I test drove 4 vehicles yesterday...

[Wire4money]

Hmmm... Nope. My CX-50 was outlier enough, hence it dropping off. We really want a bed to throw wet gear and such. Maverick vs Ridgeline is barely a fair contest, really it has to be a fully loaded one but still its an old school V6 vs new generation V4 turbo. Fully loaded Mav still 4-5k less than a Ridgeline. Comparing against a luxury car means one doesn't really know what they want.

A small entry level vehicle for 2 6’+ people and a growing teen? I would look at least mid size. The Honda may cost a bit more than a Mav, but will you be dealing with all the shortcomings? Also, in 5 years which will be worth more?

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[pndwind]

People cross shop Lexus and Mavericks?

I guess some people do. To make it worse I’m getting rid of a Prius if I get it. 46 mpg down to 16, crazy right? Maybe the doc will up my meds when I tell him.

 

[RJames]

I just wish I could test drive a Maverick. I've seen plenty out on the road, but not a single one on the Ford lot I drive past daily on my way to work.

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!

 

[volksnuts]

I'm just surprised you dealt with 4 different dealerships in one day and didn't off yourself. What an excruitiating long day! Good luck on your search.

Last year when my wife decided to get out of her Civic and get a 3 row SUV we visited 14 dealers in one day before deciding on a Telluride (with a 6 month wait…..)

 

[NJ Pinelands]

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.

I sat in the back seat of the Maverick. It seemed to have more space than my 2012 Chevy Colorado. Unless your son turns into Shawn Bradley, don’t know how much more space you would need. As frustrated as I have been about the delays, spending only $20,000 for a pick up truck that is also a hybrid can’t be beat.

 

[Nunyabiznus]

All I have to say is if you don't like it now you will never like it. The price and the mpgs sold me.

 

[Rainey]

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.

I love my Maverick. I like the way it looks, I really like the way it drives and the comfort. It may not be as refined inside as the SC but it is also way less money than the SC as well. Even if it is not as refined I find it to be very nice inside. I have the Lux and honestly they did a great job with it. I am also 6' and I have plenty of room in the front and no issues with anyone who has been in the back. I have owned many Ford vehicles and I have never had an issue with any of them. I also believe we need to buy as much American products as we can. So, if its close I will buy American no question. In my opinion however, this isnt a close call. I agree with the other post I think this should have been the new Ranger but, it's the Maverick. And I love my new truck no matter what it is called.

 

[HTX]

It could be more the position of the seat to the door up front. My wife can't bend her knees well so needs a lot of room at the door to swing her legs in. It's one reason she loves sedans easier to get in and out of (she has one, not going to happen for me). My son simulated that condition and thought he would need the seat further back to do it. His foot was getting stuck on the front door when the seat was far enough up for him to sit behind. Once in the seat could be moved up and plenty or room then. So maybe leg room isn't the right expression as much as door to seat configuration? Or are we crazy and need to try it again?

I think we need to drive a Lariat and Santa Cruz back to back and see. Only way to do that may be to order one though...

My 10 yr old son and I went and sat in the SC recently and both thought it was quite a bit smaller in the backseat. I personally like the styling but want all the room I can get, plus the value on the low end maverick trim is unbeatable. Once you move up into the lariat it becomes a tighter race. Good luck! (Also in Houston BTW.).

 

[WaitingHaulDogs]

I'm buying a Maverick, but don't knock that "old school V6". Honda builds some of the best, most reliable engines on the planet. The J-series V6 has been around for decades and is a sweet engine.

 

[gte105u]

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.

 

[stoptothink]

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.

IMO, that happens at $30k. More power to all the lariat lux drivers out there, but if we were looking at spending more than the $26k OTD we paid for our XLT hybrid, we're probably not even considering a Maverick.

I love my Maverick. I like the way it looks, I really like the way it drives and the comfort. It may not be as refined inside as the SC but it is also way less money than the SC as well. Even if it is not as refined I find it to be very nice inside. I have the Lux and honestly they did a great job with it. I am also 6' and I have plenty of room in the front and no issues with anyone who has been in the back. I have owned many Ford vehicles and I have never had an issue with any of them. I also believe we need to buy as much American products as we can. So, if its close I will buy American no question. In my opinion however, this isnt a close call. I agree with the other post I think this should have been the new Ranger but, it's the Maverick. And I love my new truck no matter what it is called.

Absolutely love our Maverick, but it's a mode of transportation. Regardless of my ability to pay a lot more, it's just something that gets me from point A to B - my first priority is doing that as efficiently as possible. A truck provides a lot of utility for our lifestyle (a lot of year-round activities, 4 bikes to transport, etc.) , but it is certainly not a need . We would have been fine with a Hyundai ioniq or sonata hybrid at $30k or so...no way would we have considered that hideous and overpriced Santa Cruz.

FWIW, I'm 6'1", wifey is 5'8", and we have two kids. Also, my wife's 6'1" best friend has spent more time in the back seat than anybody (she's a single mom with limited resources - we've basically become her free taxi the last 6 months), including recently coming with us on a 600+ mile roundtrip. I've never heard her complain about lack of room in the back.

 

[WaitingHaulDogs]

Around the twin cities area they are selling used Hondas with 200 to 250 thousand miles on them.. you can't fault that Honda motor.

 

[Nw_adventure]

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.

Lariat back seat was way more comfortable to me than the XLT cloth - just saying.

 

[93nighthawk]

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.

Just an FYI, I have already had 3 people come up to me in parking lots and offer $10k more than what I paid for it. Tempting but then I would have to wait over a year for another one. People are desperate for new vehicles.

 

[Old Ranchero]

I sat in the back seat of the Maverick. It seemed to have more space than my 2012 Chevy Colorado. Unless your son turns into Shawn Bradley, don’t know how much more space you would need. As frustrated as I have been about the delays, spending only $20,000 for a pick up truck that is also a hybrid can’t be beat.

I sat in all 4 positions in a Maverick and slid front seats all the way back and all the way forward to get a full sense of comfort and legroom in case compromises needed for taller/shorter passengers in any seat.

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