Maverick vs. Tacoma

[Maverickman74]

Definitely not a Toyota guy, far from it. Never owned, never will. The 1st thing that gets me down on em after I get past the styling is how weird the seating feels to me. Like they built it for North America, but kept the seat position for the average Japanese. It just doesnt fit, things I want to reach are far and things I dont are close. Other things I depend on for bracing/resting of limbs feel flimsy. Sure they have a reliable motor and stole their axle design from Ford(best one ever 9") but no can do for me.

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[Jah.]

Had a 86 Toyota compact truck with extended cab ( no jump seat but shelf ) had plenty of leg room . then went to 91 extended cab with jump seat and lost leg room . both rode rough but very reliable . They were not Tacoma's yet . needed more towing capability and went with f150 ' s 2000 and then 2004 . no longer needed large tow vehicle so sold in 2020 . looked for light tow vehicle of a least 2k but nothing of interest until the maverick .

The maverick meets my needs with good mpg , price and very comfortable for me (6 ft. Tall and 250 lbs with long legs ) . l find the height of the maverick just right . easy in and easy out . ride quality is equal to my wifes camry and driving position is more comfortable .

 

[D Janke]

Just curious after reading some of these posts...for those of you lucky enough to have received your Maverick, can you explain how it feels to get in and out of it. Too low? Too high? Just right? Ground clearance is what...a little over 8"?

I have the hybrid Lariat with 18" wheels. 2 days old, it's name is Barney
I'm 5'10" and getting in and out is ideal for me.
I just measured driveway to bottom of the driver door ledge and it's 12"

And for the record, it's hard not to smile when I see it in my driveway hehe.

 

[Old Ranchero]

I don't think the mid-size trucks are in a much different "class." The Tacomas/Rangers and Maverick overlap more than they differ, and really they only have two big distinctions on specific uses (towing/off road) along with, for the hybrid, efficiency/total cost.

Thinking about defining characteristics:

• Exterior - similar class/size
• Passengers/cabin - same class/seating
• Load/bed - same class
• Towing - different class
• Off-roading - different class (although EB AWD is "similar" enough for most uses)
• Efficiency - (eco) similar class / (hybrid) different class
• MSRP - similar class

Obviously these are more similar or different based on options on the trucks, but if you're not towing or off-roading, I'd say the Mav is basically smack in the same "class" as the mid sized trucks. Also obvious, if you consider body-frame vs unibody to automatically be different "classes," then they're different. But functionally, they're more same than different.

Body on frame vs. Unibody = different class. Exterior dimensions, height and pricing supersized on MID sized Tacoma, Ranger, Colorado/Canyon and now even Frontier. Apples vs. Orange.

 

[Mavnick87]

I always felt that the Tacoma was the perfect size pick up for me, but the cons outweighed the pros for me. The price, the fuel mileage, and the sort of awkward and cramped interior always turned me off from buying one. It’s definitely the “sexy” truck for people that want to move up from a car to a truck.
The Maverick ultimately checked all the boxes for me that the Tacoma never did.
The Mav is very spacious and makes the most use of its size. My AWD XL should get approx the same mpg as my wife’s IS250 for half the price of the Tacoma TRD.

 

[JennyJoannSuebeeMcNash]

Never driven a Tacoma, but have rented Nissan Frontiers a couple times and hated them. The size and weight are ponderous, and at the same time they ride shitty and feel cheap. For me- I'd just get a full sized truck if I "needed more truck" than a Maverick.

My Maverick drives great, handles great and looks great. It also get 45mpg and cost $22500.

Nissan was a no-go at any price point. We had Nissans as company cars/vans and every single one of them spent multiple weeks getting transmission replacements. The record for transmission replacement: 20K miles. Happened to my daughter's friend as well who purchased a new Nissan Altima...bad transmission before she hit 18K. No thanks.

