A lot of people are very interested in to know if the new compact Ford Maverick can
take the place of a car.
I think so as long as you don’t need a trunk.
Hard to believe, some Americans are unaware that that the most popular vehicle in America
isn’t a car, it’s the Ford F-150.
That’s followed by the dynamic duo of Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, then the Ram 1500.
So if you think Ford’s useful, affordable, compact Maverick is a no brainer, remember,
it’s practically alone in the marketplace.
Product planning like this deserves the Nobel Prize in Automotive.
Which, okay, is not a thing.
Yes I have done Maverick videos before but all of those were based on one day’s experience
and I wanted to get more time with this because there is some chatter that, in an odd sort
of way, this is the replacement for the Focus in Ford’s lineup.
Remember, the blue oval folks not doing cars anymore.
Can this replace a regular passenger car like a Honda Civic, Mazda3 or Hyundai Elantra.
Gotta remember, America loves it’s pick ups.
For sure, the Ford’s form factor is completely different from those three, and Maverick isn’t
really small.
It’s about the same length as three row crossovers like Kia Telluride and Ford’s
own Explorer.
But pricing is in the ballpark of the passenger vehicles.
The hybrid model (which is strictly front wheel drive) starts at $21,500 with destination.
I’m driving a front-drive mid-pack XLT model with the EcoBoost engine and a few options
like the Luxury Package and $390 Hot Pepper Red paint.
It brings the total to a not unreasonable $28,500.
If you can find one.
The Flexbed as Ford calls it is, well, flexible.
For starters, tailgaters, will never want for a bottle opener.
Both sides of the bed have these 12V leads that can be used to power all sorts of things
like air compressors to pump up inflatable kayaks or LED lighting if you don’t opt
for the built-in kind.
Ford offers easy to follow plans for these kinds of projects and many more.
Scan the QR code for a website with instructional videos.
The four and half foot bed has all the slots needed to create dividers using lumber.
And 4 x 8 sheets of material can be hauled when using those slots and a few straps.
If you need more than this, be lazy like me and get it delivered.
Maverick’s compact size does have some real advantages it’s more relaxing to drive in
crowded urban areas easier to park and it’s easier to work out of almost anybody can just
reach over and grab stuff out of the bed can’t say that about full-size pick ups.
This and the hybrid will tow 2,000 pounds.
The EcoBoost can tug two tons IF AWD and the tow package is selected.
In total, that’s a four grand upgrade over the hybrid.
Hyundai Santa Cruz is Maverick’s only direct competitor.
Heavily based on the Tucson SUV, it has a more refined car-like interior.
It’s bed is shorter by just 2 inches.
It tows 3,500 pounds and has a better payload rating by 50 to 250 pounds depending on model.
It gets storage under the load floor and can be had with this integrated tonneau cover
That’s an option for Maverick, but arguably Hyundai does it better.
Same goes for the driving dynamics.
It’s actually compelling to drive.
However, it’s over 4,000 dollars more than Maverick, isn’t offered as a hybrid, and
doesn’t have the trucky look of the Ford if that’s what floats the boat you need
to tow.
All right, let’s get back to Maverick specifically.
The 2-liter turbocharged 4 pumps out 250 horsepower and 277-pound feet of torque on regular grade
gasoline.
Remember these?
It’s a key and it works like this.
For push button start, move up to the top trim Lariat.
The EcoBoost engine shifts with an 8-speed gearbox.
Control freaks should understand there’s no way to shift manually.
There are drive modes, it’s my experience that Maverick always defaults to “Normal”
on startup.
The turbo four makes Maverick a pretty quick pick up, 0 to 60 in this front wheel drive
version is a little over six seconds.
A tip for you, if you wanna go a little faster off-the-line, go with all-wheel drive here’s
why
That’s some pretty significant wheel spin and under hard throttle there is a little
bit of torque steer pulls to the right not a dealbreaker though
All of that goes away with AWD.
If you don’t need it, maybe consider the hybrid powertrain that’s perfectly spunky
in city driving.
The EcoBoost has the edge when passing on two-lane roads.
And yeah, we’re all waiting to hear when… or if…
Ford will build an AWD hybrid.
The EPA fuel economy average of this particular truck is 26 miles per gallon I’m seeing
a little less than that, around 18 in the city, 28 on the highway.
It does take regular grade gas though.
One thing to keep in mind the, hybrid cost less and gets much better fuel economy.
I hear on average around 40 MPG
Those cars I mentioned earlier?
