- Joined
- Jun 16, 2021
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- 882
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- Location
- North America
- Vehicle(s)
- Maverick
- Engine
- 2.5L Hybrid
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- #1
I just drove my XL hybrid from Denver (Fort Collins) to Glenwood Springs on I-70, and back again. As most locals know, this is a steep, fast, and high-altitude road. Two passes (11,158' and 10,666'), a section with a 7 percent grade, and many steep climbs and descents give engines and brakes a stiff workout. Even though it's an interstate, there are some twisty sections that people drive very fast--so solid tracking, cornering, and suspension are helpful. Here are my thoughts on how my truck handled the drive.
1. Power. This little truck GOES. Over the past 30 years, I've driven many vehicles along this route--and they almost all needed to have the pedal mashed to the floor just to maintain a reasonable speed (OK, I've never driven it in a Turbo Audi). But the Maverick consistently provided more than enough power to maintain whatever speed that I demanded from it--while very rarely going above 50% on the power gauge. For kicks, I floored it on one of the steeper grades to see how fast I could jump around some slow-moving vehicles, and it accelerated with conviction. Aside from when I floored it, the engine sounded mellow and never screamed.
2. Braking. Rocketing down the hills can be unnerving, especially with an automatic transmission--which is one reason I swore that I'd always drive a stick. But, thanks to regenerative braking and the little blue "descending truck" feature, I barely had to touch the brakes with the Maverick. Indeed, I only had to hit the brakes to deal with slower vehicles jumping out in front of me. On a couple of very brief occasions, the ICE had to spin up for conventional engine braking, but it was only noticeable due to the high-RPM sound. I also hit the brakes hard a few times to test them, and they easily, smoothly, and predictably scrubbed speed as requested.
3. Transmission. Power and braking wouldn't work so well without the eCVT, which is truly one of the best features of the hybrid. No random shifts or hunting on the climbs, and no need to push the "L" on the descents. The eCVT enables the engine and regenerative braking to do what they do best. I thought that I'd never say it, but I didn't miss my manual transmission once.
4. Cornering. High-speed cornering on I-70 can be a little stressful at times. The Maverick did a good job with this--but not great. The steering, while fine around town, seemed a little sludgy/detached to me. It was predictable and safe, just not as "focused" as I would have liked. Maybe the suspension was to blame for being a little unrefined and not terribly sporty? That said, It handled well enough, and better than every other truck that I've driven, if not as well as some cars. But, hey, the Maveric is a truck!
5. MPG. I should have kept better track of this, so take this with a grain of salt. But I think that I got about 36MPG. I did the whole trip with less than a tank of gas, which included the bonus from Fort Collins to Denver and back. I also had a tandem bicycle in the back, which surely added some wind resistance. Shockingly good fuel efficiency for a truck carrying two people with 150 pounds of gear.
6. Comfort. Everyone feels differently about every seat that's ever been made, so comfort is obviously very subjective. But I really hated the Maverick's lack of lumbar support until I bought a couple of strap-in aftermarket supports. The good news is that they made the reasonably-adjustable seats very comfortable for the 3-hour drive. A leather steering wheel might be in my future for longer drives, since the plastic one didn't feel that great (again, very subjective). Gauges are well-placed, and easy to check. The Maverick does have some wind noise, although it wasn't so bad that I felt that it intruded on music, conversations, etc. Thanks to the testing done by people on this forum, I bought a few RTIC 20-ounce water bottles, which I enjoyed swapping from the door to the cup holders and back. Overall, the truck was very comfortable, and I never felt fatigued.
In a nutshell, I absolutely loved driving my Maverick over the mountains. I've owned it since December 2021, and I just keep thinking of how fortunate I am to have such a perfect vehicle for so many things that I do.
1. Power. This little truck GOES. Over the past 30 years, I've driven many vehicles along this route--and they almost all needed to have the pedal mashed to the floor just to maintain a reasonable speed (OK, I've never driven it in a Turbo Audi). But the Maverick consistently provided more than enough power to maintain whatever speed that I demanded from it--while very rarely going above 50% on the power gauge. For kicks, I floored it on one of the steeper grades to see how fast I could jump around some slow-moving vehicles, and it accelerated with conviction. Aside from when I floored it, the engine sounded mellow and never screamed.
2. Braking. Rocketing down the hills can be unnerving, especially with an automatic transmission--which is one reason I swore that I'd always drive a stick. But, thanks to regenerative braking and the little blue "descending truck" feature, I barely had to touch the brakes with the Maverick. Indeed, I only had to hit the brakes to deal with slower vehicles jumping out in front of me. On a couple of very brief occasions, the ICE had to spin up for conventional engine braking, but it was only noticeable due to the high-RPM sound. I also hit the brakes hard a few times to test them, and they easily, smoothly, and predictably scrubbed speed as requested.
3. Transmission. Power and braking wouldn't work so well without the eCVT, which is truly one of the best features of the hybrid. No random shifts or hunting on the climbs, and no need to push the "L" on the descents. The eCVT enables the engine and regenerative braking to do what they do best. I thought that I'd never say it, but I didn't miss my manual transmission once.
4. Cornering. High-speed cornering on I-70 can be a little stressful at times. The Maverick did a good job with this--but not great. The steering, while fine around town, seemed a little sludgy/detached to me. It was predictable and safe, just not as "focused" as I would have liked. Maybe the suspension was to blame for being a little unrefined and not terribly sporty? That said, It handled well enough, and better than every other truck that I've driven, if not as well as some cars. But, hey, the Maveric is a truck!
5. MPG. I should have kept better track of this, so take this with a grain of salt. But I think that I got about 36MPG. I did the whole trip with less than a tank of gas, which included the bonus from Fort Collins to Denver and back. I also had a tandem bicycle in the back, which surely added some wind resistance. Shockingly good fuel efficiency for a truck carrying two people with 150 pounds of gear.
6. Comfort. Everyone feels differently about every seat that's ever been made, so comfort is obviously very subjective. But I really hated the Maverick's lack of lumbar support until I bought a couple of strap-in aftermarket supports. The good news is that they made the reasonably-adjustable seats very comfortable for the 3-hour drive. A leather steering wheel might be in my future for longer drives, since the plastic one didn't feel that great (again, very subjective). Gauges are well-placed, and easy to check. The Maverick does have some wind noise, although it wasn't so bad that I felt that it intruded on music, conversations, etc. Thanks to the testing done by people on this forum, I bought a few RTIC 20-ounce water bottles, which I enjoyed swapping from the door to the cup holders and back. Overall, the truck was very comfortable, and I never felt fatigued.
In a nutshell, I absolutely loved driving my Maverick over the mountains. I've owned it since December 2021, and I just keep thinking of how fortunate I am to have such a perfect vehicle for so many things that I do.
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. I think it's called Loveland Pass in May it was snowing when I went through there I thought that was pretty cool
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