[Bob]

I have never driven a hybrid. Will it be Okay? Will it be sluggish? What's your thoughts?

 

[Mav-trunklet]

I have 2017 Kia Niro — avg 48-51 mpg consistently and trouble free so far and I love it. You will love the mpg’s and there‘s no reason to think it will feel sluggish. When one has a hybrid they never want to go back to ICE again. I feel up my gas tank about every 6 wks as I average 540 miles on a tank. I will be taking a hit on MPG‘s when I buy the Maverick. I’m only buying it because it intrigues me and I think it would be nice to have a small truck bed to just do basic hauling needs but nothing too large or too heavy. My warranty on the Niro expires next March. When I buy the maverick I will have three more years of under warranty driving. In approximately five years I will be ready to change up to an EV vehicle.
Which ends up buying the Niro will be getting a real good compact SUV as it is in excellent condition, one owner, and perfect maintenance record. 😊

 

[null]

Hybrids have come a long way over the last 20 years. Of course, every manufacturer has a different drivetrain, but they rarely feel "slow." I can floor my Insight and it will whine, but it will go. In Sport mode, it has been the most fun car I've ever driven. Engine startup time is less than half a second. You also get instant torque with a hybrid, which is something only a gas sports car may come close to.

Personally, I'm not ever going to buy another pure gas vehicle in my life. I will only purchase a hybrid or pure electric (once trucks mature enough) in the future.

 

[Bob]

Thanks for your feed back. I don't want another sluggish car. We just sold our 2019 Subaru Forester because used car prices are up. Was very sluggish among other things. I'm interested in the Maverick. I think I'd like to sit in one before I buy. Are people ordering now paying full price? Do you know if you order now and when it comes in and you change your mind if your forced to purchase? Thanks, Bob.

 

[null]

Thanks for your feed back. I don't want another sluggish car. We just sold our 2019 Subaru Forester because used car prices are up. Was very sluggish among other things. I'm interested in the Maverick. I think I'd like to sit in one before I buy. Are people ordering now paying full price? Do you know if you order now and when it comes in and you change your mind if your forced to purchase? Thanks, Bob.

Depends on the dealer. The buy order is a sort of signed "intent to purchase" that could be legally binding. I say it depends, because some dealers just need the stock. Orders come before dealer stock, so they're happy to put in the order so that even if they don't sell it to you, they can put it on their lot. Custom orders are priority 10-19 whereas dealer stock is priority 80 (I think).

I kid you not, my dealer has 3 new cars on their lot. And only about 10 used.

Find a good dealer and ask. I doubt any dealer will get dealer stock until next year.

Edit: answering the other question: orders sometimes require a (refundable) deposit, but most dealers will match MSRP (plus titles fees and such) when they come in. My dealer did not require a deposit.

 

[Griswaldo906]

I have never driven a hybrid. Will it be Okay? Will it be sluggish? What's your thoughts?

I have a 2018 Ford CMax. In my experience Ford hybrids are more responsive than regular cars. This does not necessarily mean faster.

The thing is that you don't have to wait for the gear to kick down or for the engine to wind up... When you hit the throttle, it just goes and goes without hesitation. I used to drive Uber in Chicago and it was great for merging, passing and you name it, especially when you turn off eco mode.

When my wife was in labor with my second child, I drove her to the hospital in this car. I got on the highway and punched the throttle up to a comfortable speed. When I looked down, I was going 97 MPH and there was plenty of power to go even faster if I wanted to.

The beauty of this system is you never feel short on power because of the responsiveness and torque. There is no muss and no fuss. It just quietly launches up to (illegal) speed with no protest - like a luxury car.

Ironically, I expect that the Maverick might be even faster than my CMax. It is within 100 pounds of my CMax in weight but it has a more powerful 2.5L gas engine, as well as a revised electric motor.

 

[Bob]

I have a 2018 Ford CMax. In my experience Ford hybrids are more responsive than regular cars. This does not necessarily mean faster.

The thing is that you don't have to wait for the gear to kick down or for the engine to wind up... When you hit the throttle, it just goes and goes without hesitation. I used to drive Uber in Chicago and it was great for merging, passing and you name it, especially when you turn off eco mode.

When my wife was in labor with my second child, I drove her to the hospital in this car. I got on the highway and punched the throttle up to a comfortable speed. When I looked down, I was going 97 MPH and there was plenty of power to go even faster if I wanted to.

The beauty of this system is you never feel short on power because of the responsiveness and torque. There is no muss and no fuss. It just quietly launches up to (illegal) speed with no protest - like a luxury car.

Ironically, I expect that the Maverick might be even faster than my CMax. It is within 100 pounds of my CMax in weight but it has a more powerful 2.5L gas engine, as well as a revised electric motor.

Hey,, thanks a lot for responding! I'm feeling better about the power stuff.

 

[null]

Once you go Hybrid/EV, you don't want to go back. Instant power is a dream that you didn't know you wanted (or needed).

