Ford Maverick Update, Now 4runner Dreaming...

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2023-ford-maverick-hybrid-yearlong-test-update-5-recalls/

 

I watch a YouTube channel with a father and son who are veterans in the car business. If half of the news they report is correct in the car business, it is true—well, some new leadership is required industry-wide.

Pricing, quality, service, the treatment of dealers, finance....

Are they just coming off the "high" from 2022, which taught the dealers some nasty habits due to (artificially?) constrained inventory? Did they get drunk on $10,000 "market adjustments"?

Did customers who paid sticker price plus $10,000 can now buy the same model car brand new for THOUSANDS less than they owe after years of payments turn those once loyal customers into "never again" people?

the 'big 3' are in huge trouble.

 

Covid and supply chain issues created years of pent up demand, and put the hurt on dealers. I imagine the smartest guys in the room in the C-suites are looking at short-term vs long term with the pressure by fedgov to eliminate ICE, for saving the polar bears, etc.

We shall see...
I really like the Maverick for its size and utility.
Its the perfect tow vehicle for 90% of where I like to go...carrying gear etc, and as an all around suburban groceries and mulch etc from HomeDepot getter...put a topper on it, like one of the CI owners here and done!

But for my needs I've come to the conclusion that AWD is just not quite enough;
I need 4wd low-low for peace of mind, solo.

And the SUV form factor makes it more secure, easier to get gear in and out than from a tall pickup bed, as all around useful as one-vehicle-to-do-it-all in the end times.

So, The 2025 Tacoma 4runner hybrid..."my precious"!
I'll be interested in how it manages crawling speed like in a traditional torque converter 4x4, in the actual field.

"Unlike the Hybrid MAX drivetrain offered in the Toyota Crown and Lexus RX500h, the 2025 4Runner does not use a second electric motor in the back to power its rear wheels. Instead, it offers part-time or full-time 4x4 with a two-speed transfer case, with the full might of the hybrid engine driven through a conventional eight-speed automatic transmission (into which the electric motor is integrated in place of a torque converter) and into that transfer case, just as in the 4Runner's conventionally powered predecessor."

So a proven engine, proven trans, and a year of real world already on the Tacoma...

But, as MotorTrend observed in the previous article - dont buy the first year of new MY, and maybe not even the second if you dont want to deal with recalls...

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2025-toyota-4runner-i-force-max-hybrid-engine-details/

So, I could be waiting awhile...
Which is fine...reminding myself:
"Self, just dont go too far down that sketchy rutted USFS road and stay out of gravel wash sand in the soft stuff...unless you want to spend time digging, baja style..,again!"

 

A Forbes article mentions a 2400w inverter.
So you could run the CI A/C for awhile in a pinch in an exceptionally hot place...for best sleep. Extends the shoulder seasons...

"In addition to all of the usual trims found on Toyota trucks and SUVs, the 4Runner also offers the new Trailhunter trim. The Trailhunter includes ARB's Old Man Emu (OME) 2.5-inch forged shocks with remote reservoirs on the rear axle and a custom ARB roof rack. 33-inch Toyo Open Country all-terrain tires provide the grip along with two-inches of added front ground clearance and 1.5-inches in the rear.

Rock rails and high strength steel skid plates come standard on the Trailhunter along with a bronze grille and integrated 20-inch LED light bar. Toyota has also built in a 2400W inverter to power gear during overlanding adventures.

The 2025 4Runner goes on sale in fall 2024."

 

Yep, some big changes underway and the smartest guys in the room are being handed their (edit)...
See the big brag a year or so ago about how Ford and VW were partnering to be fully EV by 2028 or something...not to get political but the market has spoken on that...

The dealership biz is fascinating-
I followed a VW forum for awhile including a guy who claimed to be a dealer- and consulted for more...seemed he knew the biz, at the dealer level anyway...before COVID and back then it was complicated.

My favorite VW dealer got hammered by COVID, multiple generatio family of multiple brand ownerships got out of the biz, due to "too much regulation in CA" but I suspect it was also fundamental changes in the biz.

And the stealerships I have stopped in on in different places traveled over the last couple of years I think of moving to for retirement are either "booked 3-4 weeks out, way behind, cant hire help" or looking pretty seedy.

So having a place to get service done right is no longer a given...So finding trusted a independent shop is the key.

Makes me focus on car makers that have best reputation for cars that work right for longest time...toyota, for example.