Test Drove a XLT AWD 4k Tow the good and bad!

[TGada]

I test drove an XL 2.0 EB AWD on Saturday.

I've basically been telling people that it drives like a crossover with .

It's got plenty of get-up-and-go but can totally be driven smartly to get some more MPG. The ride, in general, was super smooth and the only complaint I have is that the screen could be pointed upwards or elevated a little higher for me. I have a tall torso though, so this is not a thing everybody will notice lol.

I loved it. I have an XLT being built this week (see sig for details) so am looking forward to having a few more bells and whistles.

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[JBnorthTX]

I definitely don't feel like my pockets are too deep ( AT ALL, haha) but automobiles are one of a handful of areas where my general thriftiness typically takes a back seat. To further my previous "cup of coffee" analogy, $36 every couple weeks is still about a cup of coffee a day. For me, that seems absolutely nutty but $36 in extra gas just makes me shrug my shoulders. It's still the same amount of money each day and objectively, probably equally frivolous. It really does amaze me how situational each person's tolerance for "wasting money" can be.

And in fairness, in this particular situation? I was seriously considering a BMW X3 or X5 before the Maverick caught my eye, so I've already "saved" upwards of $30k or more already just by going with the Mav, assuming I still like it once I get to drive one. I'm sure that makes a grand for the EB upgrade here and some extra gas there seem much easier for me to swallow, too.

Even though the gap is narrower between the hybrid and Eco for rated highway mileage, you will probably find "spirited" driving will increase that gap to more than your cup of coffee comparison. But I get it. You might also find the Ecoboost Maverick is too slow for you.

 

[CASD57]

I'll be first to admit that for me the mpg is more in my head than pocket book, but my current 13.7 mpg drives me crazy, it's not like I can't afford it, I can but for Chevy to load you with the POS AFM system for better mpg is a total failure.
If I could get over the mpg my truck would be perfect 90% of the time.
But I want smaller and better MPG

 

[V2WIN]

Well like I said... the MPG is based on my inexperience with the throttle...stop and go and my daily drive.
I'm sure with more interstat in there..the MPG will be a lot better, But thats not where this truck will live...
Also the Seats are one step up from a park bench ... They are not comfortable and hard.. not Fords normal soft.
Hopefull the Active-X are softer

I just drove one too. My findings was a little different. The seats felt fine to me, very similar to my 17 Escape. Dash is a bit hard & cheap looking, but nothing that would turn me away. I loved the way it drove & looking over the hood. 90% of my drive it rode super smooth, on crappy roads it rode like a truck. I did notice a bit of wind noise by the drivers door window. All in all I say Ford has a winner on it's hands. I really want one. This dealer says hybrids probably won't come until next spring. Maybe he meant dealer owned. The truck I drove isn't sold & is msrp. If you can't wait it's at Uftring Ford East Peoria IL. He has 2 Bronco sports that has to set 6 months before they can sale them. Only for display/ test drives.
.

 

[Down]

Even though the gap is narrower between the hybrid and Eco for rated highway mileage, you will probably find "spirited" driving will increase that gap to more than your cup of coffee comparison. But I get it. You might also find the Ecoboost Maverick is too slow for you.

Except, since it'd still be me driving the hybrid, that hybrid MPG would drop too. How much? No clue at all but I'm sure it'd be significant. That's why I was basing my comparison off of estimated ratings and not bringing my own personal situation into it, that seemed like the most fair comparison and best way to discuss the issue at a high level. Since you bring up my personal situation though, my guess would be that you're absolutely correct, there would be an ever larger gap because I already know I'll never come close to the rated MPG on the EB.

Ya see, I've been driving a 2.0L Ecoboost for about 4 years that's within a cpl hp/tq and mpg of the Maverick, and I get nowhere near rated MPG. That's also why I'm pretty sure I already have an accurate idea of whether it'll be powerful enough for me, though.

IMO? It's right about perfect for a grocery getter.

 

[Down]

I'll be first to admit that for me the mpg is more in my head than pocket book, but my current 13.7 mpg drives me crazy, it's not like I can't afford it, I can but for Chevy to load you with the POS AFM system for better mpg is a total failure.
If I could get over the mpg my truck would be perfect 90% of the time.
But I want smaller and better MPG

I absolutely understand that. 20 mpg combined is my "imaginary cutoff" for MPG. I figure if my Vette can pull that off even when driven with moderately ill intent, the daily bucket better be able to maintain it.

