Maverick in Velocity Blue with SnugTop bed cap ... rear visibility not great (feedback review)

[Goose839]

Thanks for posting. So glad I decided to wait for a LEER or ARE cap in aftermarket. Don't like the look, visibility or price tag of the SnugTop at all.

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[MaineAssassin]

If I end up with a Maverick it will look exactly like yours. FX4, rear window, VB. I plan on the cap aswell. I need it for my dogs. It dropping off the build and price had got me concerned so its good to know its available. However I was thinking about getting the contractor version and converting the doors to windows with a vent screen.

Speaking of screens how is the side window vents. Does it look adequate for keeping dogs cool if I have a fan running off the 12v in the bed?

I may wait for a aftermarket cap to come out before I buy a Maverick anyway. But yours looks great, VB is just plain good looking.

Side window vents are pretty nice actually, they just kick the rear end out a bit. It is screened. It should work fine for keeping cool though if it was super hot there might be some trouble with air flow with no breeze.

 

[MaineAssassin]

Thanks MaineAssisin. Did you really drive down from Maine to by at Quirk. Will have to go back to the tonneau threads and now thinking of a soft cover, but perhaps a rollup as don't need a cover most of the time.

Do you plan on leaving it on all the time? If so, serious question, why not just buy an SUV?

Hmmmm.
I've been planning to have mine fitted with this Cap all along. But this feedback has made me re-think that decision. I still really like the idea of a Cap, and think this one looks great. It was designed to complement the Maverick's lines very well. However, the rearward visibility issue appears to be a serious drawback. And, given that the 'front' glass in the Cap is fixed (and virtually just a slit!), I have to wonder how it will be possible to even keep the rear window of the cab clean???
I think I'll hold-off on getting a Cap, go with a Tonneau for now. Hopefully, down the road, a better Cap design will become available.
Unrelated question:
What's your take on the Active-X upholstery? How "breatheable" is it, if at all? Is it just a fancy name for vinyl ??
I've never much liked the brown/blue color scheme, too "busy"... but made even worse by the other greys plus the 'white' ceiling fabric.
Just too many different colors, gives me a headache.
I prefer the XLT interior, but like some of the Lariat-exclusive features (acoustic windshield being chief among them).
Anyway, thanks for the objective feedback regarding the Cap.

Sorry for the late replys I was out driving it today to the mountains and back. In order:

Quirk is the local Ford dealer here, it's under 2 miles away. I understand they have a few of them in various locations around New England though.

I need a truck to put things like gas cans and other nasty crap in but it's nice to be able to put stuff in it and keep it out of the weather. My last 3 trucks had caps and I was happy with them. This one is the worst to see out of though. Not a huge deal I'm used to many of my trucks not having rear visibility and as long as the camera is clean it works fine.

The front window does fold down, so the glass of the cab can be accessed. That being said I don't know I've ever had to clean that on any of my other trucks with caps, stuff just doesn't really get in there.

The interior material is actually very nice. Has the feel of high end leather (think the buttery feel of king ranch leather) I find it pleasant to the touch, but have only used it in the cold so hot weather feel will be a mystery till summer. The interior color scheme took very little time to get used to and having spent almost 10 hrs in the cab of it this week I actually really like it. The acoustic windshield is a MUST it's sooooo quiet. My favorite feature which surprised me is the Co pilot 360 which works WAY better than I thought. I tested it out today on 2 lane 55mph roads and even with the edges still being covered in ice and snow it did very well only kicking off twice in 50 or so miles. Works great on the highway with no issues too.

Hope all this helps everyone, I wish I had seen more pictures of the cap before I bought it but I'm going to live with it, quirks and all.

 

[Benson]

You sure about that? What are these latches I've circled for? Yes, maybe it doesn't have a side to side slider, but it looks like there's the possibility to drop the window down, so things could extend into the cab.

waiting for answer.......

HRG

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

Hey Benson, if you want to reply to my post, add your typing UNDERNEATH the original posting, not within. You make me look ignorant, since the OP already responded.

HRG

 

[MaineAssassin]

I just wanted to post an update after living with this cap for over 3 months there are some upsides and there are some downsides to it.

On the upside it really doesn't seem to affect the fuel economy very much I generally get mid to high twenties in daily driving. Secondly it does fit very well with the exception of the fitments around the tailgate where it has a pretty massive Gap at the sides but it doesn't rattle or shift around at all.

