Test: Ford Maverick hybrid does 35 km/l and the price is the same as the 2.0 turbo version. Which makes more sense? | Tests

The photograph that opens this duel looks like an image of the classic game of seven errors, when figures look the same, but seven details differentiate them. these two ford maverickone Lariat FX4 turbo It is another hybridare identical in standard equipment, have the same price, BRL 244,890, and the look is almost identical. Interestingly, there are seven main differences between them.

This combo makes the homemade comparison very particular and the title of the article may seem cliché, but it fits perfectly here: the Maverick Lariat FX4 with a 2.0 turbo engine is the emotion and the Maverick Lariat hybrid is the reason. Which makes more sense for the price?

Let’s do it by steps. Me, you and the Flamengo fans were sure that the new version of Maverick, Brazil’s first hybrid pickup truck, would be cheaper than turbocharged. And there’s no shortage of reasons: in the US, the Maverick hybrid is just over US$ 2,000 cheaper than the combustion-only version, it’s produced in Mexico – a country with which Brazil has a tax exemption agreement – ​​and around here hybrid cars pay less tax, depending on energy efficiency.

Another argument is the competition with Fiat Toro diesel, at least in the more expensive Ultra version, which costs BRL 226,890. As none of this happened, Toro remains without direct threat and ford goes from internal competition with two beautiful and impressive products.

The first difference between the Mavericks is at the front: the combustion has tow hooks at the bottom of the bumper and the hybrid has the part closed. Another distinction is on the side, since the electrified one has 18-inch wheels and the turbocharged one has a 17-inch rim. The third is the suspension, which is a torsion beam at the rear and not a multilink like the Lariat FX4.

The hybrid option swaps the 253 hp 2.0 turbo engine for the 2.5 aspirated 164 hp and an electric 128 hpwhich together produce 194 hp and 21.4 kgfm, sent to the front wheels only via a CVT shifter. The battery has 1.1 kWh. In addition to the turbo engine, the Lariat FX4 has an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

Despite having a little more appeal and off-road capabilities in the turbocharged option, the Maverick is a fully urban pickup truck, and it is not for nothing that it also wants to take customers away from SUVs like the Jeep Compass. Its C2 platform is exactly that of a passenger car – the same as the Bronco Sport – and there is no difference in size between the versions. Therefore, the hybrid pickup continues to be 5.07 meters long, 1.84 m wide, 1.73 m high and a great 3.07 m wheelbase, 8 cm more than the Fiat Toro, for example.

The Maverick bucket has practically the same volume as the Toro: they are 938 liters against 937 liters of the rival. As for load capacity, the dispute changes, since they are only 659 kg for the North American pickup and just over a ton for the Toro. Another negative point is that the marine hood and the bucket lid support spring are not standard, which makes no sense for the price.

The cabin is very spacious, including the back. I’m 1.87 m and I haven’t had any problems with my legs. The shape of the ceiling also favors tall people in terms of headroom. In the driver’s seat, the panel is the same as the turbo version and has plastic with different textures.

Among the main standard items are a multimedia center with an 8″ screen compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay via cable, seven airbags, reversing camera, driver’s seat with electrical adjustments, two-tone leather seats, LED headlights, controls stability and traction control, automatic downhill control, autonomous braking assistant with pedestrian detection and cruise control.

When the car is started, only the electric motor comes into action and silence remains in the cabin. In the first maneuver I did, a thought comes: “where are the reverse sensors?”. They are offered only as options, as well as the marine canopy and the support spring. The camera already helps, however, an audible alert for a pickup with poor rear visibility would help a lot.

The driving position is comfortable and mixes the feeling of being inside an SUV due to the height of the ground and, at the same time, that of a pickup truck due to the high position of the hood.

The electric and silent starts, up to just over 20 km/h, are vigorous and the breath is great for the city. You can face annoying traffic without wasting a drop of fuel on that walk and stop in the city. And the coolest thing: you spin, spin and the fuel gauge barely moves. Despite a satisfactory performance, which does not flirt with disappointment, the hybrid version is far from having the breath and emotion of the 253 hp Maverick turbo behind the wheel. The numbers don’t lie.

In our track tests, the acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h of the hybrid was done in 8.4s and turbocharged 7.1s, and in all acceleration and restart figures the 2.0 engine won.

Another noticeable difference is that the suspension of the Lariat FX4 and the all-wheel drive offer more comfort on board than the hybrid version. In any case, there is a beautiful work of engineering by Ford to have comfort when driving the hybrid on streets with uneven asphalt. Body roll is practically imperceptible for a pickup truck. However, with an approach angle of 21.6º and departure angle of 21.2º, which are bad, you will need to be very careful not to scrape the car in various everyday situations.

We have already mentioned six differences between the versions: hooks on the front, wheels, traction, suspension, gearbox and engine. Now it’s time to talk about the most important thing, consumption. The Maverick hybrid brand was simply unbelievable: 35.4 km/l in the city and 17.3 km/l on the highway. While you’re thinking about the excuse you’re going to say to your friend the gas station attendant for showing up less at the gas station, look at the table on the side and find out who won: the emotion of the 2.0 engine or the reason for hybrid consumption.

WINNER: Ford Maverick Hybrid

The problems of the two Maverick are the same: the lack of standard items for cars of this price. As it is a pickup with an urban appeal, with the extraordinary consumption of the hybrid option, it is possible to have more than 2,000 km of autonomy in the city with 57 liters of tank capacity. With gas prices as they are, reason wins over emotion in this home-grown duel

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