Should you drive the Ford Maverick or the Ford Ranger? These two pickups offer smaller sizes than the full-size F-150, but which one should be in your driveway?
Ford is the first of the Detroit Big Three to reenter the compact pickup truck market. This means you’ve got at least two options when you want a smaller truck and you want that truck to be a Ford. The Ranger still sits in the midsize pickup spot, offering a name and package that you can easily admire and enjoy while the new Maverick resurrects the compact truck market.
Which small Ford truck should you drive?
Which truck has a better interior?
Most small trucks have basic builds meant to make them more affordable than their larger counterparts. Thankfully, the Maverick shies away from the basicness of other small trucks, providing an impressive cabin with upscale materials. The impressive design makes this truck useful, with excellent storage areas throughout the cabin and bed. There are some hard plastics, but that’s an expected part of this compact Ford truck.
Turning to the Ford Ranger, you’ll find a more utilitarian build than the unibody Maverick. That’s just fine because the Ranger is made for work and off-road play. There are more hard plastics in the Ranger than the Maverick, which means the smaller Ford has a much better interior.
Is one truck more comfortable than the other?
You might be surprised to learn that the Ford Maverick has more comfortable seats than the Ford Ranger. The Maverick offers impressive amounts of space for passengers despite being smaller than the Ranger. The rear seats fit adults during short drives.
The front seats in the Ranger are well contoured and comfortable but might be too soft for the utilitarian personality of this midsize Ford pickup. If you want more room for your passengers in the rear, the Ranger SuperCrew is a great choice, giving you space for two adult passengers in the rear seat.
Which truck tows the most?
Between these two Ford trucks, the towing figures don’t come close to each other. The larger Ranger is rated to tow up to 7,500 pounds, which is an impressive figure in the midsize truck market. This figure is much greater than what you’ll find in the Maverick.
The Ford Maverick is offered with two powertrains, each offering different tow ratings. The hybrid model can pull up to 2,000 pounds, while those models powered by the turbocharged 4-cylinder engine achieve up to 4,000 pounds of towing. This is more than enough to pull a small boat.
Does the larger truck carry more gear?
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Ford Ranger also has a larger payload capacity than the Ford Maverick. The smaller Ford truck has a small, 4-foot, 6-inch bed that can carry up to 1,500 pounds in every trim. Ford offers some clever features to maximize the space for your truck needs.
The larger Ranger is the right choice when you need to carry more weight. This truck carried up to 1,905 pounds in the RWD SuperCab configuration. Other models can carry between 1,478 and 1,808 pounds depending on the trim, powertrain, and body style.
Which Ford truck is better for off-roading?
The Maverick can be had with an AWD system, which makes it sound like it should be good on the trails, but that’s not the case. This truck is better suited for rough weather rather than trail riding. The Tremor package adds a locking rear differential, more ground clearance, and all-terrain tires. That doesn’t turn the Maverick into an off-road champ, but it helps.
The Ford Ranger is made for some off-road fun, giving you some excellent packages for the trails, including the FX2, FX4, and Tremor models. There’s also the Ranger Raptor, which is a hardcore off-road pickup. This pickup brings off-road items into the mix, giving you all-terrain tires, off-road modes, skid plates, and lift kits.
Which truck is better on the road?
The unibody construction of the Ford Maverick gives it an edge over the Ford Ranger on the road. The Maverick drives more like a car and gives you the comfort desired when you use it for your daily commute. This smaller truck is also more efficient, which makes it a better choice on the road.
The Ranger feels more like a truck, which isn’t a bad thing. Still, the jittery ride and light steering might not feel right when you’re on the road every day. When you aren’t towing and hauling, you’d rather have something a little smoother.
Choose the Ford Ranger if you want more power, towing, payload, and off-road features, but if you want a lower price, smoother ride, and better cabin, turn to the Ford Maverick.
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