h1k3rb
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Loved my 2025 FWD hybrid Maverick but I'm buying a small travel trailer. The trailer I'm picking up next week is within the limits of the 2K towing capacity but while driving from a trailhead up a twisty gravel road recently I hit some steep turns and the front wheels started slipping badly. A couple times I almost came to a complete stop and barely made it out of there, simply due to loss of traction on the loose gravel. At one point I thought I was going to have to back down to a place I could turn around, then back up the hill so the weight would be on the drive wheels. Luckily the hill started to level off and I made it up the rest of the way but if I'd been towing a trailer there's no way I'd have made it so I realized then that I needed to go back to a 4WD.
Checking with the well-respected local Ford dealer where I bought the Mav there were a couple 4K, AWD, Ecoboost XLT Mavericks on the lot and a handful of Rangers. One of the Mavs was a leftover 2025 marked down $3K in the same Space White Metallic I had, one of the Rangers was a leftover 2025 LX SXT 4x4 marked down $3K in Carbonized Grey Metallic. Both ended up being slightly above $36K. Already knowing the Maverick would have been a good choice and having never been in a Ranger, I took the Ranger for a drive first.
Off the bat - sits up higher, stiffer ride, nicer interior, more comfortable seats, 2.3L EB rocks, 10-spd works well, noticeably quieter. Outside - looks great, bigger bed, over 9" ground clearance. Loved it! After the drive the dealer worked a slightly better deal, gave me a good trade and now it's mine. Driving around late yesterday the computer showed 25mpg city/highway combined so not too bad just off the lot.
Will definitely miss the Mavericks compact size and averaging over 36mpg but I've got a '24 Corolla Cross hybrid AWD for when I want better mpg. The trailer I'm getting has extra high ground clearance with a heavy-duty axle + off-road tires and the Ranger will be great for towing it back into rough country. Looking forward to interacting with folks here on the Ranger forum.
Checking with the well-respected local Ford dealer where I bought the Mav there were a couple 4K, AWD, Ecoboost XLT Mavericks on the lot and a handful of Rangers. One of the Mavs was a leftover 2025 marked down $3K in the same Space White Metallic I had, one of the Rangers was a leftover 2025 LX SXT 4x4 marked down $3K in Carbonized Grey Metallic. Both ended up being slightly above $36K. Already knowing the Maverick would have been a good choice and having never been in a Ranger, I took the Ranger for a drive first.
Off the bat - sits up higher, stiffer ride, nicer interior, more comfortable seats, 2.3L EB rocks, 10-spd works well, noticeably quieter. Outside - looks great, bigger bed, over 9" ground clearance. Loved it! After the drive the dealer worked a slightly better deal, gave me a good trade and now it's mine. Driving around late yesterday the computer showed 25mpg city/highway combined so not too bad just off the lot.
Will definitely miss the Mavericks compact size and averaging over 36mpg but I've got a '24 Corolla Cross hybrid AWD for when I want better mpg. The trailer I'm getting has extra high ground clearance with a heavy-duty axle + off-road tires and the Ranger will be great for towing it back into rough country. Looking forward to interacting with folks here on the Ranger forum.
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