What does Ford think the Maverick is for?

[rusty ol ranger]

I highly doubt that Maverick buyers are purchasing one with the idea that they can do full size 8’ bed truck stuff… or even 6.5’ bed stuff. I can only speak for the people I’ve talked to that are buying them.
My mother ordered one… she’s 66 years old and would never need an 8’ bed. She’s into gardening. The most she will put in the bed is flowers, top soil, etc. Could she use an Escape, yes. In fact that what she has now. Her biggest issue is dragging out an extension cord and a vacuum after using it.
The other person is a guy at work. He’s 23 and doesn’t need a full size truck. He has one and doesn’t use it as a truck. He wants it for the gas mileage, price, and small size.

Right. I was just trying to answer the guys question about how much difference 1.5 ft of bed space can make

 

[stmitch]

If you need to have your stuff fully enclosed in an 8ft bed with the tailgate up, then what you really need is a cargo van.

The whole point of a truck bed is to be flexible enough to carry all sorts of things, even if they hang out.

Pallets of stuff like flooring seem possible too

 

[JoshT]

Is the maverick's bed floor higher than the tailgate?

In the pictures that stmitch posted, the picture with the plywood the wood appears to be lying flat on the bed floor, but then the tailgate is strapped to the wood at an upwards angle. In the picture of the pallets, there is a clear gasp between the pallet and the tailgate.

Now that I look them closer the tailgate cables in that plywood picture also look off. If the tailgate is partially raised like that, the cables should have some slack in them, but they're pulled tight. They also look to be atached higher on the body in one picture than the other. Does this thing have two different cable anchor points on the body and if so for what purpose? Weird...

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Is the maverick's bed floor higher than the tailgate?

In the pictures that stmitch posted, the picture with the plywood the wood appears to be lying flat on the bed floor, but then the tailgate is strapped to the wood at an upwards angle. In the picture of the pallets, there is a clear gasp between the pallet and the tailgate.

Now that I look them closer the tailgate cables in that plywood picture also look off. If the tailgate is partially raised like that, the cables should have some slack in them, but they're pulled tight. They also look to be atached higher on the body in one picture than the other. Does this thing have two different cable anchor points on the body and if so for what purpose? Weird...

My colorado had a way to hook the cables so the tailgate stayed at about a 45* angle.

 

[stmitch]

Is the maverick's bed floor higher than the tailgate?

In the pictures that stmitch posted, the picture with the plywood the wood appears to be lying flat on the bed floor, but then the tailgate is strapped to the wood at an upwards angle. In the picture of the pallets, there is a clear gasp between the pallet and the tailgate.

Now that I look them closer the tailgate cables in that plywood picture also look off. If the tailgate is partially raised like that, the cables should have some slack in them, but they're pulled tight. They also look to be atached higher on the body in one picture than the other. Does this thing have two different cable anchor points on the body and if so for what purpose? Weird...

The plywood is sitting on top of the wheel wells in the bed rather than in between like they would in a larger truck. They have two anchor points for the tailgate cables. One will allow the gate to open to flat, and the other allows it to rest securely at an angle so that it's level with the top of the wheel wells and can act as support for hauling sheet goods in a flat orientation.

The built in tie down hooks in the tailgate help facilitate this (and double as bottle openers). It's a pretty simple, elegant solution IMO that increases functionality a lot.

They put a lot of thought into making the bed of the Maverick legitimately functional for different things, and that's what I appreciates about them:

The new Ford Maverick's coolest feature is its highly versatile 'Flexbed' — here's how it works

The $20,000-and-up compact pickup sports a customizable bed like no other truck on the market.

www.businessinsider.com

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I just dont get why they would build a "truck" with no frame and IRS. Ridiculious bed aside...its basically an escape/bronco sport with the ass end chopped off.

Even hauling light loads on anything close to a semi regular basis is going to cause all sorts of issues with it.

