So, you've ordered. Do you have concerns?

[OTACORB]

What’s to worry about? There is the warranty and If push comes to shove the lemon law.

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[BARTMAVERICK]

I'm not worried because I'll be trading the Mav on a '23 Bronco Wildtrak(8/28/20 reservation). I can tolerate any vehicle for a year or so.

 

[JamesHenry]

No real concerns but I know there's a definite chance that once I get to test drive one, I'll pass. I've never driven a hybrid and have no clue whether the driving experience will be what I'm looking for.

I went from a 2021 Honda Civic Type R to a 2015 Toyota Prius. It's funny you mention the test drive because I didn't test drive the Prius as I feared the same thing. Hybrids get a lot of crap (especially the Prius) but they have enough get-up-and-go due to the ICE and extra power from the electric motors. I actually enjoyed driving the Prius quite a bit, even throwing it around on twisty back roads with questionable low rolling resistant original tires from 2015. It was extremely hard to get less than 45mpgs.

Since the Maverick and Prius both use Atkinson combustion engines and an eCVT, I feel like it will perform very well in the long term with reliability.

With that being said, I opted for the 2.0L Ecoboost and AWD because my plans are a fun little sport truck. My concerns are that the vehicle was designed to be as cheap as possible from the get-go. This doesn't necessarily mean cheap parts but right off the bat you can see the cost cutting measures right under the hood. No sound dampening material on the underside of the hood, no clips or brackets for some of the wires that run over the engine. No engine bay cover although there are mounts for one. Ford is notoriously ran by bean counters and while the truck is super functional, I cannot help but wonder where else they cut corners.

 

[Down]

One issue that stands out to me, was one Mexican speaking video where they said they are hiring 500 BRAND NEW workers to build the Mav.

I won't worry about this issue too much. I used to work in a small company that produces very reliable products. Some screws must be installed with a specific number of turns. So they ordered a special electric screwdriver, which can only rotate a specific number of turns. Any worker, even with only two hours of training, can't mess it up. If Ford didn’t know manufacturing better than that small company, I would be surprised.

Yup.
It's also not like vehicles handled stateside by experienced workers are immune from failure, either. Here's a picture of what 4 years and 40,000 miles of well maintained, accident free ownership has done to my 2017 Escape. From what I've seen on Ford Escape forums? I'm NOWHERE NEAR the only one it's happened to, but it appears to only happen on blue and white Escapes that originated from a single plant in Louisville, KY. To my knowledge, there wasn't a mass hiring event prior to this, so it can be assumed this happened under the eye of experienced folks. The thousands this will cost me to either fix, or lose in trade in value, doesn't hurt any less because someone with experience in KY screwed it up instead of a newbie in Mexico.

So, if being assembled stateside and/or by experienced folks gives ya warm and fuzzies? Be my guest. But I REALLY don't think it's gonna make much of a difference. All you can really do is roll your dice and keep your fingers crossed that any defects in workmanship pop up before your warranty runs out and the manufacturer tells you to go fly a kite.

 

[Down]

I went from a 2021 Honda Civic Type R to a 2015 Toyota Prius. It's funny you mention the test drive because I didn't test drive the Prius as I feared the same thing. Hybrids get a lot of crap (especially the Prius) but they have enough get-up-and-go due to the ICE and extra power from the electric motors. I actually enjoyed driving the Prius quite a bit, even throwing it around on twisty back roads with questionable low rolling resistant original tires from 2015. It was extremely hard to get less than 45mpgs.

Since the Maverick and Prius both use Atkinson combustion engines and an eCVT, I feel like it will perform very well in the long term with reliability.

With that being said, I opted for the 2.0L Ecoboost and AWD because my plans are a fun little sport truck. My concerns are that the vehicle was designed to be as cheap as possible from the get-go. This doesn't necessarily mean cheap parts but right off the bat you can see the cost cutting measures right under the hood. No sound dampening material on the underside of the hood, no clips or brackets for some of the wires that run over the engine. No engine bay cover although there are mounts for one. Ford is notoriously ran by bean counters and while the truck is super functional, I cannot help but wonder where else they cut corners.

Great insight and vids, ty!
I've been keeping my fingers crossed that I'd have a similar takeaway once I drove one. And in fairness, I don't necessarily "need/want" that much fun from my daily driver, so I'm hopeful.

On the other hand, the only two cars I've driven the last 4 years are a Z06 Vette and my 255hp/275trq Escape, so I have to admit that I may be a bit more spoiled on power than I realize, lol.

 

[Dbarr]

Hey All, I finally put my order, a hybrid Lariat Lux, in, and had it confirmed 21 Jul.

Do any of you have nagging questions about what we're getting? Anybody else concerned about what corners were cut to get the entry price point so low?

Mea Culpa! My only concern was a phantom! Ty bschurman!

Overall, the Maverick still checks all the boxes for me, and I'm taking delivery of mine, unless there are major concerns that bubble-up between now and Dec/Jan (or later).

