Realized today you couldn't pay me to go back to my (prev gen) Ranger

[TheRef]

I bought my Maverick because of the 4 doors and the back seat. My grandchildren were getting too grown to fit in those flip down back seats in my 2011 Ranger XLT supercab. I also enjoyed picking all the options I wanted when Ford opened the order banks. The Mav ride is much better but like many of you I miss my 5 speed. So a year later I bought a 2007 Mustang GT. Has V8 with 5 speed - I have never had 2 vehicles but loving it. If I need to haul the grandchildren I take the Mav but only one can go in my Tang - cause you sure can't fit in that back seat!

Sponsored

 

[Fcnrwy]

I agree with most of what you said. I also drove a 2010 Ranger XLT for a little over ten years. It was a good truck, but was a bit underpowered. My Maverick is much more fun to drive and handles much better. My average mileage with the Ranger was about 22. The Moverick is averaging around 29 so far. The only thing I don't like on the Maverick is all the computer bells and whistles. I'm having trouble getting use to all the extra stuff on my XL ecoboost. Overall, the Maverick is a much better truck. I love having a back seat.

DITTO.

Jerry

 

[FamousAmos]

I agree with most of what you said. I also drove a 2010 Ranger XLT for a little over ten years. It was a good truck, but was a bit underpowered. My Maverick is much more fun to drive and handles much better. My average mileage with the Ranger was about 22. The Moverick is averaging around 29 so far. The only thing I don't like on the Maverick is all the computer bells and whistles. I'm having trouble getting use to all the extra stuff on my XL ecoboost. Overall, the Maverick is a much better truck. I love having a back seat.

Man, I agree with you, Bill!!! Computer bells and whistles!!! Why the hell does an automobile have to tie in to a cell phone? Who thinks up this crap? It sounds like something out of a Jim Gaffigan or Jerry Seinfeld stand-up routine!

As an afterthought, I can remember back 30 years ago when the Ford Ranger was the most vehicle for the money in America. In that vein, I headed out 2 years ago to buy one for my kayak. Lo and behold, Ford had redesigned it into a mid-size truck, with a whopping price increase. Woe was me, and somehow I found a website that talked about the new Hybrid Maverick for $19,995. Ka-ching!! I see now, from reading this forum, that the 2022 price was a come-on and that soon Ford will have a $40,000 Maverick, with all the $19,995 standard features now options. Whores! In the immortal words of Samuel Goldwyn , "Include me out."

 

[ClemsonU88]

I found your post rather interesting. I encountered a decision point a month ago.

A little background to make my situation more clear.

• My wife drives a 2022 PHEV SEL Escape. The real benefit is the ability to drive alone in the HOV lanes in California. The stickers that allow her to drive in the HOV lane will expire next year.
• I have had an off and on again appreciation for my 2023 Maverick EB AWD BAP/CP360/4KTow since I purchased it in January 2023. In the last year, I have: upgraded the stereo; 2-inch strut lift kit with new wheels and 245/60-17 tires; JCR Off Road skid plates; Wet Okole seat covers (with heating and adjustable lumbar support); and replaced the A.R.E MX-series (mid-rise) shell with an A.R.E. V-series (cab high). I like the Maverick more now than I did when it was new.
• I am very involved in AYSO soccer here in southern California. As such, I always seem to be carrying something in the bed. Yet, the bed is small and limits what I can carry.

The background helps set the stage for what happened a month ago. My wife realized the Escape won't allow her to drive in the HOV lanes alone at the end of 2024. Thus, she declared that I could buy whatever I wanted to replace it since she plans on taking my Maverick for the last few remaining years before she retires.

The thought of ordering a new F-250 Superduty or F-150 crossed my mind.

Then... I realized I like the Maverick after the modifications I have made. And, the F-150 or F-250 might mean more requests to help with AYSO or friends moving or any other reasons people ask to borrow a big truck.

I decided to keep my Maverick, buy one for her, and we will float two cars for her until the end of the year when we will sell the PHEV SEL Escape. We picked up an Atlas Blue 2024 XL Hybrid from Long McArthur Ford in Salina, Kansas the Friday before Easter.

The Maverick is not a perfect vehicle. Yet, as you eloquently stated, it fits the 80% rule for what people need nicely.

How did you upgrade the stereo? New speakers? New receiver?

 

[prsncat]

How did you upgrade the stereo? New speakers? New receiver?

I have been trying to get Reus Audio to give me something I can share. Until then, I promised not to go into too many details. Here is what I can share:

• Factory head unit
• DSP
• One amplifier drives the speakers and another drives the subwoofer
• There are six factory speakers on the XLT, and they were all replaced. Two of the factory 2-way speakers were replaced by separates with their own crossover. Two small speakers were added to give center stage presence (mostly for the driver and front passenger).
• The subwoofer is in a custom enclosure mounted under the rear seat.
• Dynamat was installed in the doors/pillars (where accessible)/rear cab and underneath the carpeting.

