Maverick use in off road conditions

[Surly Old Bill]

Is that Maverick a good off road vehicle? No.

Can the Maverick off road? Sure, absolutely as other commenters have pointed out.

THIS.

If people want to go four-wheelin', they should get a vehicle that's more or less made with that in mind (Bronco, Wrangler, upcoming Scout).
If people want to be able to go someplace tricky every once in a while, almost any vehicle will "work". Vehicles with more ground clearance and either FWD or AWD or 4WD will make it easier, or drive on those same routes a tad faster.

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[Tbone289]

You aren't making me mad. I know what I got, a highly capable off-road compact SUV disguised as a pickup truck, for around 41,000 that gets me where I want to go and can beat my brother's Chevy Colorado Trail Boss 2.7 in a sand drag race

That's the thing. You know what it's capable of, and I know what my FX4 is capable of. I suspect there are several people commenting in this thread that have no experience with the Maverick off-road, and the OP specifically requested people with that experience, not people who have watched YouTube videos and formed opinions. Anyone can do that.

I would suggest that any Maverick owner that wants to improve off-road performance activate the modes with FORScan. They do make a difference.

 

[710-oil-614]

That's the thing. You know what it's capable of, and I know what my FX4 is capable of. I suspect there are several people commenting in this thread that have no experience with the Maverick off-road, and the OP specifically requested people with that experience, not people who have watched YouTube videos and formed opinions. Anyone can do that.

I would suggest that any Maverick owner that wants to improve off-road performance activate the modes with FORScan. They do make a difference.

Since you’re passive aggressively calling me out I’ll respond -

I am quite well versed in taking vehicles off road including my 2021 Bronco Sasquatch, 2023 Tremor, and my 2025 Maverick AWD.

You are all setting OP up for a bad time expecting this to perform any better than an escape off road.

 

[JasonDroninAround]

Since you’re passive aggressively calling me out I’ll respond -

I am quite well versed in taking vehicles off road including my 2021 Bronco Sasquatch, 2023 Tremor, and my 2025 Maverick AWD.

You are all setting OP up for a bad time expecting this to perform any better than an escape off road.

Edit: I'm reading this at work on my cell phone and I noticed you weren't calling me out for calling you out LOL sorry but I'll still leave the original thought up here anyway....

I did not mean to call you out. You are the same voice of reason that my Dad and the lead mechanic at my work gives me. There needs to be somebody to say, 'Yo I wouldn't do that if I were you' to keep me from tearing the thing up LOL. I'm 19,000 miles in and the only thing that I have broken is the telematics module. If I keep off-roading it the way I do, it's not a matter of if, but when. And when it finally does happen, Jim and my Dad will get to say I told you so and I'll be sitting at home eating ramen and syrup sandwiches but I have a good story to tell LOL

 

[Tbone289]

Since you’re passive aggressively calling me out I’ll respond -

I am quite well versed in taking vehicles off road including my 2021 Bronco Sasquatch, 2023 Tremor, and my 2025 Maverick AWD.

You are all setting OP up for a bad time expecting this to perform any better than an escape off road.

I wasn't calling anyone in particular out. I'm sorry that you felt you needed to become defensive of your opinion. I was aware that you previously owned a Tremor, so I knew there was a possibility that you had some experience.

Nobody has stated or implied that it performs better than an AWD Escape (or Bronco Sport) that I can recall. I'm fully aware they have the same AWD systems, and the longer wheelbase of the Maverick is a detriment in comparison. I'm unsure why you think anyone is giving that impression.

 

[ice445]

SSSHHHHHH!!! You'll upset the Tremor owners.

We look so cool getting stuck though!

For real though, I went down a gravel road once. And the route to my school may as well be off road with how many potholes there are. Im clearly using my minor extra abilities to their fullest...

 

[Bguy]

All you need to know is here: https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/ultimate-forscan-ford-maverick-spreadsheet-masterlist-.46617/

I added Sport and Eco modes to my FX4, but never used them, so I eventually removed them. I find myself using only these modes, sorted from most important to least:

Normal
Tow/Haul
Mud/Ruts
Sand

Good to know. Thanks

 

[BLUEOVALRACER]

The Maverick will never be an off-road vehicle. Like you said, if I am navigating a difficult section of an off-road trail in Baja Mexico to support an off road race team in the Baja 1000 race (which I have done for years), I would never consider using a passenger car like our Maverick. My Bronco is the go to vehicle.

Nice Bronco!!

 

[BLUEOVALRACER]

Again, that depends on what your definition of off-road is. I wouldn't use a Maverick for that role either, but I take it off-road.

