Breaking up is hard to do, but sometimes it’s necessary. Whether your relationship with your Ford Maverick compact pickup truck is toxic or not is your call, but here’s why the Ford Ranger might be more worth your time.

The Ford Maverick is experiencing major quality issues

Can a cheap truck also be a good truck? That’s the question potential Maverick buyers ask themselves when considering the most affordable truck on the market. Ford’s small pickup truck seemed like a steal, but problems are starting to emerge.

Maverick owners have complained about flimsy hoods, paint chipping, a rear seat buckle recall, and even a potential fuel tank issue. Clearly, the inexpensive truck has some flaws. Some would argue that this can be expected from a $19,995 truck, but there are some issues that consumers don’t expect to deal with after buying a new vehicle.

The Maverick may be suffering from quality issues, but the Ranger nameplate is seasoned. The Ranger progressively improves year after year, and the 2023 model year looks awesome. The midsize pickup truck bridges the gap between the convenience of a smaller truck and the capability of a larger truck.

The base model Ford Ranger starts at $25,715. The Ranger is the third-best compact pickup truck, according to Consumer Reports. CR gave the truck a 4/5 predicted reliability score. It got a 75/100 driving experience score. The Maverick scored a 3/5 for predicted reliability.

The Ford Maverick isn’t designed to tow heavy loads

The Maverick’s appeal is its affordability and fuel economy as a standard hybrid pickup truck. It is designed to be unconventional and target an audience that’s different from typical truck buyers. So, if you were expecting to buy a Maverick and tow heavy loads, you may have to break up with the small truck.

The 2022 Ford Maverick has a max towing capacity of 4,000 pounds. This towing capacity can only be achieved when the 2.0-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost engine is chosen and combined with the 4K towing package and all-wheel drive. This configuration adds an additional $4,050 to the Maverick’s total price.

The Maverick’s gas mileage is one of its selling points. That being said, it’s weakened by its hybrid powertrain. On the flip side, the Maverick’s gas engine configuration comes at a hefty price and still doesn’t tow much compared to rivals. The Ranger tows 1,500 more pounds than the standard Maverick. It’s capable of towing 7,500 pounds when equipped with the proper options.

Dump your Maverick for a Ranger because it has a real truck bed

Ford purposely created the Maverick Flexbed to be convenient, but its small size takes away from its practicality. According to MotorTrend, the Maverick bed is 54.4 inches long. The Ranger bed is 60 to 72 inches long depending on the configuration. The average adult bike length is 69 inches long, so picture a bike in the Maverick bed with those numbers in mind.

The Maverick Flexbed is convenient in the sense that it’s fully customizable, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s tiny. Check out this video on how to properly measure a truck bed below:

Learn more about the Ford Maverick’s towing capabilities in the article below.