A Maverick Skeptic's Short Maverick Review

[Old Ranchero]

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.

Maverick ECOboost engine compartment. Looks pretty crowded to me.

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[Timothyd]

Maverick ECOboost engine compartment. Looks pretty crowded to me.

I'd like to get busy with my label maker and id those lines.

 

[B2000]

Maverick ECOboost engine compartment. Looks pretty crowded to me.

I kind of like not having an engine cover that blocks everything unless you took that off for the photo.

 

[Old Ranchero]

I kind of like not having an engine cover that blocks everything unless you took that off for the photo.

That is actually a Training Vehicle that I saw and checked over Sept 28, 2021 at my local Ford dealership. Sat in on the presentation the Trainer gave to sales staff too. Funny part was it seemed like I knew about the Maverick than anybody in the room

 

[WatchYourSix]

@Scott Asheville the transmission is still learning. That's why it's jumpy and feels like it's hunting for the right gear, especially at low speeds. Should stop after 1,000 miles or so.

 

[Stealth Raccoon]

Never owned a Ford product, and I was excited about the Maverick, simply because I have always loved small pickups.
Personally I love the simplicity of a truck, and my XL trim does an excellent job keeping things simple. Today I borrowed a utility trailer (designed to hold 3 motorcycles) just to go pick up some kayaks - super easy to tow, barely dented my MPG. I have never needed a lot of truck, but I’ve never NOT needed a truck.

 

[Phileaux]

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.

It also has to fit the hybrid system and cheaper to leave room in the bay for turbo heat than install a larger intercooler.

Who doesn't want more room to work on the engine? You want compact engine bay buy a 2000's Corvette

 

[UpNorthBuckeye]

Scott, glad you recognized the nice visibility. Wife and I took our hybrid out West, and the "sightseeing" was great. I was a little surprised at your price tag, but you got a lot of stuff I didn't (Eco boost, heated seats, 360). Love my High Pepper Red hybrid and I paid $24,700., so along with getting 42.4 mpg cumulative for the first 10,000 miles, I feel like I got Real MoFo Value.
Just sayin'

 

[tonyinsd]

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!

Who says you can't have both?

I use my Maverick for supply runs three times a week.

I still like to keep it clean.

I'm not going to baby it, but taking care of things means they last longer.

 

[Bbot]

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.

It’s a design to accommodate the hybrid and future full EV . It’s an inexpensive vehicle that’s an entry level low cost truck.If people want larger they should consider a Ranger, not much more for XL.

 

[James K]

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.

Surprised you think it's noisy. I went from a 2015 Audi Q5 to my Maverick and found it to be comparable. I agree the 2.0 motor isn't inspiring but I have an Austin Healey for motor noise. So far I have no issues and Ford charged me half as much as Audi for it's first maintenance/service and did the same things.

 

[garnermike]

I should have gone to your last two paragraphs first. Because you lost me at "People who coddle their trucks should have their trucks taken away" and "I'll never call it a small truck."

 

[fossil]

It’s a design to accommodate the hybrid and future full EV . It’s an inexpensive vehicle that’s an entry level low cost truck.If people want larger they should consider a Ranger, not much more for XL.

Ford got some heat on the Ranger with some saying the front end looked wimpy lol
Besides big front ends are the in thing these days.

 

[CuriousGary]

Yea, I think your point is valid - it's all about design expectations. Chrysler did some cab forward stuff back in the day that looked really good, but that was sedans. The truck community is soooo conservative - ergo all the hate for the SC on this forum.

If you listen to designers, they're always struggling with expectations for any given vehicle. It has to look like what customers have come to expect, while still looking fresh and new. I have a real love-hate, respect-despise relationship with car designers. They give us the Mustang. Then they turn around and give us the Aztek... And they have to please customers, managers, and engineers. The classic "stuck in the middle of two bosses" predicament.

I have seen a few more Mavs around the Atl. Although I ordered my truck without a test drive, it is one good looking truck. The exterior designers are to be complimented for sure.

 

[Joe Kelly]

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.

You can’t stand in my Eco 2.0. I took one look and said some body else can play in here.

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