I don’t know if y’all know this, but the Ford Maverick is good. And while the price isn’t so low anymore that you might be inclined to accidentally order one, it’s still a smoking good deal. Ford’s finally starting to build enough so that the brand can actually figure out how high the demand for these trucks really is, which is good news for just about everyone.
While we’re talking about good news, we’ll get into a little explainer about how the addition of the Genesis brand has lifted loyalty for the Hyundai-Kia. On the bad news front, we’ve got more intel on the potential playbook the UAW might use to strike. On the “duh” news front, the CEO of Mercedes-Benz doesn’t think Europe is ready to go all EV by 2030.
Let’s do this thing.
Ford Has The Two Most Popular Hybrid Trucks In America
I’m sympathetic to the viewpoint that hybrids are just a half-measure that merely delays, not eases, the transition to electrification. This is the wrong view, but I’m sympathetic to it. Short of doubling our investment in EVs or suddenly letting in Chinese automakers, it’s hard to see how we’re going to transition everyone into an EV tomorrow. Suppliers aren’t ready. Consumers aren’t ready. Our infrastructure is not ready.
All of those problems are solvable and it’s in the best interest of the planet, which most of us live on, to solve them. There’s a good report out today about how hard it is to even get your EV fixed if you did buy one. Hybrids represent a reasonable gateway drug to electrification and, while I think Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) are the ideal choice, regular old hybrids are at least an improvement. You know what’s also an improvement? Making smaller vehicles.
The enormous success of the Ford Maverick is proof that, priced well and packaged smartly, smaller hybrid pickup trucks are desirable to a decent-sized segment of the population. Ford released its August sales data, and its 2% year-over-year increase is pretty paltry compared to the competition. A big chunk of this is due to a stop-sale for the Ford Explorer over a camera issue, which probably cost the company 10-12k units in sales last month. The F-150 Lightning was also down significantly, but Ford points to a production issue as the main cause.
What did well? The Mach-E is finally back in full production, so sales were up 61% year-over-year, making it the second best-selling EV last month behind the Tesla Model Y according to Ford. The Bronco Sport, unsurprisingly, is making the Escape essentially obsolete. Hybrid vehicles were up 31.9%, which for Ford includes the popular F-150 Hybrid and Maverick Hybrid, which the company says are the two most popular hybrid trucks in the United States (take that Toyota Tundra Hybrid I almost forgot existed!).
The Maverick overall (the company doesn’t break down hybrid sales by model) was up 161.4% as the company adds shifts and gears up for sales. As reported by Maverick Truck Club, the factory in Mexico where these vehicles are built was down for two weeks in August, but the company still managed to produce more trucks that month than it did for much of the last year.
As a reminder, the Ford Maverick XL Hybrid now starts at $27,150 delivered, and for that you get a totally capable FWD vehicle that gets 42 MPG city and 33 MPG highway (37 MPG combined). It’s not as good a deal as when it started, but no other gas-powered trucks get anywhere close to that.
I’m a big fan of the Hyundai Santa Cruz as well, and I’d love to see a PHEV version of that, or a small hybrid truck from GM or Stellantis. Get to it, brands! We’ll see how the Toyota Tacoma Hybrid does, but my guess is it’ll do well.
The Genesis Brand Is Great For Kia-Hyundai Loyalty
This seems obvious, but there was a time when automakers didn’t make cars for everyone but focused, instead, on niches. You can debate who ultimately changed that, but I take the accepted line that legendary auto exec Alfred P. Sloan conceptualized General Motors as a company you could grow with as a consumer, stepping up from a cheap Chevy to the big Caddy when you entered upper management.
The combined Hyundai Motor Group, which includes Kia and Genesis as well as Hyundai, has rather quickly done the same in the United States. If you remember, the Genesis luxury brand started out as a not-so-luxurious coupe in 2007 and morphed into a standalone nameplate in 2016 with the Genesis-branded G90 sedan. Now you can begin your life as a Kia Soul owner and work your way up to buying the nearly $100k G90 E-Supercharger.
