The pickup truck reigns supreme here in the United States, and no company is more synonymous with trucks than Ford. Ford trucks have been among the most popular vehicles in the country for more than four decades, outselling just about anything else with wheels. And just this year, the Blue Oval unveiled its first new pickup nameplate since 1983 with the 2022 Ford Maverick. A unibody pickup based on the automaker’s small car architecture, the Maverick's goal is to introduce a new generation of buyers to the Ford Truck family. That said, with two different powertrains and a wide array of price points to start from, the Maverick lineup requires one to really know what they want out of their small truck experience.
In order to better understand the different Maverick offerings, Ford held a small gathering in the Las Vegas area so these new small trucks could be sampled outside Red Rock Canyon National Park. So Road & Track took the opportunity to try out a loaded-up Lariat with the FX4 Off-Road Package, as well as the basic-as-bones XL hybrid. While the Lariat was suited for some off-road antics, our driving was restricted to the pavement of the local scenic roads, and these driving impressions are limited to traditional daily driving situations.
Even with the longer wheelbase and a totally new suit, the Maverick immediately felt related to the Bronco Sport; no surprise, as both trucks share the C2 architecture; to an observant driver, it’s clear that the Bronco and Mav are more Escape than F-150. Which is a simple fact, not a judgement; it’s a price worth paying to get the MSRP below $20,000 (before shipping fees) if you ask us.
And the C2 architecture comes with benefits for the Maverick. The optional 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder is a longtime member of the C2 family, and in this application provides this small truck with 250 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque to work with. That’s not exactly sports truck levels of performance, but the engine is perfectly well suited to the truck’s size and character. The eight-speed automatic transmission has a wide range of ratios to work with, ensuring the truck never felt hampered at elevation above Las Vegas. This optional EcoBoost powertrain is a must for customers looking to get all-wheel drive out of their Maverick, as the hybrid models currently only come in front-driver/CVT spec. Adding the more potent engine and all-wheel drive combo requires $3305, while the EcoBoost alone is a $1085 option. Both trucks come factory rated with a maximum towing capacity of 2000 pounds, but only the AWD EcoBoost models can option the 4K Max Towing Package, which bumps the maximum tow rating to 4000 pounds.
On the road both Maverick models behave more like crossovers than pickups; again, not really a bad thing. Ford acknowledges that many potential Maverick customers have never experienced a truck before, and likely wouldn’t appreciate body-on-frame driving characteristics. That said, it does feel like Ford tried to give some truck-like feel to the steering, especially in the effort required at low speeds. The ride is firm as well, likely the result of beefier springs for payload and towing reasons. If not for the horizontal motifs inside the interior meant to hark back to the F-150, it’d be fairly easy to forget you’re piloting a truck from the driver’s seat. That’s more obvious when you realize you’re some seven inches shorter than the F-150 sitting next to you at the light.
But any sense of crossover genetics fades as you roll up to the local hardware store. With just 4.5 feet of bed behind the passenger compartment, parking and low-speed maneuvers are easily managed. And it may be small, but the Maverick’s unique FlexBed system does offer some genuinely useful features. Cut lumber can be used to divide the bed into different sections, while the slick multi-position tailgate helps increase the overall load capacity. Ford has even included a scannable QR code in the bed that gives instructions on how to make several accessories from scratch using bits and bobs from the hardware store. Some people buy pickups solely because they have projects to do, but Ford hopes this truck might flip that script, or at least rewrite it to include more scenes from daily American life; the lift-in height around the back is also just over 30 inches tall, which means that loading up groceries, bicycles, or beach gear won’t break your back.
Outside of the FlexBed, Ford has given the Maverick other lineup-wide features aimed at enticing buyers. Take the large 8.0-inch infotainment screen, for example, which comes bolstered by Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The interior is also largely shared across trim levels, though of course different packages add tech or luxury with each trim level. Ford hasn’t totally abandoned its content-deletion habits, with certain options like cruise control tied to the XLT and higher trims. That said, the XL hybrid was far from underwhelming; in fact, the entry-level offerings are actually the best reason not to buy a loaded Maverick.
The Maverick hybrid features a 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder mated to two AC motors, which combine to provide 191 hp and 155 lb-ft of torque. That power is fed to the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission, which helps the truck achieve up to 42 MPG in the city. Despite a 3674-lb curb weight, from behind the wheel that output feels adequate until you’ve already surpassed most highway speed limits. Unfortunately, if not surprisingly, the CVT is not as nice to live with as the EcoBoost’s eight-speed automatic, as it exacerbates the 2.5-liter four’s grainy engine note at every throttle push. Speaking of that gas pedal, the Maverick Hybrid does require a rather large tip-in before the CVT is willing to simulate a new ratio. While that may take some feelings of brutish grunt away from the truck, the fuel economy benefits of the powertrain are hard to ignore. Ford’s published figures are easily achieved, and were simple to beat with minimal gamification of driving style. The only real oddity is the brake pedal, which is a bit inconsistent in feel. That’s not abnormal with some modern hybrids, and isn’t jarring enough to create problems in this case.
The fact that this charismatic, useful vehicle starts under $20,000 is hard to believe after spending time in one. Whether or not you like that it has a truck bed out back, the Maverick should be considered by anyone wading through the world of hatchbacks and crossovers at this price point. Ford is a truck company nowadays, when it isn’t being an SUV/CUV company, and that makes the Maverick their new “hatchback.” And whatever else it is, the Mav is an affordable offering for the masses, inheriting just enough Ford Truck DNA to keep it on-brand and interesting.
Still, not all Mavericks are necessarily bargains. Ford stuck more than $10,000 worth of upgrades and packages onto our Lariat FX4 tester, bringing the total MSRP up to around $37,650 including destination charges. For reference, a new F-150 XLT starts at $35,400 excluding destination charges. That’s where the upper-level Mavericks start to lose some of their charm. That’s not to say that the loaded-up Maverick wasn’t a great place to spend time, but the F-150 is just a lot more truck for that sort of money. If size isn’t a concern, the industry leader is hard to argue against.
On the other hand, Ford put no options onto our XL hybrid tester, which carried a price tag of just $21,490, destination charges included. If towing a large trailer or genuine off-roading aren’t on the bill for your Maverick, there aren’t many arguments for paying much more than that. A slight bump up to the XLT trim will likely satisfy the needs of most first time truck buyers; that starts at just $22,280 in hybrid spec. If demand and economics combine to make it practical for Ford to develop an all-wheel-drive version of the hybrid, it would be the sweetest spot in the lineup. And based on the overwhelming customer interest in the Maverick hybrid this past year, that option seems more likely than not.
Born and raised in Metro Detroit, associate editor Lucas Bell has spent his entire life surrounded by the automotive industry. He may daily drive an aging Mustang, but his Porsche 944 and NB Miata both take up most of his free time.
