Ford Maverick Mini-Truck

Me too. With the hybrid power train.

 

Better put an order in at the dealership. All the Mavericks I can find within 500 miles are xlt and 2.0ecoboost

 

Ford has already said they’re counting on people who wouldn’t normally be in the market for a pickup. Let’s see how that works out.

 

They said the higher models would be the first to be offered. I had to look far and wide for a Tacoma SR. So it’s not any different than Toyota.

Exactly the market it’s aimed at.

 

That’s what I recall too. But I didn’t own one. My wife, before we were married, had one and I swear it would noticeably rust more with each passing day. Even the door hinges were giving out and the doors would sag when opened. But the engine and trans were soundly reliable and it never left her stranded. She still fondly recalls it.

 

Have they really been around for a long time or were they available for a short time long ago?
This is for people who want the utility of a truck but don’t want a large hard riding vehicle. A lot of people will see the benefit. They don’t want to haul mulch bags fro Home Depot in the back of their SUV.

 

But they weren’t many available on the used market for a while since people grabbed them up after they were discontinued.. I know. I was looking for one for a while before I got the Tacoma.

 

I don’t think it’s all that small. I have two dogs so I was interested in the backseat room. My Tacoma rear seat hip room is listed at 55 inches and the Maverick is listed at 54!

 

Yeah the more I look at it I think it may be a hit. Will be interested to see!

 

F

Friend of mine is waiting for his hybrid lariat model. He’s holding out for it

 

We’ve had small pickups and small SUV’s around since the seventies but for the most part they just kept getting bigger as the years went by.

 

It will be interesting to see how this fits in with the market.

I was always baffled when ford killed the ranger for a couple years and then brought back what is basically a 2010 size f150

I think that little mistake significantly contributed to the market growth of the taco.

 

Yes, I agree. Then the Taco grew too. I think GM Ford and Toyota forgot about what a small pickup is in the name of “improvements”.

Ford had said their reason for killing the Ranger was that their cost to build was too close to the F-150’s build cost. And of course, the higher priced F-150 gave them more profit. So what changed that they can now offer three “pickups”? My guess is sharing the platform (and assembly lines) with other Ford models and increased automation in the building of the units.

 

I think it's going to be a hit. I'm going to keep my Taco for sure. But I have a commuter (Mazda 6) for work (I assume I'll commute again, some day) and I could see having a Maverick for that kind of duty instead. Similar gas mileage. CHEAPER price, assuming you can get the base model. I dig the steelies. And it just reminds me of the early 80s Datsuns and Toyotas. I just wish you could get one with a naturally aspirated 4, without the hybrid...then you'd REALLY have a throwback. Probably too much to ask for a 5 or 6 speed, but one can dream.

 

I really intrigued to see how it does, as now with Santa Cruz as well there are more pickup trucks that aren't "trucks" like the Honda Ridgeline was and still is panned for. Great for people that want the utility of having a truck bed without having to drive around something massive that gets 12 MPG. Also funny to see all their small vehicles as they are all very common in most other parts of the world but here we sure love our massive SUV's and trucks!

I want to see if Chevy or Ram makes a small truck for the US, as I know Ram has a 700 for South America.

 

The current Tacoma is larger than the current Ranger though.

 

I think the difference is the price and size of these new vehicles. They aren't in the size or the price range of the Ranger/Tacoma. Maybe on the upper end of the Maverick's price range there will be overlap but there's nothing starting at 20k like the Maverick. Which brings me to size. They aren't going to compare themselves to the Tacoma/Ranger so there won't be that inevitable "toughness" judgment, whether it's a valid judgment or not.

TLDR: If Honda had come out with a mini truck at 20k it would have been well received too. They didn't. They came out with a mid-size truck (front wheel drive and unibody, no less) in a crowded space and put it on the premium end.

I think the Ridgeline is a fine vehicle. Just saying why I think this will be different.

 

Price and size are absolutely the reasons I ordered one.

 

For sure, and I think it's nice to see them abandon trying to attract normal truck buyers and just go all in on a mini truck that is cheap/small instead of making a "jack of all trades" like the Jeep Gladiator in the way it goes for a few different markets in one vehicle. Along with the Santa Cruz going into the same market with the Maverick IMO.

Plus with the Eclectic F150 Ford seems to be doing some interesting stuff and would be nice to see other manufacturers put other mini trucks and electric ones to match, more options for us consumers is always a good thing!

 

The press video I saw said its not any partnership with Toyota or the Toyota design.
They also acknowledged there was an incorrect rumor making the rounds that it was Toyota's.