They average just over 30 miles per gallon, the Elantra Hybrid is rated at 50 MPG.
And gas isn’t getting any cheaper.
There is an automatic there is a fuel saving automatic engine stop start system let’s
see how smooth it is shut down pretty smooth start up nice very unobtrusive chances are
you won’t turn it off.
Compared to even mid-sized trucks like Canyon and Gladiator, Maverick is fun to fling around
in the city.
It works well on the highway too, going down the road straight and true without micro corrections.
The structure feels solid over bumps.
As far as ride quality is concerned the suspension is a little bit on the firm side this drive
is very much like a compact crossover say a bronco sport which makes a lot of sense
because these two vehicles are built on the same architecture.
Other than Santa Cruz, Maverick is as car-like as you’re going to get from a pickup truck.
Even more so than Honda Ridgeline which is also unibody.
People make too much of unibody, it’s not a bad thing.
Range Rovers have been unibody for years, with no structural issues at all.
At highway speeds you’re going to hear some wind noise off the front, of course because
this is as aerodynamic as a house.
It’s not bad though especially considering the price this is reasonably quiet.
Certainly not a King Ranch but you gotta remember this is literally a third price of one of
those.
For chores Maverick stacks up well to midsized machines.
Max towing does fall short, Ridgeline will tow 5,000 pounds.
Tacoma, Frontier, Colorado and Ranger are all in the 6,500 to 7,000 pound range if that’s
what you need to do.
Maverick’s payload is an impressive 1,500 pounds.
That’s slightly less than Colorado and Ranger, but a little better than Frontier and Tacoma.
Visibility is especially good in the Maverick there are no blind spots whatsoever and even
more important the front end isn’t massive so if there’s a small kid in front you’ll
see them
Have full sized pickups with high hoods become too large?
Maverick is around 7 inches longer than a 1970’s era Ford F-Series.
That’s for a single cab model.
True, Maverick is only available with a crew cab so the bed is shorter.
Building it in one configuration keeps costs down.
It’s more useful than many think.
I brought four chairs over to my brother’s house.
The bed length is 54.4 inches, that happens to be ideal for throwing my mountain bike
in back, at 23 years old I’m going to get it upgraded.
Martin Campbell needed an extra ladder for a project he’s working on and that slides
in without a problem, the bedliner is part of the $2,300 XLT Luxury package by the way.
And my wife knew I had a pickup, so she sent me out to grab a bunch of mulch.
That’s the downside of pickups, you’ll be doing stuff for everyone.
Most of these chores would be tough to do in a car.
There’s something endearing about Maverick’s interior.
It uses very basic materials.
Designers kept them honest, they don’t try to mimic wood or leather.
Between the grain texture, the navy-blue colorway, and the occasional fastener, it elevates the
space from austere to pleasantly purposeful.
It’s even easy to clean out.
Both the pattern and waste carbon fiber that’s recycled into this material are a cool touch.
Looks like someone at Ford remembers the American Motors Gremlin Levi’s Edition, even though
there aren’t any rivets.
If you’re long of leg, the cushions MIGHT be a little short.
Clever touches include door pulls that can be used in a bunch of different ways.
The split works well, it lets tall bottles fit in, they even click securely.
All cars should have this.
The cabin has all… sorts…of…small…
cubbies…to squirrel… things away.
Best use of space I’ve seen in any vehicle.
They should sell Maverick at The Container Store.
The console is big enough for Paul Bunyan’s lunch, okay, maybe snack.
For lining up a tow hitch, the camera has this trick.
The climate control is single zone, sometimes I wonder how truly effective dual zone is.
Ford’s Sync3 user interface is bare bones, navigation isn’t even offered, but chances
are owners would just use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay anyways.
A cord is necessary for that.
And rounding things out, there are actual knobs and buttons.
The base six speaker audio setup is not half bad.
Audiophiles will want the Bang and Olufsen system that’s exclusive to Lariat trim.
So you finally get to test in Maverick, why didn’t you come to the press event?
You’re forgetting about my run in with the TSA….
Right, forgot about that.
Yeah, thanks for bringing that up.
Let’s move onto more positive things like the backseat.
We’re 5 foot nine, this space is not bad for a vehicle this size.
Head, knee, leg and foot room all pretty good.
Cushions are high enough so that thigh support is excellent and door openings big enough
so that car seats go in and out without any issues.
That whole deal upfront where you can put big water bottles here and grab this anywhere
is here too.
A demerit here though, there is no seat back pocket on this side.
