip, tent camping our way through parts of 19 states, from Arizona north to South Dakota across to Michigan then south to South Carolina and back across the I-10 corridor back home to Phoenix. We tried to stay off the interstates when possible, camping almost exclusively at recreation.gov campgrounds. We didn’t camp coming back on I-10; it was just too hot with no nighttime cooling.
We had been across the country before with the Maverick lightly loaded and gas mileage in the 32mpg range so I was curious what difference it would make having it loaded “to the gills”. For this trip I had a Summit Racing cargo carrier ($150) mounted on bed rails from Amazon ($200) loaded with all the tenting gear. Under the roll-up bed cover were 2 - 200-watt solar panels along with a portable gas grill, Blackstone griddle, 8# propane tank, yeti “look-a-like” cooler, EcoFlow River Max Plus battery power station, and other items. Inside the cab was a 5-gallon water cooler, a portable thermoelectric cooler, drinks under the seat, hanging clothes, food items, and other stuff. Believe me, you can pack A LOT of stuff in this little truck! I had added a lighter socket mounted in the right rear cubby to allow for charging the power station on the road. I had also purchased an extra add-on battery for the EcoFlow so when campsites didn’t have electric hookups, I could keep the cooler running overnight and still have enough juice to brew coffee in the morning. I don’t really know how much weight that all comes to but I would say with two passengers it would have to be something well over 1000 lbs.
With all of that I have to say that I didn’t really notice ANY difference AT ALL in drivability. Still a very smooth ride, no difference in acceleration, passing semis, hill climbing, cornering, etc.
The biggest surprise for me was in the gas mileage. Over the course of the entire trip, which included driving on local roads, touring through Arches NP, Black Hills country, the hills of West Virginia, etc. the little truck averaged 31.3 MPG, with a high of 498 miles and regularly over 400 miles on a tank of gas. The only caveat to that is that I tend to be a conservative driver. We weren’t in a hurry to get anywhere so driving on the interstates the ACC was set between 70-73 MPH.
One of the things I love most about my Maverick is how comfortable it is to drive. I drove the entire 6285 miles, which included a few 7-10 hour drives, with no real discomfort despite my ageing back. I think it has a lot to do with 2 things in particular on the Mav. One is the ACC (adaptive cruise control) and the other is the Lane Keeping Assist. With the ACC you don’t need to keep a foot on the accelerator or go from accelerator to brake allowing for multiple foot/leg positions. And with LKA you can keep a light touch on the steering wheel. (I will say it did complain quite a bit about my steering wheel touch being a little too light.) Plus, you can do more sight-seeing from the driver’s seat once you gain confidence in it.
Overall, it was a great trip. I am of the opinion that everyone who can needs to RoadTrip America while you still can. And take your time when you do; get off the beaten track and drive through some small towns where you’ll learn something new. (I never knew there were horse-and-buggy Amish in Wisconsin.) It’s such a great country with so many amazing things to see and places to visit. And it is best if you can do it in a Maverick!
(The last 2 pics below were after partially unloaded)
