Test Drove A Maverick Today

[P. A. Schilke]

But what price love?

Happy wife, happy life. Even though life may have been a bit happier with a GT in the garage

Hi Dennis,

I can say in the RV we have been to all 48 lower states and to the majority of National Parks in the USA...along with many stories of our travels, both good and bad. So in the end, it was a real tradeoff that I am glad happened...many adventures that we might have never had with a GT... The fact that I drove and helped develop the GT at Ford, helmet on was fantastic...a rare occasion that most folks will never experience...driving a high performance car at the limit...

Best,
Phil

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[Mokume]

Good thing it doesn't have one then.

Ecoboost has an 8-speed auto and the hybrid is an eCVT which is way different from the craptastic belt drive ones in Nissans and the like.
Ford has been using the eCVT for a while and it is probably one of the best out there.

Just got home from test driving a hybrid Maverick and I must admit the driving experience was excellent.

If Ford were to offer a full electric model and dump the Maverick name I could be persuaded...

The Maverick name still conjures up the words "cheap" and "boring" in my psyche...

 

[RedlyrsRevenge]

Just got home from test driving a hybrid Maverick and I must admit the driving experience was excellent.

If Ford were to offer a full electric model and dump the Maverick name I could be persuaded...

The Maverick name still conjures up the words "cheap" and "boring" in my psyche...

I'm going to have to get in one as well. I saw another one in the wild today and I'll admit I spent way too long looking at it in the parking lot.

 

[Mokume]

I'm going to have to get in one as well. I saw another one in the wild today and I'll admit I spent way too long looking at it in the parking lot.

The dealer I visited only had the hybrid version available, they, like all dealers have very limited Mavericks on hand.

Would had been ideal to compare the 2 versions, however I did find the hybrid version thoroughly enjoyable.

The truck's size is ideal for Honolulu driving, while my 2020 Ranger feels like piloting the '86 F150 I used to own, i.e. a little too large

 

[Dr. Zaius]

I'm hoping they release an AWD version of the hybrid for 2023.

If they do I'll probably trade.

 

[DakotaGuy]

Yes, I saw that too. They have reached mfg capacity with the existing orders.

I don’t mind it but I’m surprised they didn’t at least fake a separated box to make it look that much more like a pickup. (Like Honda did)

Why fake it? Ford made the Maverick look like a little pickup, but they aren't trying to make it something it's not. If you want a conventional frame based smaller pickup Ford offers the Ranger.

 

[Mokume]

Why fake it? Ford made the Maverick look like a little pickup, but they aren't trying to make it something it's not. If you want a conventional frame based smaller pickup Ford offers the Ranger.

I've always been leery of unit construction for pickup trucks, however my brother's '07 Ridgeline's body is still tight and rattle free as ever.
Last I seen, it's got over 300K miles on it, we replaced the venerable 3.5 V6's timing belt (3rd time) just about a year ago.
Any vehicle driven in Honolulu for 300K miles is like driving 500K on the mainland, given the amount of stop and go traffic and road surfaces that would make a 3rd world country road engineer cringe.
He bought a new '21 Ridgeline in October last year, I suspect it will provide him with comparable service as his '07 did. I personally don't care for it's styling, it looks like an odd mixture of an Accord and a mid '80's Dodge Dakota.
I suspect the Maverick's body structure will do well over time, you know for a fact that GM, Stellantis, Nissan and Toyota are closely watching it's sales performance.

 

[stringbreaker]

Just got home from test driving a hybrid Maverick and I must admit the driving experience was excellent.

If Ford were to offer a full electric model and dump the Maverick name I could be persuaded...

The Maverick name still conjures up the words "cheap" and "boring" in my psyche...

Perhaps to us older generation but the market demographic they are after never knew how bad the original Maverick was.

 

[Mokume]

Perhaps to us older generation but the market demographic they are after never knew how bad the original Maverick was.

Ford conceived the Maverick as an import fighter with a price comparable to a new VW Beetle.
We all know for a fact that it fell way short of "fighter" status because Toyota and Datsun TKO'd it in every respect.
Everything on the car screamed "cheap" to the owner, from the windshield wiper switch which rotated 10 degrees until anything happened to it's steering mechanism which you swore used rubber bands as components. Did I mention the first versions lacked a glove box and the "3 on the tree" shifter had a throw a yard long?
However, since it was based on the Falcon it was uber reliable, ridiculously simple to work on and fulfilled it's mission well...cheap, reliable transportation.
The 64 1/2 Mustang was also based on the Falcon, but it's target audience was much more varied, the car could be optioned from "mild" to "wild".
Wish I still owned my Dad's '65 notchback, 289 4V, close ratio BW T10 4-speed, Rallye-Pak, center console and AM ratio, the heater was deleted. It was his first brand new car ever, finished in Dark Ivy green metallic with black interior trim. The car served my family faithfully for 20 years until it met it's demise in a t-bone collision.

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