Ask Nathan: Small Electric Jeep, Toyota Sequoia vs. Chevy Tahoe and Is the Ford Maverick Reliable?

I answer your questions from the past week

Jeep EV

In this week’s Ask Nathan:

  • Love (and hate) the small electric Jeep!
  • New Toyota Sequoia vs. Chevrolet Tahoe?
  • Long-term Ford Maverick reliability?
Jeep EV

The first series of questions and comments come from the YouTube response to our electric baby Jeep “surprise reveal” video. By the way, I am calling it the electric baby Jeep, because Stellantis did not give us an official name yet.

Q: (Posted on YouTube) So I just saw this vehicle “electric baby Jeep” and I was very excited about it I was hoping that maybe this was a prelude to what the next Jeep Cherokee was going to look like.

(But) I’m also glad to see that this is their first electric vehicle it does look like a cross between the Renegade and the compass. – Harry Eldridge

This looks like it’s built potentially on the same platform as the Opel/Vauxhall/Peugoet/Citroen – Mokka, DS3, C4, etc. which would be amazing to see the 4WD system put into a Mokka! I’ve long wanted an off-road ready Mokka! All of these models are currently available as electric only also which add that this is the platform! And I work for Vauxhall’s Luton (UK) plant building the Vivaro. – Bradderz Tekkerz

If this ends up being the first Jeep BEV that will be very sad. The Jeep Wrangler Magneto concept is a much better Jeep, much easier to pull off, and likely to sell in much greater numbers than this concept. If you’re making the first Jeep BEV it better be a Jeep, not a unibody independent suspension having European CUV with a Jeep badge. If they made a production Jeep Wrangler Magneto with a 75+ mile range and straight axles front and rear I’d pre-order one tomorrow. I wouldn’t touch this thing with a 10 foot pole. – MrLM002

I know you have to hype vehicles for the manufacturer, however, this doesn’t make it…. – Regular Guy

All you guys do is report on electric cars! Nobody cares! – Korea EM1

A: Yes, there seems to be a lot of pros and cons with the upcoming baby electric Jeep. We don’t have much to go on; however, there are some things we can talk about.

This is the first of their all-electric vehicles, not the last: Some comments suggested that they would prefer an all-electric Jeep Wrangler. Well, back in July 2021, Jeep teased the Jeep Wrangler Freedom – which appeared to be a BEV Wrangler. It was a mock-up based on the Jeep Magneto prototype, which is an actual BEV Wrangler, so it appears to be legit. We just don’t know exactly when it’s coming.

I think the platform will be new: I don’t think it’s using the PSA/Stellantis CMP platform. The upcoming STLA Small platform is built on new tech, and has a battery that Stellantis says – will have up to 300 miles range. The STLA platforms can be front, rear or all-wheel drive, and will underpin everything from Alfa Romeos to Rams.

For those of you who think we cover electrification too often… it’s NEWS! If they came up with a car that ran on baby-oil and tobacco – we would cover it. Right now, automakers are working furiously to meet electrification mandates. This mad dash is changing the automotive landscape – worldwide. We don’t make the news, we cover it.

We don’t know if we’ll see this electric baby Jeep at the 2022 Easter Jeep Safari, but…

Yea, right now we have a few teased images you can see right here. It’s possible that it could show up at the 2022 New York Auto Show as well. At the moment, there’s nothing but crickets coming from Jeep PR about this little guy.

We’ll keep an eye on this story.

– N


The next question comes from a fan who want to know if they should wait for the upcoming 2023 Toyota Sequoia, or go for a 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe.

Q:(Via: Twitter@NathanAdlen) Hello Nathan my friend!

2022 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71 or 2023 Toyota Sequoia TRD, buy now or wait until next year? NOW GO!

– SadleT99Sing

A: I can only give you my perspective of vehicles I’ve driven; however, I added a video with lots of Sequoia information.

These two SUVs truly compete against each other, but being that we haven’t driven the Sequoia, we can only assume a few things. I would rather not assume when it comes to an expensive purchase like this, so it would be best to at least wait until you can test drive both.

One of the big differences is the powerplant. The Sequoia comes with one choice, a twin-turbo V6 hybrid. It’s a 3.5-liter that’s rated at 437 horsepower and 583 lb-ft of torque. It comes standard with a 10-speed automatic transmission. It has a solid rear axle, and shares many components with the new Tundra. You can read about the details in this article. We don’t know pricing, but insiders believe it will sit between the high $40K through the high $50K mark. Obviously, the Capstone variant will be even pricier.

Toyota says the 2023 Sequoia will go on sale this upcoming summer. According to Toyota, the Sequoia is rated to tow up to 9,000 pounds. The maximum tow rating on the Z71-equipped Tahoe is 7,700 pounds.

To compete with the Toyota, the Chevrolet Tahoe Z71 would need the beefy 6.2-liter V8 that makes 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. It is bolted to a 10-speed automatic transmission. It has an independent rear suspension, and may have the advantage with some interior numbers, but Toyota hasn’t released their official internal specifications yet.

Unfortunately, the stellar GM 3.0-liter I6 turbo-diesel is not available for the Z71 trim. The 355 hp 5.3-liter V8 will save you thousands, but it can’t compete with that Toyota hybrid’s numbers. As such, the Z71 package, with the 6.2-liter V8 starts at about $71,000.

Don’t get me wrong: the Tahoe Z71 is outstanding in many ways, but for that much dough, you owe it to yourself to wait until this summer and drive both trucks side-by-side. I suspect this comparison will be epic!

– N


The last question aims at the new Ford Maverick, and its long-term reliability.

(Via: Twitter@NathanAdlen) Hi Nathan I wanted to ask another question about the Ford Maverick.

You guys drove several and tested them more than anyone else on the net. What do you think about their long term reliability? I have good and bad experiences with Ford in the past.

– Lance

A:  That’s a good question, but one I cannot completely answer as the Ford Maverick is brand new.

First of all, there are three kinds of Maverick: the hybrid, the front-drive (FWD) turbo and the all-wheel drive (AWD) turbo. Some “experts” believe that the FWD turbo Maverick will have the best reliability. Others feel that Ford’s past experiences with hybrids, coupled with their 8 year/100,000 mile hybrid system warranty, illustrates their faith in the powertrain.

In December of 2021, Ford did initiate a recall for the Maverick regarding a possible fuel tank issue. You can read about that recall (here). There have been some complaints about electrical glitches as well. You have to remember that this is the first year of production amid serious supply and worker issues. As such, I would recommend you at least wait for the second year (or third) to receive a vehicle that has all of the bugs ironed out.

I think that by late fall 2022, we should have a pretty good idea of how the Maverick is holding up.

– N