if you youtube, look up a channel called "just rolled in" it amazes me weekly at the chit people drive and it also makes me lose hope in humanity. How some people don't know or ignore some of the stuff seen is mind blowing.
Yes, I have a Maverick hybrid. I have put 10k miles on it so far, and love it. 43.4 mpg average so far, not bad for a truck.
When I was young and more dumb than my current state of mental retardation, I drove an 84 Ford ranger with so much steering box slop that I got pulled over for drunk driving. AND, because he didn't give me a fix it ticket, I didn't. I drove some junk when young. Lol
Here is a 2008 Ranger and a 2012 Maverick (neither of them mine), for comparison. Whatever you want to call it, I can use it for Lowe's runs, or as a commuter. It works great for either role for me.
I'm sure these are the same arguments that were had when the El Camino, and Ranchero came out, and still had over the more recent Subaru Baha. I agree they do have their place. Depends on how loose your definition of truck is. But there times when you don't need to tow 8000 pounds or haul 1500 pounds that these are useful. I drove a ranger for years. While I wouldn't call it a real truck due to it's limitations it functioned as a truck for me for years. Took more trips couldn't tow as much but I could load awkward things into it like a table saw or huge boxes, scrap metal or a refrigerator, couch etc that you need a bed for as well as things you don't want in a passenger compartment, like leaky nasty garbage bags or dead deer! That said sure I would drive this newest line of car trucks, once all y'all depreciate them totally out and put 150k or more on them for me!
I remember a story a radio control airplane flyer told me one time. The first time his buddy saw is plane he said, "Wow, that look like a real plane." The guys reply was, "It is a real plane. The pilot stands on the ground vs inside it." He isn't wrong. Like you said, depends on a person's definition. Some say no transfer case, not a real truck. I guess a 1 ton dually 2wd isn't a real truck. Solid rear axle= real truck. New Ford lightning has independent rear, not a real truck. I could go on. I use this truck like any "real" truck. More in fact than any previous. That's truck enough for me.
Rest assured, no worries here bud. It's the best tool for the job we need it to do and does it in upmost comfort, efficiency and hopefully reliability. They are rated highly in that department but chit happens to all manufacturers some times. As to the driving, my wife has driven it only a few times.
When I was young, poor and homeless, my $50 Rambler was in pretty bad shape. It sometimes ran - when I had gas and could get a jump since the battery was going bad, and the alternator worked intermittently. It had no floorboard for the back seat. I had everything I owned in it and slept in it. Didn't matter what kind of shape it was in, it was protection from the elements and sometimes got me to where I needed to go.
Just picked up a 2020 Black Edition last month. Absolutely love it. Ironically, smoother and quieter than the 2009 Lexus IS250 it replaced.