Scotty Kilmer became acquainted with the all-new Maverick in January 2022. Back then, he likened the Cactus Gray-painted truck in his driveway to the Model T, referring to the best-in-segment value of these vehicles.
The Maverick and Model T are similar in other areas as well. For example, the Model T’s platform saw a plethora of applications, including auto-to-tractor conversions and firefighting vehicles. The Maverick’s platform is referred to as the C2, and it currently underpins compact-sized vehicles that include the China-only Evos, Bronco Sport, and the Escape.
Scotty Kilmer has once again gotten his hands on a Maverick, once again a Cactus Gray-painted XLT with the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder EcoBoost engine. “As they age, hybrids can cost a fortune [to maintain],” said the 69-year-old mechanic. “If these things do hold true like regular Fords F-150s and Rangers, and they go 20 years, you really don't want to have a 20-year-old hybrid. It’s going to cost you a fortune.”
The lifelong mechanic refers to the complexity of the powertrain, including the Atkinson-cycle 2.5 hiding under the hood of the hybrid. Replacement batteries may also be gone in two decades’ time. While on the subject of replacement items for aging hybrids, a Florida-based Chevrolet dealership made headlines earlier this year by charging $30,000 to replace the lithium-ion battery of a 2012 model year Chevrolet Volt.
How is that even possible? Well, it certainly is possible given that LG Chem stopped making battery cells for the first-generation Volt a long time ago. That’s exactly what Scotty is trying to warn prospective customers of the Maverick Hybrid. Or any hybrid vehicle for that matter.
Kilmer further acknowledges that it’s also different from the Maverick he used to drive as a young man while attending the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. The mechanic ultimately stopped short of getting his Ph.D., dissatisfied with the tenure system. Turning our attention back to the unibody truck, the mechanic cannot ignore the door jamb label either.
While it may state which company manufactured this vehicle, tire sizes and pressures, gross vehicle weight rating, and vehicle identification number, the safety compliance certification label doesn’t state the country of origin. VINs that start with 3 means made in Mexico, and the Ford Motor Company isn’t exactly proud of that given that Hyundai assembles the Santa Cruz pickup (VIN starting with 5) at the Montgomery plant in Alabama.
Even though made-in-Mexico vehicles don’t have good quality or reliability records, the 2.0-liter EcoBoost in this particular Maverick is easy to service and repair according to Scotty. He also takes this opportunity to bash the made-in-Michigan Bronco for the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 engine dropping valves, an issue that is being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The ODI is currently aware of 26 vehicle owner’s questionnaires that relate to the alleged defect in the subject Broncos.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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