My Mercedes-Benz S500 is at Reus Audio now. I will try to get something I am allowed to post when I pick it up.

 

[ClemsonU88]

Sweet! Sounds good. The pricing would be good too if they allow it.

All I really want is to replace the head unit with a bigger screen.

 

[Maverick County XL]

Disclosture: I'm not a Maverick fanboy. I don't even like my Maverick all that much (I do, however, respect it). And shocker of shockers, I like the Santa Cruz a lot. That said...

I realized today that you couldn't pay me to go back to my 2010 Ranger after almost two years in my Ecoboost Maverick. I miss a few things about my old Ranger: manual shift, bigger bed, two doors, and a foot shorter. But I don't miss axle hop over bumps. I don't miss the incredibly crude ride (my wife hated that truck). I don't miss the horribly underpowered 4 cylinder (but it did get 28 mpg). I don't miss all the systems that failed expensively over the decade and 100,000 miles I owned it. I don't miss the cacophony of rattles and shakes as I bounced my way down a typical country dirt road.

My Maverick rides like a car (that's a good thing), but delivers 75% of the utility of my old Ranger. My Maverick goes like a "bat out of hell" when I want it to, which is rarely. It's really overpowered for most people. The styling doesn't offend anyone. The bed is just usable enough for a gardener, though it sometimes requires ingenuity to fit big things in a small bed, or possibly two trips.

In the software engineering world I used to inhabit, we would said that the Maverick covers the 80% of use cases that constitutes core functionality, and that's where we should stop adding new features (and the associated costs). So kudos to Ford for exercising "feature creep" discipline.

So there it is. You couldn't pay me money to go back to my 2010 Ranger. Even if you offered me a brand new 2010 free, I wouldn't make the swap. I still don't like my Maverick, but I do appreciate and respect it for what it is. A better ride for your average utilitarian "trucklet" person.

I would 100% take back by 1995 Toyota T100 DX 4x2 long bed! Wait… I still own it!!

 

[Derwood]

I found your post rather interesting. I encountered a decision point a month ago.

A little background to make my situation more clear.

• My wife drives a 2022 PHEV SEL Escape. The real benefit is the ability to drive alone in the HOV lanes in California. The stickers that allow her to drive in the HOV lane will expire next year.
• I have had an off and on again appreciation for my 2023 Maverick EB AWD BAP/CP360/4KTow since I purchased it in January 2023. In the last year, I have: upgraded the stereo; 2-inch strut lift kit with new wheels and 245/60-17 tires; JCR Off Road skid plates; Wet Okole seat covers (with heating and adjustable lumbar support); and replaced the A.R.E MX-series (mid-rise) shell with an A.R.E. V-series (cab high). I like the Maverick more now than I did when it was new.
• I am very involved in AYSO soccer here in southern California. As such, I always seem to be carrying something in the bed. Yet, the bed is small and limits what I can carry.

The background helps set the stage for what happened a month ago. My wife realized the Escape won't allow her to drive in the HOV lanes alone at the end of 2024. Thus, she declared that I could buy whatever I wanted to replace it since she plans on taking my Maverick for the last few remaining years before she retires.

The thought of ordering a new F-250 Superduty or F-150 crossed my mind.

Then... I realized I like the Maverick after the modifications I have made. And, the F-150 or F-250 might mean more requests to help with AYSO or friends moving or any other reasons people ask to borrow a big truck.

I decided to keep my Maverick, buy one for her, and we will float two cars for her until the end of the year when we will sell the PHEV SEL Escape. We picked up an Atlas Blue 2024 XL Hybrid from Long McArthur Ford in Salina, Kansas the Friday before Easter.

The Maverick is not a perfect vehicle. Yet, as you eloquently stated, it fits the 80% rule for what people need nicely.

No vehicle is ever "perfect" but my Maverick is the favourite out of all the vehicles I've owned in my lifetime. A little bit of everything (looks and rides nice, decent features, hybrid is amazing MPG, more than enough truck capability for me).

 

[prsncat]

No vehicle is ever "perfect" but my Maverick is the favourite out of all the vehicles I've owned in my lifetime. A little bit of everything (looks and rides nice, decent features, hybrid is amazing MPG, more than enough truck capability for me).

I agree.

I didn't mention in my original post that I also had a pampered 2006 Ford Ranger XLT 2WD 4.0L A/T Extended Cab when I purchased both the 2022 XL Hybrid and my 2023 XLT EB AWD. I didn't sell it until I owned the 2023 for nine months.

I liked the Ranger for the longer bed and the additional towing capacity (5K lbs.). In the end, however, I chose to sell it since it was rarely driven.

The Maverick meets about 75% of my truck and daily driver needs. And, I have other vehicles to fill in the other 25%. Thus, I plan on keeping my Maverick for awhile longer.

Sponsored