I test drove 4 vehicles yesterday...

[Old Ranchero]

All, really appreciate the feedback. Few things clarifying and also notes from some general comments.

1. It was a yellow XLT at Toyota of Katy off 10 near Mason. Since they want 40k for a used 27k truck not sure if it'll fly off the shelf if anyone is in the area looking for a drive.

2. The whole 4 drive experience took literally 2.5 hours leaving to returning home. I was blown away how fast it went. I saw the Maverick about 2:30 and submitted a request online for availability. At 3 they called and confirmed in stock. I left at 4 for an appointment at 4:15, walked into the 3 other dealerships in Katy area one after other with no appointments, drove the vehicles, left. It was surreal.

3. I actually really loved the drive and pep of the Maverick. I can be very happy with it. It's more hearing about it every time we go somewhere. From what I am reading here I can tell I need to get my wife and son into a Lariat and see if that changes things.

4. The comments made about the other vehicles we own are fair and I had thought the same thing. We will still have the Edge until my son takes it to college or it dies. It does have 135k miles so we'll see how long it lasts. My wife has a 2014 Altima with 27k miles... It should last many years still and could be a fine family mobile as well.

5. I know I could love the Maverick. I may be able to love the SC, it just wasn't a real consideration before. I don't know if I can ever love the Ridgeline. I could be fine with it, and comfortable in it, but I won't love it. It's why I am leaning away from it.

6. I think I need to get my son in the back seat again. He could make it work I think, and as noted we ride all 3 together less and less. I'll keep my eyes open for a Lariat in stock, and likely order one with the hopes it works out. If not we pivot and the dealer keeps it.

Unless he is the 1 paying for it, I say leave the son at home and no say in the buying process! Afterall, he's getting a free Edge and won't be riding in your truck much if at all especially after he goes off to college.

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[jtpc2021]

So I went by 4 dealers and drove 4 vehicles that have been in consideration. The plan was to only drive the Maverick, but to be honest we weren't sold. In fairness the Maverick was a XLT so not in the same class for amenities as others. But my son was concerned the Maverick was a little cramped with him in the back seat (my wife needs the seat pretty far back due to knee issues, I'm 6' so I need it back too, and he's almost 15 so growing by the day.)

Maverick EB AWD XLT- It was "used" with 110 miles, they wanted a silly 40k didn't even have the luxury package. Loved the ride, drove very nice. Confirmed I would want a Lariat (needed for auto cruise any). Just felt cramped...

Santa Cruz - 2.5 Turbo (SEL Premium I think) - honestly really nice. Jumped to number one for my son, and I admitted it gave me a lot to think about. More room, liked the bed trunk that can be a cooler, really moved nicely. Didn't love the lack of dials on radio but could get used to it. And with the Limited I could get ventilated seats which is nice in Houston. This may be in lead I admit.

Mazda CX-50 - 2.5S Preferred Plus (non turbo) - Drove nice, but just another crossover. Dropped off list.

Ridgeline (Black Edition, but poked around RLT which is what we would consider) - I had already driven one as a rental a month or so ago. Really like it for comfort, ride, etc. Don't love that it's bigger, gas mileage even worse than SC, and it actually has lower ground clearance than either by a good bit. My son fell in love, but I think it's the finish more than vehicle.

Now I'm torn. I'm thinking of putting in a Maverick order for Lariat with Lux and letting my wife and son go on test drive of it. If they say no I let the dealer keep it and they get the ADM. Someone sell me here, why the Maverick because I want to love it. It would be the cheapest of three but any of them will be around $40k +-. We buy and drive til they die (my son is getting my Edge next year that's only reason we are looking) so resale isn't a factor, but reliability is.

If you keep your vehicles forever, maybe you would benefit from the Hyundai’s long warranty.

Real world fuel economy of top trim EB Maverick versus turbo Santa Cruz would be similar based on videos i’ve seen.

If you wait a few more years, Toyota will have a competitor as well.

 

[gte105u]

If you keep your vehicles forever, maybe you would benefit from the Hyundai’s long warranty.

Real world fuel economy of top trim EB Maverick versus turbo Santa Cruz would be similar based on videos i’ve seen.

If you wait a few more years, Toyota will have a competitor as well.

