Turning Radius... Why is it so bad?

[csuh13]

So, after driving the Maverick for almost a year and a half, the one thing that continues to irk me is that it seems to have the turning radius of a whale. Any particular reason it is so big? I often have trouble making u-turns on the first go.

I have had many cars over the years (including a couple of land yachts from the '70's) and I have never had a vehicle that turns so wide.

Is it due to the combination of FWD and the extra hybrid gear under the hood?

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[d7602002]

I am not sure either but I noticed it seems worse than I've had before. Seem sometimes I think boy I have plenty of room to do a u-turn and then you start doing it and you're like oh oh. Then you have to stop and actually back up and then go forward again to complete the turn.

 

[csuh13]

I am not sure either but I noticed it seems worse than I've had before. Seem sometimes I think boy I have plenty of room to do a u-turn and then you start doing it and you're like oh oh. Then you have to stop and actually back up and then go forward again to complete the turn.

I know! It's pretty embarrassing to have to do a 3 point turn while doing a basic u-turn in a compact truck. It makes me feel like I'm driving a dually Super Duty.

 

[Escapologist]

Seems reasonable to me, not gonna have the turning circle of a subcompact hatch, is about the same wheelbase and width as minivans and turns like them, does better than bigger trucks.

 

[Scott Asheville]

Everyone uses turning radius/circle as a competitive measure. But it can lie. That's because turning radius can be measured curb-to-curb, or wall-to-wall. The former means the tires won't rub on curbs "x" feet apart (the overhang will overshoot the curb). The latter means the truck won't hit a wall "x" feet apart..

I believe Ford uses "curb to curb" for the Maverick. Somebody feel free to correct me if I got that wrong. The Maverick is definitely a turning whale compared to my old Ranger 2-door (vehicle length 189" vs 200").

The more the hood and trunk (or bed) extend beyond the wheels, the bigger the difference between curb-curb and wall-wall turning circles.

BTW, there are several existing threads on MTC that go into the Maverick's turning radius.

 

[Tbone289]

The wheebase isn't exactly in the normal "compact vehicle" range.

 

[Dave O]

It turns better than my 2014 F-150 and definitely better than my 41 foot motorhome flat towing my 2025 Maverick

 

[Maverick123]

121 inch wheelbase can't lie ...

 

[Carlitos_92]

So, after driving the Maverick for almost a year and a half, the one thing that continues to irk me is that it seems to have the turning radius of a whale. Any particular reason it is so big? I often have trouble making u-turns on the first go.

I have had many cars over the years (including a couple of land yachts from the '70's) and I have never had a vehicle that turns so wide.

Is it due to the combination of FWD and the extra hybrid gear under the hood?

Probably nothing at all to do with the hybrid components, and everything to do with the transverse engine/transmission layout and FWD axles. Long wheelbase does not help.

 

[Propane Burning Man]

I believe it has everything to do with the front axles limiting how much the wheels can turn without binding the axles. I noticed right away that my maverick did not seem to turn as tight as my 2015 full size Transit T150. I looked it up: Maverick turning diameter is 40 feet with a 121-inch wheelbase, Transit turning diameter is 39 feet with a 130-inch wheelbase.

 

[Maverick123]

... I looked it up: Maverick turning diameter is 40 feet with a 121-inch wheelbase, Transit turning diameter is 39 feet with a 130-inch wheelbase.

DAMN I thought it was because of the wheelbase but I stand corrected. I wonder why it's so much worse, on a similar chassis?

Reminds of the one time I had a PT Cruiser as a rental, I'd screw up every single try at parking. I thought I'd had a stroke and even told my GF "I don't know what's wrong but it's like I don't know how to drive anymore?". Turns out the turning diameter on that wretched POS was like that of an F350

 

[h1k3rb]

Yeah, the Maverick turning circle is definitely not as good as my 118-in wheelbase Ram ProMaster van was. It had a turning circle of 36.3 ft. And with the typical van format of sitting almost up over the front wheels it felt like you were going directly sideways at full lock.

 

[asylus]

Besides the interior comforts I also miss the turning radius of my 99 jeep grand cherokee laredo. The Maverick is still fun to drive till I have to turn around.

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

DAMN I thought it was because of the wheelbase but I stand corrected. I wonder why it's so much worse, on a similar chassis?

Transit (full size) is not a similar chassis to Maverick, and certainly not FWD. Are you thinking Transit Connect?

HRG

 

[Achtungg]

So, after driving the Maverick for almost a year and a half, the one thing that continues to irk me is that it seems to have the turning radius of a whale. Any particular reason it is so big? I often have trouble making u-turns on the first go.

I have had many cars over the years (including a couple of land yachts from the '70's) and I have never had a vehicle that turns so wide.

Is it due to the combination of FWD and the extra hybrid gear under the hood?

Not been issue for me on Florida roads.

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