Monday Through Friday Maverick, Focus On The Weekend: Members’ Rides

Last week on Members’ Rides, we met Jamie and his fantastic motorcycles. It seems that most of you preferred the Harley XR, but man, for my money that Janus is one of the best- looking bikes I’ve seen in a long time. Today we’re looking at some Autopian crowd favorites from the blue oval.

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This week, we get to look at the great two-car garage that belongs to Chris (Monkey302 to commenters). Chris is an acquisition officer working for the Space Force in Northern Virginia, and his rides are excellent do-it-all choices. He’s got a 2023 Ford Maverick for efficient commuting and practical utility, and a customized 2017 Ford Focus RS for when “practical” and “efficient” are farther down on the list of automotive expectations.

How did you get into cars?

I always liked cars and mechanical things. My dad is a shop teacher, so from an early age we were always fixing the family vehicles or doing routine maintenance on them. As I got a little bit older, I got super into WW2 aircraft. Then, as I got even older, I realized cars are just an extension of old piston-driven aircraft. And they were just achievable for me. Ended up joining the Air Force to try and fly. While doing that, I slowly became the resident car geek wherever I went. That’s rubbed off some on my 20-year-old daughter.

What made you pick out the Maverick?

It’s a hybrid Lariat, and I describe it as the best commuter vehicle for a suburban homeowner ever. Easy to drive, practical, and utilitarian. I love it because my dad had a ’93 F250 that was “Big Blue” growing up, so this is “Baby Blue.”

I was originally going to order a base-model hybrid to just get a cheap commuter vehicle. I’d had a Ranger back in the day and wanted the convenience of having something with a truck bed since we’d recently moved into a house. My commute had also gotten longer with a new assignment, and people were starting to return to the office. That drove me to get the Lariat because I wanted a more comfortable interior and the additional safety features included in the top package (Lane Centering and Adaptive Cruise with stop & go). Finally, the color is a lot of fun, and I’m happy I was able to order something that wasn’t silver.

What makes this the best commuter vehicle?

First off, it gets great mileage for the actual commute. Then it is able to double duty for a homeowner, carrying around project materials, mulch, or anything else. So far as driving dynamics, it doesn’t exactly handle well, but it doesn’t handle poorly, and with the eCVT (not CVT), it kind of feels like you have a laggy turbo, which can make for an engaging drive. It’s comfortable enough for four adults to go to lunch in, and you can fit five in a pinch. When you sum it all up, it’s a great commuter vehicle or daily driver. It does everything you’d want from a vehicle except for raw performance.

Did you cross-shop the Maverick against anything or were you all-in on the Ford?

It was really between a Maverick or a manual Corolla to just get something with good mileage. I gave up the fun of a manual to get more utility with the truck side of things. The hardest thing was with COVID and the fact that I ended up ordering the Maverick sight unseen, I wasn’t sure what exactly I was in for. It was a custom order, but I did end up changing some options when the order rolled over. The basics of everything stayed the same though: Area51 Hybrid Lariat.

How long did for your Maverick to arrive?

I ordered it in October of 2021 as a MY2022. I was rolled over to the MY2023 order banks because they couldn’t build it with the COVID supply chain. Thankfully, MaverickTruckClub forum kept me apprised of what to say to my dealer and how to make sure the roll-over went through. I finally got the truck in March of 2023, 510 days from order to delivery.

Any complaints?

The interior is a nice place to spend time, with storage and easy-to-access controls, but the materials are really subpar. It shows that this is Ford’s entry-level vehicle the interior plastics scratch just looking at them. The Active-X seats are an ok replacement for leather, but it’s only the center section. I’m pretty sure the bolsters are normal vinyl even though they are the same color. The good thing is that even with the poor materials, there aren’t really any rattles or squeaks.

What’s your average fuel economy?

