If It Weren't for Slate, I Would Get...

[bloo]

I always thought Element looks very rugged and tough. It was only until the last couple of years that I found out about its unique features inside. Nowadays I rarely see them on the road. Thought all the camping enthusiasts snatched them up and moved them into the wilderness.

To save time (and look tough) at Home Depot, I bring a cordless circular saw to cut 2x4s right by the trunk. 😂

I cut 12-foot synthetic deck boards with my ALDI cordless circ saw over a shopping cart in the store. The manager was going off shift, so he didn't care.

I once carried over 1400 pounds of yard waste 17 miles to the local landfill. The scale operator could hardly believe it. I had to replace the rear swaybar bushings at 100,000 miles, so there was that.

 

[danielt1263]

I missed the poll... I plan on replacing 2 electric vehicles this year with two new electric vehicles. The Polaris EV (piss of crap) and the Rivian R1T (2022) both get replaced. The Slate I have on order and I also have a Rivian R2 on order for this year. So the Slate is a replacement for the Polaris and the R1T and the R2 will be the driver.

So if Slate wasn't an option, what would you get instead?

 

[cadblu]

I picked the new Maverick.

Nice pick. Did you read this?

Motor Trend 2026 Truck of the Year

 

[beatle]

I had not read that one, but it is encouraging. I drove a Lariat last summer while my partner was shopping for a car (she ended up with a Mach-E) and I liked the Maverick. The interior wasn't high class but neither was it shoddy. It had a decent amount of pep and it handled pretty well for a truck as I threw it around a roundabout. The small dimensions and short wheelbase made it easy to fit into parking spots and still have room to open your doors. Ford has pretty solid ADAS for commuting, and it was so easy to climb into the bed. It's about 4 inches lower than the R1T, even in kneel mode. The bed itself is actually about the same size as the Rivian, though I'll have to load sheet goods on top of the wheel wells. The adjustable tailgate will help with that. I hear they are releasing a 300T performance pack with a bigger turbo to bring it up to 300hp. If they can also include the paddle shifters from the Lobo, I think that would make for a killer "backup" track vehicle for rainy days when I don't want to take the Miata.

That is... if I don't get a Slate.

 

[gouacats]

The plan is to get a campervan for future road trips and the Slate would be my around town commuter. If I don't get a Slate, I'll likely just get another 2-door Wrangler for bopping around town and the occasional trip to Moab/Sedona.

 

[Susan]

I don't know what I would get. I really want a smallish 2 door EV truck with a camper shell and a roof rack. Something big enough to haul my glamping equipment and my kayaks. That I can see over the hood and not miss small children, which apparently is a problem with some of the newer pickups! And not have trouble on western mountains, though I know better than to drive on side roads with steep grades.

So far, I haven't seen anything like it. The Maverick (and I don't want ICE ever again) doesn't have better hauling capacity than the Slate, except at higher trims. It has four doors and is encumbered by too much tech, two more strikes. I really don't want to tow anything. So that puts the Maverick out of the running.

I was looking at Rivians last year, but honestly, they are too big. And too expensive too. I can't imagine what the insurance on those cars would be.

The Telo isn't out. If it had a frunk, I'd consider it. It doesn't even have a front though. Plus it has four doors and a back seat. And the bed isn't any bigger than the Slate. It might have more hauling capcity though. But it's still too tech encumbered. Sigh.

I have been looking and honestly, maybe there's a used vehicle that will work when my old Outback gives up. But most of the trucks that I've seen on the road that I liked are old and rusty and their owners wouldn't part with them anyway.

 

[SichuanHot]

So far, I haven't seen anything like it. The Maverick (and I don't want ICE ever again) doesn't have better hauling capacity than the Slate, except at higher trims. It has four doors and is encumbered by too much tech, two more strikes. I really don't want to tow anything. So that puts the Maverick out of the running.

What do you mean? Both the base and 4k towing packages on the Maverick are rated higher than what Slate is projecting for their truck. Bed payload rating is also higher by 500lbs. Capability wise the Maverick edges out way ahead of Slate.

 

[Susan]

What do you mean? Both the base and 4k towing packages on the Maverick are rated higher than what Slate is projecting for their truck. Bed payload rating is also higher by 500lbs. Capability wise the Maverick edges out way ahead of Slate.

As I said, I don't care about towing. I will never tow anything. I know some people want that, but I am not one of those people.

A Google search told me that the hauling capacity was 1,156 to 1,545 lbs. I couldn't find this info on any of Ford's pages and I didn't feel like knocking myself out searching.

The Slate has a hauling capacity of around 1,433 lbs. Given that I want the extended range battery, I'll take off 302 lbs. That leaves me with 1,131 lbs of hauling capacity. Pretty close to the base line Maverick. Plus the Maverick's bed is shorter. And the Maverick doesn't have a frunk.

