Ford Maverick crossover truck spy photos - Autoblog

Spy photographers captured an unusual boxy vehicle near Ford's development center. What could it be?

www.autoblog.com

Would be nice for the RL to have some competition in the unibody truck space

 

Looks like there is competition coming from Hyundai as well.

Glimpse at 2021 Hyundai Santa Cruz Shows It's Shaping Up to Be an Attractive Pickup

The upcoming Santa Cruz was spied testing its towing capabilities, giving us a welcome view of its good looks.

www.caranddriver.com

I think Honda benefits by segmentation of the market and competing in a focused SUT/Crossover truck market.

 

Reusing the name of "Maverick" for the new Ford pickup? How embarrassing! What will be next, a Pinto pickup! I am thinking that "Ranchero" would be a far more fitting name, at least it was a pickup in it's former life?

Current concept pictures are making the Maverick looking like a made over 2-door Ridgeline? Imitation is the best form of flattery!

Kidding aside, a one-piece-body pickup, outside of the Ranchero, has once before graced the Ford lineup: Looking Back: 1961-63 Ford F-100, though, it had several issues.

Bill

 

GAWD! I remember driving one of these trucks, I am getting as 'old as dirt' I guess!

 

I'd buy a Pinto pickup.One of the best cars we ever owned.

 

I had a 79 Pinto wagon. It was OK and not explosive. The only problem I had with it was I believe was the ignition module.

 

It's been a while since something smaller than a current midsize has been on the market. It will be interesting to see how the market responds. In those Maverick spy shots it sure looks like a Bronco Sport front end to me. I really loved my 93 Ranger and would like to get back to something basic, cheaper and smaller (provided I can fit) and have less purpose as it won't be used much. Just need something basic with a bed and get another vehicle for everything else that matters.

 

The Ridgeline has gotten too expensive - I never paid over $28K for etiher of my RTLs.
I hope the 4 door Maverick is smaller then the Ridgeline. It might be my next vehicle if it is.
Honda Quality no longer is important - only profits.

 

In 2006, the Ridgeline's MSRP ranged from $28,320 to $35,910. Adjusted for inflation, that's the equivalent of $36,214 to $45,920. Today, the Ridgeline's MSRP ranges from $34,995 to $44,615 for vehicle that is better in virtually every way...except for reliability.

 

Many already complain that the mid-size crew cabs are a bit tight. I don't see how a "compact" truck will work in today's truck market. Ford may want to fill the gap by leaning this toward being a work truck. But the primary duty of a truck is to carry rear passengers in real life actual use.

FCA is correct in a strange way. Ram Classic (old Ram) fills the role of the mid-size truck. The working guy need the space to do work. 3-4 feet truck bed box is useless.

Subaru Brat make sense because all I can carry is 4 bags of potting soil. That's all the work I want to do. But I would need to go with a bigger truck to carry my 70" TV from Costco.

Therefore, I still see RL as the "perfect" size for this segment of customer.

 

The working guy need the space to do work. 3-4 feet truck bed box is useless.

You'd think Ford would've learned from its Explorer SportTrac misfire - I think that bed was about 4ft.

 

I worked at valet airport parking as a teen in the '70s and enjoyed driving the 4-speed Pintos!

 

Mine was a 4 speed. It went along OK. I rented a California automatic once, that was a dog.

 

I owned a 1977 Pinto Wagon with the 2.3liter engine with a stick. It was terrible. One day i had to drive to Johnstown over the mountain. By the top of the hill i was at 50mph and if that had been taller I would've had to push it over the top. It was horrible. Shortly after that I quit that job.

Steve

 

I owned a 1977 Pinto Wagon with the 2.3liter engine with a stick. It was terrible. One day i had to drive to Johnstown over the mountain. By the top of the hill i was at 50mph and if that had been taller I would've had to push it over the top. It was horrible. Shortly after that I quit that job.

Steve

I had a ‘81 VW diesel Rabbit. I feel your pain. Use to drive south with it. Never forget me and my buddy in it on I-77 north just coming in to Virginia. Was in the far right lane having semi’s pass me by the time we got to the top. 😂

 

It must have been tired.

 

I hope Ford knocks it out of the park with this concept. I've had two Ford's before my Honda and they were rock solid. Tech wise Ford is way better than Honda as well which is my biggest gripe with my 2017.

 

Looks like a uni-body re-make of the Sport-Trac from 2001 to 2010. Companies are figuring out that Ridgeline-type vehicles are pretty versatile and they want a slice of Honda’s action.

 

I suspect that some mfrs would like to convert their current domestic unibody car plants to unibody truck plants (Ford quit making most of their domestic (U.S.) sedans last year).

If the demand for sedans ever returns, Ford, and others, can bring in some from overseas (as sedans are immune to Chicken Tax) until they can convert domestic plants back to sedan production, if ever.

 

I had a Ford prior to the Ridgeline, it was not reliable. The service center was not the same experience as Honda, or Subaru, or any Japanese vehicle I have owned. I learned my lesson.

 

I ran across this on the Car and Driver site this morning: 2022 Ford Maverick Could Be a True Compact Truck

Interestingly, if you click on the quick poll at the end of the article you'll see that 87% of the responses are positive. Personally, I'd prefer something smaller than the so-called "mid-size" trucks that are available today if it wasn't compromised in ride, comfort and had at least a 5' bed. And especially if it was available in a single or extended cab version.

Guess we'll have to wait and see what Ford announces this year...

 

Think of it as a shorten but updated VW Rabbit.

