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AWD Nice but Not Necessary in Winter

Old Ranchero

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It's the issue will FWD pickup truck sell well.
The AWD option will sell I have no doubt.
when rumors of this vehicle started it was mainly to fill the hole for entry level vehicles after Ford discontinued sedans, If you wanted a lower priced Ford it would be this or the EcoSport. It's also clearly intended to be a jack of all trades and Master of none that appeals to the widest possible range of people that don't necessarily need a "real" truck or an SUV but want some of the features in an affordable daily driver. I'd wager 75% of sales will be base models with I-3 and FWD. Pricing will determine a lot for most buyers.
 

Tennessee

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when rumors of this vehicle started it was mainly to fill the hole for entry level vehicles after Ford discontinued sedans, If you wanted a lower priced Ford it would be this or the EcoSport. It's also clearly intended to be a jack of all trades and Master of none that appeals to the widest possible range of people that don't necessarily need a "real" truck or an SUV but want some of the features in an affordable daily driver. I'd wager 75% of sales will be base models with I-3 and FWD. Pricing will determine a lot for most buyers.
Good points. Most crossovers are front wheel drive. A surprising number of trucks that look like they're four wheel drive are actually two wheel drive.
 

MontanaEd

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Pricing will determine a lot for most buyers.
So I was curious what the most base Ranger I could get would actually cost me. I had a Ranger back in the 90s and really liked it. What I found is that the way trucks are spec'd out at dealers is dependent on where you are. I discovered this accidentally. I went to the build and price feature on Ford's website and picked the most base Ranger with 2WD. Then checked local dealer inventory and got a ton of hits, but then realized that the website had defaulted me to being in California somewhere. I'm not sure why that happened. When I corrected the zip code, I discovered that none of the Ford dealers anywhere near me had any 2WD Rangers. So that base spec Ranger is a figment of my imagination in Montana. If I was to buy a Ranger in Montana it would be an AWD one. I suspect when the Maverick arrives it will be the same way.

So I would add that pricing and dealer inventory will determine a lot for most buyers. I just can't see Montana dealers stocking many or really any 2WD, 3 cylinder Mavericks.
 

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NavyBob

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So I was curious what the most base Ranger I could get would actually cost me. I had a Ranger back in the 90s and really liked it. What I found is that the way trucks are spec'd out at dealers is dependent on where you are. I discovered this accidentally. I went to the build and price feature on Ford's website and picked the most base Ranger with 2WD. Then checked local dealer inventory and got a ton of hits, but then realized that the website had defaulted me to being in California somewhere. I'm not sure why that happened. When I corrected the zip code, I discovered that none of the Ford dealers anywhere near me had any 2WD Rangers. So that base spec Ranger is a figment of my imagination in Montana. If I was to buy a Ranger in Montana it would be an AWD one. I suspect when the Maverick arrives it will be the same way.

So I would add that pricing and dealer inventory will determine a lot for most buyers. I just can't see Montana dealers stocking many or really any 2WD, 3 cylinder Mavericks.
I agree. In Tennessee here I could only find 1 Ranger XL extended cab base model in a 500 mile range when I was in the market. Almost 95% were XLT or above 4 door models ranging in price from $ 32000 and up.
 

Old Ranchero

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So I was curious what the most base Ranger I could get would actually cost me. I had a Ranger back in the 90s and really liked it. What I found is that the way trucks are spec'd out at dealers is dependent on where you are. I discovered this accidentally. I went to the build and price feature on Ford's website and picked the most base Ranger with 2WD. Then checked local dealer inventory and got a ton of hits, but then realized that the website had defaulted me to being in California somewhere. I'm not sure why that happened. When I corrected the zip code, I discovered that none of the Ford dealers anywhere near me had any 2WD Rangers. So that base spec Ranger is a figment of my imagination in Montana. If I was to buy a Ranger in Montana it would be an AWD one. I suspect when the Maverick arrives it will be the same way.

So I would add that pricing and dealer inventory will determine a lot for most buyers. I just can't see Montana dealers stocking many or really any 2WD, 3 cylinder Mavericks.
Rangers are either 2WD or 4WD, no AWD. Where I live in rural SW Colorado I have only 1 Ford Dealer and next closest is 46 miles away. They typically only get 1 or 2 of any given model at a time other than Escape, F-150- the big sellers. When the new Ranger was out they had 1 in the showroom for a long time and none on the lot, but usually 1 in the back undergoing "prep". These were never base model 2WD which is what I was interested in and wanted to test drive. To get anything different from what they had on hand, I would have to use on-line build and order process and wait for it to arrive. Problem is, I want to test drive that configuration before deciding to purchase as I always did in SoCal where dealers and vehicles on lots were plentiful. I guess my only option then is to search for a new or used 1 maybe within 100 miles or more and make a day trip out of test driving that 1...
 

dano0726

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One of the main reasons (not having "4A") of not owning a Ranger (at least for this renewed generation) = no AWD option...

The other main reason was the currently jacked-up rear seat folding design (intentional or just plain lazy and not wanting to update the current ROW model platform)
 

theek

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I very much doubt the FWD Maverick will even be sold in Canada. A lot of cars that have FWD options in the US are sold in Canada as AWD only.
 

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I have since retired my 2007 Honda Civic Si sedan I purchased new 14 years ago from winter driving. I never once had an issue with typical NY State snow roads, but I always utilized dedicated winter tries from November to April. It had its limitations, just as anything else, that if the snow was deeper than the front bumper than would be an issue. Maybe it was also the combination manual transmission and LSD as equipped from the factory, but let the clutch out slowly, let the front dig down and away I went. Always would have to go around trucks (either 2WD, no weight in back or just bad drivers) and other cars stuck on the larger hills with presumed typical all season tires. It's still my baby and glad to be driving it again now that it is Spring time. With that said, I would be looking at AWD for a Maverick or 'Maverick type' product, but my Honda is not going anywhere. I like it too much.

My 2019 Tacoma, in my opinion, was annoying driving around partially plowed or just after a snow event. Going back and forth between 4WD and 2WD, dry to slippery conditions and making tight turns and anticipating the next turn got annoying over the past 2.5 years. It was kind of a beast in the snow, but with anything, with stock tires, I wasn't all that impressed and felt I get around town better in my sedan. It's not like the 4WD was instant on either, tires needed to be straight, a few rotations of the wheels before it would engage. Among other things with it, I'll be happy to get rid of it. I'll never get another BoF truck without a 4A option t-case as switching back and forth is for the birds.
 
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theek

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One thing about winter tires is that you want them SKINNY to really bite into the road with vehicle weight.
 

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One thing about winter tires is that you want them SKINNY to really bite into the road with vehicle weight.
Indeed, went with 16" steelies with a size down in width, and chose a sidewall close enough to maintain stock overall diameter. Stock rims were 17". I got great life out of the General Altimax Arctic branded tires, believe I ran them winter months only from 2009 to 2018 on the same set. They were a great buy at around $98/ tire and I got a set of 4 steelies locally for $100. I made sure to mark them when removed at the end of the winter season so each year they would be properly rotated.
 
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Canadian Guy

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My favorite winter driving is good ice tires (I rarely drive in snow, usually icy roads), and traction control, not AWD.
 
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Mike

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LSD is a great feature. I had a Wrangler Sierra w/LSD and it was much better Winter driver than my brothers Rubicon
 
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LSchicago

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I have only driven RWD through the last 8 Chicago winters, never got stuck once, or wished I had AWD. My FWD Hybrid will be fine. Last 4 winters I drove a 99 E150 van, 6 before that were my 13 F150 RWD.
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