* questions for owners that live in mountain areas

[Ozarkbeard]

i am curious which variation would best the best overall option for mountain area (appalachia, southern WV/"coal country") ?
i have aprox 6 mile round trip to/from work daily, + weekly trips (grocery, shopping, church, etc...) . sometimes a weekend trip for some local sightseeing (1~2 hours).
i am leaning towards the hybrid due to lowest base price + fuel mpg , but would maybe the 2.0 be better for up & down the steep hills/curves (either the fwd or awd variations) , or would the hybrid do just fine for these roads?
i guess also winter driving (snow/ice) to consider ?

i am relatively new to the area (formerly from lower michigan where roads are relatively flat & straight), so hoping someone that is local or similar type area that owns/drives a maverick could express their opinion/reasons of this.
Thanx !

Mainly paved roads, I would stay with the Hybrid - otherwise, get AWD. 2.5 hybrid or 2.0 turbo are both fine for mountains. For snow, get Falken Widpeaks or equivalent, or Michelin Crossclimate2 tires.

Hybrids get better mileage of course, but you also go much longer between oil changes & air filter changes. And brake pads/rotors will last you at least 100k miles, probably closer to 200k miles. The regenerative braking of Hybrids is quite impressive, saving significant wear/tear on the regular brake system.

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[AncientMan]

i am curious which variation would best the best overall option for mountain area (appalachia, southern WV/"coal country") ?
i have aprox 6 mile round trip to/from work daily, + weekly trips (grocery, shopping, church, etc...) . sometimes a weekend trip for some local sightseeing (1~2 hours).
i am leaning towards the hybrid due to lowest base price + fuel mpg , but would maybe the 2.0 be better for up & down the steep hills/curves (either the fwd or awd variations) , or would the hybrid do just fine for these roads?
i guess also winter driving (snow/ice) to consider ?

i am relatively new to the area (formerly from lower michigan where roads are relatively flat & straight), so hoping someone that is local or similar type area that owns/drives a maverick could express their opinion/reasons of this.
Thanx !

Winter is likely a different proposition but I visit The Rocky Mountains twice a year in Spring and Autumn, and the hybrid gets well above 40mpg, some trips close to 50 in the mountains. For winter driving though, the AWD would probably be the better setup. The few light snowstorms I experienced in late Fall were easily manageable in my FWD hybrid, but icy conditions would definitely change the calculus.
Also need to factor in mandated chains in some areas that might not be required for AWD…

 

[FordHybrid]

We have an XLT Hybrid 2022, and we have 2 sets of rims, winter tires on one set and all-season (factory tires) on the other set. We cross the Snoqualmie Pass in WA every week due to work and have had no issues. It does help to have had 15 yrs experience of driving a 40 ft bus in mountains. But I am at ease with our Maverick in snowy weather.

 

[BluegrassNbass]

We have an XLT Hybrid 2022, and we have 2 sets of rims, winter tires on one set and all-season (factory tires) on the other set. We cross the Snoqualmie Pass in WA every week due to work and have had no issues. It does help to have had 15 yrs experience of driving a 40 ft bus in mountains. But I am at ease with our Maverick in snowy weather.

That's a haul there.

 

[MaverickEVwouldBeNice]

Winter is likely a different proposition but I visit The Rocky Mountains twice a year in Spring and Autumn, and the hybrid gets well above 40mpg, some trips close to 50 in the mountains. For winter driving though, the AWD would probably be the better setup. The few light snowstorms I experienced in late Fall were easily manageable in my FWD hybrid, but icy conditions would definitely change the calculus.
Also need to factor in mandated chains in some areas that might not be required for AWD…

I currently own a FWD Kia Niro EV, before that I had a VW Alltrack. Except for the excessive torque on my Niro (curtesy of the electric motor) I don't notice anything majorly different. I've only owned two AWD vehicles (that I actually drove in snowy conditions), but many more FWD vehicles, and I cannot say that I've every really needed AWD in over 30 years of driving.

For reference: I've lived in Germany, Colorado, TX, CA, and now WA. In CO I drove an Escort wagon (FWD AND stick shift!) all along the front range. I may have sent up a few prayers driving uphill past all those 4WD and AWD vehicles in the ditches, but mostly because I was worried about the idiots coming at me from the top of the hill.

I taught my kids to drive in the snow using these rules:

1. Drive slow
2. Look ahead
3. Avoid sudden turns
4. Don't step on the breaks until your almost to a stop

I now live in eastern WA, where we had almost 5 feet of snow on our property last winter. I took a 16' Penske box truck over Snoqualmie Pass and back right before Christmas (look up Seattle ice-storm 2022), a trip that should have taken 6 hours, took well over 11 hours on the return trip. As soon as I saw big rigs on the side of the road pulling on chains, I did the same. There were a LOT of AWD and 4WD sitting in snow banks further up the mountains. AWD doesn't do you much good on icy roads.

 

[Montana]

...subjective rant with nothing but assumptions and baseless information...

 

[Red Ryder]

i am curious which variation would best the best overall option for mountain area (appalachia, southern WV/"coal country") ?
i have aprox 6 mile round trip to/from work daily, + weekly trips (grocery, shopping, church, etc...) . sometimes a weekend trip for some local sightseeing (1~2 hours).
i am leaning towards the hybrid due to lowest base price + fuel mpg , but would maybe the 2.0 be better for up & down the steep hills/curves (either the fwd or awd variations) , or would the hybrid do just fine for these roads?
i guess also winter driving (snow/ice) to consider ?

i am relatively new to the area (formerly from lower michigan where roads are relatively flat & straight), so hoping someone that is local or similar type area that owns/drives a maverick could express their opinion/reasons of this.
Thanx !

I live in the Appalachian area and I think the FWD Hybrid is ideal for the terrain. The hills and valleys work well to balance out the battery's charge utilizing the regenerative braking. On a 29.5 mile commute, I regularly saw 50+ MPG (indicated), with over 1/2 of the commute "Electric Only".
Not bad at all and FWD is all you need in these mountains provided you have adequate tires.

 

[Derwood]

I

For me, a 2WD vehicle wouldn't work. I'm in the mountains two weekends a month basically year round on paved and unpaved roads, in mud, gravel, snow, and ice.

2WD is just fine, until it isn't.

I live through winter being in Ontario AND also want the 4K towing ability for a future travel trailer. Ecoboost order for me but it's all personal preference

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