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Today I completed my extended test drive of the 2022 Maverick Lariat. The back story is that I had owned a 2017 GMC Canyon for several years and was looking to move on and came upon the Maverick deal offered by a mid-west dealer at a very nice price. I ordered in early January 2022 and given the supply issues didn't expect to see the truck-particularly as the months passed with negative news (as many members here experienced). I did buy a Santa Cruz (SEL premium with turbo in mid-summer) never expecting a Maverick-I was wrong. It was one of the last built and delivered to me just after January 1st.
Much to the consternation of my spouse, I then had 2 small trucks. I financed the Ford at 0% and decided to see how it played out: Maverick v. Santa Cruz. Specs on the Maverick: AWD Ecoboost, tow package, luxury package (before a la cart changes) in Cactus Grey. Picked it up at 12 miles and drove it 4100 miles in 6 months-both in town drives and several 300-400 mile road trips. I will give bullet points on (my opinion) positives and negatives as follows:
-I like the CG color. Looks same dirty and clean-truck lines are hard to look sexy but it is a good color for a truck.
-Interior and color (lariat). Bright and airy feeling. It is inexpensive in it roots but not offensive. The pallet blends and the sight lines are pretty good. Roomy feeling despite its size. Controls are Ford bin and ok in their engagement and feel. Not a fan of the dial a gear. I prefer a traditional shifter (I pretty much don't like BMW, others with the non-intuitive gear changers). Seat comfort is ok, but would be better with firmer foam. The vinyl can a get a bit sticky against skin, but easy to clean and I suspect will wear well.
-Display is definitely lower resolution and cost cutting (or unavailability of larger display screen at launch) that left the cubby at the right of the display and hurts the overall look and dings the quality feel. Sound system (with B&O) is pretty good. I am not a snobby audiophile but it is clear, presents a good sound stage with separation and decernable low end. I never needed the volume over 10-12. It breaks in over several hours of use to a very nice system.
-Power is good. It moves the truck smartly and the transmission always seems to find the right gear seamlessly. I used normal mode 98%. Sport mode holds gears and there is no way to select a higher gear (my other issue with this truck). Engine can be a bit buzzy and there is no hiding it is a 2 liter. The steering in sport is a bit better although not great feedback, I had no issues with a lack of sense of where the front tires were headed in either mode. Brakes have a good bite and seem to be easy to modulate.
-Handles well. Has a low enough COG but tends to oversteer early (which is the safest for street driving). Suspension is appropriately stiffer but handles road irregularities well and smoothly. A strong point in in this vehicle. And the Lariat is quiet.
-Milage is a strong point. I used 91-93 octane and averaged 28 mpg in mixed driving over 4K miles (I suspect the engine is still breaking-in).
-Bed is lower and easy to access. Plenty of tie-downs and open to creativity for hauling bikes, etc.
-And what I consider a big plus for this truck is this community as well as the huge aftermarket support. You can buy one and enjoy it as it is (with a few minor modifications to overcome some annoyances (like tailgate dampening, console storage inserts, etc) or you can pick and choose from a host of aftermarket modifications (for power, handling, off-road, appearance, etc). It is a pretty cool pallet to work from and one can have a "one off" Maverick as many have done.
In the end I had to face the reality that I could not justify both. I have 2 houses (a vacation lake house and a full time home) so no issues with storage (7 total garage spaces), but having 2 vehicles with relatively the same purpose seemed redundant (ok unless they were sports cars...). So the Santa Cruz won out. A bit different execution (the look is polarizing but kinda cool). It has a much better interior quality (controls, displays), a DCT (mine is after recall date and problem free) with paddle shifters (and a real console shifter) and more comfortable seating. It is heavier, lower mileage, and has a fiddly bed with tonneau cover. But handles very well and has very good power. The aftermarket support is pretty limited (no where near that of Maverick). I am an older guy with truck needs like 90% of us-getting mulch, big purchases, propane tanks for the grill, etc so either of these fits that bill.
So I contacted all the usual suspects who like to buy cars. In the end, the car dispenser company got the Maverick as they paid considerably over the other guys. It was the easiest transaction ever (same level as the dealer from whom bought the truck). While it was not my original intent, I got an extended test drive and use of the vehicle and made a a bit of cash over all my expenses. Much better than buying and having remorse after a few weeks based on a 30 min test drive which is the typical way cars are bought.
So, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I wish all the Maverick owners well. It is a good vehicle and with a few improvements by Ford regarding things noted above (mostly audio display, gear control, etc) it could be even better.
Much to the consternation of my spouse, I then had 2 small trucks. I financed the Ford at 0% and decided to see how it played out: Maverick v. Santa Cruz. Specs on the Maverick: AWD Ecoboost, tow package, luxury package (before a la cart changes) in Cactus Grey. Picked it up at 12 miles and drove it 4100 miles in 6 months-both in town drives and several 300-400 mile road trips. I will give bullet points on (my opinion) positives and negatives as follows:
-I like the CG color. Looks same dirty and clean-truck lines are hard to look sexy but it is a good color for a truck.
-Interior and color (lariat). Bright and airy feeling. It is inexpensive in it roots but not offensive. The pallet blends and the sight lines are pretty good. Roomy feeling despite its size. Controls are Ford bin and ok in their engagement and feel. Not a fan of the dial a gear. I prefer a traditional shifter (I pretty much don't like BMW, others with the non-intuitive gear changers). Seat comfort is ok, but would be better with firmer foam. The vinyl can a get a bit sticky against skin, but easy to clean and I suspect will wear well.
-Display is definitely lower resolution and cost cutting (or unavailability of larger display screen at launch) that left the cubby at the right of the display and hurts the overall look and dings the quality feel. Sound system (with B&O) is pretty good. I am not a snobby audiophile but it is clear, presents a good sound stage with separation and decernable low end. I never needed the volume over 10-12. It breaks in over several hours of use to a very nice system.
-Power is good. It moves the truck smartly and the transmission always seems to find the right gear seamlessly. I used normal mode 98%. Sport mode holds gears and there is no way to select a higher gear (my other issue with this truck). Engine can be a bit buzzy and there is no hiding it is a 2 liter. The steering in sport is a bit better although not great feedback, I had no issues with a lack of sense of where the front tires were headed in either mode. Brakes have a good bite and seem to be easy to modulate.
-Handles well. Has a low enough COG but tends to oversteer early (which is the safest for street driving). Suspension is appropriately stiffer but handles road irregularities well and smoothly. A strong point in in this vehicle. And the Lariat is quiet.
-Milage is a strong point. I used 91-93 octane and averaged 28 mpg in mixed driving over 4K miles (I suspect the engine is still breaking-in).
-Bed is lower and easy to access. Plenty of tie-downs and open to creativity for hauling bikes, etc.
-And what I consider a big plus for this truck is this community as well as the huge aftermarket support. You can buy one and enjoy it as it is (with a few minor modifications to overcome some annoyances (like tailgate dampening, console storage inserts, etc) or you can pick and choose from a host of aftermarket modifications (for power, handling, off-road, appearance, etc). It is a pretty cool pallet to work from and one can have a "one off" Maverick as many have done.
In the end I had to face the reality that I could not justify both. I have 2 houses (a vacation lake house and a full time home) so no issues with storage (7 total garage spaces), but having 2 vehicles with relatively the same purpose seemed redundant (ok unless they were sports cars...). So the Santa Cruz won out. A bit different execution (the look is polarizing but kinda cool). It has a much better interior quality (controls, displays), a DCT (mine is after recall date and problem free) with paddle shifters (and a real console shifter) and more comfortable seating. It is heavier, lower mileage, and has a fiddly bed with tonneau cover. But handles very well and has very good power. The aftermarket support is pretty limited (no where near that of Maverick). I am an older guy with truck needs like 90% of us-getting mulch, big purchases, propane tanks for the grill, etc so either of these fits that bill.
So I contacted all the usual suspects who like to buy cars. In the end, the car dispenser company got the Maverick as they paid considerably over the other guys. It was the easiest transaction ever (same level as the dealer from whom bought the truck). While it was not my original intent, I got an extended test drive and use of the vehicle and made a a bit of cash over all my expenses. Much better than buying and having remorse after a few weeks based on a 30 min test drive which is the typical way cars are bought.
So, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I wish all the Maverick owners well. It is a good vehicle and with a few improvements by Ford regarding things noted above (mostly audio display, gear control, etc) it could be even better.
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