It’s one of the reasons why the Hyundai Motor Group now experiences a relatively high level of loyalty, even without a big pickup truck. Market intelligence firm S&P Global has the details in its latest blog:
In 2015, though the Hyundai and Kia brands’ combined U.S. registrations were strong at 1.39 million, its customer loyalty was a middling 55.2 percent. The Genesis brand had just launched, with no SUVs in the lineup. Fast forward to calendar 2022 and not only had Hyundai-Kia U.S. sales increased to 1.45 million – despite pandemic-related shortages affecting all automakers – you can tack on another 56,140 sales for Genesis. This combination of brands has resulted in loyalty skyrocketing to 62.3 percent in calendar 2022, while industry average loyalty has fallen during the recent pandemic period.
[…]
“By offering Hyundai, Kia, and now Genesis, Hyundai Motor Group has shown it can attract new owners and keep them,” said Tom Libby, associate director of loyalty solutions and industry analysis for S&P Global Mobility. “This opens up more options for a household that has the means to move up to a luxury vehicle, to stay within the corporation in a way that did not exist before Genesis.”
The leapfrogging of Genesis over Infiniti goes to show how important it is to build great cars people want.
Mercedes-Benz CEO: We Will Maintain ‘Tactical Flexibility’ On EV Sales
It seems like it was just yesterday I was writing about how German automakers need to take building good EVs for the entire market seriously or else. Because it was yesterday. Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kaellenius has some thoughts, as told to Reuters at the big auto show in Munch.
Europe’s EV market had grown significantly in recent years but likely wouldn’t be ready for all-electric sales by 2030, Kaellenius said on the sidelines of the Munich show.
“It’s not going to be 100% in 2030, obviously… from the whole European market, but probably from the Mercedes side as well,” he said.
“We will be ready … but we will also have tactical flexibility,” he said, referring to the ability to produce electric or combustion-engine vehicles on the same production line.
He’s probably not wrong, though I think Europe is in a better position to quickly make the transition to EVs than the United States is.
Could The UAW Impose Strategic Strikes?
If you listen to the rhetoric of UAW President Shawn Fain you might assume that the auto workers are going to strike against all three U.S. automakers, all their suppliers, and probably a few Dunkin Donuts just for funsies. That’s probably a terrible idea. Why?
Credit to Michael Martinez at Automotive News for a great rundown of all the UAW’s options, which include strategic strikes at places like transmission plants for profitable SUVs and pickups as opposed to, you know, everywhere. Why wouldn’t the UAW necessarily want to undertake the grand gesture of striking everywhere?
A mass walkout of nearly 150,000 workers would give Fain, who has a penchant for theatrics, the kind of headline-grabbing moment he often seeks. But it would rapidly deplete the UAW’s $825 million strike fund, a fact not lost on members who have publicly questioned whether the union can sustain a simultaneous strike long enough to strong-arm the automakers into better deals.
At $500 a week per member — potentially plus health care costs — the union has a few months’ worth of strike pay on hand.
A few months is still a long time, but as the report goes on to explain, a tactical strike could limit the impact on the strike fund while having an outsized impact on profitability, though it’s not a perfect solution:
“With just a few plants, you could have a pretty substantial impact to profitable vehicles without having that many employees walk,” Jeff Schuster, executive vice president of GlobalData, told Automotive News.
Such a tactic would limit what the union would have to pay out on the picket line since workers at plants shuttered for parts shortages would not get strike pay. But it could be fraught with legal risk, and people familiar with the matter say non-striking workers who get temporarily laid off would not be eligible for supplemental unemployment benefits from the automakers, and eligibility for traditional unemployment pay could vary based on state laws.
I guess we’ll find out in nine days.
The Big Question
If you had to buy a pickup truck right now, what would you buy? If you did recently purchase a pickup truck let us know what you got.
It’s also that Hyundai/Kia/Genesis are still making appealing cars that don’t cost an arm and a leg. While seemingly every other manufacturer right now is trying to move upmarket and charge more and more for their cars, Hyundai and Kia have a lot of affordable offerings, and while they’re still not as good as their Japanese competitors when it comes to reliability and residuals, what they offer when it comes to technology, styling (if you like more cutting edge stuff, that is), standard safety features, etc. is extremely competitive.
