A Surprising And Enlightening Experience From First Maverick Road Trip

[MLA62563]

My wife and I just took our first road trip in our Hybrid XLT this last Friday. Yeah, from what I've been reading I know most of you probably consider 300 miles a jog around the park, but as I haven't really even left town in nine months of ownership, trust that it counts as a road trip for me.
Anyway, we drove from Charlotte, NC to the Blue Ridge Parkway and back to check out the leaves at their peak...and of course I was checking out the truck's performance and fuel efficiency as well.

As I said, I've driven almost entirely in the city since I've owned the Maverick and have been totally blown away by its amazing gas mileage. I routinely get 43-45 MPG here in town, but as the EPA has it rated at only 33 MPG on the "highway", I was fully expecting a big reduction on our trip. But as you can see from the readout, there was essentially NO difference at all, even after powering up all those steep grades. (The dash calculation is always 2-3 MPG high..) Wow! I honestly don't know what to think, and it makes me wonder exactly what the EPA considers to be "highway" travel. On our drive, there were long straight stretches of 65 MPH open highways before we even got to the mountains. Nearly a hundred miles or so each way. So considering that this is pretty much what all of my road trips will look like, I doubt I will ever see anything approaching that 33 MPG number. All good, and super impressive!

The truck's performance and handling were equally impressive. I found it to be extremely stable and sure footed in the curves, far better than any truck I've ever owned. And the power impressed as well. The truck easily tackled the steep grades without breaking a sweat, with none of the annoying gear "hunting" I've come to simply take as a given after a lifetime of experience with automatic transmissions. Acceleration was there smoothly and easily without having to "punch" it to get it to downshift. (As I've also taken as a given.) I am really sold on this hybrid configuration. It's an absolute blast to drive in the mountains. One advantage I expected to observe however, didn't pan out. I figured the regen braking would provide really strong resistance on the downgrades, greatly reducing friction braking effort. And it did....but for only a very short time. The high voltage battery reaches full charge so quickly that you don't really see much of a benefit. The engine braking does kick in to help, but as with all four cylinder engines, it doesn't really hold you back much. So I had to use the brakes on the downgrades pretty much to the same degree as other cars and trucks I've owned. Yes, I did try "low", but the engine braking reached such a fever pitch that I decided I'd rather just do the braking myself. Hey, that's what brake pads are for after all, and I'm cool with it.

Comfort was excellent. The seats were firm and supportive, and we didn't experience any fatigue at all, making the Maverick one of the best overall road trip vehicles I've ever owned.

Finally, I was pleasantly surprised to encounter more Mavericks on our trip than I have seen in town in all the nine months I've owned mine. We saw no less than five! And not one of them the same color. A Cactus Gray XLT passed us with a wave in Lincolnton, we got a smile and wave from a guy in a Cyber Orange XLT in Lenoir, and we passed a Carbonized Gray Lariat, and an Area 51 XLT on the parkway. Didn't get any photos of those as they were gone too quick, but I did park near a beautiful Oxford White Hybrid XLT at an overlook. Didn't see the owner before we left, but I took a picture. Gee, I hope he doesn't mind.

The whole trip from start to finish was quite a surprising and satisfying experience. We need to do this more often!

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[Last Truck Ever]

I drive a CMAX for work, and it has me in large, metropolitan streets as well as time spent on major highways, a good and balanced mix of the two. Regularly average 43mpg. So your experience is in keeping with my own, I'm not surprised at all.

And sounds like a great trip -- the Blue Ridge Parkway is on my list, too!

 

[JimParker256]

Nice write-up, and an absolutely beautiful Maverick! You have good taste in color! LOL

 

[Brown0]

Also drove up from Charlotte area and spent the weekend, including a drive and hike on the parkway. So much traffic as we were leaving, but a great weekend. Your C/O blends in with the leaves so well. Also passed a Maverick on the parkway in my explorer, prompting me to drone on about how I wish I was in "my little truck" doing the drive already.

 

[MLA62563]

Also drove up from Charlotte area and spent the weekend, including a drive and hike on the parkway. So much traffic as we were leaving, but a great weekend. Your C/O blends in with the leaves so well. Also passed a Maverick on the parkway in my explorer, prompting me to drone on about how I wish I was in "my little truck" doing the drive already.

