Test-drove the 2L Ecoboost today:
Cons:
- Steering felt clunky. Very heavy. It's like it's pretending to be an F-150. I wish it had steering modes like my Mustang does (comfort, sport, etc.) to lighten it up. I just drove a new Nissan Rogue the other day, which is hilariously easy to turn, like a video game - that would have been nice to have that easy of steering in the Maverick! But I get it's supposed to be a "truck" and they want it to feel SOLID, man! Just a little overboard imo.
- Engine made weird sounds. But it is a 2L in a unibody truck, so...
- Soooo much road noise on the highway! It felt like as much as the soft-top Bronco 4-door! You could really hear the wheels (this one had steelies, maybe it's better on the bigger tires). On city roads, not an issue really.
- Legroom is slightly box, but comfortable. No knee issues & plenty of upper-body space & headroom.
- No stick-shift option
- The interior door handle area is a bit weird, there's a big empty gap for "cool factor", but it's just strange lol.
Pros:
- PLENTY of pep on the 2L! Zooms around just fine!
- If you've driven a Tesla Model 3 & Model Y, the Maverick is like a Y as the 3 is to a Honda Civic. So it's like a base $20k vehicle, but sits up higher than a Civic, more room, etc.
- The higher-end models now do have wireless Carplay in them.
- Tailgate is super easy to operate & has a ton of options...flip-out gate extension, wheel well covers are flat for loading, tailgate latches at different angles, etc.
- Sunroof YAY!
- Backseat was surprisingly not awful, despite looking horrifically small. You'll want to move the front seats forward for some legroom, but I could fit in the back at 6' tall no problem.
- The size is REALLY nice. It's sort of like a Subaru Forester, converted into truck. Didn't have Baja vibes tho haha.
- The bed is great. It's at just the right height that it's easy to lift stuff over the lip & load the bed. No having to get a ladder for a giant lifted truck haha.
- It drives very solid & planted. Great on the highway. That extended length (just shy of 200") feels great.
- Easy to get into & out of. Reminds me of my old Kia Soul. Very easy entry & exit.
Starts at $20k, maxes out at around $35k. I don't know if this is worth over like $28k fully loaded. This is the perfect car for moms who want to do gardening, college kids who need to occasionally move stuff around, people who want to replace an old clunker, etc. 40MPG for $20k still blows my mind, I don't know how Ford did it lol. Really the only thing that bothered me was how heavy & strong the steering was, but I also leave my car on Comfort steering all the time, so I like it easy to turn. The road noise on the highway was a surprise, like I couldn't believe how noisy it was, as compared to other cars in the category, like the Civic, which are like virtually silent these days. And how noisy the engine was, very noticeable. But these are all fairly minor things that I think you'd get used to, and the interior noise could probably be fixed somewhat with like a Dynamat noise-proofing job.
So really the only things I would change are customizable steering modes & a lot of padding for the interior noise. Overall, it's an AMAZING vehicle for the price! They are going to sell a zillion of these. I think the more the word gets out as people see them on the streets & learn the pric,e the more people are going to want to buy them. Ford is really killing it lately!