 

[JBnorthTX]

Except, since it'd still be me driving the hybrid, that hybrid MPG would drop too. How much? No clue at all but I'm sure it'd be significant. That's why I was basing my comparison off of estimated ratings and not bringing my own personal situation into it, that seemed like the most fair comparison and best way to discuss the issue at a high level. Since you bring up my personal situation though, my guess would be that you're absolutely correct, there would be an ever larger gap because I already know I'll never come close to the rated MPG on the EB.

Ya see, I've been driving a 2.0L Ecoboost for about 4 years that's within a cpl hp/tq and mpg of the Maverick, and I get nowhere near rated MPG. That's also why I'm pretty sure I already have an accurate idea of whether it'll be powerful enough for me, though.

IMO? It's right about perfect for a grocery getter.

Oh I agree the hybrid mileage would drop, too, but I'm thinking less because boost uses more fuel. Even so, I see your point because the hybrid would also impair the fun factor.

 

[brnpttmn]

I do agree that MPG will be a constant topic here but the more I read, the more I think it's because folks really overestimate how much of a difference a few MPG will make on your pocketbook.

I'm not sure how much (or if) others over/under estimate the savings, but since it came up I thought I would share this (in case it helps folks with those estimates).

Based on the known numbers (might change with the final hybrid numbers), the hybrid should save someone between $125 and $1075 a year under "normal mileage" (although I'm not quite sure if someone could actually drive 100% hwy miles--100% city might be possible). For typical driving (EPA's 60/40 city miles), people should save between $400 and $700 a year.

City %	Hwy %	Ecoboost AWD	Hybrid	% diff	MPG diff	$/yr (@15K $3.50)	$/yr (@10K $3.00)
100​	0​	22​	40​	82%​	18​	$ 1,073.86	$ 613.64
90​	10​	22.7​	39.3​	73%​	16.6​	$ 976.90	$ 558.23
80​	20​	23.4​	38.6​	65%​	15.2​	$ 883.49	$ 504.85
70​	30​	24.1​	37.9​	57%​	13.8​	$ 793.20	$ 453.26
60​	40​	24.8​	37.2​	50%​	12.4​	$ 705.65	$ 403.23
50​	50​	25.5​	36.5​	43%​	11​	$ 620.47	$ 354.55
40​	60​	26.2​	35.8​	37%​	9.6​	$ 537.34	$ 307.05
30​	70​	26.9​	35.1​	30%​	8.2​	$ 455.95	$ 260.54
20​	80​	27.6​	34.4​	25%​	6.8​	$ 376.01	$ 214.86
10​	90​	28.3​	33.7​	19%​	5.4​	$ 297.26	$ 169.86
0​	100​	29​	33​	14%​	4​	$ 219.44	$ 125.39

 

[Down]

I'm not sure how much (or if) others over/under estimate the savings, but since it came up I thought I would share this (in case it helps folks with those estimates).

Based on the known numbers (might change with the final hybrid numbers), the hybrid should save someone between $125 and $1075 a year under "normal mileage" (although I'm not quite sure if someone could actually drive 100% hwy miles--100% city might be possible). For typical driving (EPA's 60/40 city miles), people should save between $400 and $700 a year.

People's perception of savings is obviously subjective but your analysis does confirm one thing for me: looks like the savings for the "typical driver" could break out to right at about a buck or two a day, which is PERFECTLY in line with the "price of a cup of coffee per day" comparison I've used borderline ad nauseum to make this point. Nice to see some more corroboration and thanks for throwing that graph together!

While I agree that any kind of savings are nice (I'm a warehouse/Costco shopper at heart), it's still a buck or two a day. The average person would find WAY, WAY more financial relief by cutting out a couple restaurant trips a month or any of a thousand other tweaks. Of course, by all means, if you've already cleaned up all the other areas of your finances, tweak away and be excited beyond belief for that extra buck or two a day. But given the debt load/overall financial situation of the average person these days, I believe those folks are few and far between.

