Maverick XL EcoBoost FWD First Road Trip Review

[athertonbt]

If anybody has any questions, just give me a shout! Doing a few small mods/accessories soon and will post them up as they come along. Thanks for reading!

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[Stealth Raccoon]

Great write up - I still feel like the FWD EB is one of the biggest deals out there for sheer utility. Originally I planned on the EB FWD XL with the 4k package, but then Ford removed that combo as an option. Had I been a month earlier on ordering I could have gotten the AWD free!

 

[Ragtime Billy Peaches]

Have to admit a big part of my thoughts on the road trip did focus on the value of my Mav relative to the wife’s CRV and my previous Frontier, but even at $29k you’re still beating the midlevel trim of every other midsize truck so at least there’s that

You are right, and happy for you that a fellow American got a good deal, we all could use a little good luck these days.

 

[Redd]

Just got back yesterday from an 800+ mile cruise after picking up my Maverick from @Granger Ford and wanted to take a few minutes to share my first impressions of my new truck.

First and foremost, Granger Ford was completely professional throughout the process. Anytime I reached out, whether it was requesting an update on the status of the order all the way to completing my financing, I always received a prompt response. The pickup process was excellent. Their shuttle picked me up within 15 minutes of my plane landing, driver was friendly, got to the dealership and in another 15 minutes I had the keys in hand and was ready to hit the road. Can't say enough about how great the team is at Granger Ford. I would fly across the country again if I ever needed another Ford.

Now, onto Marty the Maverick. This is an XL Ecoboost FWD in Carbonized Gray with no options. I ordered on 1/12/22 and picked up the truck on 10/20/22. Purchased through the Granger 3k off deal, $500 Farm Bureau discount applied, $19,180 out the door.

Exterior

No surprises here. I've always like the XL look, specifically the black accent grill and door handles and the steelies. On taking delivery and giving it a lot of looks in person, I'll go with a slightly beefier A/T tire with white lettering when the Continentals are done for. Aside from that, I was pleased with the color and the overall initial quality of the exterior. I have ordered the modular bed liner with my Fordpass points and will pick that up this week from a local dealer to install myself. Because I previously had a Ford and those points have somehow carried over, I should only be about $50 out of pocket on the modular bed liner. Considered the spray-in, but knowing I can get the drop-in without a lot of cash out of pocket as opposed to $500 down at Line-X, I'm good with keeping my cheap build cheap.

Interior

I liked the interior more as the trip went along. The little cubbies around the shifter fit my phone, wallet, and snacks perfectly. The dash and side panels looked like an even darker blue in person and I enjoy the simplicity of the (lack of) color scheme overall. I fit really well at 6'4" and 220 lbs. My back almost always feels like garbage after any trip over 3-4 hours, but after 13+ hours of driving the Mav, I had no back pain at all! I was completely shocked by this. Had no issues with Carplay and thought the stereo quality was comparable to my wife's 2021 CRV and my previously owned 2022 Nissan Frontier.

Driving/Handling/Power

Compared to my wife's CRV and my previous Frontier, I'd say the handling landed somewhere in the middle. It is a little stiffer, less responsive, and more truck-like than the CRV, which I was fine with. The last thing I want driving long miles on the highway is the truck jumping every time I nudge the wheel. I stayed at around 70 mph and drove in Eco Mode the entire trip. No trouble passing when I needed to. Didn't feel an excessive amount of shifting when I got into the hills of KY and TN. My Frontier was especially bad to shuffle through gears like an Indy Car for some reason, and it was one of the biggest reasons I got rid of it. I disabled the auto-stop in town as this is not a feature I like on any vehicle, the Mav being no exception. Suspension felt appropriately stiff - on the side roads of Iowa I definitely went through some patches that resembled berms, and the Mav handled well overall. I don't think I was bouncing anymore than the cars in front of and behind me.

