In this week’s post:
- There may be a Nissan Mitsubishi PHEV pickup truck coming our way!
- Will there be a larger Maverick, and other news?
- Does VW’s LONG delay of the I.D. Buzz kill interest in the United States?
- Why do people care about 0-60 MPH in EVs?
The first question comes from a fan who sent me a message about a Nissan Mitsubishi PHEV pickup truck partnership, among other things.
Q (via asknathan@TFLcar.com): Nissan Mitsubishi PHEV pickup news!
I know it’s a bit early to celebrate Nathan, but there’s a hope that a Nissan Mitsubishi PHEV pickup is being developed right now as we speak! There’s even the possibility that they are codeveloping a all electric pickup truck for our market!
Gimme Gimme some good news!
– Atoyisan
A: There is a report about a Nissan-Mitsubishi joint venture, which may produce the PHEV pickup you’re talking about.
Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida announced Nissan Next: a outline of their future product and innovations. He stated that there will 30 new models on the market within three years. While several are slated to be fully electric, many will not be. In a story spotlighted by Automotive News, Nissan and Mitsubishi will be working on developing EVs, hybrids and PHEVs for several markets – including ours.
There is some speculation about the PHEV pickup truck being a 1-ton, which might indicate that it would either replace the Frontier, or be sold alongside it. Some think it will be the rebirth of the Titan, but I have my doubts. What is certain is that Mitsubishi has real experience building PHEVs, and Nissan needs one in this market. In addition, Mitsubishi needs a larger lineup in our market as well.
We should have some updates coming soon on TFLtruck.
Stay tuned!
– N
Side note: I received three questions from the same viewer this week, so I decided to answer all of them in turn.
Qs (via ask@TFLtruck.com): I had some questions for the entertaining Ask Nathan segment and don’t have any social media so I hope email will suffice.
Question 1: Where is the midsize Maverick? The Maverick has utility and mileage. It seems there should be an incredibly utility focused truck somewhere in between the Hybrid Maverick and Electric full-sizers that can provide a jack of all trades package. Mileage, minimum of 5L towing, power export. A midsize PHEV or even full out EV that works as a generator would be amazing be it for farm work, backing up the house, powering a trailer at night without a loud generator.
It’s amazing to me when trucks are still introduced that don’t even have a hybrid! Seeing all of the specs of the brand new Ranger and not seeing a hybrid option is absurd to say the least, it’s like the they saw the new Colorado and just shrugged their shoulders and aimed to do nothing better (except for the Raptor version). I know the Taco will have the hybrid soon, and I very much hope it actually gets decent mileage/ maybe has a small onboard generator, a person can hope.
Question 2: Is VW intentionally trying to get America to forget the ID.Buzz before it even comes out? It was all the rage for years… then it was shown… then they went radio silent except for recently showing a sporty model we won’t get with sub par range. What’s going on?
Question 3: Do people actually care about the 0-60 times in EVs, specifically non performance car types? Every time a new model is shown that’s one of the first things mentioned. I’d love for a 8 second+ EV that actually killed it on range and didn’t focus on monster HP and torque, what’s the point?
Thank you so much, it’s check this site daily and thoroughly enjoy the content, keep up the good, objective work.
– Lance M
And there’s a second round question along the same line as the first.
Hey Nathan,
Do you guys have any info regarding when Ford will be releasing details on the upcoming Maverick refresh? It doesn’t look like they revealed anything at the NY auto show. I’d prefer to get the hybrid, but also want AWD and more towing ability. Any chance they will add an option for a PHEV drivetrain, or a regular hybrid with AWD (either with at least 3k towing ability)?
Are there any other good vehicle alternatives to the Maverick (with any drivetrain type), that have AWD (or 4WD) and can tow 3,000+ pounds for under $30K new?
I’m looking for something to tow a small or medium enclosed cargo trailer to go on long camping trips. It’ll probably be either a 6×14 or 7×14 single axle, possibly a short one to fit in the garage. Have you towed a trailer this size in your Santa Cruz (and how did it do)? How much weight can it handle without needing a third party brake controller?
Finally, will you be upgrading to the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz?
Thanks,
— Mark
A #1: There are all-new Ford trucks coming, but I doubt any of them would be a larger (midsize) Maverick.
With that being said, Ford is chomping at the bit to elevate the Ford Ranger. Overseas, Ford is about to deploy their Ranger PHEV – and there’s a good chance that a version of it could come here. While it’s still not exactly a midsize Maverick, it is a start.
A #2: Yes, Volkswagen dropped the ball with the U.S. introduction of the I.D. Buzz, in my opinion.
I call it, the “Buzzkill.” Seriously, Volkswagen should have opened with the Buzz before their ID.4. It would have been a smash, and a hell of a lot more popular than a crossover EV – everyone’s making. While it makes sense, it also sucks that the Europeans get it more than a year ahead of us. Kind of feels like the U.S. always gets sloppy seconds from VW, right?
One additional point: Volkswagen will be hard pressed to get the ID.Buzz to anyone at this point. It’s said that orders are backlogged well over a year in Europe.
A #3: Honestly, the number of people who put EVs on a pedestal because of their swift 0-60 mph times is getting out of hand.
Sure, we mention it, because they are mighty swift, but we usually point out that their weight makes for challenging handling as well. In addition, many are restricted with their top speeds, or how many times they can launch.
Let me put it to you this way: Our GMC HUMMER EV was wicked fast, but it could be beaten in a 1/4-mile because of its top-speed limited motors. All of our Teslas were stupid fast, yet they were less than happy on challenging roads. They are still too heavy, and too heat-adverse to be taken seriously by many driving enthusiasts.
They need to become more compelling in other ways. Being quick from 0 to 60 mph isn’t cutting it anymore.
A #4: Back to the Ford Maverick, and it’s expected update.
Hi Mark, thanks for the email!
Yes, the extremely popular Ford Maverick is due for a refresh soon. As for a new, or (possible) all-new model, some experts are looking at 2027 or 2028.
We have heard recently that not only is Ford looking at adding a PHEV model, but that they are seriously working on an AWD version of the hybrid too. Both of these models are expected to appear in the refresh, which could be as early as 2025.
Nothing is certain, but check out this story from Ford Authority for more!
Finally, you were asking about alternative tow vehicles that were similar to the Maverick? In addition, you wanted to hear about my experiences towing with the Santa Cruz? Gotcha.
I highly recommend the Honda Ridgeline, as long as you’re keeping your load in the 3,000-lbs range. While the turbocharged Maverick and Santa Cruz can easily tow over 3K, the heavier/beefier Ridgeline has a easier time doing it. It’s comfortable, utilitarian and is better suited for towing.
If you’re exceeding 3,000 pounds, you should get a brake controller. In fact, I recommend it to anyone who pushes over 2,000-lbs on a regular basis. My Santa Cruz did fine towing 2,000 pounds. Sadly, as Hyundai still hasn’t resolved the towing harness issue, I only towed with it twice. With that being said, I’ve towed with other Santa Cruz pickups in the past. They are fine for short spurts, but I would avoid maxing them out as the brakes and transmissions seem to struggle.
No, I won’t be upgrading to the refreshed Santa Cruz. In fact, I’m selling mine next month.
Back to your original question about towing: If you’re towing any more, you may want to consider a true midsize truck. I included a video below that will cover every midsize pickup in an all-new series!
– N