 

[troynm]

I had a 2009 Tacoma 4 door, V6, Prerunner, RWD for 6 years and I liked it a lot. Great truck and never a problem. I sold it to get a Mini Cooper. What a shock that was. I’m getting old though and wanted a fun car while I could enjoy it. It was a convertible with 190 HP and a blast to drive. Traded for the Maverick and I love it too. I wish I could have kept both but can’t afford it on Social Security.

I couldn’t afford to buy or support a full size truck and my Maverick fits in my garage. A Ranger or a Tacoma would not. I have the hybrid so great gas mileage too.

 

[brnpttmn]

Body on frame vs. Unibody = different class. Exterior dimensions, height and pricing supersized on MID sized Tacoma, Ranger, Colorado/Canyon and now even Frontier. Apples vs. Orange.

Yeah. Check out my last sentence. I said that may be a valid criteria for some, but on most of the other criteria they're more same than different.

 

[Mike]

When my AWD Maverick finally comes I will have a Maverick and a Gen2 4x4 Tacoma. The Mav will be used primarily , but not exclusively, as a car and the Tacoma, a truck

 

[dalola]

Since we're all going to be waiting another year for our Mavericks to arrive, it's worth noting that a major redesign of the Tacoma is about to drop. Ditto for the Ranger. Ditto for the Chevy-GMC midsize. They are all about to release all-new designs.

If my Mav never happens, or starts delaying to the point of matching up with the new Ranger release timing, I will certainly re-evaluate my next order. Excited to see the tweaks on the North American version of the new Ranger, as compared to the global version released a few months ago. The biggest issue on the outgoing Ranger for me was the (outdated & cramped) interior, hopefully this new model addresses that issue completely.

 

[AUTUS_FL]

The Taco is a great truck but there is something seriously strange about the driving/seating position and the interior proportions in general.

We could also add to the list of Tacos' strangeness about its gears always attempting to push RPMs down, which confirms still old technology being used. Or, rear drum brakes (again, old technology) freezing up for no apparent reason when brakes get wet (yes, avoid driving in puddle of water)...!

 

[MaverickPR]

Only thing I dont like in my 2.0 Mav are the skinny tires which lack grip. Well, the steering is a bit light too. Then again I’m used to the 305’s and handling of the GT350!

 

[Pickles]

I'm sure someone has already posted about this, and yes, I debated as well.

Since I couldn't get past the ADM on the base Tacomas, I never bothered to drive one. However, last weekend my friend let me borrow hers for a few hours. A few observations:

1) At 5'6" tall, I had to do a hell of a lot of adjusting in the truck to get halfway comfortable and still felt like I couldn't see over the hood, and still felt like I was sitting too low. I had to scooch the front seat so damn close to the steering wheel, it was a knee surgery waiting to happen. (She's an inch shorter than me for reference.)

2) The 2.7L base engine at 159hp is kinda slow, at least off the line until you're up to 40mph. For reference, I think my Honda Accord has 181?/186?hp and gets up to speed in no time. My neighbor has the same truck in the SR5 model and said he wished he had spent the extra money on the 6 cylinder version.

3) For a "small truck" it certainly still drives like a bigger truck.

4) The ground clearance on the Tacoma is awesome. Getting in, no problem. Getting out though, I felt like my toes would never touch pavement.

5) Since I opted for the Ecoboost version of the Maverick, I'm really looking forward to having the 250hp engine. I foresee some red and blue lights behind me in the future...hopefully to just ask about the Maverick, but given my driving habits, I'll probably be getting my first speeding tickets since 2014.

6) Happy with my choice to get the Maverick. Only time will tell after that! (Have to actually GET my Maverick first, which looks to be some time in March.)

Thanks for this! Good to know. Toyota always underpowers the base models lol

 

[staryoshi]

Just curious after reading some of these posts...for those of you lucky enough to have received your Maverick, can you explain how it feels to get in and out of it. Too low? Too high? Just right? Ground clearance is what...a little over 8"?

Felt too low to me, but I'm about 6'. It's on par with most crossovers for egress/ingress.

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