I use Fuelly to track things for both the Focus and the Maverick. The Maverick has averaged 41.4 mpg over the 45,300 miles I’ve tracked it. The RS has averaged 21.5 over the 42,768 miles I’ve tracked it. The only miles I didn’t track are the initial break-ins.

If they offered an AWD hybrid, would you want that? Or is the FWD good enough that it wouldn’t make a difference to you?

That’s a new option for 2025. Unfortunately, it wasn’t an option when I ordered mine. If it had been, I probably would have gotten it. That being said, I don’t intend on trading this one in for a new one, the FWD is perfectly fine for what I use it for.

How long do you think you’ll keep it?

My 5-year-old said this is going to be his first car, and Little Blue Truck is in frequent rotation for bedtime stories. I intend to completely drive the wheels off of it.

Has it given you any issues?

It’s had several recalls performed, but they were software updates performed in my driveway by mobile service. The only other issues I had were failures covered under warranty. The first was that the exhaust coolant heat exchanger failed and was replaced. The heat exchanger is a hybrid-only feature that gets the coolant up to temp more quickly. It’s a known issue and Ford covers the parts with a 10-year, 100k-mile warranty.

I was also bit by another known issue that Ford won’t acknowledge. Right around 20k miles, the truck started shaking on acceleration. By 25k I had taken it in for new axles/CV joints. Lots of hybrids are having issues and supposedly there is a part revision, but Ford has not acknowledged any issues. The going theory is supply chain issues coupled with the high torque of the electric motor is causing the failures. The Ecoboosts are having problems too, but nowhere near the same rate.

Any plans for upgrades or 3D-printed accessories?

So far, no plans to get anything 3d printed for the FITs slots. I do have a FITs trash can installed to keep my 5-year-old’s trash to a minimum. So far, I’ve done what I think are the normal truck-y mods. I added a hard tonneau cover and then installed under-rail LED lighting tied into the factory cargo lights, since the tonneau makes everything dark. Currently, I am also rocking the steelies that were take-offs from an XL. I like the look, 17’s ride better, and they were only $400 with tires, lug nuts, & pressure sensors installed.

On to the RS! How long have you had it?

I bought my Focus RS new in February of 2017. I was living in LA at the time and jumped on the first one that was offered to me at MSRP. I’ve told my wife and kids that this is my forever car.

What made you want this over an STi or something similar?

I had a 2013 Focus ST before the RS. Unfortunately it was rear-ended pretty hard, and although I had it repaired, it had some new quirks. After the accident, I said if Ford ever comes out with an RS, I’m buying it. At that point there were only rumors of a new RS. When I had been shopping for the ST, I looked at WRXs and Speed 3s. By the time the RS came out the, Speed3 was outdated and the STi was no longer a hatchback. For AWD hatches, the only other option was a Golf R, and it was never even on my radar for ironically the perceived refinement. My Focus ST at that point was modded to the absolute limit and I wanted some of that rawness.

How is this better than the competition?

It’s AWD. It’s a hatchback. It supposedly had Ken Block help with the development. Put those things together, and in 2017 there wasn’t much competition. Add in the initial reviews that said “God in hatchback form” and “pure motorsport,” and I think you start to see where the competition wasn’t applying the same level of effort. The STi was long in tooth, and the Golf R is very much refined. The RS straddles the cheap econobox with big motor that is a hot hatch and offers something more with the trick AWD. That AWD system lets it hang a little bit more with cars that very much start from the factory as a sport-intentioned machine.

You said it’s the last of its kind, do you feel the GR Corolla carries that torch now?

I think it carries the torch with a big asterisk. It is the final form for ICE hot hatches right now. The Golf R is still there but no longer has a manual option, and as a result has left the running. I respect the GR and Toyota’s racing history, but it doesn’t carry the same weight in Toyota circles as RS does in Ford circles.

