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Ford
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is showing the first true compact pickup it will build in a decade. The 2022 Ford Maverick fits the footprint of a small car, boasts the highest fuel economy rating of any truck in America, and carries a sticker price that starts at $19,995. The Maverick goes on sale this fall.
Small trucks are back at last
There are no new small trucks for sale in America today. Ford once built a compact Ranger but retired it after the 2011 model year and brought that name back in 2019 for a larger midsize truck. Earlier this year, Hyundai
HYMTF,
revealed its own compact pickup, the Santa Cruz. It will go on sale later this summer.
Hyundai is marketing the Santa Cruz as an adventure vehicle that combines a carlike ride with a useful, though small, pickup bed. Ford has a long history of building hardworking trucks and a fan base that expects them. Still, the company introduced the Maverick as “the truck for people who never knew they wanted a truck.”
Standard hybrid powertrain
The Maverick comes standard with a hybrid powertrain. It marries a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine to an electric motor, combining for 191 horsepower. A continuously variable transmission drives the front wheels. Ford says the standard configuration should achieve an EPA rating of 40 mpg in city driving. The EPA has not tested the claim.
The Ford Maverick
Ford
That standard configuration gives the Maverick a payload capacity of 1,500 pounds and a towing capacity of 2,000 pounds. Neither figure is particularly impressive by pickup standards. Still, it should be more than enough for the weekend hardware store and camping trips Ford has in mind for the average Maverick buyer.
Those who need more power can step up to a 2.0-liter EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine making 250 horsepower. That motor uses an 8-speed automatic transmission and is available with front- or all-wheel-drive. It keeps the same payload capacity but increases towing capacity to 4,000 pounds – enough to tow a small boat or weekend travel trailer.
Classic Ford truck looks, just smaller
The Maverick shares obvious genes with the F-150 and Ranger. Curiously, its doors don’t use the same drop-down design for added visibility that larger Ford trucks do. Instead, a character line beneath the windows “pays homage to” that look, in Ford’s words. Headlights and grille together stretch wide enough to cover the entire front fascia.
The sides of the bed are covered completely in durable plastic material. Ford says, “It’s designed this way to offer greater dent and ding protection, knowing people will load and unload the bed from the sides more frequently” than with taller trucks.
Inside, an 8-inch center touchscreen is standard, with Apple
AAPL,
CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. It comes equipped with FordPass Connect (which requires a separate monthly fee), with Wi-Fi capability supporting up to 10 devices. The FordPass Connect app lets users “find the truck, check fuel level, lock and unlock the doors, and start or turn off the vehicle” remotely.
Not a true truck platform
The Maverick is built on Ford’s C2 platform – the same chassis and unibody frame that underlie its small SUVs and crossovers, like the Escape and Bronco Sport. That means it isn’t a true ladder frame like Ford’s other trucks and may mean it can’t quite keep up with the Ranger and F-150 off-road.
But the Maverick should still be capable of handling most light off-road challenges. Higher trim levels have optional off-road equipment not available on Hyundai’s small truck.
Seating for five, flexible bed
The Maverick comes only in a 4-door, 5-seat configuration.
The bed is just 4.5 feet long – longer than Santa Cruz’s bed but shorter than any truck currently on the market. Ford says engineers worked to make it as functional as possible, though.
“The team developed its features after watching people at home improvement and furniture stores as well as college kids moving into their dorms,” the company says. The resulting Flexbed system has built-in dividers allowing owners to “create segmented storage, elevated floors, bike, and kayak racks and more by sliding 2x4s or 2x6s into slots stamped into the side of the bed. There are two tie-downs, four D-rings, and built-in threaded holes in the sides to bolt in new creations.”
A 110-volt outlet in the bed and another in the cabin can charge devices or power corded tools.
The truck’s tailgate “opens normally, but also has a halfway-open position” that allows the gate to “support up to 18 sheets of 4×8-foot 3/4-inch plywood without needing to angle the panels.” The Maverick sits low enough, Ford says, that “almost any size adult can reach over and grab items off the floor.”
Three trim levels
The Maverick will be available in XL, XLT, and Lariat trim levels.
Ford hasn’t revealed much about what separates the three versions, or anything about pricing beyond the sub-$20,000 entry point. The company has said that a storage cubby is built into the side of the bed on XLT models, and two are available on Lariat models.
Also read: As new car inventory dries up, here are the ones that are almost impossible to get
An FX4 off-road package offered on XLT and Lariat models adds “rugged all-terrain tires and suspension tuning, additional underbody protection, and off-road-focused drive modes like Mud/Rut and Sand, as well as the addition of Hill Descent Control.”
A special First Edition package available only for the first year includes unique graphics on the hood and lower doors, a high-gloss black-painted roof, soft tonneau cover, and body-color door handles. Hybrid models sport gloss black-painted and machined 18-inch wheels, while gas models ride on unique 17-inch aluminum wheels.
Also see: 15 electric cars (and trucks) to watch for in 2022
Buyers have new choices to make
The Maverick is small enough that it may not win many buyers from other trucks. But those who like the utility of a pickup but don’t want the proportions now have two options to choose from. It’s hard to compare the Maverick and the Santa Cruz without knowing the price of the Hyundai. But early observations say the Maverick may be the more off-road capable of the two and provide better fuel economy in standard form.
This story originally ran on KBB.com.