10 year 100k is tempting on the warranty. If I did do SC it would be a 23 also. I learned my lesson on first production year vehicles on the '14 Jeep Cherokee fiasco I had.

Let's just say drive it to the wheel falls off should mean (edit) more than 2 years and 20k miles.

 

[Leuf]

I will just point out the multitude of tie down locations a loaded Mav will have in the bed for the son if he complains about the back seat.

 

[Greg_in_GA]

When looking at the Santa Cruz be sure to check out the visibility carefully to see if it is OK for you. When I sat in one I did not like the rear visibility since it was poor to start with but the windows in the had thickish black bars that also impacted what you could see.

 

[n0maverick]

My maverick backup plan was the tucson hybrid not the santa cruz.

 

[Alj23]

Put the word out in this forum and ask if any one in your area will let you. I would love for you to drive mine in Northern Iowa. You'll be hooked!

Wish I could take you up on that offer friend. I'm all the way down in Florida. Would be quite the road trip for a test drive lol.

 

[Jddano]

Love the maverick. Went on trip up north and got 40 mpg.Had people in the back seat for a three hour trip and said it was comfortable .performed well on highway.I have the lariat luxury package.Worth the money.

 

[oljackfrost]

All, really appreciate the feedback. Few things clarifying and also notes from some general comments.

1. It was a yellow XLT at Toyota of Katy off 10 near Mason. Since they want 40k for a used 27k truck not sure if it'll fly off the shelf if anyone is in the area looking for a drive.

2. The whole 4 drive experience took literally 2.5 hours leaving to returning home. I was blown away how fast it went. I saw the Maverick about 2:30 and submitted a request online for availability. At 3 they called and confirmed in stock. I left at 4 for an appointment at 4:15, walked into the 3 other dealerships in Katy area one after other with no appointments, drove the vehicles, left. It was surreal.

3. I actually really loved the drive and pep of the Maverick. I can be very happy with it. It's more hearing about it every time we go somewhere. From what I am reading here I can tell I need to get my wife and son into a Lariat and see if that changes things.

4. The comments made about the other vehicles we own are fair and I had thought the same thing. We will still have the Edge until my son takes it to college or it dies. It does have 135k miles so we'll see how long it lasts. My wife has a 2014 Altima with 27k miles... It should last many years still and could be a fine family mobile as well.

5. I know I could love the Maverick. I may be able to love the SC, it just wasn't a real consideration before. I don't know if I can ever love the Ridgeline. I could be fine with it, and comfortable in it, but I won't love it. It's why I am leaning away from it.

6. I think I need to get my son in the back seat again. He could make it work I think, and as noted we ride all 3 together less and less. I'll keep my eyes open for a Lariat in stock, and likely order one with the hopes it works out. If not we pivot and the dealer keeps it.

Seems like you have alternatives with the Altima for trips with the three of you. When your son is off to college you’ll probably seldom use the back seat. Things to consider if you are buying for the long haul. Have had no complaints from rear passengers in my Maverick hybrid.

 

[DeeZee]

I guess my feedback to the OP would be based on the words " We buy and drive till they die". And the $40,000 price point being targeted.

When I see that, I don't think Maverick or Santa Cruz. They both have highly stressed turbo engines that are questionable over the long run (I plan to trade my ecoboost for BEV asap). The Honda has a naturally aspirated V6 engine and a long history behind it.

Also, with absolutely no insult intended for all the $40K Loaded Lariat owners here, the Maverick starts to look like a pig with lipstick around that price point. And the higher level SC has a dual-clutch transmission with known issues (I owned a Soul Turbo with DCT and disliked the transmission).

The Ridgeline isn't for me personally ONLY because it's even huger than the Maverick (which I already consider a bloated pig). But if you're cool with a 210" long midsize truck that has a proven track record (and has just been nicely refreshed), then I'd consider the Ridgeline the no-brainer choice at the $40K price point and an "I'm going to own it till it dies" attitude.

Totally agree with the highly stressed turbo comment. The only reason I am considering the Maverick is the hybrid and the price.

