Ford Maverick Mini-Truck

Have you ever seen a year old truck that’s been driven mainly on washboard reservation roads? I had to repo a year old S10 one time from the res..... not a single body panel was crack free from all that shaking! Imagine if it was a unibody vehicle of similar weight and capacity.

Even my full size trucks ( Ford 150 and Silverado) tended to crack bed rails at the high mileage they got when I was escorting oversize loads.

 

A is B therefore C is D?
F1 cars are unibody and see higher stresses than 90% of trucks ever will.

I'm not saying run a Maverick at high speed on washboard roads until it dies. You can make weak body on frame construction and strong unibodies.

 

Put that F1 car on today’s streets and see how long it takes to crack.

Body on frame is more repairable and handles abuse and heavy corrosion better than unibody. In my opinion and experience anyhow, as applied to trucks used to carry typical loads. It does have a weight and fuel mileage penalty to achieve its strength and durability.
Agree with ya about weak body on frame and strong unibodied cars being possible. Lots of Dodge truck frames got bent in half when used as tow trucks, and there was the Mazda B2000 frame rot issue even before the Tacoma’s problems. I can’t think of any really strong unibody examples but I’m sure they are out there.

I guess I will reserve judgement on the Maverick until I actually get to see some with a few years of use. Not my style but I’m for sure not the target market.

 

I’d buy one. Reminds me of my Honda Element but with a bed.

 

I predict that this will be the same smashing success that the Subaru Brat and Baja were.

 

Or a ridgeline with more curb appeal

 

I like the Maverick concept and am impressed with its form and efficiency. I think they will sell if there are not too many bugs with the vehicle. I'm recommending it to a female colleague who wants a pickup bed for her kayaking hobby and think it will have broad appeal.

 

I think you buy the Maverick when your kids start high school. Then pass it on to them when the leave for college.

 

Andy sold a lot of Fords.

 

Difference being Ford's massive dealership network and the fact that the Maverick is the cheapest Ford they'll make.

"Hi, I'm broke af but I want a new vehicle!"
"Step right over her po'boy."
*Suddenly a Maverick is sold*

 

Would be awesome to see until it goes very badly.

Definitely repairability. Whether that's important to potential Maverick buyers: TBD

 

You can fit bicycles, dirt bikes, camping gear, all kinds of truck stuff in it. There is more to a truck than hauling construction goods. You’ve watched too many GM commercials.

 

Actually I’ve owned 5 different trucks and speak from experience. 4 1/2 ft bed does not make a “truck”. You have a good day.

 

The double-cab Hiluxes that the rest of the world was rolling around in from the '90s through 2011 would disagree.

 

I am considering the maverick as my daily commuter. With that gas milage and price point. And I would still be in a “truck” we will see when they arrive.

 

Those had beds at least a little longer than 4 1/2 ft. 2011-2015 Hilux double cabs were 1520mm (a few mm shy of 5 ft). Single cabs for those years were 2315mm (7.6 ft).
That’s what those trucks said to me since apparently they can talk lol.
https://www.parkers.co.uk/vans-pickups/toyota/hilux/2005-dimensions/

https://www.hilux4x4.co.za/views/viewtopic.php?t=11272

 

Let’s be honest. This checks the boxes for what most people used a pickup for. Just ask my neighbors who have 1/2 and 3/4 ton trucks that cost $60k and never haul or tow. I’ve towed more collectively with my RAV4 than most of them. I’d be all of this vehicle if I had a small delivery or courier business.

 

They should have called the Courier.

 

Another way of looking at it is this. It looks like most people get about 19 MPG. Now, ask yourself, would you reconsider driving your Taco as much (or at all) if the gas mileage was 9.5 MPG?
The reason I ask is that gas here is currently over $6 a gallon, and gets as high as $6.70, which is pretty much twice what it is in Wa. state, just across the border. Having a truck that would fit the bill 75% of the time but consume %50 of the gas is awful appealing...

 

Yeah, when my commute went from 10~ miles round trip to 50miles a day, I suddenly started to mind the sub 20mpg. Cutting my gas bill in half for what has turned into a basic commuter for the last 8 months would be very, very nice.

The Turbo/AWD Maverick doesn't appeal to me at all since I'd just keep/get a midsize at that point.