This make the ICE Maverick a very hard pass for me. I guess it would work for others, but I answered the question from the point of view of what I needed. I'm sure I'm not the only car buyer with the same requirements, which is why I think the Slate will be a huge success. Serving a part of the market that has been ignored for too long.

 

[bloo]

As I said, I don't care about towing. I will never tow anything. I know some people want that, but I am not one of those people.

A Google search told me that the hauling capacity was 1,156 to 1,545 lbs. I couldn't find this info on any of Ford's pages and I didn't feel like knocking myself out searching.

The Slate has a hauling capacity of around 1,433 lbs. Given that I want the extended range battery, I'll take off 302 lbs. That leaves me with 1,133 lbs of hauling capacity. Pretty close to the base line Maverick. Plus the Maverick's bed is shorter. And the Maverick doesn't have a frunk.

This make the ICE Maverick a very hard pass for me. I guess it would work for others, but I answered the question from the point of view of what I needed. I'm sure I'm not the only car buyer with the same requirements, which is why I think the Slate will be a huge success. Serving a part of the market that has been ignored for too long.

FWIW... a Maverick can carry 1500 pounds and tow 2000 (4000 with the optional towing package. Both acceleration and top speed are better, too.

With all that, I won't be buying a Maverick.

I want a real compact truck. You just can't get that in a crew-cab configuration right now. Even if you could, those extra doors eat into bed space. It's just gonna be me and whatever lumber, gravel, or yard-saleage I toss in back. I don't want an extra two feet that limits parking choices on a city street. I do want to cut my fuel bill in half.

I want a Slate.

 

[AZFox]

I'm sure I'm not the only car buyer with the same requirements, which is why I think the Slate will be a huge success. Serving a part of the market that has been ignored for too long.

I think there's a lot of unmet demand for a small 2-door pickup.

Making it inexpensive to operate, require very little maintenance, and highly customizable amounts to icing on the cake.

 

[Susan]

FWIW... a Maverick can carry 1500 pounds and tow 2000 (4000 with the optional towing package. Both acceleration and top speed are better, too.

With all that, I won't be buying a Maverick.

I want a real compact truck. You just can't get that in a crew-cab configuration right now. Even if you could, those extra doors eat into bed space. It's just gonna be me and whatever lumber, dravel, or yard-saleage I toss in back. I don't need an extra two feet of length to limit my parking choices on a city street. I do want to cut my fuel bill in half.

I want a Slate.

I'm with you on wanting something that fits in a parking space. And absolutely agree that the extra doors eat into bed space. No thanks.

So, 1500 lbs. The Maverick still has too many drawbacks, including a shorter bed. I also don't care about top speed. I just want to safely get where I'm going with my stuff.

And since I have solar panels, I really don't want to get another ICE car ever again in my life. Seems like a waste of money.

 

[SichuanHot]

As I said, I don't care about towing. I will never tow anything. I know some people want that, but I am not one of those people.

A Google search told me that the hauling capacity was 1,156 to 1,545 lbs. I couldn't find this info on any of Ford's pages and I didn't feel like knocking myself out searching.

The Slate has a hauling capacity of around 1,433 lbs. Given that I want the extended range battery, I'll take off 302 lbs. That leaves me with 1,131 lbs of hauling capacity. Pretty close to the base line Maverick. Plus the Maverick's bed is shorter. And the Maverick doesn't have a frunk.

This make the ICE Maverick a very hard pass for me. I guess it would work for others, but I answered the question from the point of view of what I needed. I'm sure I'm not the only car buyer with the same requirements, which is why I think the Slate will be a huge success. Serving a part of the market that has been ignored for too long.

You were comparing payload and towing capabilities of the Maverick and Slate so it appeared as if those are metrics that are important to you. You specifically, incorrectly stated that the Maverick doesn't have better hauling capacity except with the 4k towing package, which is also wrong as bloo stated.

 

[Susan]

You were comparing payload and towing capabilities of the Maverick and Slate so it appeared as if those are metrics that are important to you. You specifically, incorrectly stated that the Maverick doesn't have better hauling capacity except with the 4k towing package, which is also wrong as bloo stated.

Nope. I specifically said that I didn't care about towing. I cared about payload only.

Google gave me that info. I couldn't find it on Ford's page and I stood corrected about that. I still would never want a Maverick.

 

[bloo]

That I can see over the hood and not miss small children, which apparently is a problem with some of the newer pickups!

Here are some images that made me smile...

https://www.slateforums.com/forum/t...get-first-look-at-slate-electric-truck.14073/

BTW... some SUVs now come with a standard front camera, likely for the reason you stated.

 

[Susan]

Here are some images that made me smile...

https://www.slateforums.com/forum/t...get-first-look-at-slate-electric-truck.14073/

BTW... some SUVs now come with a standard front camera, likely for the reason you stated.

Oh I love that! So sweet. 😊

And I think I heard that same thing about front cameras. What madness.