The dealership experience is still pretty bad but unfortunately in my experience the dealership experience pretty much sucks across the board for regular people cars. I’ve helped a lot of folks in my family buy cars over the years and have seen potential customers treated like dirt pretty much everywhere except at luxury dealerships, and even they aren’t a sure bet outside of Lexus. I had a BMW dealership essentially tell me to come back with more of a budget when I showed up back in 2022 asking to look at their certified offerings around 40 grand.
I’m a little surprised that the data around what Genesis has done for them is this encouraging. They’ve been a little slow to catch on in my area and always have a ton of inventory…but I do want to see them succeed since they’re bringing unique products to the table. I certainly wouldn’t kick one out of my garage and would consider one for my next car if inflation settles the fuck down…but then again taking Korean car depreciation to the face is damn painful. Ask me how I know…
If I had to buy a truck tomorrow it would be between a Maverick and a Santa Cruz. I simply do not have the use for a mid (aka full size in practice) or full (aka behemoth) sized truck…but I’m sure my wife and I could undoubtedly find some use for one of the smaller, more hobby oriented trucks. Given the fact that my city is currently experiencing several days of temperatures around 100 in goddamn September it’s pretty hard for me to not take the environment into account when thinking about a car purchase, so I think I’d ultimately wind up with the FWD Maverick Hybrid.
I’m capable of being honest with myself when it comes to vehicle decisions, and there are 0 applications in which I’d genuinely NEED all wheel drive. It’s a ridiculously oversold feature, and I’ve had FWD cars for years with 0 issues. I’m also not going to try to tackle the Rubicon or anything and know damn well that the most my truck would see is probably a gravel driveway or dirt road…so FWD with some added ground clearance will do just fine.
I think the Santa Cruz is a neat package, and the performance with the turbo 2.5 liter is downright impressive…but its fuel economy is horrendous for what it is. Since there’s no hybrid option it remains a heavy hearted no dice for me. I wish Hyundai could hybridize it but I understand why they don’t. The SC is a niche product and they need all the electrification they can produce for their volume sellers, but still…if they had a hybrid option they wouldn’t be able to keep it on lots, and if they had a PHEV option I’d be mighty tempted by it.
Nail meet hammer. My wife claims to need it, but I’ve been commuting in the Northeast for 20+ years, and maybe twice needed it (and I didn’t even have it.) So, zero times.
I live in the PNW, and we’ve been hit with unusually large snowstorms for 3 years in a row. I was able to drive my Niro around the first year on the factory tires, and it was fine. Those tires wore out hella fast though (I’ve got an appointment to replace them this Friday at just 25k miles). I anticipate the replacement tires will be way better, and that I can continue my FWD snow escapades just fine.
(And no, I didn’t burn them up doing burnouts or autocrossing or anything like that. The Primacy MXV is just a garbage tire, and Michelin should be ashamed to put their name on it. Onward to a set of Nokians…)
We don’t say it enough, michelin also does some pretty shitty tires.
I mean, what feature on a modern car do you strictly need though? There are all kinds of things we treat as necessities that technically you could live without. I’ve driven both FWD and AWD vehicles for many years in Minnesota, and while either can work the AWD are universally more pleasant to drive in bad conditions than FWD.
And yes, I know AWD doesn’t help your braking or steering, but not getting stuck at an uphill intersection is actually a pretty killer feature in my, and many other’s, humble opinion.
In your case, yes. In CT, we get snow, but then things are clear within a day. And, yes, I agree, it is nice in the snow, for sure. But, those few days a year aren’t enough motivation for me to pay for the added weight and complexity that comes along with it. In Minnesota, Buffalo, Vermont, it makes much more sense. You can get roads with snow covering them all winter.
If I had to buy a truck, I’d get a Raptor or TRX. Go big or go home. I don’t really like trucks for my use, so I doubt I’d really ever buy one.
Well, honestly, I can’t imagine a vehicle less suited to my current lifestyle than a truck. If forced with a gun to my head, it would have to be a Maverick hybrid with a tonneau cover.
