• @[email protected]
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    111 months ago

    The quote you selected doesn’t mention doors at all. The number of doors is irrelevant. The relevant factor is the size. The overall length of the truck and the overall width of the truck had to be substantially more than the Ranger. CAFE standards prohibit a Ranger-sized truck with the Maverick’s fuel economy.

    Ford used an extra row of seats to achieve the length they needed to reach.

      • @[email protected]
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        11 months ago

        The Maverick gets about the same fuel economy as a Toyota Prius so no, it doesn’t.

        Not even close.

        Prius: 57mpg city, 56 Highway

        Maverick: 22mpg city, 29mpg highway

        Even the hybrid version comes up short:

        Maverick Hybrid: 42 mpg city, 33 mpg highway.

        It’s not. The number of doors is why the bed is small and the length is long, not CAFE standards.

        The Maverick’s 61 sq ft footprint in the light truck category requires a minimum 28 mpg combined rating to comply with CAFE standards for the 2024 model year.

        If it had the 52sq ft footprint of a 2-door ranger, it would need to have a minimum 34 mpg combined rating to comply with CAFE standards in 2024. It doesn’t meet this with its standard engine.

        Relative to the requirements on a vehicle the size of a 1990s Ranger, the Maverick needs either 6 mpg better economy, or an additional 9 sq ft of footprint to comply with CAFE standards.

        The rear axle in a pickup needs to be located close to the center of the bed to maintain proper handling. To get the wheelbase they need by lengthening the bed, they would need to add as much length behind the axle as they add in front of it, keeping the rear axle centered. A 2-door “compact” Maverick would end up longer than a 4-door “full size”.

        To get the wheelbase they need without making the overall length absurdly long, they needed to extend the cab.