2022 Ford Maverick: The Perfect Mid-Sized Truck?

The 2022 Ford Maverick compact truck is built on Ford’s Escape crossover platform, meaning it lacks a complete frame below, similar to Honda’s Ridgeline. While this could immediately ruffle the hard-core truck crowd’s feathers, we made the decision to have an open mind when we traveled to Tennessee for the national press launch.

We also went off-road to some steep rocky hills and a few fast-moving rough portions of the path in order to start crossing items off the truck’s to-do list.

The all-wheel-drive option allows the Maverick to handle both. In addition to Hill Descent Control, the optional FX4 package includes extra Mud, Rut, and Sand driving modes as well as all-terrain tires, underbody protection, and mono-tube dampers.

Update for Current Model: The 2023 Ford Maverick production will end in October 2023

The Ford Maverick The Look

The Ford Maverick has the authentic truck look, especially the basic XL with its standard 17-inch steel wheels, while not being particularly F-Series intimidating. Its body panels’ smooth surfaces and the absence of any noticeable gaps between them give it an almost injection-molded appearance.

The EcoBoost is capable of towing a maximum of 4,000 pounds with the help of an optional 4K towing kit. A 4-banger must work very hard to lift that much weight at highway speeds. We spent a lot of time towing with the regular hybrid as well. It seemed strong enough to tow up to about 2,000 pounds, and the E-CVT eliminates abrupt gear changes. Aggressive regen braking in tow mode also helped to keep everything under control on lengthy downhill gradients.

The Maverick is 3.2 inches shorter than the longest original Ranger, 11.1 inches shorter, and 4.6 inches lower than the current Ranger in terms of overall dimensions from the exterior, but the genuine rear seat results in a cargo bed that is only 412 feet long. Even so, it has a ton of built-in features that maximize its use.

The 2022 Ford Maverick Has All The Right Stuff

The Maverick, the first pickup truck with full-hybrid power as standard, is something of a game changer since the normal vehicle is anything from fuel-efficient. It denotes base XL Trim! It has a 2.5-liter I4 engine and can go 42 miles per gallon in the city. Yet it only has front-wheel drive.

For the time being, you will need to upgrade to the optional 2.0-liter I4 EcoBoost engine if you want all-wheel drive. With an 8-speed automatic gearbox that is well-matched, 250 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque are produced.

Every Maverick has a large 4-door crew cab and a touchscreen infotainment system with several large manual controls. There is plenty of space for people of all sizes in the utilitarian interior, and the front seats are fairly pleasant. Unique and seems to be very durable are ActiveX’s seating materials. While there is less legroom in the backseat, it is still rather comfortable, and the seat bottom folds up to expose roomy storage compartments.

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The Maverick Brings Eco to the Truck World

The all-wheel-drive Maverick Lariat was a touch hesitant off the mark, even with EcoBoost engine, but it picks up well after the tachometer crosses 4,200 rpm and accelerates to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds. The 14-mile drive takes a delightful 14.8 seconds, with the speed reaching 93 mph.

The interior is very quiet, and the gearbox changes are quite smooth. The Escape handles fairly well for its class, so it should come as no surprise that the Maverick performed well on our handling course, feeling agile and more like a sporty SUV than a truck. According to government fuel economy ratings, the EcoBoost achieves a 26.1 miles per gallon average, while the Hybrid has ratings of 42 city, 33 highway, and 37 combined.

Ford has met the demand for Maverick, which was created primarily to provide customers with a more inexpensive choice for their requirements in light-duty trucks. By using the EcoSport crossover as their new entry-level vehicle, they further lower prices. A basic XL hybrid is just $21,490, an XLT hybrid is $23,775, and a Lariat hybrid is $26,985. The 2.0-liter EcoBoost costs $1,085 more; adding all-wheel drive will cost you $3,305 more.

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We’ve been arguing for years that we need some smaller, more reasonably priced pickup trucks that would be ideal for homeowners to do weekend repairs and outings while remaining enjoyable, economical, and convenient to park the rest of the week.