Would You Rather Have a Last-Gen Ranger or a New Maverick?

Interesting Choices

For quite a few years, those that wanted to purchase a compact pickup had several choices from the likes of Ford, GM, Toyota, and Nissan, among others. But then like a rare animal, the compact pickup went extinct for quite a few years until the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick appeared, rejuvenating a dead segment once again. Meanwhile, the formerly compact Ranger is now a mid-size vehicle, which begs the question, which would you rather have - a last-gen Ranger or a new Maverick?

Photos: Ford

Similar Costs

The reason we pose this question in the first place is simple - with used vehicle prices skyrocketing to new record highs, we've seen several nice, low-mile, last-gen Rangers selling in the mid-$20k range, which is enough to purchase a fairly well-equipped new Maverick. Thus, it's worth asking which is the better vehicle, even though they're quite different in several ways.

Photos: Ford

Platforms

The previous-gen Ranger is a bit old at this point, so the tech and driver-assist features present in the Maverick simply aren't there. Regardless, many prefer this simplicity over seriously complicated new vehicles, and it's just less things that can possibly go wrong. Also, while the Maverick is a unibody pickup, the old Ranger is a body-on-frame truck, which many ultimately prefer.

Photos: Ford

Ride Quality

The Maverick does get the benefit of better ride quality thanks to its car-like platform, however, as well as handling. Truthfully, the old Ranger was a bit jarring to drive around on rough roads, with regular cab models proving to be the worst thanks to their shorter wheelbase. But many don't mind that, and we don't blame them.

Photos: Ford

Powertrains

In 2011, the old Ranger could be equipped with either Ford's 2.3-liter four-cylinder powerplant, which churned out 143 horsepower, or the optional 4.0-liter V6, which produced 207 horsepower. Buyers could opt for a five-speed manual or automatic transmission, but either way, the old Ranger isn't particularly fast. Neither is the 191 hp hybrid Maverick, but it gets up to 42 mpg compared to the Ranger at 16-24 mpg, depending on configuration. Regardless, the EcoBoost-powered Maverick beats them all with 250 hp.

Photos: Ford

Payload and Towing

In terms of capability, the Maverick offers over 1,500 pounds of max payload capacity and up to 4,000 pounds of towing capability when equipped with the 4K Tow Package. The Ranger, on the other hand, can haul up to nearly 1,800 pounds and tow as much as 3,100 pounds, surprisingly a bit less than the Maverick.

Photos: Ford

Hard to Justify

As much as we love the old Ranger, when comparing it to the Maverick, it's hard to justify spending the same amount of money for either. This was a much easier choice when nice used Rangers could be had for $10k or so, but now that they're selling for two and a half times that price, the choice here just seems pretty obvious.

Photos: Ford

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