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

[Swinefuzz]

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

The Slate is all EV, so incredibly easy maintenance and NO TECH beyond the EV powertrain and standard safety features like radar, etc.

The Ford Maverick is ICE or Hybrid only, no all EV option, and is packed with features like screens and lots of tech that has proven unreliable and very high maintenance. ENGINE FIRE RECALL. AIRBAG RECALL. BRAKE ISSUES. AND SH!T TONS OF PERSISTENT TECH GLITCHES THAT FORD CAN'T FIX BECAUSE THEY'RE TOO COMPLEX. Google around about this. Mavericks are in the service bay a LOT. The Maverick is cheap because it's LOADED with features that are low quality. And it's TWO FEET LONGER than the Slate, but with a shorter bed because DOORS for people I don't need to take with me when I commute to work. It would barely fit in my driveway. I personally see no upside to the Maverick.

Once again, why are so many people buying pickup trucks that double as family vehicles? I believe it's a syndrome where people just want something that "has it all" but doesn't do any of it particularly well.

 

[dn325ci]

I have a Maverick XLT AWD but interested in an EV pickup and made a reservation. We'll see where the pricing lands in the end.

 

[SL8R]

It all comes down to personal preference. Not having to deal with sales people, shifty ”market adjustment” pricing, unwanted paint protection, nitrogen tire, aggressive dealership add-ons and fees, etc. is a huge win. Buy a Maverick if it suites your purpose, buy a SLATE as well for the same reason. The SLATE team has what it takes to deliver a quality vehicle at an affordable price. I doubt they will get off to as rocky a start as the 1st generation Maverick did with its many design and software flaws, and quality control issues, though time will tell.

 

[metroshot]

.....I doubt they will get off to as rocky a start as the 1st generation Maverick did with its many design and software flaws, and quality control issues, though time will tell.

I hope you are right about Slate.

Hope they beta test in the field with real drivers.

The first gen EV Ford Mach E had some huge issues that were both hardware and software issues.

Some were never resolved and Ford pulled out those features in later year models.

Those first year owners felt a bit cheated out looking at the subsequent year models that had been ironed out....

 

[RevCaptJack]

...Please be gentle

I’ve been looking for a minimalist vehicle. Never considered the Maverick.

 

[cadblu]

It all comes down to personal preference. Not having to deal with sales people, shifty ”market adjustment” pricing, unwanted paint protection, nitrogen tire, aggressive dealership add-ons and fees, etc. is a huge win. Buy a Maverick if it suites your purpose, buy a SLATE as well for the same reason. The SLATE team has what it takes to deliver a quality vehicle at an affordable price. I doubt they will get off to as rocky a start as the 1st generation Maverick did with its many design and software flaws, and quality control issues, though time will tell.

Your commentary is spot on. Last year I dealt with this exact scenario. Bought a big new ICE truck (rhymes with Texas 🤔) that was loaded with options I didn’t want, known as PIOs (port installed options) which added over $3k to the bottom line, and not on my sales agreement. That’s was how the truck was delivered (surprise!) with an updated window sticker. I settled anyway because all other dealers were adding up to $10k markup, aka market adjustment. So at least I felt like I was ahead. I was advised if I didn’t take it as is, the wait time was another 6 months due to high demand. Slate won’t have any of these high pressure tactics. And their vehicles will also be in high demand!

 

[zipn]

Your commentary is spot on. Last year I dealt with this exact scenario. Bought a big new ICE truck (rhymes with Texas 🤔) that was loaded with options I didn’t want, known as PIOs (port installed options) which added over $3k to the bottom line, and not on my sales agreement. That’s was how the truck was delivered (surprise!) with an updated window sticker. I settled anyway because all other dealers were adding up to $10k markup, aka market adjustment. So at least I felt like I was ahead. I was advised if I didn’t take it as is, the wait time was another 6 months due to high demand. Slate won’t have any of these high pressure tactics. And their vehicles will also be in high demand!

