Learning curve for people whi have never driven a pickup? Or nah?

[Rob Cactus Gray]

I’m arguably a terrible person to answer this or the perfect person. I was a master driver in the Army and drove every thing with wheels. I wish I made it to driving the tanks, I count my self lucky that I was driven in them a few times.

I can get in and drive anything, and in 15 minutes you wouldn’t know I hadn’t driven it before. it takes 15 minutes to adjust all the “settings” the last vehicle imprinted on me. The gas, brakes, steering are all calibrated differently. I may fail at parking straight the first time or two. Even after 6 months of not driving something you will have to get the feel for it.

With all this said if you feel uncomfortable after 15 minutes you shouldn’t be alarmed. You will get it quick enough. Soon you will zoom in and out of traffic with confidence as you did with whatever previous vehicle you had. Keep in mind that it’s best to take your time and learn the vehicle. It may take 3 months to get to a good level of comfort and that’s ok. We don’t need any more wrecked Mavericks, safety first!

I will end on another good note. My F150 was the largest personal vehicle I’ve owned and it was also the easiest to drive and park. I could see everything in it. Size shouldn’t be intimidating.

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[supersecretTB]

isn't there a setting that you can adjust so when you click the unlock key fob it unlocks all doors? I could do that in my Escape.

Yes there is. Its more the mental adjustment of first getting it that was my point.

 

[NJ Pinelands]

Maybe if you are used to driving a Colorado it might seem not so big but when you are used to driving a four door hatchback like say a 2009 Pontiac Vibe that you have been driving for 13 years it's a lot bigger. The size difference might take some getting used to just ask me how I know or better yet ask my wife.......

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[Scott Asheville]

The OP mentioned they drove a Kia Soul. I drove three Kia Soul's over a decade (loved them), and my other vehicle is/was a 2010 Ranger Single Cab, which was a full 10" shorter than the Maverick (Soul = 164", 2010 Ranger = 189", Maverick = 200"). The Maverick is not a small truck. It's bloated so they could keep a wastefully long engine bay (for design proportions), and a second row of seats that some of us find useless.

Will there be a learning curve? Who knows. I alternated between my Soul and my Ranger without any issues - mainly because the single cab had amazing rear visibility. A car like the Soul is crazy nimble in the city and when parking. The Soul turn radius is 17.4". The Maverick turn radius is 20'. That's radius, not circle. So if you're doing a 180 degree turn, that's 35' to turn vs 40'.

I can say I test drove a Ridgeline once. The Ridgeline is only 10" longer than the Maverick, and I felt like I was piloting a cruise liner down the road. I wager you'll do fine, because you have great visibility and cameras. But don't try to park the Maverick your first day out like you parked the Soul, or you'll be crashing into everything in site. Relatively speaking, the Maverick is a bloated whale.

If only my bloated whale Maverick would be scheduled for build, I'd be a happy man. At least until some other maker releases a truly small single cab truck, on which day the Maverick gets traded immediately.

 

[samesea2012]

i hadn't driven consistently in about 5 years prior and felt very comfortable within a day.

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