I was going to go with “minitruck from the ’90s” but I have very large friends and I remember those being pretty cramped. Same reason a used Kei truck is out. Anything full sized is out because I don’t have the space for it. Mid-size is stretching it.
That leaves me with: Santa Cruz, Maverick, some weird import. I like the idea of some weird import, but I can’t think of anything realistic. I did test drive both a Maverick and Santa Cruz – and didn’t especially love either of them – but the Santa Cruz just makes me think “this is a worse Tuscon” while the Maverick has it’s own identity.
But my car usage amounts to weekly groceries – which are annoying in a truck, but are at least mitigated by a tonneau cover – going places and visiting with friends, and occasional little day trips with my boyfriend. A truck doesn’t do any of this better than a decent sedan or small hatchback – and sometimes does it worse. And yes, my very large friends can comfortably fit in a Hyundai Elantra GT.
Just got a ’23 Sierra 1500 with the 2.7 4 cyl.
Averaging about 20mpg in a full size pickup. Times have changed.
IMO, GM should have up sized the Volt drivetrain for pickups. All electric in the city, hybrid when towing.
Towing is the Achilles heel for electric trucks until new batteries with true fast charging are available.
I got 19 MPG in my 2005 Dodge Ram with the 5.7 V8. I had that the first-time gas hit $5 a gallon in California but I made much less money, so it hurt a lot more. Very few people tow anything with their truck which is why the Maverick would be great for most users. If we did what much of the EU does and require brakes on most trailers, then smaller vehicles could handle much larger trailers.
It’s the payload that limits most trucks for towing.
We run higher tongue weights in North America to improve stability at speed. Many European countries have a lower speed limit when towing.
The payload is what made me trade in my Acadia for the Sierra.
The Acadia had a 1300lb payload.
The following get subtracted from it:
– tongue weight: 500lb
– hitch weight: 100lb
I’m down to 700lb for passengers, cargo and however much the fat ass in the driver’s seat is over 150lb.
My fat ass subtracts another 150lb.
I’m down to 550lb. I like my family, I want them to join me. I’m at 150 payload capacity left. That’s now at 90% capacity.
My Sierra has 2200lbs payload.
There’s a company making trailers with their own powertrains in them, so as to mitigate the towing penalty. Really neat idea, with the caveat that when it does come time to charge then there’s two vehicles to charge.
Those are a terrible idea though and I honestly hope they don’t catch on because they’re an enormous waste of limited battery resources. Maybe we can revisit the idea when we’ve fully electrified (or something in that ballpark, anyway) the vehicle fleet.
The 4 cylinder turbo only averages 20mpg? Dang.
The first pass at them it actually got worse fuel economy than the V8 Silverado. Granted this was 2019 so I’m guessing by now they are doing better. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a25953794/chevrolet-silverado-four-cylinder-fuel-economy-test/
We got a Maverick earlier in the year. Hybrid Lariat, it’s the Mrs. daily, and it’s fantastic. A well designed interior, but cheap plastic, is well, cheap plastic. Drives great, highway and city, and for our non-construction worker lifestyle, the bed is perfect size.
A full size 15 year old fits comfortably in the back seat, although the lack of rear venting has caused some swamp ass in Texas’ 100 degree months here lately.
All in all, super happy, gets advertised mileage and nary a hiccup so far.
If I had to buy a pickup truck right now, the Maverick Tremor would be neat. The F-150 2.7 4×4 is also pretty great. New Tacoma also looks promising. Hard choice, honestly.
Re: hybrids – if nobody is ready like you say, is the view really that wrong? At least with respect to the overarching goals of reducing emissions, fossil fuel usage, etc. Those problems are solvable like you say, but people are going to buy cars in the time in between and the buy-in on hybrids now is pretty much nil over a nonhybrid, yet have at least a ~30% improvement in fuel economy over the nonhybrid. Even the the PHEVs on the market are 15-20% or more premium over a standard hybrid counterpart.
