Influencer Shares 3 Things He Loves and Hates About America’s Cheapest Pickup Truck
Russell Richardson is a car sales insider and social media influencer. His automotive skits, which he posts under the account name RussFlipsWhips, earn millions of views. He recently bought a 2023 Ford Maverick XL Hybrid and clocked 10,000 miles on the odometer. This month, the influencer shared three things he loves and hates about the cheapest new truck in the U.S. The clip has 1.5 million views already and is embedded below.
Richardson ordered the Maverick new and paid $24,385 for the truck. He added a spare tire and trailer hitch, adding $215.00 to the final sales invoice. The 2023 pickup came with a 121-inch wheelbase, a 2.5L hybrid engine, front-wheel drive, and an automatic CV transmission.
What he likes about the compact pickup:
Gas mileage: The hybrid engine helps him get 40 mpg in the city. Overall, he says he averages 37 mpg. Moreover, the truck takes regular fuel.
Interior storage: The Maverick’s interior includes conveniently layered storage bins in the center console, effectively doubling storage capacity there. Several storage compartments pepper the dash, and the back seats flip to reveal decent-sized storage buckets.
The bed size is actually usable: Richardson says he used the truck to pick up a washer, dryer, fridge, and mulch. He also drives a full-sized pickup but says he uses the Maverick most of the time.
What he hates about the 2023 Ford Maverick Hybrid:
The wheels are “absolutely disgusting”: The truck came with unaesthetic steelies. Richardson wishes Ford had “priced-up” the wheels a bit better.
The side mirrors are only adjustable by hand: This one is a huge irk to Richardson. If the driver notices the side mirrors are out of whack, they have to get out of the vehicle and manually push around the mirror glass. In 2023, this is just a lower-than-low-budget feature.
Apple CarPlay is always disconnected: Richardson can’t seem to get Apple CarPlay to work consistently despite trying multiple Apple-brand chords. He suggests it’s possible the system needs an update but says this seems unusual for a brand-new car. “It’s extremely annoying,” he vents.
Overall, Richardson loves the truck. He shares that he originally purchased the Maverick to flip but enjoys it so much he’s going to keep driving it.
