A Maverick Skeptic's Short Maverick Review

[Scott Asheville]

Disclosure: I never joined the Maverick fanboy club. I held off ordering 3 months hoping somebody out there would offer a small 2-door trucklet. I debated for a full year about defecting to the SC.

My trucklet: XLT ECO LUX CP360 AWD HPR. Paid $31,500 delivered, minus $500 military discount. Asheville Ford - fair dinkum dealer.

In a nutshell: Actively disliked this porker as I drove it home from the dealership. But it grew on me and now I'd say it's OK.

Likes: Conventional dashboard controls that avoid touch screen insanity. No piano black. Ludicrous performance for an entry level truck. Far better visibility than I expected, and I'm a visibility freak. The bed and the SIBL - which have both been winning me over. The lux package, with heated seats and wheels, power driver seat and lumbar - love it all. The bed surprised me by being deeper than my Ranger and really just right for my needs. The little things like the bed lights and cargo management rail. Size and utility of the under-seat rear storage. All the genuinely useful storage spots in the doors. Really good gas mileage in eco mode (28.5 in the WNC mountains, mixed driving). Handling that makes my old Ranger feel like what Fred Flintstone drove. Performance that leaves my 146 HP Ranger a football stadium behind before you reach 60. Hot pepper red turning to orange in the sideways morning sun.

Dislikes: Having to set the drive mode on every startup (C'mon man). Drives like a beached whale around the narrow streets of Asheville (my 2010 Ranger had a 2' smaller turning circle and was right at home). Not being able to drop the seat and have a nice finished cargo space (exposed metal and mechanical stuff in front of bed wall) - C'mon Ford - you can't afford a $5 piece of formed plastic back there? Stone age Sync 3. A rearview camera that is absolutely useless in most high-contrast lighting situations (aftermarket replacement anybody?). Noisy truck - not as noisy as my old Ranger, but noisy. Cheap rear mirror - I mean, even cheaper than my 2010 Ranger. Ridiculously bad transmission scheduling - though it hunts less around town in eco. Does the ecoboost engine really have to sound like a sewing machine and a moped mated? Do we really need an engine compartment so big that it can easily contain two ecoboost engines? Are male egos really that fragile? Is sound proofing illegal in Ford entry level vehicles?

Neutral: Don't really care if the paint is thin. I beat trucks to death. I scratch and dent them. That's why trucks exist - to be beaten. People who coddle their trucks should have their trucks taken away. Don't really care if the interior is easily scratched cheap plastic - see previous message. Don't really care if it's a truck or a car - just don't care.

Conclusion: Better than I expected. I'm actually starting to like it. I probably won't trade it for an SC and pocket some change after all. It'll do until somebody offers a truly small BEV truck. But I'll never call it a small truck. It's the second smallest midsize truck (SC is the smallest). It's a steal at $21,500. It's OK at $31,500. I start scratching my head in puzzlement as you approach $40,000.

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[Maverick2023]

Glad you like it. Now post up some pics. Enough with words.

 

[WNYEscapee]

I can appreciate your position. We all have personal expectations on such expensive purchases.
Performance doesn't seem to be one area where they've cut much of anything, everybody seems pleased if not surprised there.

 

[Timothyd]

Disclosure: I never joined the Maverick fanboy club. I held off ordering 3 months hoping somebody out there would offer a small 2-door trucklet. I debated for a full year about defecting to the SC.

My trucklet: XLT ECO LUX CP360 AWD HPR. Paid $31,500 delivered, minus $500 military discount. Asheville Ford - fair dinkum dealer.

In a nutshell: Actively disliked this porker as I drove it home from the dealership. But it grew on me and now I'd say it's OK.

Likes: Conventional dashboard controls that avoid touch screen insanity. No piano black. Ludicrous performance for an entry level truck. Far better visibility than I expected, and I'm a visibility freak. The bed and the SIBL - which have both been winning me over. The lux package, with heated seats and wheels, power driver seat and lumbar - love it all. The bed surprised me by being deeper than my Ranger and really just right for my needs. The little things like the bed lights and cargo management rail. Size and utility of the under-seat rear storage. All the genuinely useful storage spots in the doors. Really good gas mileage in eco mode (28.5 in the WNC mountains, mixed driving). Handling that makes my old Ranger feel like what Fred Flintstone drove. Performance that leaves my 146 HP Ranger a football stadium behind before you reach 60. Hot pepper red turning to orange in the sideways morning sun.

Dislikes: Having to set the drive mode on every startup (C'mon man). Drives like a beached whale around the narrow streets of Asheville (my 2010 Ranger had a 2' smaller turning circle and was right at home). Not being able to drop the seat and have a nice finished cargo space (exposed metal and mechanical stuff in front of bed wall) - C'mon Ford - you can't afford a $5 piece of formed plastic back there? Stone age Sync 3. A rearview camera that is absolutely useless in most high-contrast lighting situations (aftermarket replacement anybody?). Noisy truck - not as noisy as my old Ranger, but noisy. Cheap rear mirror - I mean, even cheaper than my 2010 Ranger. Ridiculously bad transmission scheduling - though it hunts less around town in eco. Does the ecoboost engine really have to sound like a sewing machine and a moped mated? Do we really need an engine compartment so big that it can easily contain two ecoboost engines? Are male egos really that fragile? Is sound proofing illegal in Ford entry level vehicles?