Most likely keep it while it is under warranty and go from there

 

[Olderthandirt]

We tested the Santa Cruz and the Ridgeline, the same day. This, after we gave up on getting our Maverick anytime in the next year. The Cruz was a premium package. It drove good, but had a lot of wind noise, due to having a big set of crossbars on the roof. They were asking $4K ADM. The Ridgeline was much larger inside and out. Quiet as a luxury car, and very solid, but supple feeling when driving on a pothole strewn country road. It was an RTL, and we wanted the Black Edition. It was MSRP, and they had one going in production in the next 2 weeks, which was available. Put down $500 refundable deposit, and got it in in about 3 weeks. So far, average MPG is 23.5 local driving. Taking it on a 650 mile one way trip this week. I wish it could have been the Maverick, but it wasn't meant to be. The most important thing to me, is my wife is driving a new vehicle with all the modern safety features, instead of her '97 Jeep Wrangler.

 

[Mavonorder]

Yep, all we have to do is keep redefining what “just around the corner” means.

As one article I read indicated, it's actually on the horizon and can literally be seen by anyone looking through an unfiltered lens.

 

[uh50]

People cross shop Lexus and Mavericks?

I guess they do. Last week I had a guy driving a late model Lexus meet me on our one lane road around the lake where we live, so I pulled over to let him by. He stopped and rolled his window down to ask how we liked our truck. We talked a bit and he asked how much it was, so I told him about $25,700 and he looked shocked and said he had been wanting a truck. So, I guess people do cross shop Lexus and Mavericks...at least one does.

 

[uh50]

If you can get a good deal on the Santa Cruz, get that.

Maverick has so many issues already, imagine what will happen to them once the warranty expires. Honda Ridgeline is awesome, but too expensive for what it is. You can get a full sized luxurious American truck or a nice non-American Hybrid SUV for the Ridgeline's cost.

Hyundai's warranty beats them all and has decent MPG. It is naturally aspirated and should last at least 150k miles where with Turbocharged vehicles, you can run into problems at around the 80-90k mark. (Especially American Cars)

Whatever you do, don't pay a markup on any of them. The crash is just around the corner.

I know some hybrid Maverick owners have problems and like any new vehicle, there have been some problems with Mavericks. But, my 7 month old VB 2.0 EB XL has been problem free so I'm not sure that "so many issues" is the correct statement. It's certainly not true for me and I'm sure it's true for "so many others."

Just remember the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

 

[s.ober]

So I went by 4 dealers and drove 4 vehicles that have been in consideration. The plan was to only drive the Maverick, but to be honest we weren't sold. In fairness the Maverick was a XLT so not in the same class for amenities as others. But my son was concerned the Maverick was a little cramped with him in the back seat (my wife needs the seat pretty far back due to knee issues, I'm 6' so I need it back too, and he's almost 15 so growing by the day.)

Maverick EB AWD XLT- It was "used" with 110 miles, they wanted a silly 40k didn't even have the luxury package. Loved the ride, drove very nice. Confirmed I would want a Lariat (needed for auto cruise any). Just felt cramped...

Santa Cruz - 2.5 Turbo (SEL Premium I think) - honestly really nice. Jumped to number one for my son, and I admitted it gave me a lot to think about. More room, liked the bed trunk that can be a cooler, really moved nicely. Didn't love the lack of dials on radio but could get used to it. And with the Limited I could get ventilated seats which is nice in Houston. This may be in lead I admit.

Mazda CX-50 - 2.5S Preferred Plus (non turbo) - Drove nice, but just another crossover. Dropped off list.

Ridgeline (Black Edition, but poked around RLT which is what we would consider) - I had already driven one as a rental a month or so ago. Really like it for comfort, ride, etc. Don't love that it's bigger, gas mileage even worse than SC, and it actually has lower ground clearance than either by a good bit. My son fell in love, but I think it's the finish more than vehicle.

Now I'm torn. I'm thinking of putting in a Maverick order for Lariat with Lux and letting my wife and son go on test drive of it. If they say no I let the dealer keep it and they get the ADM. Someone sell me here, why the Maverick because I want to love it. It would be the cheapest of three but any of them will be around $40k +-. We buy and drive til they die (my son is getting my Edge next year that's only reason we are looking) so resale isn't a factor, but reliability is.

Go online and price the Mav. Even though I have one coming, for fun I priced a Hybrid, Lariat, Lux, Co-Pilot 360, SIBL and it was around $33,500. That's a long way from $40k.

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