 

Considering that according to Car and Driver this will be based on the bronco sport it may mean that there will be a more off-road focused version for those who want a unibody, awd, all independent suspension pickup which considering what some do to or with their ridgelines seems to be very popular.
Wether or not this will be a true competitor to the ridgeline I am not so sure. The ridgeline pushes the limits of what can be considered a mid-size pickup in my view due to its width which is one of the reasons I like it.
If they make it resemble a bronco sport, which I have seen in real life now and offer the off-road package I think theyll have a hit.

 

Ford quietly begins production of new 'C' pickup in Mexico — CNBC

The pickup – potentially named Maverick – is expected to be smaller than Ford's current Ranger model.

apple.news

 

Here's the latest. 4 foot bed kind of ruins it. If it's offered in a smaller cab with a larger bed and has a low price this could be something. Most of the arguments favoring the Ridgeline would hold for the Maverick and it could be I'd say 10-15k cheaper. If it's all the truck you need it could find a niche. The Maverick is more along the lines of what the former Ranger owners are looking for. My problem with the Ridgeline ended up being the rear seat room so I'd rather have a bigger bed. and less to no rear rear passenger room. This vehicle cold be a great solution for those that just need a bed for low cost second vehicle.

 

Here's the latest. 4 foot bed kind of ruins it. If it's offered in a smaller cab with a larger bed and has a low price this could be something. Most of the arguments favoring the Ridgeline would hold for the Maverick and it could be I'd say 10-15k cheaper. If it's all the truck you need it could find a niche. The Maverick is more along the lines of what the former Ranger owners are looking for. My problem with the Ridgeline ended up being the rear seat room so I'd rather have a bigger bed. and less to no rear rear passenger room. This vehicle cold be a great solution for those that just need a bed for low cost second vehicle.

MSRP in the marketplace tell us a lot, but IRL street price often throw that out the window.

Just an example.

You can get $11-14K off MSRP on a full-size truck.
You can get $2-3K off MSRP on a mid-size truck.

Discount on this may be $750 in incentives.

So actual transaction price may be "the same" when you sign at the dealership.

 

I just switched over to the Ridgeline from the 2019 Ranger. The Ranger was my first truck ever. To me, the truck sat 'high' and felt like a truck. I can't imagine what driving a modern full-size is like. The Maverick seems like a cool concept. I think I will avoid it like the plague if it is coming with Ford's EcoBoost Engine. Especially if it will either be a 1.5 or 2.0 L.

 

How do you like the Ridgeline so far, especially vs. the Ranger? Any regrets?

I meant to drive a Ranger for comparison before purchasing my second RL in 2019, but didn't quite get there. I drove an F150 - very nice, but too big for our needs - and was about to ask for keys to a Ranger, but my wife was with me and said "let's face it - you're never going to be happy with a truck without a trunk", lol. Went over to the Honda dealer a couple blocks away and got serious.

 

Ford’s Ranger with their ridiculous turbo 4 cylinder GDI engine makes longevity implausible Turbos, GDI & small 4 cylinders will never last. They just rev too high all through their service life.
The 2 door 70’s Ford Maverick sedan with a 4 barrel carb on their proven 302 V8 was a killer. Resurrecting & attaching the Maverick name to a dubious Ford pickup truck makes little sense.

Why would Ford compete against their inferior Ranger with the so-called Maverick? Dodge will not bring back the Dakota. Besides, the Toyota Hilux, the VW pickup, the Hyundai truck & the Benz trucks, all unavailable in North America are better than the Ranger.

 

Ford’s Ranger with their ridiculous turbo 4 cylinder GDI engine makes longevity implausible Turbos, GDI & small 4 cylinders will never last.

And those dang fancy telephones with buttons will never last as long as a good rotary phone. LOL!

Seriously, turbo motors today aren't like the days of old. They are designed to handle the turbo. And what defines "last". If you're looking for no maintenance for 200,000 miles...no modern engine will accomplish that feat. But if you change the oil, change the filters, and on GDI engines...de-carbon the intake when needed (which is just maintenance)....there is no reason the engine can't last as long as you want it to.

The V6 in the Ridgeline redlines about the same number of RPMs as the 2.3L Ecoboost. Both around 6500rpm. But the turbo 4 is going to have more low end grunt.

 

Do you realize the 2.3L turbocharged engine in the Ranger (and Mustang and Explorer) shares nothing except a similar displacement with the 2.3L Lima ("Pinto") engine? The 2.3L turbocharged engine was designed from the ground-up to be turbocharged.

 

The trend today is to put a turbo on a small engine to match a larger engine and probably ace the EPA test when off the gas. Ok, fine and an engineered solution as well. But when a turbo is replaced (and I don't know the frequency) what would have needed to be replaced on a non turbo? Hmmm... sounds like backward progress. Turbos probably do get a bad rap like VCM does, it's difficult to shake labels of it's past. My take, get a a small engine and add a battery pack instead of a turbo. Now I see Hyundai has turbo hybrids

 

The development time for the Ford seem quick. Whereas Hyundai seem to be taking a long time.

Either the Hyundai is going to be really good, or Ford just know what they are doing? Then again, unibody trucks are new to Ford too.

 

I think Hyundai had a lot of "off again, on again" going on. Every time Hyundai USA got ready to develop the truck, Hyundai Corporate would put the brakes on it.

Pure speculation on my part, but I suspect Hyundai may have been hoping for a Trans-Pacific Partnership that would allow them to circumvent the Chicken Tax, but that deal fell through in 2017-8. I also think they were nervous with the last Administration.

 

Kind of a shame that the bean counters can't justify a 6 foot bed without a crew cab in one of these smaller trucks.

 

Bean counters aren’t driving sales. The consumer is. The consumer has spoken. Such a small percentage of the population wants a 6’ bed and no crew cab. This has nothing to do with bean counters. Try harder next time.