Pickups, right now: I was on a Santa Cruz kick recently and like the design more than the Maverick inside and out, so likely that in 2.5T form unless I did find a hybrid Maverick. If a hybrid SC existed I’d also lean toward the Hyundai even though the 1.6T hybrid hasn’t really impressed mileage-wise in a lot of reviews.
Moving up a size, I like the Colorado/Canyon a lot, but the prices are too dear. I’d be open to a Ridgeline, but the design is just tired now – if it gets an update more like the new Pilot that would be more enticing. And then the upcoming Tacoma, like others said.
Also, Maverick nitpick: I wish Ford would throw in keyless access on the XLT at least as part of the Luxury Package already. With that package you’re easily over $30k even on a standard FWD Ecoboost.
Wait they make you stick a key in the door like a filthy peasant?
I would have never guessed there was a new vehicle without remote lock/unlock
I should have included “/pushbutton start” or proximity key or something, too many terms for it. It does have remote keyless entry and a manual key, which nothing wrong with that but you have to jump to the Lariat for $36k if you do want it.
Not sure what the last car without any keyless entry will be. Think the Versa is among them, all have power locks but the brochure says it doesn’t have remote entry on the base S.
I’ve been driving mid 80’s Nissan King Cabs for about 15 years now. I’m in the middle of building a quad cab long bed version so I have more doors. It could use an engine swap though to be peppier. I’m good with that. Nothing about new trucks makes me think I would be happier replacing my 720s.
My wife just got a 2004 Ram 2500 though. She tows much heavier stuff than I do, way more often. She loves it. I think its fine. But I don’t begrudge her the bigger truck. She can keep it.
The best truck for your needs, is the one you build yourself!
I bought an used 2009 Ford Ranger XL Supercab with manual transmission, vinyl floors back in June for $4K. As I mentioned before, we have other vehicles and this “small” truck its only used when we need to pickup something big, dispose big stuff from the house, home depot runs, etc.
I don’t need a F150 like half of my neighbors, the time I saw my father in law putting gas on his truck and it was more than $100, and he does at least once a week, hell no… CP
If I had to buy a truck now it would be a Santa Cruz. The price hike on the Maverick hybrid put it squarely in the Santa Cruz’s lower range and removed a big incentive for choosing the Maverick. The Ford definitely has the economy advantage at this point, but I think the Santa Cruz is superior in most other comparisons (not including appearance, which subjective). If I could wait to buy, I’d rather see what the competition brings to the table before settling on a choice.
If the Maverick hybrid supply matched demand and dealers weren’t marking them up, I would probably have one right now.
The Maverick hybrid fits my use case very well.
I use a utility trailer for most of the hauling tasks.
It would basically be the perfect car for me. I don’t tow anything but I do a lot of outdoor activities. Tossing my dirty gear and a bike in the back a few times a month during the summer. Plus being stuck in traffic most mornings the hybrid would suit me just fine. Still hoping for a PHEV Maverick but at this point I’m almost ready to give up. Whoever makes a Maverick (or slightly smaller) sized PHEV will get my money.
If I had to buy a truck today, it would be the best example of a first gen Avalanche I can find, because the versatility there is still unmatched today. Barring the purchase of a 20 year old truck, I would really struggle honestly. I would use it for truck things, and too few trucks these days can hold a 4×8 sheet of plywood and or sheetrock. The ranger and Colorado are not available with a real bed, so they are out, I live in the city, and a full size is just not feasible unless it was a regular cab which I don’t want, so that pretty much leaves the Tacoma that is far too old to consider until the new generation comes out, so yeah. Whole lot of nothing for me on the new truck market today.
I wish I could just get a new truck the same size as my first gen Tundra access cab. It’s still a little big but it does all the truck stuff and isn’t too much of a hassle to drive in the city.
Yeah. That’s why I love the avalanche platform so much, it’s a regular cab long bed, or a crew cab short bed depending on what you need, and it’s just perfect for my usage. I can take the family camping, or I can work on the home improvement stuff, and those are literally the only 2 things I would use a truck for. Having said that, the Sienna does both things perfectly well, so I don’t know why I would get a truck.
