4Runner of Ford Maverick Tremor

I currently have a 2019 Forester. Great little car, threw some actual all terrain tires on it and it's taken me everywhere I've wanted to go, so far. But I had the itch for something more capable, something that could really get me off road. I also wanted something with more cargo capacity. I do some hobby level woodworking. I live in an apartment in the city so no garage, but I did join a local makerspace. There have been times where a project I wanted to work on wouldn't work because I didn't have a good way to transport the materials. I also don't drive that much. I bought the Forester new and it still has just over 25k miles on it. I bike mostly and my partner has an electric car we use for most errands.

So the Maverick Tremor seemed like the perfect upgrade for me. I ordered one on the opening day last year. And waited. And waited. After no word or updates I started looking at alternatives. I researched a bunch of different things and I kept coming back to getting a slightly used 4Runner Off Road Premium. You can a 2020 or newer with less than 50k miles for around $38k, less than my Tremor Lariat will cost me. For the 4Runner:

*Old but legendarily reliable, lots of people talk about how they get them to over 200k miles with nothing but oil changes.
*Off road capability that can still go toe to toe with the latest Wranglers and Broncos.
*Actually shorter than the Tremor, so easier to parallel park in the city (a real concern here in Pittsburgh).
*TERRIBLE MPG, but not THAT much worse than the Tremor on paper and, again, I don't drive that much.
*No truck bed but when you fold down the back seat of the 4Runner you get an area that's actually bigger than the bed of the Tremor, and you can roll down the back window for longer pieces, anything short of a full 4x8 sheet of plywood. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be able to transport plywood if I needed to, but it doesn't come up that often.
*Easier to car camp inside, no need to rush out and get a rack and roof top tent right away.

So after all that I was pretty dead set on the 4Runner, started seriously checking out dealerships, and then I got the email that my Tremor is scheduled for end of October. Over a year later.

So I'm torn. It kind of feels like that the 4Runner is essentially a more capable vehicle for about the same price. Especially off road. But I do love the idea and everything of the Tremor, a nice little city truck.

How much real world capability would I be giving up with the Tremor vs a 4Runner?

 

Why on earth would you consider the maveric over the ranger?

If you're looking for capability why aren't you looking at ladder frame real 4x4s? Of course the 4runner offers more offroad performance over the maveric. If you need a truck look at the tacoma, ranger, colorado/canyon

 

If you are looking for a capable reliable off road vehicle definitely go with the 4Runner.
If you are looking for a a capable and good off roader for a verity uses go with the Jeep or the 4Runner/Tacoma.
If you really don't care get the Tremor. I had an Expedition and loved it, but it was garbage compared to the 4Runner, Maveric will only be worse.

 

The 4runner probably holds plywood better than the Maverick. The most I've carried is 9 sheets of 3/4", but it could have fit more. (The trick is putting something on the ground in the back of the cargo space, so the sheets can slide in straight and clear the wheel wells).

Beyond that, these are two extremely different vehicles, and I'm surprised you're cross-shopping them.

I considered a Maverick to complement my 4R, but it bugged me that the hybrid isn't available with AWD (so I bought a Rav4 hybrid instead). The gas Maverick gets pretty lousy mpg considering what it is.

If you already have the electric car, I'd think it's reasonable to get an actual"truck truck", like the Taco, Ranger, or 4R.

 

Not sure but the Maverick has a nice alarm. Because I was out front listening to things. All of the sudden my neighbor’s wind chime pinged real loud, then the Maverick’s alarm went off?

 

Just noticed that your Forester is basically brand new, but you want more capability. The Maverick is probably worse off road than the Subie, FYI.

To go up from the Forester, you're looking at a body on frame truck or SUV, as suggested already.

 

It’s wrecked! Right at the blind spot in front of rear tire!

 

If you want to haul lumber, get a pickup. And a tent.

 

I've seen comparisons of the 4R to Tacomas, Land Cruisers, Tundras, Jeeps, Broncos...I never thought I'd see a Maverick in this discussion. Isn't the Maverick the Ford Ridgeline?

 

It has a very nice interior. And a Mitsubishi motor that is very accessible. No plastic covers.

 

It’s similar to the Toyota Stout.

 

Doesn't no such thing exist?

 

It’s coming next year.

 

Has it been officially announced?

 

Excuse my ignorance, what’s a Maverick?

 

It used to be a compact sedan. That's what confused me.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Maverick_(1970–1977)

 

Ok I remember the old Ford Maverick but I thought this was a different make?

 

That's funny. The maverick is much smaller. The Ridgeline is a lot more "truck" than a Maverick.

 

The new unibody Ford truckling.

 

Wait for this, Rav4 pickup

 

Given the Ridgeline is built on the proven Pilot platform, it's probably a much more reliable long-term bet, too.

 

That actually looks pretty nice ... but I'd personally never buy a unibody "pickup" ... even the El Camino was body on frame if memory serves.

 

Ahead of its time:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru_Baja

 

If you want offroad capability, a Maverick will be a downgrade from your Subaru. If you're hauling lumber, I'd look real hard at a Ranger or Tacoma.

 

Kids these days dont know what the heck a unibody is. That thing looks like a pickup and drives like a comfy car. It is going to sell like hotcakes. It is a Rav4 hybrid with a bed, it is going to last forever. Battery pack costs $3000 and brakes last 150,000 miles.

 

And if you want something that will spend more time on/off road rather than in the shop, go 4Runner over Jeep or a "trial" edition of a Ford (Fix Or Repair Daily).

Remember, the Maverick is new and will likely have lots of kinks (THINK: the "new' Bronco, the original Maverick, and the Ford Courier?)

 

To be fair the 4runner is old and has lots of "kinks". It's also the least capable on the trail compared to the wrangler and bronco, making it more susceptible to damage/failure in stock form when tackling the same obstacles

 

Im triggered

 

To be truly fair: The 4Runner (at least my '19 SR5) has fewer kinks. Don't change it if it works! I've had Jeeps (aka GYPS) and it was the worst of over a dozen 4x4s I've driven for work (20+ years as a Wildlife Biologist with DOI) and owned! Spent more in the year we had it in repairs than the payments totaled!. I had a new Bronco and it had tranny slippage and A/C failure within a MONTH!. If Broncos are so good, why have they recalled so many?

If you want a GOOD off-road vehicle with the limitations of a Jeep and better reliability, buy a restored FJ40! I got stuck in one of mine and a jeep Wrangler broke down before we were even 1/2 way in to retrieve it! (I've had 2).

 

4 Runner (for 2023) has 100 more horses than the standard model Maverick (270 vs 170) And 120% towing capacity (5K lbs. vs 4k lbs. for the Ford.) It still has more horses than the EcoBoost model.