Yeah, we beat some of the worst traffic by making it a Friday day trip, but it was still pretty congested. I would have loved to make a weekend of it, traffic or no.
Under these crazy circumstances, I wouldn't hazard a guess as to when you'll get yours, but I will bet good money that when you do....you will love it as much as I do mine. Good luck!

 

[saffrontruck]

Nice photos, and that looks like a fun trip!

My experience shows a dramatic drop in MPG when you are pushing into 75-80 mph. The truck is a brick, after all! That being said, the hybrid truck is quite happy to keep up with the faster traffic, and still get 30+ MPG.

 

[HIGHvoltage22]

I had to change my color when my order was rolled over to MY23 because they killed off Velocity Blue. I chose Cyber Orange and every time I see a Mav in that color, I'm glad I did! Looks great, glad you are enjoying it! Can't argue with that MPG, it's fantastic!

 

[KeinoDoggy]

My wife and I just took our first road trip in our Hybrid XLT this last Friday. Yeah, from what I've been reading I know most of you probably consider 300 miles a jog around the park, but as I haven't really even left town in nine months of ownership, trust that it counts as a road trip for me.
Anyway, we drove from Charlotte, NC to the Blue Ridge Parkway and back to check out the leaves at their peak...and of course I was checking out the truck's performance and fuel efficiency as well.

As I said, I've driven almost entirely in the city since I've owned the Maverick and have been totally blown away by its amazing gas mileage. I routinely get 43-45 MPG here in town, but as the EPA has it rated at only 33 MPG on the "highway", I was fully expecting a big reduction on our trip. But as you can see from the readout, there was essentially NO difference at all, even after powering up all those steep grades. (The dash calculation is always 2-3 MPG high..) Wow! I honestly don't know what to think, and it makes me wonder exactly what the EPA considers to be "highway" travel. On our drive, there were long straight stretches of 65 MPH open highways before we even got to the mountains. Nearly a hundred miles or so each way. So considering that this is pretty much what all of my road trips will look like, I doubt I will ever see anything approaching that 33 MPG number. All good, and super impressive!

The truck's performance and handling were equally impressive. I found it to be extremely stable and sure footed in the curves, far better than any truck I've ever owned. And the power impressed as well. The truck easily tackled the steep grades without breaking a sweat, with none of the annoying gear "hunting" I've come to simply take as a given after a lifetime of experience with automatic transmissions. Acceleration was there smoothly and easily without having to "punch" it to get it to downshift. (As I've also taken as a given.) I am really sold on this hybrid configuration. It's an absolute blast to drive in the mountains. One advantage I expected to observe however, didn't pan out. I figured the regen braking would provide really strong resistance on the downgrades, greatly reducing friction braking effort. And it did....but for only a very short time. The high voltage battery reaches full charge so quickly that you don't really see much of a benefit. The engine braking does kick in to help, but as with all four cylinder engines, it doesn't really hold you back much. So I had to use the brakes on the downgrades pretty much to the same degree as other cars and trucks I've owned. Yes, I did try "low", but the engine braking reached such a fever pitch that I decided I'd rather just do the braking myself. Hey, that's what brake pads are for after all, and I'm cool with it.

Comfort was excellent. The seats were firm and supportive, and we didn't experience any fatigue at all, making the Maverick one of the best overall road trip vehicles I've ever owned.

Finally, I was pleasantly surprised to encounter more Mavericks on our trip than I have seen in town in all the nine months I've owned mine. We saw no less than five! And not one of them the same color. A Cactus Gray XLT passed us with a wave in Lincolnton, we got a smile and wave from a guy in a Cyber Orange XLT in Lenoir, and we passed a Carbonized Gray Lariat, and an Area 51 XLT on the parkway. Didn't get any photos of those as they were gone too quick, but I did park near a beautiful Oxford White Hybrid XLT at an overlook. Didn't see the owner before we left, but I took a picture. Gee, I hope he doesn't mind.

The whole trip from start to finish was quite a surprising and satisfying experience. We need to do this more often!

"The truck easily tackled the steep grades without breaking a sweat, with none of the annoying gear "hunting" I've come to simply take as a given after a lifetime of experience with automatic transmissions."

I agree completely with this observation. After driving a Prius for 10 years, I absolutely hate driving a standard multi-speed transmission. A good hybrid tranny is so smooth and compensates for any terrain it meets. I drove a '23 Outback the other day and was dismayed that they felt the need to add shift points as standard on their CVTs. You can't turn it off! They said they engineered it that way because customers were confused not having shift points! Lol. My old 2012 Outback doesn't have that "feature" thank goodness.

