It’s finally official. Ford is bringing back the Maverick namplate - on a compact pickup. The 2022 Maverick Ford’s re-entry into the small truck segment, as it’s smaller even than the Ford Ranger which it reintroduced a few years ago. It’s available to pre-order now in three trim levels, Maverick is offered at three trim levels – XL, XLT and Lariat - ahead of it’s fall arrival. The base XL model starts from just shy of $20,000.
Notably, the new Maverick has the distinction of being the first pickup truck in America to come as a standard hybrid (an EcoBoost engine option is available.) It’s full-hybrid powertrain is impressively efficient. Ford says it has a projected EPA-estimated rating of 40 mpg city fuel economy and will deliver 500-miles of range on a single tank of gas. The four-door seats five and it’s built on a front-wheel drive unibody platform shared with the Escape and new Bronco Sport. (All-wheel drive is available on the optional EcoBoost model.)
“The Maverick product proposition is like nothing else out there. It’s a great-looking truck featuring four doors with room for five adults, a standard full-hybrid engine with city fuel economy that beats a Honda Civic, plenty of towing and hauling for weekend trips or do-it-yourself projects, and it starts under $20,000,” said Todd Eckert, Ford truck group marketing manager. “Maverick challenges the status quo and the stereotypes of what a pickup truck can be. We believe it will be compelling to a lot of people who never before considered a truck.”
Looks
The Maverick sports iconic Ford pickup truck style with a door design that pays homage to the company’s signature drop-down side windows and a front end that stretches edge to edge, connecting the standard LED headlamps and grille for a more prominent, planted appearance.
Form follows function here, too. Maverick is upright and squared off for space efficiency, but it looks youthful and athletic – clean, not overdesigned. There’s no gap between cab and tailgate, and the bed rail caps extend from the bed and go vertical, ending at the top of the back window. 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.
Full-hybrid Powertrain
Ford says the Maverick’s full-hybrid powertrain provides better projected city fuel economy than a Honda Civic. Its 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder hybrid powertrain delivers 191-horsepower when combined with the electric motor, and 155 lb.-ft. of torque mated to a continuously variable transmission driving the front wheels. Ford calls its in-house-designed and manufactured electric traction motor “light and powerful.”
The 2022 Maverick offers standard payload of 1,500 pounds and the volume to carry a standard ATV, plus can tow up to 2,000 pounds. (For example a pair of personal watercraft or a good-sized pop-up camper trailer.)
Optional EcoBoost Engine
If you want more horsepower, torque and towing capability, you can upgrade to a 2.0-liter EcoBoost® gas engine delivering 250-horsepower and 277 lb.-ft. of torque with an 8-speed automatic transmission and standard front-wheel drive or available all-wheel drive. You can increase the capability even more with an optional 4K Tow Package which will double conventional towing to 4,000 pounds – (enough for an average 21-foot boat.)
“One thing that’s non-negotiable is that Maverick is Built Ford Tough,” said Chris Mazur, a third-generation Ford employee who led development of the all-new pickup as chief engineer. “Our engineers were unrelenting, putting it through a battery of vicious on-road, off-road, environmental and simulated customer use testing until we were satisfied. Ford trucks are Ford trucks – through and through.”
An FX4 package available for all-wheel-drive XLT and Lariat trucks adds more off-road capability with 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.
Five standard drive modes include Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery and Tow/Haul to enhance performance and confidence over various driving conditions.
Interior
Ford calls the Maverick surprisingly roomy inside with “excellent leg and headroom, shoulder and hip width, with a comfortable seating position for both rows.” It’s designed to be versatile and offer features for both city driving or escaping the urban life. The top of the line Lariat trim is the most well-appointed.
“This customer wants simple, but not basic, and Maverick is all about thoughtful details executed well,” said Barb Whalen, who led the team in choosing materials and colors. “We want this to have a straightforward, durable, honest, well-built feel. The interior was designed with function, purpose and ease of cleaning in mind to help make our customers’ lives better. We’re using unique textures and materials like reground carbon fiber for strength and visual interest. The dash panel has a stonelike finish, like a super-durable synthetic countertop. We strategically placed pops of color for functionality – creating an energetic space you want to be in.”
The interior design included creating clever storage areas. Daniel George, interior leader, calls Maverick “the ultimate first vehicle for my kids.” He says it was key to understand how people actually use the stuff they bring in, rather than just expecting them to find places to stash it. Door armrests have a split design to allow a one-liter water bottle to sit upright in a bin rather than rolling around on the seats, while door pockets are huge and have lots of vertical clearance to store a tablet or notebooks. There’s a spacious storage bin under the rear seats that fits a fully inflated volleyball, laptop bags, roller blades, tools and other gear.