Any independent suspensioned vehicle ive been around has always had more issues then solid leaf sprung axles. The front ends (besides twin I beams, if you wanna class that as IFS), are bad enough for durability. Im not even talking getting beat on...just driving dirt roads in spring type stuff.

The more complicated and more moving parts make anything more likely to have issues.

 

[stmitch]

I just dont get why they would build a "truck" with no frame and IRS. Ridiculious bed aside...its basically an escape/bronco sport with the ass end chopped off.

Even hauling light loads on anything close to a semi regular basis is going to cause all sorts of issues with it.

Any independent suspensioned vehicle ive been around has always had more issues then solid leaf sprung axles. The front ends (besides twin I beams, if you wanna class that as IFS), are bad enough for durability. Im not even talking getting beat on...just driving dirt roads in spring type stuff.

The more complicated and more moving parts make anything more likely to have issues.

Sharing an existing platform helps keep the price low. People buying this don't want tons of capability. They want efficiency, comfort and a low buy in price in a smaller package than existing trucks.

Oh, and for what it's worth, the 2wd trucks have a solid rear axle!

 

[bilbo]

The plywood is sitting on top of the wheel wells in the bed rather than in between like they would in a larger truck. They have two anchor points for the tailgate cables. One will allow the gate to open to flat, and the other allows it to rest securely at an angle so that it's level with the top of the wheel wells and can act as support for hauling sheet goods in a flat orientation.

The built in tie down hooks in the tailgate help facilitate this (and double as bottle openers). It's a pretty simple, elegant solution IMO that increases functionality a lot.

They put a lot of thought into making the bed of the Maverick legitimately functional for different things, and that's what I appreciates about them:

The new Ford Maverick's coolest feature is its highly versatile 'Flexbed' — here's how it works

The $20,000-and-up compact pickup sports a customizable bed like no other truck on the market.

www.businessinsider.com

That is slick. The salesman just pointed those out as bottle openers and didn't mention the rest, and I thought what a dumb "feature." When I get home I'm going to check that out.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Sharing an existing platform helps keep the price low. People buying this don't want tons of capability. They want efficiency, comfort and a low buy in price in a smaller package than existing trucks.

Oh, and for what it's worth, the 2wd trucks have a solid rear axle!

Well i guess thats better then nothing.

The few i seen musta all been AWD

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

It makes far more sense for most to get a Suburban, a van, or even a crossover. Still, Americans have something of a love affair with their trucks. Even white collar men drive them. Perhaps they have started their careers working with their hands and want to keep them around long after the need for a real pickup is gone.

I can't blame them either. Many of us have made a good living owning one. And at least that many more of us have found old school pickups to be rugged, roadable in rough weather like heavy snow, or handy off road doing farmwork. Maybe a few are weekend home remodelers who find them practical to get a few 2x4s from the lumberyard.

The rest of us, see those little 4-5' pickup beds and see them like something similar to a vestigial organ that has lost its purpose just like tonsils or an appendix.

Somebody hasn't priced a fullsize suv lately...

 

[Ranger850]

The New Honda Ridgeline Is Officially in the Same Class as the Ford F-150

With its latest redesign, Honda increased the capacity of its Ridgeline pickup truck, bumping this compact into the "half-ton" class.

www.motorbiscuit.com

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The New Honda Ridgeline Is Officially in the Same Class as the Ford F-150

With its latest redesign, Honda increased the capacity of its Ridgeline pickup truck, bumping this compact into the "half-ton" class.

www.motorbiscuit.com

They have tried to call it a half ton since it came out.

Never has stuck...

 

[Ranger850]

They have tried to call it a half ton since it came out.

Never has stuck...

Just goes towards the question " What makes it a TRUCK?"

 

[Blmpkn]

Just goes towards the question " What makes it a TRUCK?"

Pickup truck, Noun, a small truck with an enclosed cab and an open back.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Pickup truck, Noun, a small truck with an enclosed cab and an open back.

The wifes old escape was classed by the EPA as a "light duty truck" per the emission label. Obviously their defintions of what is technically a "truck" is pretty loose