The road noise and engine noise were actually quieter than my wife's base model CRV, but maybe a little louder than the Frontier. Overall, I was really pleased with the levels, especially after hearing varying accounts here on the forum.

Overall Grade

Marty the Maverick held up well in my comparison with our CRV and previous Frontier. The feel, handling, and power were very truck-like, and even at the XL trim level, there is plenty of tech and comfort for me. I would say I was most surprised with how quiet the truck was and how well the seats treated my back. Those are two areas I expected to be lacking for sure. I'm happy to be wrong, especially after 13 hours on the road. When you consider that my truck is $7,000 less than my wife's CRV and a whopping $17000 less than my Frontier, it really blows those two vehicles away in my opinion. Trip computer put me at 33 mpg, which was probably more like 30-31 real world. That puts fuel efficiency right in line with the CRV. I expected to like my truck, but I have to say it exceeded my expectations on this trip. Hoping for many more miles on the cheap in Marty the Maverick.

Future Upgrades

Really trying to stick with what I need and use, rather than piling stuff on to give me an excuse to drink beer in the driveway and do light-wrenching every weekend
Planning on:

-Center console organizer
-Cruise control switches
-Beefier A/T Tires
-Modular Bed Liner
-Tonneau Cover (if needed)
-$20 hitch hack per @CubanRedneck (if needed)

Ordered the bed liner with my Fordpass points as stated above and as of now that's all I'm doing. Plan on adding the other things as time goes on, or as I need them. My daily commute is short, long trips are rare, and I haven't towed anything in years. That puts most of the items listed above firmly in the 'want' category. Man, I'm happy with this truck as is! Hope you got some use out of this long read and you're all enjoying your trucks as well! For those of you waiting, worth the wait!
If you want to check out my (short) trip log, you can do so here. Thanks!

It's an incredibly unpopular opinion on here but it's nice to see other people who appreciate the steelies (and while they're obviously not the lightest wheels, they're actually fairly light for steel). I dig the look they give the truck. I like the normal XLT wheels as well but I'm happy to keep the steelies for my setup once I take delivery.

 

[athertonbt]

It's an incredibly unpopular opinion on here but it's nice to see other people who appreciate the steelies (and while they're obviously not the lightest wheels, they're actually fairly light for steel). I dig the look they give the truck. I like the normal XLT wheels as well but I'm happy to keep the steelies for my setup once I take delivery.

Seeing the steelies with 235 or 245 65R17s A/T tires on them made me like them even more. Definitely plan to upgrade the tires when the Continentals have run their course. Also like how the edge of A/T tires have a little bit more of a 'squared off' look, it that makes sense. I don't plan on doing a lift or anything, but there's plenty of room in the wheel wells for improvement

 

[Dudley]

Dang good deal. I don’t love my steelies but prefer the blacked out grill and door handles for sure

Gotta admit, bounced back and forth on liking or not liking the grey center bar on the grille of our XLT instead of the black of the XL. But, once it arrived, I really like the grey on the XLT since it matches/blends with the wheels.

 

[Dudley]

Seeing the steelies with 235 or 245 65R17s A/T tires on them made me like them even more. Definitely plan to upgrade the tires when the Continentals have run their course. Also like how the edge of A/T tires have a little bit more of a 'squared off' look, it that makes sense. I don't plan on doing a lift or anything, but there's plenty of room in the wheel wells for improvement

We instantly went with RWL 235's since ours is Oxford White.

 

[StillWaiting]

Gotta admit, bounced back and forth on liking or not liking the grey center bar on the grille of our XLT instead of the black of the XL. But, once it arrived, I really like the grey on the XLT since it matches/blends with the wheels.

Yeah I can also see that point. It does look really good with that as well

 

[athertonbt]

We instantly went with RWL 235's since ours is Oxford White.

I like the black wheels with lighter colors like the white or silver for sure. A little too dark for my taste on my Carb Gray. Like the side graphic on yours, looks sick!

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