 

[NDL]

My wife and I just took our first road trip in our Hybrid XLT this last Friday. Yeah, from what I've been reading I know most of you probably consider 300 miles a jog around the park, but as I haven't really even left town in nine months of ownership, trust that it counts as a road trip for me.
Anyway, we drove from Charlotte, NC to the Blue Ridge Parkway and back to check out the leaves at their peak...and of course I was checking out the truck's performance and fuel efficiency as well.

As I said, I've driven almost entirely in the city since I've owned the Maverick and have been totally blown away by its amazing gas mileage. I routinely get 43-45 MPG here in town, but as the EPA has it rated at only 33 MPG on the "highway", I was fully expecting a big reduction on our trip. But as you can see from the readout, there was essentially NO difference at all, even after powering up all those steep grades. (The dash calculation is always 2-3 MPG high..) Wow! I honestly don't know what to think, and it makes me wonder exactly what the EPA considers to be "highway" travel. On our drive, there were long straight stretches of 65 MPH open highways before we even got to the mountains. Nearly a hundred miles or so each way. So considering that this is pretty much what all of my road trips will look like, I doubt I will ever see anything approaching that 33 MPG number. All good, and super impressive!

The truck's performance and handling were equally impressive. I found it to be extremely stable and sure footed in the curves, far better than any truck I've ever owned. And the power impressed as well. The truck easily tackled the steep grades without breaking a sweat, with none of the annoying gear "hunting" I've come to simply take as a given after a lifetime of experience with automatic transmissions. Acceleration was there smoothly and easily without having to "punch" it to get it to downshift. (As I've also taken as a given.) I am really sold on this hybrid configuration. It's an absolute blast to drive in the mountains. One advantage I expected to observe however, didn't pan out. I figured the regen braking would provide really strong resistance on the downgrades, greatly reducing friction braking effort. And it did....but for only a very short time. The high voltage battery reaches full charge so quickly that you don't really see much of a benefit. The engine braking does kick in to help, but as with all four cylinder engines, it doesn't really hold you back much. So I had to use the brakes on the downgrades pretty much to the same degree as other cars and trucks I've owned. Yes, I did try "low", but the engine braking reached such a fever pitch that I decided I'd rather just do the braking myself. Hey, that's what brake pads are for after all, and I'm cool with it.

Comfort was excellent. The seats were firm and supportive, and we didn't experience any fatigue at all, making the Maverick one of the best overall road trip vehicles I've ever owned.

Finally, I was pleasantly surprised to encounter more Mavericks on our trip than I have seen in town in all the nine months I've owned mine. We saw no less than five! And not one of them the same color. A Cactus Gray XLT passed us with a wave in Lincolnton, we got a smile and wave from a guy in a Cyber Orange XLT in Lenoir, and we passed a Carbonized Gray Lariat, and an Area 51 XLT on the parkway. Didn't get any photos of those as they were gone too quick, but I did park near a beautiful Oxford White Hybrid XLT at an overlook. Didn't see the owner before we left, but I took a picture. Gee, I hope he doesn't mind.

The whole trip from start to finish was quite a surprising and satisfying experience. We need to do this more often!

Handsome truck, and the mileage that you encountered is insane: did you head up 321 to the Parkway? I know that route, and it traverses all kinds of terrain (grades). Very impressive.

 

[Impetus19]

"The truck easily tackled the steep grades without breaking a sweat, with none of the annoying gear "hunting" I've come to simply take as a given after a lifetime of experience with automatic transmissions."

I agree completely with this observation. After driving a Prius for 10 years, I absolutely hate driving a standard multi-speed transmission. A good hybrid tranny is so smooth and compensates for any terrain it meets. I drove a '23 Outback the other day and was dismayed that they felt the need to add shift points as standard on their CVTs. You can't turn it off! They said they engineered it that way because customers were confused not having shift points! Lol. My old 2012 Outback doesn't have that "feature" thank goodness.

I would have to agree. Also driving my wife's prius over the last 5-6 years (my car is manual so i dont have the same issue) but i do not miss the awful gear hunting from a slushbox. Don't get me wrong the prius engine can have an awful drone, but the transmission is smooth in transition. Sounds like the Maverick is similar, which is good to hear.

