I bought a Ford Ranger in 1991, and currently have a 2000 Mazda B3000 pickup. I need it for the farm, it spends most of it's time off the road hauling hay, feed, fertilizer and everything else. I can reach everything in the bed without having to climb in. My buddy calls his old Ranger a power wheelbarrow.

Over the years, pick up trucks have been made bigger and bigger. The new Rangers are about the size of my wife's 2001 F150. Too big and expensive for my needs.

So when Ford announced the new Maverick pick up, I was initially put off by the front wheel drive and unibody construction. But the size, low price and standard hybrid power train that is rated at 40 city MPG checked a lot of boxes.

Oh, technically I did not put in the reservation. My wife was watching YouTube videos with me, and she drove up to the Ford dealer and put in the reservation without telling me.

We will probably get the XLT version with the hybrid powertrain.

https://www.autoguide.com/auto...p-is-a-big-deal.html

I am behind the times, did not know about this little pickup..

To the OP, good luck with your Maverick. The prices on pickups these days are unbelievable. The Maverick will fill a niche, there will be those of course that scoff at the really short bed length.

Article about the Maverick pickup linked.

Picture of interior, Maverick.

Interesting possibility..

My brother had a Chevy Luv...baby blue...remember those?

Great little truck...

I think there is a market for these smaller trucks.

I think the Maverick should do well & will almost guaranteed outsell the Hyundai Santa Cruz.
It's a pretty small looking truck, which would be great for those that don't need a full size, nor the ever increasing in size 'midsized' trucks.

Looking forward to reading your impressions on it.

midsized trucks are (overall) bigger now than fullsize trucks used to be, other than in bed capacity

This is on my "must check-out in the showroom even if I have to run a gauntlet of salespeople" list. I'd be opting for an AWD XLT package. Had an '80 Toyota Hi-lux (as they were known then); a bit too small, but as Hay2bale says today's Ranger is the size of yesteryear's F-100s essentially.

We've owned 2 F-150s, 1 Chevy S10, 3 Dodge Dakotas, 2 F-250s and 1 Dodge 1500. I liked the mid-size Dakotas the best for a small family run around town truck. Good Luck

quote:

Originally posted by Patriot:
My brother had a Chevy Luv...baby blue...remember those?

Great little truck...

I think there is a market for these smaller trucks.

I do as well,

however, I think the safety nazi's kilt the old HiLux, Datsun, Chevy Luv, Ford Courier sized trucks,

my 82 Hilux 4x4 was small, and perfect size for every thing I did,

my 97-T100 and later the 2000 Tundra I still have were consided midsized, and are now much smaller than the current get Tundra,


I have a friend with a Tacoma, that is roughly the same size as my 2000 tundra,

Might turn out great.
I just have learned to NOT buy the anything in the first year of production. Doesn't matter if it guns, vehicles, phones, or vaccines.

My problem with most of the smaller trucks (my Ridgeline included) is that to allow seating accommodation for 4 people (which many will never need) they have to make the beds too short. I wish one of them would offer a cab and half with no rear seating just an 18" finished area behind the front seats for storage, dog, groceries, camping gear, etc., and to permit the front sets to recline. Then make the bed at least 5'-6" long, preferably 6' long.
The original Tundra was a nice size with a 6' bed. The rear access area had two little seats that when folded up took much of the space so I removed them as soon as I brought it home. A 6' bed with the tailgate down gives you 7 1/2' or so which is a nice length bed for hauling motorcycles, kayaks, etc. I wish my Ridgeline had a 6' bed instead of its 5' one. I know some people need their trucks to accommodate more than 2-3 people, but many, including most with multiple vehicles, do not.
I could just et a Tacoma access cab 6' bed and remove the rear seats but the seating position is really uncomfortable for me, and the engine seems to have a big dip in midrange torque, made worse by the automatic transmission.

The Maverick is an interesting little 'truck' (kinda) I've been watching for a while. Assuming Ford can build it without a million recalls (questionable at this point) I think it will fill a niche in the market nicely. I would however be very reluctant to buy one with the hybrid drivetrain given it comes with a CVT tranny. My choice would be the 2.0L Turbo with eight speed. Assuming pricing holds, even a nicely equipped Maverick should come in at under $35k, which in the world of $60-$70k trucks today offers a viable alternative for those who neither want or need a larger truck. I think as a daily driver and weekend Home Depot hauler, this little truck makes a lot of sense.

And because I love to modify whatever I drive, this would be the direction I'd take a Maverick if I bought one as a daily driver. An ST version would be sweet.

I drive a five year old Nissan frontier, and most likely shopping for a new vehicle next year. I very rarely use even a fraction of the capabilities of my Frontier. About once a year I buy 20 bags of mulch, and once or twice a year by some stinky compost.

I’m debating between:

get a 30 mpg SUV and a fold up trailer (stores vertically against wall). My dad did this 6 or 7 years ago and is very happy 99% of the time. Only downside is need to plan to have trailer when you buy something tall or long (no spontaneity).

get a Hyundai Santa Cruz or Ford Maverick. I’m assuming there will be a trim package with leather, a seat color other than black/charcoal, and climate control. If not, I’ll get a SUV.

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

I agree that the Mav makes a lot of sense for DD duty & light truck duties.

When I had my F150, I rarely used it as a truck (apart from hauling the trailer for my wife's business)
The majority of the time, it was my DD to/from work, which was why I got the smaller EcoBoost engine.

For my uses, the Mav would make a great DD & would have plenty of cargo/truck capability for the majority of what I'd need.
I've got access to a couple folks with full size trucks (2 Tundras & a Silverado) and my dad has both a flat/open trailer & an enclosed cargo.

Maybe once they're out a year or two, and after we replace my wife's Flex, this could be an option.
Maybe there'll be a Raptor or Badlands (ala Bronco Sport) trim/pkg by then.

At 40 mpg in the city I would get the CVT. Plus, all the CVT’s that I’ve owned have been great. None of the horror stories. So a 40 mpg city driver at 22k and the ability to use as a truck. That’s a pretty cheap hybrid if I’m reading the stats right. They will sell a metric shit ton of these.

Pricing comparison between the Hyundai SC & Ford Mav

Like the looks and size of the Maverick pu truck. My question will it be available in 2 door extended cab which would give a longer bed space but not the 4 door cab. Had a 96 Ranger extended cab that for me was just what fit my needs. In Aug 2016 lost in a major flood with water over the hood. ............................ drill sgt.

I like the idea behind the new Maverick, even if I can't get the image of the '70s car out of my mind every time I hear that name. I'm getting close to that point where I'm needing replacement my '04 Volvo V70, which has been one handy vehicle but is just a disaster when it comes to dealing with its balky electronics. A smaller pickup truck seems like the ideal alternative. I'll probably miss the enclosed hauling but that's why canopies are available for pickups if it comes to that.

From a use standpoint however, I'd rather have a two-door configuration with a longer bed. We rarely use the rear seats of the Volvo for carrying actual people, and with the rear seat folded down the Volvo has a longer hauling 'bed' than this Ford as it's configured on release. So a traditional 2-door pickup config makes far more sense for me.

quote:

Originally posted by drill sgt:
...will it be available in 2 door extended cab...

Nope, because that's not what the market these are targeted at wants. The bed size is a secondary consideration behind seating capabilities.

quote:

Originally posted by Patriot:
My brother had a Chevy Luv...baby blue...remember those?

Great little truck...

I think there is a market for these smaller trucks.

Yup! The Isuzu Pup…also sold by Chevrolet as the Chevy Luv.