FITS – Ford Integrated Tether System – is a clever multitasking solution for rear seat passengers. There’s a FITS slot at the back of the front console that accommodates different accessories for endless personalization. An available accessory package includes cupholders, a storage or trash bin, cord organizer, double hook for grocery bags and purses, and under-seat storage dividers. More FITS slot creations are in development and Ford is working to publish the slot geometry so people can 3D-print DIY solutions to further fit their lifestyle. Those accessories can be stored in multiple slots under the rear seats, which could also be used for novel applications on their own.
Cabin Technology
Standard cabin technology includes an 8-inch center touch screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. Maverick also has standard FordPass Connect with embedded modem and Wi-Fi for up to 10 devices, while standard FordPass makes it easy to find the truck, check fuel level, lock and unlock the doors, and start or turn off the vehicle – all from your phone. Two USB ports are standard with four optional.
FLEXBED
Maverick introduces what Ford calls the FLEXBED. You can check it out in the video below. It’s designed to help customers organize and provide storage solutions to secure cargo, while accommodating Ford accessories and creative DIY solutions. Ford says the team developed its features after watching people at home improvement and furniture stores as well as college kids moving into their dorms, observing how they struggled to load things into small crossovers and cars while working around the cargo limitations they faced.
People can 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. Customers can scan the FLEXBED QR code in the bed for some interesting ideas to get started.
“The whole bed is a DIY fan’s paradise,” said Keith Daugherty, an engineering specialist who helped develop the truck box for Maverick. “You can buy the bolt-in Ford cargo management system and we’re happy to sell it to you, but if you’re a bit more creative, you can also just go to the hardware store and get some C-channel and bolt it to the bed to make your own solutions.”
A power outlet is available for your DIY projects. Electrical engineer Gaby Grajales helped develop standard built-in 12-volt electrical power pre-wired to an easily removable cover on either side of the back of the bed.
“People have forever been hacking into their wiring harness to run things like lighting, air pumps and other useful accessories,” said Grajales. “This is a better solution – we’re enabling customer needs while protecting the taillamp wiring and creating a fused circuit to avoid compromising the overall electrical system. With this, you have the option to select the factory-available box lighting or install your own home-built lighting setup, or even invent a whole new use for the 12-volt access points.”
Beyond DIY electrical, there are two available 110-volt 400-watt outlets – one in the bed and one in the cabin – that can power phones, laptops, small TVs, a cordless tool battery charger, or a small, corded tool like a jigsaw. There’s also a storage cubby built into the side of the bed on XLT and two available on Lariat trucks.
Payload
The 4.5-foot bed can carry 1,500 pounds of payload, the equivalent of roughly 37 bags of 40-pound mulch, and has a six-foot floor with the tailgate down. Maverick can carry long and wide stuff too, thanks to its multi-position tailgate. It opens normally, but also has a halfway-open position – just unclip the support cables and hook them onto the latch pins so the tailgate lip and wheelhouses can support up to 18 sheets of 4x8-foot three-quarter-inch plywood without needing to angle the panels. It’s easy. The tailgate features tie-down clamps that double as bottle openers, and is rated to hold 500 pounds of friends hanging out and taking a seat. The bed floor and sides are low, making it easy for adults to reach in and grab items.
Standard and Optional Driver Assistance
You’ll get a few standard safety features with Ford CoPilot 360 which includes standard Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking, Automatic High Beam Headlamps and a rearview backup camera.
Available optional assist features include Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go, Blind Spot Information System with Cross-Traffic Alert, Lane Centering, Lane Departure Warning and Evasive Steering Assist.
Maverick First Edition
A Maverick First Edition package is available for the first 2022 model year only. It’s based on the upper Lariat trim level and includes unique graphics on the hood and lower doors, a high-gloss black-painted roof, soft tonneau cover, body-color door handles, high-gloss black skull caps, and gloss black-painted and machined 18-inch wheels for hybrid or unique 17-inch aluminum wheels for the gas model. It comes in Carbonized Gray, Area 51 and Rapid Red, unique to First Edition.
Availability and Pre-Orders
The 2022 Ford Maverick goes on sale this fall. The build and price website is live at Ford.com and reservations or orders can be placed now. Select a CarProUSA Certified Dealer when you place your reservation and they’ll help guide you through the entire process. You can also check out a technical spec sheet here.