 

[shocontinental]

One advantage I expected to observe however, didn't pan out. I figured the regen braking would provide really strong resistance on the downgrades, greatly reducing friction braking effort. And it did....but for only a very short time. The high voltage battery reaches full charge so quickly that you don't really see much of a benefit.

The PHEV or BEV versions with bigger batteries will be able to do more regen. And a dual motor AWD setup should have even more regen ability than a fwd version. On the current ford PHEVs you can set drive modes to electric or gas only to use or save battery, so in that situation you could set it to electric-only and use battery going up, then have a fully empty battery to recharge going down. PHEVs should be the norm.

 

[Vols44]

Congrats on being half way to the 600 mile club. I've gotten use to the loss of speed when letting off the accelerator instead of coasting or having to apply the brake early. It also saves pad wear and gas consumption.

The passenger chart and OK to drive screens prompt me to toggle over to eco mode each trip. It serves as an additional reminder that I don't have an Ecoboost like our SUV or a 3.5L V6 like my Ford work vehicle. Acceleration is gradual and the 2.5L responds smoothly to a steady application of the gas pedal.

 

[EddieC]

My wife and I just took our first road trip in our Hybrid XLT this last Friday. Yeah, from what I've been reading I know most of you probably consider 300 miles a jog around the park, but as I haven't really even left town in nine months of ownership, trust that it counts as a road trip for me.
Anyway, we drove from Charlotte, NC to the Blue Ridge Parkway and back to check out the leaves at their peak...and of course I was checking out the truck's performance and fuel efficiency as well.

As I said, I've driven almost entirely in the city since I've owned the Maverick and have been totally blown away by its amazing gas mileage. I routinely get 43-45 MPG here in town, but as the EPA has it rated at only 33 MPG on the "highway", I was fully expecting a big reduction on our trip. But as you can see from the readout, there was essentially NO difference at all, even after powering up all those steep grades. (The dash calculation is always 2-3 MPG high..) Wow! I honestly don't know what to think, and it makes me wonder exactly what the EPA considers to be "highway" travel. On our drive, there were long straight stretches of 65 MPH open highways before we even got to the mountains. Nearly a hundred miles or so each way. So considering that this is pretty much what all of my road trips will look like, I doubt I will ever see anything approaching that 33 MPG number. All good, and super impressive!

The truck's performance and handling were equally impressive. I found it to be extremely stable and sure footed in the curves, far better than any truck I've ever owned. And the power impressed as well. The truck easily tackled the steep grades without breaking a sweat, with none of the annoying gear "hunting" I've come to simply take as a given after a lifetime of experience with automatic transmissions. Acceleration was there smoothly and easily without having to "punch" it to get it to downshift. (As I've also taken as a given.) I am really sold on this hybrid configuration. It's an absolute blast to drive in the mountains. One advantage I expected to observe however, didn't pan out. I figured the regen braking would provide really strong resistance on the downgrades, greatly reducing friction braking effort. And it did....but for only a very short time. The high voltage battery reaches full charge so quickly that you don't really see much of a benefit. The engine braking does kick in to help, but as with all four cylinder engines, it doesn't really hold you back much. So I had to use the brakes on the downgrades pretty much to the same degree as other cars and trucks I've owned. Yes, I did try "low", but the engine braking reached such a fever pitch that I decided I'd rather just do the braking myself. Hey, that's what brake pads are for after all, and I'm cool with it.

Comfort was excellent. The seats were firm and supportive, and we didn't experience any fatigue at all, making the Maverick one of the best overall road trip vehicles I've ever owned.

Finally, I was pleasantly surprised to encounter more Mavericks on our trip than I have seen in town in all the nine months I've owned mine. We saw no less than five! And not one of them the same color. A Cactus Gray XLT passed us with a wave in Lincolnton, we got a smile and wave from a guy in a Cyber Orange XLT in Lenoir, and we passed a Carbonized Gray Lariat, and an Area 51 XLT on the parkway. Didn't get any photos of those as they were gone too quick, but I did park near a beautiful Oxford White Hybrid XLT at an overlook. Didn't see the owner before we left, but I took a picture. Gee, I hope he doesn't mind.

The whole trip from start to finish was quite a surprising and satisfying experience. We need to do this more often!

Terrific! Makes me wish I had one. But if all goes well, if hybrids get made, if railroads don't strike, and so forth, maybe the truck I ordered on the 15th will be mine by this time next year!

 

[Maverick2023]

Is it me or the front grill style is different for lariat than for XL

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