Also no adjustable air vents.
Plenty of places to charge phones and computers.
This slot here is so you can add an accessory cupholder or a trash bin, you can either 3-D
print them or buy them at your Ford dealer.
Again the seats, surprisingly comfortable, this is the classic case where three adults
will fit but for comfort you’re really gonna want to keep it to two.
And of course there is storage underneath here, room for your computer, tools all sorts
of sports stuff.
Maverick’s design has recognizable Ford styling cues.
Some people thought that it was a new Ranger, it really doesn’t look like a tiny truck.
It doesn’t have the window cut into the door like F150, but there’s a nod to that
notch.
You’ve probably heard, this is a very difficult vehicle to get.
Many knew EXACLTY what it was it, the license plate set off to one side is a clue.
The plastic surrounds can be replaced easily if damaged.
No trip to the body shop needed, though there’s something appealing about old dented up pickup
trucks.
The tailgate locks with the fob but the biggest thing keeping people from switching from a
car to this is the lack of a secure trunk to keep things out of sight.
Tonneau covers fix that but it’s not quite the same.
I never do the TP trunk test with pickups so let’s move onto red light green light.
Green Light- Maverick is a good solid basic pickup truck, the honesty is refreshing.
The compact dimensions are perfect for those living in dense urban areas.
The small size is surprisingly useful for most tasks.
It’s very affordable, the sweet spot is around $27,000 for a decently equipped model.
Yellow Light- it works well for small families unless you need the backseat for lockable
storage.
Fuel economy is terrific but only if you get the hybrid.
It can tow up to 2 tons but that means going with the eco-boost and all-wheel-drive upgrade.
Red Light- The Sync3 user interface is a pretty rudimentary system.
An all-wheel-drive hybrid would be mighty appealing, too bad there isn’t one available.
Good luck finding one, there are all sorts of horror stories about dealer markup too.
Shop around.
There’s all sorts of chatter that other auto makers are looking to get in on this
unique segment.
Right now Maverick and Santa Cruz have the pie to themselves.
Not everybody wants a small pickup, but after five days with this I found nothing larger
was needed.
So can Maverick replace the sedan or hatchback?
I think so it’s comfortable it’s easy to drive it’s the right size it gets really
good fuel economy if you go with the hybrid the only issue is you don’t have a lockable
truck that’s just not gonna happen with a vehicle like this it’s a pick up.
Like any car or truck, keep track of what you want to do with it and buy what you need.
Maverick is proof that small can be a pretty big deal.
One of the nicest thing about Maverick is that it’s a lot more relaxing to drive in
the city.
Coming back from this shoot Martin Cambell and I ran into a guy in a ram 2500 that seem
to be in a huge hurry, weaving in and out of traffic like he was behind the wheel of
a Miata but getting nowhere fast.
All stressed out.
Meanwhile we changed lanes with ease.
While passing him, we noticed the bed was pristine.
Like he never used it.
Gotta believe it was purely a image thing for him.
I’ve said before that I have a quote service if you use mine it supports this channel and
you get immediate invoice pricing the way I will tell you if you’re thinking about
getting a quote on a Maverick and you’re kinda out of luck basically these things are
sold out they’re just wildly popular OK just being honest with you
Go to Ford’s website to build and order and you’ll get this disclaimer.
Weird times we’re living in.
In sooo many ways.
Speaking of Martin, I will once again thank him for driving so I can shoot running footage.
You know that I shoot write and edit all of these videos myself?
I enjoy the process.
Martin is an excellent still photographer and he takes all the thumbnails for the YouTube
channel.
He’s also an terrific DJ if you have a party in the Seattle area.
DM me, I’ll link you up.
Hope you got something out of my extended look at the Ford maverick I like this little
truck the only issue I have with it is it’s really hard to find one they’re very popular
for a good reason and I will leave you with a fun fact there are people that aren’t
too crazy about the Maverick name people of a certain age will remember that it was used
on a two door coupe and four-door sedan not an especially good one yeah have to understand
it’s really difficult for automakers to trademark new names that’s why alphanumeric
nomenclatures are very very popular when Ford brought this up at a clinic for consumers
and what to name this little truck Maverick kind of scored off the charts so they already
on the trademark spell Maverick it was kind of a no-brainer I think it works really well
thanks for watching remember to subscribe to this channel and click notifications you
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me on Twitter very active on Twitter and if you have a question leave it in the comments
I’ll try to get back to you that’s driven and Tom Voelk