Trip review: Maverick AWD vs. 6” of snow on commute

[Dad]

This afternoon our area in southern Ontario got hit with 6-8” of snow. So i got to test out the AWD system for my hour long (in good weather) commute home. The storm was fairly sudden, with lots of drifts. Multiple stuck vehicles passed on the way home. Maverick was incredible. I just have middle of the road goodyear winters. Never was close to getting stuck. Drifted every open corner with confidence. If you get your settings right, the AWD system is predictable, reliable, maintains traction and steerability impressively. Thats the coles notes… here’s some more in depth notes for whoever cares:

1. Drive modes: If you’re comfortable driving in these conditions, Sport mode W/O traction control gives you the most control. It ensures quicker access to the power when you need it and the downshift braking assist with stopping in the snow too. Its not perfect. I wish it would let you cruise in 8th gear… so on long straights i’d swap back to normal or slippery mode. If you’re trying to dart around a snowy town though, sport mode will be great.

If you arent super comfortable in snow, slippery or normal mode is fine. It just cuts power and understeers more than id like. It reacts more similarly to a FWD vehicle with good traction. Or a front weighted AWD vehicle like most SUVs.

2. Transmission: These are the only times I wish there was a manual mode. I recognize the cost and design complications this provides for a dial shifter vehicle. But I would love some paddle shifters for the 0.01% of my drives that involve heavy snow lol cuz heres a couple things that happen. On one side of things sport mode keeps you out of cruising gears mostly… so theres a kinda incessant whine between 40-60mph and the truck often cant figure out which gear it wants to be in. On the other side of things, even in sport mode ocassionally when youre feathering out a drift itll shift unexpectedly… which can be kinda jarring. It shifts very quickly so its not like it throws you into a fishtail or anything… but its enough that you’ll notice it when it happens and its discomforting.

in the end what i’m saying is it handles the snow like a champ. This drive was pretty extreme and i was avoiding travelled routes so i wouldn’t have to worry about other drives and avoiding accidents etc, so my route was even more snowy than it would have been. I never feared getting stuck. The truck always felt in control. My only gripe is how and when it puts the power down because of the above issue i mentioned. Its a manual shift selection mode away from being on par with any subaru you can find out there. Though in the mav’s defence… most subarus are now gutless CVTs that probably have similar power transmission ratio Selection issues as the maverick. But when comparing to the subarus of our hearts and memories, the ones that give you feel, control, and the ability to shift with this fancy thing us old people call a stick shifter… the lack of gear selection is my only small gripe with my Maverick’s snow performance.

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. I agree with you on the paddle shifters. Took a Hyundai Palisade FWD to the mountains and being able to downshift when I wanted was a life saver. Gives me more control over the vehicle.

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[NH Dan]

Thanks for the review, We have an EB 4K tow AWD , I was wondering when the rear wheels get power because all my old vehickles you had to lock the hubs and manually shift things to get it to do what you want but it looks like the truck figures the traction out all on it's own. Yes I am older than I think. We love our Mav in NH snow

 

[James K]

This afternoon our area in southern Ontario got hit with 6-8” of snow. So i got to test out the AWD system for my hour long (in good weather) commute home. The storm was fairly sudden, with lots of drifts. Multiple stuck vehicles passed on the way home. Maverick was incredible. I just have middle of the road goodyear winters. Never was close to getting stuck. Drifted every open corner with confidence. If you get your settings right, the AWD system is predictable, reliable, maintains traction and steerability impressively. Thats the coles notes… here’s some more in depth notes for whoever cares:

1. Drive modes: If you’re comfortable driving in these conditions, Sport mode W/O traction control gives you the most control. It ensures quicker access to the power when you need it and the downshift braking assist with stopping in the snow too. Its not perfect. I wish it would let you cruise in 8th gear… so on long straights i’d swap back to normal or slippery mode. If you’re trying to dart around a snowy town though, sport mode will be great.

If you arent super comfortable in snow, slippery or normal mode is fine. It just cuts power and understeers more than id like. It reacts more similarly to a FWD vehicle with good traction. Or a front weighted AWD vehicle like most SUVs.

2. Transmission: These are the only times I wish there was a manual mode. I recognize the cost and design complications this provides for a dial shifter vehicle. But I would love some paddle shifters for the 0.01% of my drives that involve heavy snow lol cuz heres a couple things that happen. On one side of things sport mode keeps you out of cruising gears mostly… so theres a kinda incessant whine between 40-60mph and the truck often cant figure out which gear it wants to be in. On the other side of things, even in sport mode ocassionally when youre feathering out a drift itll shift unexpectedly… which can be kinda jarring. It shifts very quickly so its not like it throws you into a fishtail or anything… but its enough that you’ll notice it when it happens and its discomforting.

in the end what i’m saying is it handles the snow like a champ. This drive was pretty extreme and i was avoiding travelled routes so i wouldn’t have to worry about other drives and avoiding accidents etc, so my route was even more snowy than it would have been. I never feared getting stuck. The truck always felt in control. My only gripe is how and when it puts the power down because of the above issue i mentioned. Its a manual shift selection mode away from being on par with any subaru you can find out there. Though in the mav’s defence… most subarus are now gutless CVTs that probably have similar power transmission ratio Selection issues as the maverick. But when comparing to the subarus of our hearts and memories, the ones that give you feel, control, and the ability to shift with this fancy thing us old people call a stick shifter… the lack of gear selection is my only small gripe with my Maverick’s snow performance.

Nice report on winter driving in a Maverick. One thing though, I'm an old person and never referred to any transmission as a stick shifter. I assume that's a Canadian thing eh.

 

[TurnedBlue]

Does anyone have insight on whether or not to put in some sandbag or weight in the bed for winter driving? Especially for FWD models? I'm figuring with the shorted bed and weight distribution that it doesn't matter as much as older truck models, but wanted to know if anyone had insight either way and whether it's still or good idea or not needed

I have the hybrid fwd and drive in Wisconsin winters. We've had multiple 4" plus snow days since I acquired the truck. I have had no issues whatsoever, and I don't have any weight in the bed. It actually handles surprisingly well.

 

[craigg]

I just got back from Mississauga today. The light snow you received was nice. I was in Saguenay for over a month and there were many snowfalls. My Maverick performed admirably but that's for another story.

 

[Pickles]

Nice report on winter driving in a Maverick. One thing though, I'm an old person and never referred to any transmission as a stick shifter. I assume that's a Canadian thing eh.

no way! Haha learn something new every day. Its definitely a common part of the vernacular up here

 

[Pickles]

Thanks for the review, We have an EB 4K tow AWD , I was wondering when the rear wheels get power because all my old vehickles you had to lock the hubs and manually shift things to get it to do what you want but it looks like the truck figures the traction out all on it's own. Yes I am older than I think. We love our Mav in NH snow

Correct! There is actually no manual lock option on the maverick. Its all computerized. It engages them gradually depending on what it thinks youre trying to do and if it thinks youll need more grip for whatever that is lol seemingly different drive modes affect the algorithm. Sport mode keeps the rears engaged more, but that might be an rpm band thing. Whenever you accelerate heavily itll get you close to a 50-50 front rear ratio.

 

[Ford Maverick Maniac]

I am having a great time with my Maverick AWD easily handling all the snow in Park City.

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