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Maverick FX4 off-road capability?

neosolidus

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Does the literature define what "off-roading" is? OHV trails out in Hungry Valley or Hollister Hills are smoother than some county gravel roads. I'd be pretty annoyed if Ford denied a claim for suspension, steering, or drivetrain parts because I went "off-roading", when in reality I live down a 1-mile, county-maintained, gravel road that has washboarding so bad it'll shake your fillings out.

But even then, breaking something while off road in a stock Maverick, FX4 or not, probably means the driver was grossly negligent. If the going gets dicey, you'd want to be going so slow that body damage would be more of a concern than breaking a CV axle or something.
as long as there is no physical damage they would be hard press to deny a claim for something that should be covered.

Remember that warranty is for "manufacturer" defect not for early failure due to use or unforeseen circumstances.

One of my buddies had some squirrel chew some cables that then shorted out and killed the ECU, took it to the dealer and was given a 20k estimate for the repair(brand new vehicle with less than 5k miles).
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22Mav

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as long as there is no physical damage they would be hard press to deny a claim for something that should be covered.

Remember that warranty is for "manufacturer" defect not for early failure due to use or unforeseen circumstances.

One of my buddies had some squirrel chew some cables that then shorted out and killed the ECU, took it to the dealer and was given a 20k estimate for the repair(brand new vehicle with less than 5k miles).
Yep, warranty for manufacturer defects, insurance for unforeseen circumstances.
 

PapaDave

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I ordered a XLT AWD with FX4 and 4K tow. The idea was it would be a daily driver and weekend camping and dirt road exploring vehicle. For about 3k to 5k more I can get base 4dr Bronco (longer wait) that would be more off-road capable. On the flip side, less MPGs. I am looking forward to Youtube videos highlighting the off-road testing of the Maverick.
 

22Mav

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I wouldn't take a Maverick "off-road" in any format, but I'm suspecting my idea of "off-road" varies greatly from most of you. I think for the sake of most here, you'd actually be classified as "soft-roaders", nothing wrong with that, just a better definition IMO.

If I needed/wanted to go "off-road", I'd go with a full-size Ford Bronco.

Actually, I'd probably just get a SxS/UTV and tow it to the trails with my Mav. That's as off-road as I'd take a Maverick. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
 

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22Mav

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What? :ROFLMAO: If my "soft-roader" comment offends, so be it. If anybody thinks that their compact-truck is going to be something that can tag along with the Raptor Boys in a SnoBall run, they're mistaken. Now, if they increase ground clearance, size up the tires, they should have no trouble soft-roading along some mild trails. Anyone who thinks a Maverick will be a capable "off-roader" either has a very different picture in their head of "off-road" than I do or they've got deep pockets and will mod their Maverick to better suit such driving.
 

Nw_adventure

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I wouldn't take a Maverick "off-road" in any format, but I'm suspecting my idea of "off-road" varies greatly from most of you. I think for the sake of most here, you'd actually be classified as "soft-roaders", nothing wrong with that, just a better definition IMO.

If I needed/wanted to go "off-road", I'd go with a full-size Ford Bronco.

Actually, I'd probably just get a SxS/UTV and tow it to the trails with my Mav. That's as off-road as I'd take a Maverick. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
Totally disagree. Rocked so many off-road miles in a wimpy suspension Element with 6.9 inches of ground clearance and just some good Cooper AT3s - Dented the gas guard rail and broke a piece of plastic once. Why are people so terrified of using the vehicle off road ? Lordy -
 

spyderman01

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Maybe I missed the actual answer, but I didn't see on the ford specs what the ground clearance actually is for the FX4.


Ground Clearance (Minimum) (in.) - FWD/AWD8.3/8.6

They list the difference for FWD vs AWD, but this does not denote with the FX4 package. And this does not related to tire size, just the drive train difference. At one time I thought they listed different suspension/shock tuning but I can no longer find that. I can only see a mention of even more capable features.
 

Big Kahuna

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Totally disagree. Rocked so many off-road miles in a wimpy suspension Element with 6.9 inches of ground clearance and just some good Cooper AT3s - Dented the gas guard rail and broke a piece of plastic once. Why are people so terrified of using the vehicle off road ? Lordy -
2nd this - my Honda Element has been down many trails and I've bottomed out many times. I've driven across unmowed fields and hit big ruts etc and as long as you keep it slow no problems.

I loved the small footprint and turning radius of the Element and it was a super flexible use vehicle - but it lacked room for camping gear when we had 4 people in it. This is why I'm getting the Maverick. It will do everything the Honda Element did and more and will give me more off road ability. The problem for most vehicles is not the little stuff - its the big holes/ruts -
<p>
I've seen other videos of people doing some good hills with Elements but again it's not an uneven surface -
He does hits some rocks in this video though -

<p>
Crazy thing is I never drive my wife's older Santa Fe and last weekend I realized it has a AWD lock button that engages the transfer clutch to transfer torque 50:50. We've never taken that vehicle off road but pretty cool to see that feature. These guys took a Santa Fe up the type of trail I expect Maverick owners might run into and likely the Maverick FX4 is going to have an advantage in performance -
<p>
The Maverick doesn't have a locking diff though and that's what it going to hurt any off road capabilities in my mind.
 
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ReddWulf

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I wouldn't take a Maverick "off-road" in any format, but I'm suspecting my idea of "off-road" varies greatly from most of you. I think for the sake of most here, you'd actually be classified as "soft-roaders", nothing wrong with that, just a better definition IMO.

If I needed/wanted to go "off-road", I'd go with a full-size Ford Bronco.

Actually, I'd probably just get a SxS/UTV and tow it to the trails with my Mav. That's as off-road as I'd take a Maverick. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
Agree 100%, "Soft-Roading" is about as far as it will go and that is just fine with me. Intended to be my daily driver and weekend adventure stuff only. I'll probably never find the Maverick's limits for off-roading - I can watch YouTube for that. 😁 I'm sure there will be plenty of them getting pushed to the limits for "likes and subscriptions".
 
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85% of my driving is on paved roads, and I included the Fx4 package because I wanted the tires, rims, underbody protection for trails, sand, snow, and unpaved roads. I will gladly wear that FX4 “poser sticker” on my Maverick ;)
 

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My dealer just confirmed that adding FX4 removes eco and slippery mode which is the mode for driving in ice/snow.
 

ReddWulf

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85% of my driving is on paved roads, and I included the Fx4 package because I wanted the tires, rims, underbody protection for trails, sand, snow, and unpaved roads. I will gladly wear that FX4 “poser sticker” on my Maverick ;)
We'll start a Maverick Poser Club Thread.... 😆 I'm in!!
 

ReddWulf

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My dealer just confirmed that adding FX4 removes eco and slippery mode which is the mode for driving in ice/snow.
Well, then I'm guessing Ford may be betting on the "Intelligent" AWD system to be enough to manage the slippery conditions without a specific mode on the FX4? I imagine the Slippery drive mode with reduced throttle response would mainly be beneficial for FWD anyway? That would be a good ratio of drive modes for FX4 then; Three On-Road modes: Normal-Sport-Tow/Haul & Two Off-Road modes: Sand-Mud/Rut.
 

Rkbrumbelow

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Says in the manual FX4 removes modes sport and eco. Your good.
Which is the:
  • People used to salted/treated roads trying to drive in a TX once every 4 years ice storm on roads with the following layers from bottom to top:
  • road
  • ice
  • water
  • oil
  • with winds gusting to 65mph
mode?
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