I have an ’04 Odyssey that handles all of those needs as well. Along with occasional large parties of seven. Although I think I overdid it with with the concrete job a couple of months ago. Needed new rear shocks at the next service call. They were the original shocks so I don’t feel bad at 150K.
Haha did the same with our old 03 Odyssey but it was sheetrock that did it in. Then I hit a deer and totalled it
I just knocked wood.
Any full size truck can carry a 4×8 sheet of whatever, you just have to fold the tailgate down if it’s not an 8′ bed.
It’s true, I prefer being able to have it shut though. Which is where the avalanche shines
This is the correct answer. As long as the GMT800 trucks are still extant, there’s zero reason to buy a NEW truck for “truck stuff”. They stopped making them 16, 17 years ago, and not a day goes by that I don’t see at least a dozen of them, and I’m in New England!
Big Question: I’m leaning toward an F150 PowerStroke Hybrid with the 7.2 kW generator. But, I really think the whole package is just too large. Both physically, and financially. They are still asking $68-72k for those things around here. And I already have a classic Tacoma for when I really need a truck. So I’ll prolly wait to see what the new hybrid Tacoma looks like. I’m also am having my garage rewired with solar, whole house batteries, and a natural gas generator. That way I’ll have the resources for three level 2 chargers, even if the grid gets squirrelly. I’m committed to the PHEV transition. Not going directly EV for now. Lightning, Rivian or Tesla aren’t what I’m planning on. Maybe in 15 years. Not yet.
Where are you at? 3 months ago my dad just picked up a F150 Powerboost XLT, with the FX4 package, for $55k. ($7k off of sticket) in Idaho. Still not cheap by any imagination, but it does give him 25 mpg pretty consistently.
I’m from Memphis, Preston. As I say, I’m interested. But they are still really big vehicles. And I don’t tow that much, although I do go on trails a bit. I probably could push that price down somewhat. And the Gladiator 4XE is coming out soon too. I’ll wait until Ford loses the ‘premium only’ attitude they have on hybrids. I like plain things. More bells and whistles on a work truck, are just more things to break. Vanilla is my favorite flavor of ice cream. Always been that way.
Since the new Taco isn’t here yet and Ford should just include “Recalls” as a product support ‘feature’ (e.g. let marketing take a bad and twist into a good), I’d probably go with a GM mid-size truck with the higher output engine or a Honda Ridgeline (though the current gen is getting older, it is a solid option).
If I could get what I want, done right and done now……probably a 2024 Taco (assuming it is roomy enough and no major 1st year germlings) or an F150 Hybrid with greatly improved quality.
If I had to get a pickup it would probably be for towing a camping trailer so I’d probably have to step up to a half-ton truck, probably an F150 of some form. I can’t think of much else that would make me buy a truck.
Interesting take on doing location-based strikes. I would have figured if they did a mass strike across all three it wouldn’t have lasted long – either the automakers would come back with a better offer or the Feds step in like they did with the rail workers. Mr Fain is playing some high stakes poker here.
It could be that Fain saw what happened with the rail worker strike and wanted a way to squeeze the Big 3 without inviting that kind of intervention.
Ordered a Maverick (XLT, hybrid) in Oct. of 2021, finally got it Feb. 2023. With the long wait we thought about moving on but realized that we’d never be able to buy another new car for $26k (with the delays they gave it to us with the 2021 MSRP).
Truck is truly great and is really more useful on an everyday basis than the 7.3L OBS it replaced. We use the Mav’s cargo capacity regularly, but really don’t need more than 1500lbs. Do wish it had more towing, but it will at least flat-tow my Beetle. Issues we’ve had is that the infotainment system will glitch every once in a while and we had a window switch go out… not a big deal, but not nothing. Average 37mpg with 10k miles including a couple 1000 mile road trips.
Assuming nothing else in my life changes, I would go with a Maverick hybrid. I do truck stuff infrequently enough that it makes far more sense to rent a BOF truck when I need one. Might as well go with something that is cheaper to buy and run.
