MotorTrend has lost it !!!

[jyoutz]

I owned (and wrecked) both back in the day. Vega I barely fit into... I think it was a 4 banger/4 speed.. beat the ballz off that thing.

I thought they were both decent vehicles... The 6cyl. powertrain in the Maverick was ok... not great
I think it had tall gears in the rear end. (mid 70's "gas shortage" economy measure)
and of course the "5 MPH" rear bumper...

I'd take either one rather than the junk they sell today.
Maverick was about $2k out the door.

My Maverick was cold blooded and used oil regularly. A real POS. And the Vega engine was known to self destruct. No way they were better than any modern vehicle.

 

[skeets]

They call that a truck? I want to see someone put a cord of firewood or a ton of coal or 10 ewes in the bed of that thing!

 

[Shawn T. W]

To me the 2026 Maverick looks like a budget Ranger.

It very closely related to the escape, with a "bed" ...

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

To me the 2026 Maverick looks like a budget Ranger.

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Looking at the pictures the Maverick seems marketed as the powder-blue street-only skinny jeans "truck" like @John T said, whereas the Ranger is a truck for little people.

And I'm sure someone will hate me for the following comparison:
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but the 1974 Maverick with the 1974 bumper laws somehow always looked like a buck-tooth kid shoving his way through a crowd.
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Come to think of it, that first image of a Ford Maverick would look the same with a front plate.

This makes me laugh so hard…

The last car my Grandmother had and was allowed to drive. As a little boy I remember my dad taking her keys and chocking the tires and the argument that ensued. My dad’s good friend was chief of police and he told my dad take her keys or we will. That sucker was all white exterior with green vinyle seats….talk about fugly.

As all you young gentlemen were just men about town, cruising’ da ville around town in your maverick, my g-mom was tearing up getting groceries and going to church with her cane.

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

They call that a truck? I want to see someone put a cord of firewood or a ton of coal or 10 ewes in the bed of that thing!

I dont believe most trucks these days can haul a cord of firewood without accessories. I am not disagreeing with you, but I don’t believe most would do that without some preventive measures / accessories. Or they’d leave a lot along the roadside

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

Being raised a Ford man im always delighted to see Ford get some award or praise or be named Truck of the year by MotorTrend. But the 2026 MotorTrend truck of the year is the Ford Maverick???? Really. I have nothing against the Maverick but I just dont view it as a truck I guess. If they had chosen the honda Rigeline or the Subaru Brat id be just as impressed.

I too think MT has lost it…I lost all confidence in motor trend…this thing looks like a developed mentally challenge offspring of a refrigerator and dumpster.

if this is a truck, then I no longer know what a truck is nor do I want one.

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/tesla/cybertruck

 

[WFM]

I hate to think money influences 'stuff'.
But as we know everything has a price.

 

[John T]

I hate to think money influences 'stuff'.
But as we know everything has a price.

Ever look at the Rock & Roll "Hall of Fame" inductees??

If Jann Wenner don't like you or you didn't grease him, You ain't getting in.

They booted him a few years ago But it's still a joke.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

best trucks I owned... '57 Willys 4wd PU, 12 speed+dual PTO,6.5' box .

Only a fool or a troll has any argument with a 57 Willys!

 

[Mark_BX25D]

I owned (and wrecked) both back in the day. Vega I barely fit into... I think it was a 4 banger/4 speed.. beat the ballz off that thing.

When I was in school I worked for a while at a gas station. Fella pulled in one night in a Vega station wagon.... with a 240z inline 6 in the thing!

He popped the hood and showed it off. The valve cover tucked under the shelf at the back of the engine compartment, where the hood closed. If you wanted to adjust the valves you'd have to pull the engine. No other way to get the cover off.

He said it dropped in to the existing motor mounts with no modification. I had only his word for it, of course, but it was a pretty cool setup anyway.

Sure had to have a lot more moxie than that aluminum 4 banger!

 

[John T]

302ci fit pretty well into a Pinto.

I knew a guy with a 302 pinto wagon. It was a real sleeper back in the day...

(example pic.)