Lessons From First Tow with 2025 Hybrid Maverick Lariat

[DFingles]

Learned (and relearned) a couple of things about towing. We previously had a F-350SRW pulling 30' 5th wheel, so I thought I had this wired six ways to Sunday. Not, as it turns out... 2025 Hybrid Maverick with 4k tow package installed. Towed across Florida from Venice to St Augustine and then to Warner Robins GA, using a U-Haul 5X8 trailer, weighing about 1,800lbs combined weight.
1) Use the provided calibration sticker. I practiced backing without one and then used the calibration sticker and it helped the truck to "see" the tongue and its movement. I got 3 stickers with the truck (found them in an envelope in the glove compartment), but apparently, you can get more from a dealership (not sure if they charge for them).
2) Adaptive cruise control doesn't work in tow/haul mode. If you want cruise control, you have to go change it to normal cruise control on startup.
3) When backing using the Ford PRO system, go SLOW, as in 0-1mph, especially with a short trailer.
4) If there is difficulty getting the Ford PRO system to "detect" your trailer (despite connecting to the trailer on startup), try cleaning off the side view mirror and tailgate cameras. It had been raining and the rain/spray on the camera lenses screwed up the vision system enough to prevent it from working until I got a rag out and cleaned them off.
5) Spotters are still a good idea, even with fancy camera backup systems.
6) Mileage dropped from 33MPG normal highway to 22ishMPG while towing. Kept it under 65MPH, mostly 55-60MPH. Not too shabby, but with a 13ish gallon tank, I got range anxiety, just as I had with my diesel F-350 pulling our 5th wheel.
7) Don't believe the miles to go calculation when towing, it's a LOT less. I dropped down to the nearest round number multiplied against the estimated remaining fuel so I'd be not caught short of a gas station. So, 20MPG times Y gallons to come up with distance to empty (conservative estimate).
8) Empty trailers make a lot of noise on your hitch, as it bounces about in the receiver (not sure if there is a sleeve solution to prevent that). Loaded up, it was nice and quiet.
Anyways, some thoughts I had , hope it helps someone.

Sponsored

 

[Waterick]

You should able to buy a Hitch anti rattle clamp at HF for about $12.
Added: thanks for the good info, I'm sure many will find quite useful. There's a lot to think about even if you're well below your limit, especially when your talking more than a tankful.

 

[Mavster Mechanic]

The miles to empty takes about half a tank to fully adjust when pulling a trailer. (2022-2024)

Which is fine when starting off with a full tank. But I see your predicament if you hitch up with half a tank of gas. And I'm sure some people do.

 

[Maverick123]

The miles to empty takes about half a tank to fully adjust when pulling a trailer. (2022-2024)

Which is fine when starting off with a full tank. But I see your predicament if you hitch up with half a tank of gas. And I'm sure some people do.

The 2025 (and maybe earlier trucks too?) allows you to program trailers into memory and recall that trailer when you hitch it again. It wasn't really clear what this function does but it sounded like it learns your fuel economy when pulling that trailer? Maybe I'm totally wrong but that's what it sounded like from the dashboard prompts.

So if the "remember this trailer" thing does what I'm thinking, it would make your miles to empty reading more accurate when towing a trailer that you've pulled before

 

[notfast]

6) Mileage dropped from 33MPG normal highway to 22ishMPG while towing. Kept it under 65MPH, mostly 55-60MPH. Not too shabby, but with a 13ish gallon tank, I got range anxiety, just as I had with my diesel F-350 pulling our 5th wheel.

I agree; not too shabby! Even at 22mpg, that's still more range than my Lexus GX470 can muster while towing.

8) Empty trailers make a lot of noise on your hitch, as it bounces about in the receiver (not sure if there is a sleeve solution to prevent that). Loaded up, it was nice and quiet.

I think it's partly a unibody thing. Body-on-frame vehicles have the body isolated with rubber mounts between it and the frame.

 

[DFingles]

The 2025 (and maybe earlier trucks too?) allows you to program trailers into memory and recall that trailer when you hitch it again. It wasn't really clear what this function does but it sounded like it learns your fuel economy when pulling that trailer? Maybe I'm totally wrong but that's what it sounded like from the dashboard prompts.

So if the "remember this trailer" thing does what I'm thinking, it would make your miles to empty reading more accurate when towing a trailer that you've pulled before

When you add a trailer to memory, you input the size of the trailer, whether it has brakes, etc., and then “calibrates” the trailer into the system. This saves time when reconnecting, and gives info to the PRO system for backing. I have no idea if the trailering system talks to the estimated miles to empty subsystem. If I had to guess, probably not as conditions can vary widely between tows even if using the same trailer. As mentioned upstream, the system probably starts with a generic amount for towing and uses the first 1/4 to 1/2 tank to refine the output.

 

[Mavster Mechanic]

It should remember your brake gain setting.

MPG? Probably not.

 

[Ryom]

It would be crazy if it tried to keep MPG for a specific trailer as the weight of said trailer as well as its aerodynamics could vary wildly every time it's connected.

 

[lm126027]

The miles to empty takes about half a tank to fully adjust when pulling a trailer. (2022-2024)

Which is fine when starting off with a full tank. But I see your predicament if you hitch up with half a tank of gas. And I'm sure some people do.

Doesn't seem like mine ever adjusts. I tow a lot in the winter(13' snowmobile trailer) from central MA to northern ME. Gas gauge and MTE worked fine on my Escape when towing my previous trailer. Mav, no so. I can get down to 25, sometimes even 10 MTE, however the gas gauge will still show over a quarter of a tank. Not sure which to believe. Do have 17 tires in the winter vs. 18's in the summer, not sure if that is what is causing the discrepancy. When I bought the 17's I was told by the tire store that mileage would be slightly off (car showing 65, actual would be 64.75, though, close enough). If that is the case, can't see how the tires are causing the crazy discrepancy. Got to be towing as I don't see that kind of MTE/gauge discrepancy when not towing with the snow tires on.

Sponsored