Counterpoint. Just purchased a 25 AWD hybrid lariat. Maverick from granger motors in Iowa. Paid 3% below dealer invoice not msrp! Invoice… with no bs extra fees. No sales pressure. I was I and out in about 60 minutes. A pleasant experience with no surprises. The deal was mostly predone online.

Not every dealer is a rip off, but fwiw I find that a the new car sales tend to be more upfront with pricing and extras compared to the used car side of the lot where I’ve yet to find a decent used car sales experience.

 

[SLATEchad]

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

I think it's far from a landslide. It's not that they don't compete at all - they are both compact pickups in a similar price range, but they also have some distinctions that mean people like myself would never even consider the Maverick, while the Slate is very appealing. For one: It's a Ford. For two: it's a hybrid (overly complicated powertrain with higher likelihood of reliability issues than an EV powertrain). For three: it looks stupid. For four: It doesn't have the customization and flexibilty that the Slate offers. For five: even with impressive fuel economy, it has higher operating costs compared to an EV between fuel and maintenance.

Many of these reasons are subjective, and it's fine if you love the Maverick, but I also know that I'm not the only one who holds some or all of these opinions and for whom the Maverick will likely not be on my radar unless they release a full EV version and even then I'd have to get over the looks.

 

[SichuanHot]

For one: It's a Ford.

I would never buy a Ford either. I was very close to buying a S550 Mustang, but decided not to. That was a bullet dodged. I simply don't trust Ford's penny pinching questionable engineering decisions.

 

[sodamo]

Have only owned 2 Fords in my life - enough. Yup, both had electrical issues. Both got me stranded And had to get roadside assistance.

 

[danielt1263]

I'm looking for a vehicle that is:

• New
• Can tow without voiding the warranty (I only need to tow 600#).
• Has 200+HP

The raw fact is that the Maverick doesn't satisfy those requirements. Neither does the Santa Cruz. What is the least expensive vehicle that does?

 

[zipn]

Mav Can tow 2000 lbs standard or 4000 with the tow option.

 

[Letas]

I'm looking for a vehicle that is:

• New
• Can tow without voiding the warranty (I only need to tow 600#).
• Has 200+HP

The raw fact is that the Maverick doesn't satisfy those requirements. Neither does the Santa Cruz. What is the least expensive vehicle that does?

Your 200 hp requirement is completely arbitrary and certainly seems to be intentionally exclusionary to the 191hp maverick engine.

To answer your question. Maverick Lobo or Tremor with the ecoboost. 238 hp. Or a Jeep Compass Sport. 26k

 

[danielt1263]

I was looking at the Jeep Compass Sport this morning. Apparently the $26k doesn't include the tow package and the tow package is not available at that trim. To get the tow package, one must get the Trailhawk trim? That's $35k (including the tow package). In either case, I have to add the around $3K delivery and deanship fee.

My 200 hp requirement may be arbitrary, but every vehicle I've owned (except one) had at least 200 hp and I see no reason to want less.

 

[YDR37]

I'm looking for a vehicle that is:

• New
• Can tow without voiding the warranty (I only need to tow 600#).
• Has 200+HP

The raw fact is that the Maverick doesn't satisfy those requirements. Neither does the Santa Cruz. What is the least expensive vehicle that does?

The cheapest possible Maverick does not satisfy those requirements -- but they can be met by adding just $125 to the base price.

According to Ford's build & price website for the Maverick, the least expensive option is a base XL with FWD/2.5L Hybrid engine for $30,535 (MSRP plus all fees). OK, this configuration only has 191 hp, so slightly below the OP's "200+ HP" requirement.

But the XL can be switched to an AWD/2.0L I-4 Ecoboost (turbocharged) configuration for only $125 more. That configuration has 250 hp, with towing capacity of 2,000 lbs. Total cost is $30,660 (MSRP plus fees). Would seem to meet (and exceed) the requirements.

There is a package to boost the towing capacity to 4,000 lbs, but that raises the cost to $32,200, and seems unnecessary if the towing requirement is only 600 lbs.