Two months/1,500 miles in with my XLT Ecoboost

[MJohnson]

After two months of driving (and a year + of waiting), I am very happy with my Ford Maverick.

Utility: since it’s winter, I have used this for very few “truck” things so far, but I have had only pickups and station wagons for the last 15 years due to their capabilities

Performance: very happy with how it runs and handles, especially in the winter

Comfort: remote start (FordPass) has been a nice treat, especially since I was not able to get heated seats;

manual seat adjustment is ok, not great but tolerable;

absolutely love the loop sewn into the seat belt so that it holds in place when released and does not get jammed in the door (like it does in my Tacoma);

TONS of interior room — I would have to be the size of Andre the Giant to feel cramped

Interior: good for this price point; the interior color scheme is….fine, but I feel like it really limits decent exterior color choices; love little things like the “compass” & outside temperature displays

Savings: my dealer honored Ford financing from my order date, which helps a lot;

even though I have the Ecoboost , I still have significant gas savings vs my other vehicle;

aftermarket SIBL & tonneau cover saved me 20-30% over Ford



What I ordered:

hybrid with luxury package (Ford’s site accepted my build but then dealer did not receive it, making me miss the deadline) ecoboost with luxury package (Ford substituted a DIBL so I dropped it because half of the value for me was the SIBL)

moonroof - I see a lot of people here dismiss them but I love the airflow & extra light

all-weather mats — love them and easier to clean than carpeted ones

bed lighting - meh, I like it but it doesn’t offer much; we will see if I like it more come drive-in season

BakFlip hard trifold tonneau cover — ordered through RealTruck.com (and got a discount by mentioning this forum) and installed myself to save beaucoup $

backseat outlet — so far have only used to charge phones

towing package — have yet to use but my second most desired feature; won’t use for anything yet

engine block heater

AWD — my most desired feature and why I did not blink at not being able to get a hybrid. Spoiled from owning a couple trucks with 4wd and wagons with AWD

hood deflector — it’s fine, mostly there to protect very edge of hood

window deflectors — getting used to ones that are so flat but love the extra venting for hot weather

“full-size” spare tire

aftermarket console divider — ordered off Amazon

Patriot SIBL — saved a lot by going directly to the local installer used by the dealer & paying cash. I love it and I love that it isn’t one more place for a giant Ford logo. The texture is fairly rough (which I like), the coverage is good, and it looks great.

Hydro flask to fit door — pops into place easily but will fall out if door is closed

RokBlox mudflats — a must-have; highly recommend

windshield and side mirror snow covers — ordered off Amazon; first time that I have used something like this

Paw hammock-style backseat protector

Hydro flask to fit door — pops into place easily but will fall out if door is closed



Still to order:

fitted sunshade

anything to make cubby and top tray functional

CarPlay dongle

hitch extender for kayaks

bed dividers (bed liner coated)


A couple thoughts:
Micro-dosing, er, micro-miling — I have no interest in messing with everyone behind me, so I do the speed limit, go when the lights turns green, etc., but I think if you care about such things, hold out for the hybrid. Me? I put it in Eco mode and try to not drive it like a hot rod.

Prevalence — I have seen only a dozen (including 3 that could have been duplicates & 2 at dealers) in Ohio (all 12), Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan over the last 14 months. Have yet to see red or yellow

Customization that I have seen on others — have yet to get a look at anything up close but I did see one Mav with bed rails above their tonneau & it looked great

Key ignition — yes, it takes a key. I guess that doesn’t make me blink, it was definitely strange to see so many people complain about this online

Auto stop, default to “normal” driving mode, & visual display about seatbelts — pretty much everyone hates these things, and they are odd choices by Ford

Outside dimension: length is fantastic/width is taking some getting used to but also feels more stable — it can be disconcerting switching between the Maverick and my 1st gen. Tacoma, but I appreciate the ways they drive differently from each other too; LOVE having a low height for the bed sidewalls & have missed functional side height for decades now

Biggest misses: seatbelt status display, sliding back window, better stock mudflaps

Other vehicles that I have owned: two Toyota Tacomas TRD (but only RWD), Subarus (Forester, Crosstrek, & an Outback), Toyota Tundra, Dodge Ram, various wagons and sedans

Thanks, everyone, for being in this together, offering suggestions, and sharing your experiences!

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