Avoidable Contact #135: I drove the most important car in years, and it's great, but you can't buy one

[Hagerty]

WARNING: If you failed the marshmallow test, you're going to hate this column. Best to click "back" on the browser and check out the great work being done by the Hagerty digital staff. I don't want you to be miserable over something you can't have. What? You're still here?
https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/avoidable-contact/avoidable-contact-ford-maverick-most-importa...

[mechimike]

The Maverick is intriguing to me. My current daily is a warm hatch, that gets 37 mpg and has a manual trans. I'd miss the shifter, but the added utility of the Mav coupled with likely slightly better fuel economy - and the ability of my stick-averse life partner to actually drive it - would be an overall win. I'd stick a cap on the bed and end up with sort of a 38 mpg Explorer in terms of interior capacity, for half the price.

I gave up trying to wrestle bikes into the beds of trucks. A swing-away Yakima rack was a $600 investment that works marvelously for toting a quad of 2-wheelers.

[cb1]

the maverick is a cool car from the 70s, not a truck.

[Automobilist]

We understand why the new Maverick is successful.

Want to make a truly groundbreaking vehicle? How about a small pickup. Sub-2L four cylinder, five speed manual, crank up windows, bench seat, very basic interior (rubber mats, no carpeting) optional dealer installed air conditioning. Have a company like say; Toyota build it...

Small. Basic. Inexpensive.

[Jack_Hagerty]

What you're describing is an $18,995 pickup, compared to the $19,995 Maverick.

Crank-up windows and manual transmissions don't save any money when you build a car.

[plank]

Electric trucks, bikes in the cargo box, panties in wedgie.... I don't get it. Let's talk real, high powered, naturally aspirated something for God's sake

[DMC4EVER]

I think this vehicle is the best thing Ford has made since the 2 seater T-Bird!!! And possibly the original Maverick!

[hyperv6]

What many fail to find here is that to make this cheap they did not just remove power windows and the like. Cuts were made in a number of areas under the skin and in materials. 

Time will show us just where these cuts have been made. 

Remember the Vega was the ground breaking car for Car OF The Year too. Then we saw what happened. 

Moral is you get what you pay for. 

As pointed out below cutting power windows and tilt wheel is not how you lower cost anymore. Why do all car come with power windows? It is cheaper to make them all that way vs engineering and building two systems.