On the downside it does have a pretty big gap at the corners where the glass comes down to meet the tailgate this could be solved with weather stripping but as it is it lets a reasonable amount of rain and snow in if there's any wind. The lifts for the glass rear window are ridiculously overpowered and absolutely shoot it up when you open it and require an unreasonable amount of force to close it also speaking of that rear glass it doesn't open nearly far enough and even an average size adult is going to have it essentially face height when it's open when it quite clearly could open an extra four or five inches without hitting anything. The light inside the cap for the bed the white light is cantankerous at best it generally will not come on unless the truck is either already running or has been turned to the accessory position and back and even then it's activated by a single push button switch on the end of it which is hardly in a convenient location because the rear glass does not open far enough to let you access it without ducking your head. The rear visibility is really non-existent if you're used to driving commercial vehicles and using your mirrors on the sides and not the center mirror you'll be fine but looking through the center mirror you are not going to see anything you can lose an entire car behind you. The price it simply is not worth the price installed which is as close as makes no difference to $4,000.

I hope this helps and if you can hold out and see what other manufacturers are going to come up with later in the year but if you are like me and you need a cap now if you can live with these problems you will enjoy it.

 

[Micheal]

Do you plan on leaving it on all the time? If so, serious question, why not just buy an SUV?

Ever pile four wet dogs into back of SUV? Not pretty!
I had a Raider cap on my '99 Ranger for 20 years. Took it on and off by myself whenever I needed, was not difficult. While the Snugtop looks nice, the price does not. I would think under $2500 should be the price point for a decent top.

 

[Timothyd]

I'll have to update with a picture of the tailgate, I got the black lettering in the stamped tailgate and it looks great but I was in a rush when I picked it up so this is what I have for pictures so far. I got the tailgate assist installed as well and I'm glad I did.

If you are looking to get the cap, they can order them despite the website listing them as unavailable. One thing to note the rear visibility out of the cap is quite simply TERRIBLE. The view towards the bottom is blocked and the result is there is a very narrow bar of view out the back. Also the window on the cap doesn't open so that nice powered window in the back is fun but useless. I'm personally cool with both but the amount of rear visibility was shocking coming from a F-150 with a regular sized cap.

Updates with more pictures tomorrow when it's light out.

What's the window on the cap made of? Could you cut a hole in it and make a gasket to the cap? Easier with the unibody.

 

[MaineAssassin]

What's the window on the cap made of? Could you cut a hole in it and make a gasket to the cap? Easier with the unibody.

You could put a foam weatherstrip along the edges but the glass is pretty big and the plastic lip just covers the tailgate.

 

[MaineAssassin]

To follow up with something mentioned in another thread, the cap is MFG by Leer. If you search it out there is a guy on here who details how to add electric locks to the cap which is really nice. Thinking of doing that this summer.

 

[Timothyd]

What's the window on the cap made of? Could you cut a hole in it and make a gasket to the cap? Easier with the unibody.

Could you put a canoe on the cap?

 

[DarthSquatch]

I'll have to update with a picture of the tailgate, I got the black lettering in the stamped tailgate and it looks great but I was in a rush when I picked it up so this is what I have for pictures so far. I got the tailgate assist installed as well and I'm glad I did.

If you are looking to get the cap, they can order them despite the website listing them as unavailable. One thing to note the rear visibility out of the cap is quite simply TERRIBLE. The view towards the bottom is blocked and the result is there is a very narrow bar of view out the back. Also the window on the cap doesn't open so that nice powered window in the back is fun but useless. I'm personally cool with both but the amount of rear visibility was shocking coming from a F-150 with a regular sized cap.

Updates with more pictures tomorrow when it's light out.

This is a dashcam I have been thinking of getting for mine when it comes it would solve your rearview issues.

Mirror Dash Cam Archives - WOLFBOX Smart Dash Cam

 

[MaineAssassin]

This is a dashcam I have been thinking of getting for mine when it comes it would solve your rearview issues.

Mirror Dash Cam Archives - WOLFBOX Smart Dash Cam

In used to using my side mirrors. My F450 doesn't even have a rearview center mount mirror or any rear visibility other than the mirrors. Backup camera works nice if it's not covered though.

 

[MaineAssassin]

Could you put a canoe on the cap?

I'd put crossbars on if you want to do that. Otherwise if you don't love your paint and pad it a lot for a short trip it might work. Crossbars would make it easy enough.

 

[tom_tucker]

"Why not just get an SUV?"

The back of an SUV is tiny compared to any pickup with a
bed top, even the short bed Mav. You'd be talking full size $UV at that point. Go anywhere in the Pac NW, Mid west, Eastern US and you'll see a ton of pickups with bed toppers. It rains like hell and you need a topper.

Carrying cargo and passengers in the same area is fundamentally unsafe in an accident. Sad but true for us Minivan, wagon and SUV owners. Right now I carry muddy bikes and wet, muddy inflatable boats in the back of my minivan. Used motor oil, trash, pets, firewood, loose mulch, topsoil, stinky compost. The list goes on and on. Did we mention toppers are removeable?

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