I drive off-road with all of these vehicles along with my Maverick. None of them are dedicated off-road vehicles--all daily drivers. They all have their own limitations. Know those limitations and you'll know what the vehicle is capable of.

Nice pair of Broncos!!

 

[BLUEOVALRACER]

You aren't making me mad. I know what I got, a highly capable off-road compact SUV disguised as a pickup truck, for around 41,000 that gets me where I want to go and can beat my brother's Chevy Colorado Trail Boss 2.7 in a sand drag race

How does Your Brother like getting beat by a little 2.0 Eco Boost?

 

[TwoTone]

Well, the rollers didn't remove the variables of the wrong modes that the testers are using, did they? Nor have they tested Mavericks with all the available modes on the rollers, so we don't know what the full capability is of the Ford software vs. the Subaru software that you claim is clearly superior. Slippery mode, with traction control on or not, is not going to work when it's cutting power due to wheelspin, as shown by both tests. Some degree of wheelspin is required for these systems to work.

Clearly you're much more versed at testing than I am. If you're concerned about removing all the variables, why are you posting another variable-riddled video test of the Maverick in ruts that could be driven completely differently? I'll ignore your tests with variables since you're ignoring mine, mmmkay?

Actually if you watch the roller test, they use the different modes. Next?

 

[OR3X]

I've had my '25 XL in a few muddy fields and what I've observed is that the ride height is a big limiting factor. If you're driving through soggy, but mostly flat terrain you're fine but if it's boggy and you sink down you're basically done. Same goes for any terrain that causes wheel lift. That being said it's a TON better than my old 2WD Nissan Frontier that would get stuck in wet grass if you gave it the chance. The Maverick is no off-road machine but it can totally deal with slight adverse conditions you might encounter in normal uses.

 

[Escapologist]

Yeah I've only driven around a "construction yard" type of thing when parking signs misdirected me, about 6" of freshly rained on slop but basically hard underneath. All rutted and a bit hummocky from equipment moving around on it. But it did good, just kept going like it was on firm ground. I know my minivan on something like that, I'd probably have had to keep momentum up a bit because there were places where it would have slipped. So it impressed me a little from that and made me think it might handle a bit more than I thought it would

 

[Rojo]

Remember the VW bug? chuckle...that little car could drive circles around many so called" off road" vehicles. My dad had a 62 bug and when he passed away i ended up with it. Was a fun little car that gave great mpg for the time but would only go 71mph. I had lots of fun with that bug and even rolled it once and crawled out wondering what to do. My buddy said we will just roll it back over and we did, piece of cake no damage, waited a little while and made sure the oil was where it belonged and then much to my surprise it started up and i went home. At that time I also had a CJ5 and liked to play in the mud in the fields behind my home and one day my jeep would not go. I knew better than to spin the tires digging in when slipping so i walked home and one the way saw my neighbor which hatched an idea in my mind and i asked him if he would like to take a ride to get my jeep un stuck and he said ok. We got in that bug and headed out into the field. There was one spot on the way with standing water that was not deep and i knew the bottom was solid so when we approached it I said hang on and went for it. The little bug seemed to go under water for a few seconds then daylight appeared and we came out the other side making it to the jeep. I hooked a strap up to the front of the jeep and to the bug getting my neighbor to run the jeep with instructions to just barely move as i pulled with the bug. Much to my surprise it worked and the jeep was free again and we got both vehicles home without further issue.
My point being that the Maverick being light with the proper tires and awd will be able to handle sticky situations much better than most other vehicles.....chuckle...and I am going to find out how good it really is! We do know it can achieve 40mpg now lets see if it can't become the bug of the future....

Oh, almost forgot. That's a good looking Maverick you have.

My dad has a good story about my uncles bug, he forgot to put the parking break on at the lake, the bug rolled down the bank and into the lake, surprisingly, the bug floated in the lake. The were able o push the floating bug about a 200 yards to a boat ramp and someone pulled it out.

 

[garyp]

Biggest problem I see is ground clearance. I bought a one year old 22 maverick that was totaled by the insurance. Basically front and rear plastic torn loose and taped on, and all underneath shields ripped off as well as muffler crushed. The guy bought it new, XL , fwd for $29000+. He used it to service oil rigs in Oklahoma. I think after a year and 16000 miles he realized it wasn’t working out so well plus he owed way more than it was worth. The credit union knew they could never recoup close to what was owed and turned it over to their insurance partner (both were Oklahoma Farm Bureau) who wrote it off. I repaired both bumpers and new muffler, oh and electric water pump connection, right in front of engine hanging down. Great truck but definitely no ground clearance.

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