What about the rest of you? Anything cooling your feet at all?

Nope

 

[oljackfrost]

I went from a 2021 Honda Civic Type R to a 2015 Toyota Prius. It's funny you mention the test drive because I didn't test drive the Prius as I feared the same thing. Hybrids get a lot of crap (especially the Prius) but they have enough get-up-and-go due to the ICE and extra power from the electric motors. I actually enjoyed driving the Prius quite a bit, even throwing it around on twisty back roads with questionable low rolling resistant original tires from 2015. It was extremely hard to get less than 45mpgs.

Since the Maverick and Prius both use Atkinson combustion engines and an eCVT, I feel like it will perform very well in the long term with reliability.

With that being said, I opted for the 2.0L Ecoboost and AWD because my plans are a fun little sport truck. My concerns are that the vehicle was designed to be as cheap as possible from the get-go. This doesn't necessarily mean cheap parts but right off the bat you can see the cost cutting measures right under the hood. No sound dampening material on the underside of the hood, no clips or brackets for some of the wires that run over the engine. No engine bay cover although there are mounts for one. Ford is notoriously ran by bean counters and while the truck is super functional, I cannot help but wonder where else they cut corners.

An engine cover is just decoration. I’ll agree with you on the underhood pad, if designed properly it can help quench an underhood fire.

 

[GApeach]

Can an under hood pad be added aftermarket?

 

[bpcooper14]

Can an under hood pad be added aftermarket?

I would assume there's something you could add that's aftermarket (albeit maybe not specifically made for the maverick)

 

[JamesHenry]

An engine cover is just decoration. I’ll agree with you on the underhood pad, if designed properly it can help quench an underhood fire.

Eh, an engine cover can also help reduce engine noise and protect electrical connections from dirt/water but I agree that more often than not they are more decorative than useful. My point was just that one SKU covers the 2.0L Ecoboost Bronco Sport, Escape and Edge and since the mounts are already there, not including it is an odd cost cutting measure (assuming the same part would fit). I personally have zero preference either way ha.

An underhood pad would be nice and can protect the paint from heat damage and greatly reduce sound and as oljackfrost says, can help smother an engine fire. I assume there won't be anything vehicle specific from the aftermarket but there are a lot of solutions available that are universal - Dynamat products come to my mind.

 

[kingranchero]

Can an under hood pad be added aftermarket?

You could snag an engine cover from a 2020+ Escape.

Edit: I believe this is only for the EcoBoost engine, do not think the Hybrids ever got an engine cover.

 

[grumpyunk]

Can an under hood pad be added aftermarket?

Peach, my brother that just bought a new Ranger ordered an engine cover from ebay, I think. It was designed for the 2.3l ecoboost used in the Rangers, and apparently just snapped in place. If there are covers for the 2.0, which may be the exact same as the 2.0, they should likely fit.
tom

My only concern is the size of the sliding window. When I saw the example on the 'build' site, I was disappointed in the size, as the movable part appeared to be quite small, and a waste of money to purchase.
I then saw an interior shot looking out the back window, for a manual window, I think, and it appeared to be a lot more normal in size. I added the manual rear window, but an uncertain what I will get. If it is that tiny little thing, I will be unhappy, but if it is a window that almost reaches full size, top-to-bottom, I will be satisfied. But there is some concern.
Second concern was the apparent paint problem in Hermosillo produced vehicles, and perhaps a problem with Area51 paint.. not too sure on that, though.
tom

 

[SgtLip]

One issue that stands out to me, was one Mexican speaking video where they said they are hiring 500 BRAND NEW workers to build the Mav.

The Mexicans are building 90% of the homes in the USA. They do a decent job at best. Nothing to see here, move along.

 

[Chris_G]

Peach, my brother that just bought a new Ranger ordered an engine cover from ebay, I think. It was designed for the 2.3l ecoboost used in the Rangers, and apparently just snapped in place. If there are covers for the 2.0, which may be the exact same as the 2.0, they should likely fit.
tom

My only concern is the size of the sliding window. When I saw the example on the 'build' site, I was disappointed in the size, as the movable part appeared to be quite small, and a waste of money to purchase.
I then saw an interior shot looking out the back window, for a manual window, I think, and it appeared to be a lot more normal in size. I added the manual rear window, but an uncertain what I will get. If it is that tiny little thing, I will be unhappy, but if it is a window that almost reaches full size, top-to-bottom, I will be satisfied. But there is some concern.
Second concern was the apparent paint problem in Hermosillo produced vehicles, and perhaps a problem with Area51 paint.. not too sure on that, though.
tom

If you're transporting a long section of PVC pipe that window may come in handy.

 

[F1PRB22GA]

The Mexicans are building 90% of the homes in the USA. They do a decent job at best. Nothing to see here, move along.

I didn't say Mexican workers were the concern, I said BRAND NEW workers were.

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