At the end of the day, I just feel sorry for anyone who thinks that moving to a hybrid will be some panacea for their finances. For the average person, it just won't be. And I really understand how easy that would be because I fall victim to that type of thinking more often than I'd like to admit. I'll still occasionally get hit with the impulse to drive a bit out of my way to the "cheaper gas stations" when I see a frustratingly high gas price until I think to myself "dude, all that effort to save $2? WTF are you thinking!".

And so ends WAY, WAY more words than I ever thought I'd type on the subject of "hybrid pocketbook implications". ~fin

 

[CASD57]

People's perception of savings is obviously subjective but your analysis does confirm one thing for me: looks like the savings for the "typical driver" could break out to right at about a buck or two a day, which is PERFECTLY in line with the "price of a cup of coffee per day" comparison I've used borderline ad nauseum to make this point. Nice to see some more corroboration and thanks for throwing that graph together!

While I agree that any kind of savings are nice (I'm a warehouse/Costco shopper at heart), it's still a buck or two a day. The average person would find WAY, WAY more financial relief by cutting out a couple restaurant trips a month or any of a thousand other tweaks. Of course, by all means, if you've already cleaned up all the other areas of your finances, tweak away and be excited beyond belief for that extra buck or two a day. But given the debt load/overall financial situation of the average person these days, I believe those folks are few and far between.

At the end of the day, I just feel sorry for anyone who thinks that moving to a hybrid will be some panacea for their finances. For the average person, it just won't be. And I really understand how easy that would be because I fall victim to that type of thinking more often than I'd like to admit. I'll still occasionally get hit with the impulse to drive a bit out of my way to the "cheaper gas stations" when I see a frustratingly high gas price until I think to myself "dude, all that effort to save $2? WTF are you thinking!".

And so ends WAY, WAY more words than I ever thought I'd type on the subject of "hybrid pocketbook implications". ~fin

Well, since the pandemic we have natural cleaned up our spending habit…..rarely go out to eat….don’t fall into the Starbucks rabbit hole..etc.,,
like I said it’s more about the head trip than the pocket book, when it comes to mpg. If I see 20 plus I’m happy, I can drive more, if I see 13-14mpg, I’m stuck trying to map out the best bang for trip/ fuel usage
its all in my head, but I’ve always been cheap

 

[Down]

Well, since the pandemic we have natural cleaned up our spending habit…..rarely go out to eat….don’t fall into the Starbucks rabbit hole..etc.,,
like I said it’s more about the head trip than the pocket book, when it comes to mpg. If I see 20 plus I’m happy, I can drive more, if I see 13-14mpg, I’m stuck trying to map out the best bang for trip/ fuel usage
its all in my head, but I’ve always been cheap

Haha. Well, from what I've seen at least, you seem to have a VERY realistic view of what you expect to get out of it, I think you'll be very happy.

Sidenote: I also love this thread because I'm gonna throw it in my wife's face next time she calls me a cheap miser!

 

[brnpttmn]

People's perception of savings is obviously subjective but your analysis does confirm one thing for me: looks like the savings for the "typical driver" could break out to right at about a buck or two a day, which is PERFECTLY in line with the "price of a cup of coffee per day" comparison I've used borderline ad nauseum to make this point. Nice to see some more corroboration and thanks for throwing that graph together!

Totally agree. I think there's a reason the "cup of coffee" thing is the archetypal financial planning example. Seemingly small reoccurring expenses add up to real money at some point, and also are a perfect example of the opportunity cost involved with discretionary spending.

I tend analyze expenses in terms of cost per month. I'd expect that my driving aligns with the 80/20 city splits and 10K @ $3, so I'm looking at about $40/mo savings over the EB (or about $20/mo over my corolla, which is gravy considering the extra functionality of the maverick). Thinking about that against other monthly costs, and it's actually significant considering I don't have to "do anything" for those savings.

This is also why the hybrid base in the maverick is a revolution in marketing terms. A typical driver is not really giving up anything (other than a couple seconds 0-60) to get extra efficiency and that daily cup of coffee.

 

[Down]

Totally agree. I think there's a reason the "cup of coffee" thing is the archetypal financial planning example. Seemingly small reoccurring expenses add up to real money at some point, and also are a perfect example of the opportunity cost involved with discretionary spending.

