Sup all. Long post alert. But if you’re interested in my situation, you’ll read it.
5G Ranger vs Maverick real world review:
So I just traded my 21 Ranger XLT FX4 with 5K miles for my 22 Mav XLT AWD. Haven’t had it long but I wanted to give my perspective of one versus the other. It’s going to seem like I’m bashing the Ranger. I’m not. I liked the Ranger and if you get into any hardcore off-roading or tow more than about 3500 pounds regularly, the Ranger might be a better vehicle for you. But I’m loving the Mav. Here’s why in no particular order. Some of these are subjective and personal…some are not.
The Mav is a good bit smaller externally but pretty much the same inside. It actually feels more open and roomy probably because of the lack of a shifter impeding in the center and the more upright design of the top portion of the cab as compared to the Ranger. The Ecoboost Mav has 2.4” more rear legroom than the Ranger and this is noticeable.
The rear windows roll all the way down into the door. Small praise I know but the Ranger having 2-3” of glass sticking up was annoying to rear passengers.
There is useable storage under the rear seats. Storage under the rear seats in the Ranger is laughable.
Ride height is more user friendly. I’m young (ok, middle aged) and can get in and out of the Ranger fine. But it’s easier to get in and out of the Mav, easier to reach stuff in the bed, and easier to load/unload stuff.
Ride quality is much improved. I expected the unibody Mav to ride better but some commented that it still rides like a truck. Ehhhh, kinda. It rides like an SUV. In fact, it rides a lot like my wife’s 19 Highlander…a good blend of sporty and comfortable. The Ranger rode okay. It wasn’t terrible but you always knew you were in a leaf sprung pickup. You will notice an improvement from the Ranger to the Mav.
Related to ride quality is handling. I haven’t beat on it (it’s got like 50 miles on it) but the Mav handles curves and corners better. Its lower center of gravity really help it feel planted for what it is. The Ranger had horrible bounce and body roll when new and stock. Eibach Pro 2.0s in the rear helped a lot of the body roll but the stock Mav still handles better than the Ranger with the Eibachs.
This is one of my big ones. The 8spd trans in the Mav is MUCH smoother than the Ranger’s 10spd. I’m not sure if it was because of the gear skipping or what but the Ranger trans rarely felt smooth. It often felt like it was hesitating or briefly hitting one gear before settling on the next one up. I am very impressed with the Mav’s 8spd. Again, I’d compare it to the smoothness of my wife’s Highlander which is high praise.
The Ranger also had a very subtle but very annoying shudder when accelerating from a stop. It is a very common problem and has been reported as a pinion angle issue. I think Ford has a “fix” but results seem to suggest that it’s unlikely their fix will actually solve the problem. This is very minor but also very irritating because it did it every single time. This, combined with the mildly jerky trans was unpleasant. None of this in the Mav.
I expect the Mav to get mildly better fuel economy. Ranger was showing 19.6 lifetime average with never anything but 93 octane. Not enough miles on the Mav to say but it hasn’t been above 55-60 yet and it’s showing 21+ with whatever the dealer filled it up with…I imagine 87 octane.
Doors shut more solid on the Mav. The Ranger doors always had this weird hollow sound to them.
The Mav is quieter overall. Road noise might be about the same. Hard to say. But engine noise from the 2.0 is definitely noticeably quieter than the 2.3 at idle and under acceleration and at speed.
Lastly, unless I think of something else, I think the Mav is just a better looking vehicle. I never cared for the sloping front end of the Ranger. This, along with the severe factory rake, make the Ranger very wedge shaped. The Mav is more squared off and aggressive. The front end does not slope down like the Ranger and it has much less rake. The Mav looks low and wide. The Ranger looks tall and skinny…and a little goofy, lol. I just think the Mav looks so much better.
That’s it for now unless I think of something I missed. Better pics to come later.
**Edit** Forgot to mention, this will be different for everyone but for me, trading the Ranger for the Mav cut over $6K off my vehicle loan.
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