Playing devil's advocate here, comparing Slate Truck vs. Ford Maverick

[MaverickResource]

...Please be gentle

 

[DRugerH]

These young'uns keep missing the point of this truck.

Dan

 

[DRugerH]

Beats me. I know some young folks that don't want one because of the lack of tech, but when I talk to folks my own age, they are all over this truck.

Dan

 

[zipn]

We just purchased a 25 maverick lariat hybrid AWD. It’s an awesome vehicle. Seeing low 40s mpg around town and 30s on the highway. Loaded with tech. Comfortable, quiet but has a lot of utility… 1500 lb payload and 4k towing.

we also have a Slate reservation.

the Slate won’t replace the maverick… it compliments it. The Slate will be our around town car while the maverick will handle our highway trips and cruising, sometimes AWD drives and or our sometimes towing hauling needs. Once we get the Slate the mav will get little use and should last 20+ years.

we like the efficiency and displaced emissions of an EV, and the low cost + simple tech and DIY nature of the basic slate is all we want. our 150 mile range slate will have no wrap, decals or mods other than maybe the suv topper with no rear seat or roll bar / or bed cover and I’ll add some speakers and a double din stereo with wireless CarPlay. Might even keep the roll up windows

 

[Saint Alban]

Standard Safety Features
• Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB): Included on all models, helping to prevent or reduce the severity of frontal collisions.
• Forward Collision Warning: Alerts drivers to potential frontal impacts.
• Airbags: Front and side curtain airbags are standard; additional airbags are available with the SUV conversion kit.
• Backup Camera: Displayed on the digital gauge cluster behind the steering wheel, meeting federal requirements.
• Traction Control: Helps maintain stability and prevent wheel spin.
• Pedestrian Identification and Auto High Beams: Included in the safety suite on the pickup.
• Remote Keyless Entry: For added convenience and security.

Crash Safety Goals
• Slate aims for a five-star NHTSA crash test rating and high marks from the IIHS, with early internal tests reportedly meeting these goals.
Optional/Accessory Safety Features
• SUV Kit: Adds a roll bar and extra airbags for rear passengers

Slate’s safety approach focuses on proven essentials rather than advanced driver-assist tech, aiming for robust crash protection and compliance with upcoming regulations”

You made it seem like there were no safety standards in the Slate.

 

[Saint Alban]

I’ve mentioned this in other threads, so I’m sorry if members are getting sick of me saying/showing it, but I miss my old S10. It was a two seater and I loved it. The difference in load and towing capacities between the Slate and the S10 are negligible. I’m not hauling boats and trailers and…..concrete? I dunno. I doubt many people interested in this “mini truck” as you called it in the beginning are looking to use it for these things. I know the market believes most people want 4-doors and that may be true, so I’m glad the option is now given to people like me that want two. It’s also a full EV if that’s what people are looking for. The maverick is a hybrid with a little less hp, which is also fine, but different. Whether the slate costs $20k, $2,700, $30k, etc. Will buying a bunch of accessories while keeping it a pickup get you up to $40k+ like the maverick? I don’t know. Maybe the extra battery would be the most costly add on,

but I’d rather start low and just add what I want/need instead of always being forced into purchasing a package that has the one thing I want bundled with a bunch of stuff I don’t.

 

[mikell]

I own 3 Maverick hybrids. The price of needs to be below $20k to compete. Made a 55 mile backroads run this morning 47 MPG.

 

[Saint Alban]

I own 3 Maverick hybrids. The price of needs to be below $20k to compete. Made a 55 mile backroads run this morning 47 MPG.

I understand. I just have zero interest in a maverick. Now that I think about it, I have zero interest in any other pickup lol. I guess if someone is looking for a pickup to get rugged with and actually take off-road and what not, I feel like they wouldn’t or at least shouldn’t be looking at a Slate. Im probably wrong.

 

[Letas]

I own 3 Maverick hybrids. The price of needs to be below $20k to compete. Made a 55 mile backroads run this morning 47 MPG.

People on this forum will try to say “the slate isn’t competing with the maverick” but the fact of the matter is, customers look for value. And pound for pound the maverick wins by a landslide

 

[GeoLogic]

Dismissing that the above embedded commentary is from a channel of immediately evident pro-Maverick bias, I otherwise agree the fellow has some valid points. For me personally, I would like a Slate with four doors, I would like ~400 mile range, and I further demand 4WD/AWD, or I'm not buying the vehicle at all. This latter requirement is non-negotiable.

But I have enough ICE vehicles, suffice to say, and wish a pure electric. For that, I'm willing to forgo some capabilities. And most importantly, Ford has an unenviable history of middling reliability at best, including the new Maverick (and the old one was even worse). Many will whine, "But I haven't had any problems with my Maverick...". Sure, give it ten years. I keep my vehicles for long, long periods, and I judge reliability measured in decades, not four years. Think 80s/90s Toyota trucks, the Corolla, Camry, my Honda CR-V. THAT'S what reliability is. And that's what I demand from my vehicles if I'm not inheriting something for the sake of memory and sentimentality. And that's what I demand from Slate. If they fail to deliver reliability, they're gone. I don't care how great the vehicle otherwise is: You're not reliable, you can right bugger off. Especially if I'm shoveling over $30k for the thing.

Anyway, the Slate will be a compromise in many respects. But if it has AWD and is actually reliable, I'm pretty confident I'd be happy with it for my purposes.

 

[AZFox]

Clickbait much?

 

[GaRailroader]

Price parity between gas cars and EVs hasn’t happened yet though we are getting closer. If the logic that is being used to conclude that Slates will never sell because the Maverick is more price competitive was sound then none of the EVs that are out there should have been sold in the first place. In 2018 I bought a RWD Tesla Model 3 LR for $56k. I am sure I could have had an Accord or a Camry or some other sedan for a lot less money. I didn’t want an ICE vehicle, I wanted an EV. For my next pick-up, I am not cross shopping Maverick because I want an EV and a Maverick is not an EV.

 

[sodamo]

I already have a Tundra hybrid. Maverick is of zero interest to me, but this Slate is overwhelmingly so. Never had a compelling interest in EV before. It will do almost everything I need. Likely keep my Tundra at least a while, but maybe not. I do look forward to DYI customization And will likely keep it until one of us dies.

i have to wonder if some of this Maverick comparison is just some sort of self rationalization. If Maverick were an EV then maybe they have a point.

 

[bartflossom]

Small trucks in the 80's had two main buyers. Young people, me, just starting out wanting something cheap and customizable, and older adults, also me, looking for something to run to Home Depot with and haul some mulch or plywood. I have a Maverick Hybrid and it's awesome, but I've always wanted to relive my 84 Mazda SE-5 days and will sell it and get a Slate.

 

[Adam W]

People on this forum will try to say “the slate isn’t competing with the maverick” but the fact of the matter is, customers look for value. And pound for pound the maverick wins by a landslide

You may be confusing "features" for "value." Value is going to be different for everyone. I will never need to haul a little league team 500 miles on dirt roads with a trailer. The Maverick may offer that as a feature, but I would value that capability at exactly zero dollars. The things I do value that are swaying me towards the Slate? The simplicity of an EV drivetrain. What we should be comparing is the Lightning, Silverado EV, Scout, or Rivian R1T. Of course, the video would have to be "which is better, 3 Slates or 1 Rivian?"