I tend analyze expenses in terms of cost per month. I'd expect that my driving aligns with the 80/20 city splits and 10K @ $3, so I'm looking at about $40/mo savings over the EB (or about $20/mo over my corolla, which is gravy considering the extra functionality of the maverick). Thinking about that against other monthly costs, and it's actually significant considering I don't have to "do anything" for those savings.

This is also why the hybrid base in the maverick is a revolution in marketing terms. A typical driver is not really giving up anything (other than a couple seconds 0-60) to get extra efficiency and that daily cup of coffee.

Oh yeah, if one didn't care about performance, towing capacity or getting a quick delivery, I don't see ANY reason not to get the hybrid. Those savings are basically passive income. It's definitely a landmark move by Ford that I applaud in many ways.

But I also see one fundamental thing that makes our perspective likely to be quite a bit different. I'm strictly referring to the average person in my examples. And from what I've seen, I think even considering opportunity cost for the average person distorts reality.

IMO, the only opportunity cost many people are really paying is "what" they're throwing their money away on; gas or something else. If most people would take that small amount they're saving and invest it or even pay off other, high interest debt, I'd totally see the benefit and agree. But most people are just gonna use it to go out to eat an extra time a month or add a new streaming account to their monthly bills. Of course, there are many who would make good use of that extra savings, those are the ones I originally exempted from the scope of my thoughts though. People that pay that much attention to their finances are also likely to have a more realistic understanding of the real impact that buck or two a day is going to have.

This really mirrors my thoughts on paying cash vs financing at a low rate. The prevailing wisdom seems to dictate that you should always finance in that situation. I think that's spot on advice.....if you're responsible with money. But most people aren't, that's why the Dave Ramseyish approach of alleviating debt at every pass is so helpful for so many people, even though it's not an approach most financially successful folks use.

 

[CASD57]

After a few days, I’m rethinking that maybe I was a bit rough with my review, as some pointed out 8 miles isn’t enough for the mpg to settle in. I did reset it when I started, that would cause the wide fluctuations in the mpg, so I’m feeling once the truck had some miles on it that the avg will be better,
We all know that when you reset the mpg that the mileometer jumps around a lot.
Seats… I still think they were firmer than I like….but it’s not something that would stop me from buying it.
It drove nice, felt great but the weighted steering felt weird to me…kind of like the front end was light( I know it’s not) must be the electric power steering.
bottom line I liked it and the power was very nice

 

[Deleted member 1370]

Got to drive an XLT AWD yesterday...two things come to mind.
The cloth seats are hard I would not want to drive 500 miles and the seat cut into the back of legs, that could be an adjustment but the hard seats can't...maybe time will soften them up
Can anyone confirm whether the Lariat seats are softer?

Also, I heard the engine a lot winding up and down...Coming in from the feet area

The good., ....its a rocket lol, yea its no slouch and it was actually hard not to jackrabbit start and I'm sure through time I would learn the feel of the throttle and get better gas mileage, but I can't see above 20-21mpg in stop and go but remember this has the Tow package and different gearing
And it rides nice for a Truck..I would consider it more of an SUV ride which I'm fine with

Another bad... MPG never got better than 20-21mpg in the 8 miles I drove it(I saw more 18-19mpg) where the Bronco Sport stayed in the 28 mpg range pushing up to 32mpg in a 45 mph area on the same drive

More later as I let it all sink in
It does have me questioning my XL AWD 4k Tow build and whether take a chance and wait for my Lariat Hybrid or go looking for a low mileage 2WD Toyota Tacoma since the MPG is about the same as 2.0 ecoboost, If I didn't need a truck once in a while for yard stuff I would get the Bronco Sport(I don't remember the seats being hard)
Stuff to think about but I'm sure I probably can't live with 20mpg in a base truck over my current Cowboy Cadillac even at 13.7 mpg, I probably had my hopes up to much on the XL 2WD getting 24-26mpg and then I could live with it......But those seats...boy they are hard and uncomfortable for a FORD

i bet the seats would wear in and break in with time like any seat or chair. especially being cloth as well, itll contour to the driver with time and ass in seat time one may say.

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