Neutral: Don't really care if the paint is thin. I beat trucks to death. I scratch and dent them. That's why trucks exist - to be beaten. People who coddle their trucks should have their trucks taken away. Don't really care if the interior is easily scratched cheap plastic - see previous message. Don't really care if it's a truck or a car - just don't care.

Conclusion: Better than I expected. I'm actually starting to like it. I probably won't trade it for an SC and pocket some change after all. It'll do until somebody offers a truly small BEV truck. But I'll never call it a small truck. It's the second smallest midsize truck (SC is the smallest). It's a steal at $21,500. It's OK at $31,500. I start scratching my head in puzzlement as you approach $40,000.

Yeah, the truck is there to serve me, not the other way around.

 

[Platinum2]

Agree that the value is in the lower trims.

 

[Snax]

People who coddle their trucks should have their trucks taken away.

Just try it, and see what happens.

Nothing wrong with those who keep their things in good shape.

 

[MostlySafeBear]

Dislikes: Having to set the drive mode on every startup (C'mon man).

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/default-to-eco-mode-with-this-diy-module.17805/

Not being able to drop the seat and have a nice finished cargo space (exposed metal and mechanical stuff in front of bed wall) - C'mon Ford - you can't afford a $5 piece of formed plastic back there?

That's where some of the cost savings were, I'd imagine. I'm fine with that.

Stone age Sync 3.

The XLT didn't get Sync 3. More like Sync 2.5. It's officially a "Connected Touch Radio", and it's missing hardware that backs up the Sync 3 system that the Lariat gets.

Crutchfield has some research on upgrading the speakers, and there's lots of knowledge on the forums as well.

 

[New2AZ]

I find it odd to complain about the noise of a truck then pretty much scoff at people who want to keep their trucks in good condition. Never seen that combination of stances before.

 

[commadorebob]

I laughed at the engine compartment thing. That's what I love about Fords, that you can practically stand in the engine bay to work on them.

 

[Scott Asheville]

I laughed at the engine compartment thing. That's what I love about Fords, that you can practically stand in the engine bay to work on them.

That's fair. I was looking at it more like "they could have taken a foot out of the truck, and 200 pounds easy". On the other hand, maybe they needed that space for crush zones? Modern safety engineering is sometimes non-intuitive. But yea, if I still worked on my own cars, I'd love all that room to work up front.

 

[commadorebob]

That's fair. I was looking at it more like "they could have taken a foot out of the truck, and 200 pounds easy". On the other hand, maybe they needed that space for crush zones? Modern safety engineering is sometimes non-intuitive. But yea, if I still worked on my own cars, I'd love all that room to work up front.

I like to think there is some optimistic engineer who thinks they might want to eventually put a V8 in it.

 

[Scott Asheville]

I find it odd to complain about the noise of a truck then pretty much scoff at people who want to keep their trucks in good condition. Never seen that combination of stances before.

Fair enough. I guess it was "scoffing". I share that with pretty much every work truck owner I've ever met over the last 40 years. I guess there are two classes of truck owners. Those who want a pretty bauble to show off. And those who want a functional utility workhorse. I've always been in the latter camp. I guess there's room for both types of owners.

Oh wait... I think I'm scoffing again. Doh!

 

[Bj517]

Just try it, and see what happens.

Nothing wrong with those who keep their things in good shape.

Yeah that was a weird gatekeeping comment. If you don't abuse and treat your property like shit, you don't deserve it? Eff that, OP, I take care of my things

 

[LM42]

That's fair. I was looking at it more like "they could have taken a foot out of the truck, and 200 pounds easy". On the other hand, maybe they needed that space for crush zones? Modern safety engineering is sometimes non-intuitive. But yea, if I still worked on my own cars, I'd love all that room to work up front.

If you did that, the truck would look bizarre, at best. Design is a key point of any vehicle, and for what it is, they pulled of the look pretty well. It really looks like a small, somewhat low roof line truck. Even though it isn't a true body on frame work horse.

 

[LM42]

Fair enough. I guess it was "scoffing". I share that with pretty much every work truck owner I've ever met over the last 40 years. I guess there are two classes of truck owners. Those who want a pretty bauble to show off. And those who want a functional utility workhorse. I've always been in the latter camp. I guess there's room for both types of owners.

Oh wait... I think I'm scoffing again. Doh!

Both types of owners exist in one. Ive driven mostly Lariat trim full size trucks. They've been in the dirt, pulled trailers all over the country, hauled all kinds of crap and acted as my commuter. A scratch or ding here or there never broke my heart. But inside and out they are always super clean. Not freak level of detailing. But I don't want people to think I am a lazy slob when they enter my home, and damn sure not my truck either LOL

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