It’s also turned up to eleven from the start. I don’t know how much overhead the 3-cylinder platform has for tinkerers, the RS still has overhead on the stock turbo and allows folks to tinker before needing to crack the engine open. Finally, this is Ford’s last performance car that isn’t a Mustang. It never had an automatic option, and Ford said they can’t build another one due to emissions/efficiency requirements. As an accidental lifelong Ford guy, I’m not sure how that makes it anything but the last of the kind.

What’s the full mod list?

I was worried you were going to ask, and that makes me question showing my wife the article …

• Velossa Tech Intake Snorkel
• Damond Motorsports Big throttle body kit (63mm from ecoboost mustang vice stock 57mm)
• Upper and Lower Mountune intake pipes
• Cobb Cold and Hot Side Charge Pipes
• Cobb intercooler
• Ford Performance (Mountune) recirculation valve
• Scorpion Red Power catback (preserves exhaust valve function, but changes it to straight pipes when open)
• Mishimoto Aluminum Expansion Tank
• Swift 1” Lowering Springs
• Steeda rear sway bar adjustable endlinks
• 18” Wheels since more sidewall is better on a street machine
• Powerflex Engine mount inserts (all three mounts)
• Mountune Power Take Off Unit Brace
• Breedt Short Shift Kit
• Aluminum shift cable bushings
• Aluminum Shifter mount bushings
• Verus Engineering Rear diffuser
• New Shifter and Handbrake boots
• Morimoto Grill Mounted Fog Lights by BarefootInd LLC (via Etsy)
• Cobb Accessport with Stratified Tune loaded

That’s awesome! Any additional plans?

I have rally-style hood vents that I need to cut the hood for. They won’t do anything, but at this point, appearance is something. I also plan to remove the balance shaft. It’s getting to be exactly where I want it, so until the engine blows and I can go fully forged, there isn’t much else that I feel I can do besides try to take care of it.

What’s the advantage of removing the balance shaft? Does that not cause issues?

Supposedly, the balance shaft on the 2.3s is only balanced for 6,500 RPM, and the engine goes to 6,700 in stock trim. There has been speculation that some engine failures are a result of the balance shaft clipping the crank and connecting rods above 6500 RPM. It’s also about 12 pounds of rotating mass that you’re removing from the engine, so free horsepower. The downside is, idle and stoplight takeoffs will be buzzier and shakier than normal. As the car has moved more and more out of a commuter vehicle role, I’m willing to live with those inconveniences because they just become more character for the car.

Do you ever daily the Focus ?

It’s turned into mainly a weekend car. I try to drive it into work on Fridays when the weather is nice. My youngest loves to go for drives in “Daddy’s fast car,” and my older kids enjoy when I pick them up from school functions because “it’s so cool.” The first three years of its life, it was my only car and my daily.

How many miles are on it now? Has it given you any issues?

I’m just over 45,000 miles. It’s early enough in production that it had the head gasket replaced as part of Ford’s remediation plan. So far, that’s the only major thing that has needed to be corrected. With the tune and the 14,000 miles I put on it before the head gasket issue was known, I do feel that the engine is on borrowed time and I’ve tried to budget for a replacement if it’s ever needed. That’s really the only mechanical issue. It does have some random annoying things that could be expected of an 8-year-old car; mainly yellowing headlights and the door seal gaskets are starting to fall off.

What is the best thing about this car?

It’s fast and composed, and then with some button presses it turns into an edgy machine waiting to bite you. In sport or normal drive modes, it has grip for days, but once you put in drift mode, it’ll happily hang the back end out and feel like a much more playful car. That shifting nature makes it a lot of fun.

Anything you don’t like?

Besides the whole wrong head gasket from the factory, my biggest complaint is how cramped the cockpit is. The Recaros are super supportive, but they add to how small it feels. I’ve had Ford Fiestas as rental cars, and they felt roomier due to the design of the center console and center stack encroaching less on the front occupants. It’s annoying that the small car feels bigger than the bigger car.

Thanks Chris!

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