 

[Griswaldo906]

Hey,, thanks a lot for responding! I'm feeling better about the power stuff.

No problem... Yeah, unless you are the type of person that has driven sports cars your whole life, you won't feel down on power. The power is way more useable in a Ford or Toyota hybrid than in a similarly powered gas car.

If this gives you an idea, I have since moved out of Chicago and the only time I ever turn off eco mode is to humiliate people in half-ton trucks on the highway.

 

[casanewt]

Thanks for your feed back. I don't want another sluggish car. We just sold our 2019 Subaru Forester because used car prices are up. Was very sluggish among other things. I'm interested in the Maverick. I think I'd like to sit in one before I buy. Are people ordering now paying full price? Do you know if you order now and when it comes in and you change your mind if your forced to purchase? Thanks, Bob.

I would highly recommend you simply go test drive a newer Escape Hybrid or a used Fusion Hybrid. That way you will be able to experience it for yourself.

 

[Shark]

I would highly recommend you simply go test drive a newer Escape Hybrid or a used Fusion Hybrid. That way you will be able to experience it for yourself.

How do people go test drive random things? I find it hard to lie when I have no intent to purchase the vehicle, and OTOH car salesmen are so damn pushy. They want you to sign on buying the damn car ASAP. Of course yes you can be firm but the whole thing is just annoying.

I'm meaning to try to test drive some stuff at Carmax though, specifically because during covid time they advertise solo test drives!

I'm pretty sure people here overrate the hybrids power. Pretty sure I remember at least one tester mentioning the hybrid mav feels sluggish compared to the 2.0 (And in 0-60 times it's no contest). Then again I havent driven it. If I'm wrong enough I'd start to consider the hybrid for 40 MPG savings. Sucks you cant AWD too. Course the other issue test driving and getting one of these at MSRP without ordering is likely a pipe dream for a good while.

 

[428PI]

I test drive cars at Carmax for a living.

 

[Toddio12]

How do people go test drive random things? I find it hard to lie when I have no intent to purchase the vehicle, and OTOH car salesmen are so damn pushy. They want you to sign on buying the damn car ASAP. Of course yes you can be firm but the whole thing is just annoying.

I'm meaning to try to test drive some stuff at Carmax though, specifically because during covid time they advertise solo test drives!

I'm pretty sure people here overrate the hybrids power. Pretty sure I remember at least one tester mentioning the hybrid mav feels sluggish compared to the 2.0 (And in 0-60 times it's no contest). Then again I havent driven it. If I'm wrong enough I'd start to consider the hybrid for 40 MPG savings. Sucks you cant AWD too. Course the other issue test driving and getting one of these at MSRP without ordering is likely a pipe dream for a good while.

Sluggish is a highly subjective thing.
Compared to a modern 2.0 Turbo? Yeah, sluggish. Compared to just about any naturally aspirated 4cyl except Honda maybe, pretty darned not sluggish. Much better than most.

Back when the first Escape hybrids came out, they compared the acceleration to the V6. I have owned a V6 escape, a 4cyl Escape, and still own a Hybrid Escape. All 1st gen. And yes, the acceleration is on par with the 1st gen V6 Escape. But because of the CVT, it just feels.... different.

 

[Rosslink56]

I test drive cars at Carmax for a living.

Sounds like a dream come true.

 

[428PI]

Sounds like a dream come true.

Not as good as it sounds. I ran out of gas once. I about got side swiped 2 times on one test drive. Got one speeding ticket. Saw a road rage incident at a stop light where a guy got out of a pickup (Oklahoma) and cussed out an elderly person for turning left (was illegal at that intersection at the time of construction). Funniest part was the ******* about lost his hat as it was windy and standing in the middle of Kellogg yelling. I honked my horn. (Wichita, KS). I also have to diagnose any problems and get them written up in the computer. Have to average over 1 per hour. Drove everything from a Chevy 1500 or a Kia Optima, Ford Explorer, Ford Escape, Mitsubishi Outlander, and more today. Sometime have to drive a Vette and Mitsubishi Mirage on the same day. Lots of Jeeps and GM SUVS. There's a saying that old mechanics don't quit, they just go on longer test drives.

 

[Raggdaddy]

Not as good as it sounds. I ran out of gas once. I about got side swiped 2 times on one test drive. Got one speeding ticket. Saw a road rage incident at a stop light where a guy got out of a pickup (Oklahoma) and cussed out an elderly person for turning left (was illegal at that intersection at the time of construction). Funniest part was the *** about lost his hat as it was windy and standing in the middle of Kellogg yelling. I honked my horn. (Wichita, KS). I also have to diagnose any problems and get them written up in the computer. Have to average over 1 per hour. Drove everything from a Chevy 1500 or a Kia Optima, Ford Explorer, Ford Escape, Mitsubishi Outlander, and more today. Sometime have to drive a Vette and Mitsubishi Mirage on the same day. Lots of Jeeps and GM SUVS. There's a saying that old mechanics don't quit, they just go on longer test drives.

wow that is quite the story.