Tag along in a Ford Maverick Hybrid for a New England Fall Colors Tour

New Englanders will tell you this year's fall colors have been disappointing. Too much rain throughout the summer, culminating in serious flooding in September, caused some leaves to develop brown spots, curl up, and drop early. The locals were downright apologetic that the brilliant burst of red leaves on certain maple trees, which tend to really excite the leaf peepers, was considerably muted this year.

Not a problem, we say. Even when they aren't having their best year for fall foliage, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts provide a dazzling light show this time of year, as you can see in the attached gallery from the past week.

We drove about 1200 miles in a front-wheel-drive Ford Maverick XL 2.5-liter Hybrid with a combined output of 191 hp and 155 lb-ft of torque—more than enough to confidently move this 3674-pound compact pickup through the peaks and valleys of the Northeast.

The hybrid system functioned without disruption on flat long highways, and on downhill stretches the Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine would shut down down while energy was regenerated to the battery. It was only on the uphill stretches, when the engine worked in tandem with the traction motor, that powertrain noise was more noticeable—and could be felt in steering wheel vibrations. But along the way, the CVT worked smoothly.

We started in Boston and ended in Boston and logged a most impressive 44.7 mpg, and only about a third of it was on expressways. The rest of the driving was on two-lane roads through quaint hamlets with colonial roots, charming taverns, and more than a few Dunkin' Donuts.