In some ways the Maverick would be less suitable to my life than my current Mazda3 hatchback, namely in the doggo department. Right now I can have my kid in the backseat with one dog next to her while the other one rides in the cargo area. Our older dog always gets a seat because it’s easier on her knees. The pup sits in the back because life isn’t fair. With a crew cab pickup, I’d either have to cram all three of them on the backseat or have the younger dog in the bed. Even with a topper, that would be miserable for him. He’d be terrified the whole time.
IF I needed a truck today, I would hit up craigslist and buy the cheapest truck that will last about 6 more months, and then buy a new Tacoma Hybrid.
return of the chevy luv based on the trax platform when?
As a former Sonic owner… *RUNS SCREAMING THE OTHER DIRECTION*
If I had to lay down actual money today, then maybe take a chance on the Maverick.
While waiting patiently for the new generation of Toyota trucks to arrive.
The lack of quality controls at FORD just makes my butt pucker in fear though.
And good luck finding one here that is within 5K of the window sticker.
If it’s on the lot, you’re sort of boned, but ordering, we got ours for dealer invoice. Decent dealer who understands the interwebs is rare.
They’ll come down though. We used to do the “spot the Maverick” game, but quit as they’re pretty much everywhere now, at least in DFW.
I ordered & bought a Chevy Colorado Diesel in 2021. I bought it because I love trucks generally, and I have a 26′ 6500 GVWR camper I’ve towed 5000 miles with it the last 2 years. The diesel tows it much better than the V6 that preceded it did, and I get 25ish mpg without towing. Probably still losing money compared to the gas but I like it overall.
If I had it to do over again today, I’d probably be forced into a full size since the diesels are dead in a midsize. The small displacement trucks today don’t get the towing range that I like. Renting to tow is nearly impossible, and having a 3rd tow truck isn’t really convenient either (no good place to put it). I’d probably lean to a Silverado with the diesel if I were getting one. I really don’t want full size though – too much of a daily PIA.
It would be interesting to see what a PHEV would do for the midsize options. Right now only the pending Tacoma is coming, but Tacos don’t tow all that well with their low payload ratings. Only Jeep has something that could be applied quick (the PHEV Wrangler drivetrain into a Gladiator) but I assume the Gladiator won’t see another generation.
I always thought that the diesel Colorado/Canyon seemed like the ideal truck in terms of the size/capability/economy ratio. They did charge an awful lot for that engine though.
It could have been so much more than it ended up being… add a 10spd trans to it and it would have really shined! Even for the price it was a decent value, at least compared to the prices of a 1500 diesel.
I had a 19 ZR2 V6 which I traded for a 20 ZR2 Diesel. I absolutely agree that it towed my TT much better. I averaged 26.2 mpg overall when not towing.
I only get 24ish in mine on the daily… apparently driving 80~85 and adding big ol’ towing mirrors isn’t good for F/E. Who knew? lol
I would absolutely choose an AWD Ecoboost Maverick if I were to buy a truck right now, but ONLY if I could get one at sticker. I was seriously trying to get my hands on one a year ago, but due to the impossibility of getting an allocation, and 10k mark-ups on used ones, I went for a CX-30 instead. As much as a full size truck would be nice for hauling parts and towing project cars, I could never justify one at this point in life, so Maverick or bust it is.
If I had to buy a new pickup? An F-150 XL with the 5.0 and 4×4.
But, that’s only because the base Silverado is ugly and I don’t need anything other than a standard cab. Also $46,010 is an absurd amount for truck (yes, I know)
I’ve been very happy with my 2019 F350 King Ranch and I’d replace it with the closest equivalent new version if I had to. None of my towing needs require something so capable, but I do really like the crew cab + 8 foot bed combo for hauling kids and large stuff, and that isn’t available in a half ton (even extended cab long bed is very difficult to find).
They don’t make the 6.2 V8 anymore, so I’d go 7.3L.
I think the Ram trucks look the best, but as long as Ford is the only one building aluminum trucks, there really isn’t any choice for me. Rust is uglier than any styling choice.
On the flip side, a truck equipped as similarly as possible to mine carries an MSRP $15,000 higher than my 2019 and presumably isn’t available with as many discounts either. No rush to “upgrade” for me.