Hot on the heels of its all-electric F-150 Lightning debut, Ford has even more good news for pickup buyers: Today, the company unveiled the 2022 Ford Maverick, its newest truck. Smaller than the midsize Ford Ranger, the Maverick is a compact, unibody truck that’s aimed at buyers who want a pickup’s hauling capacity and versatility in a city-friendly (and wallet-friendly) package.
The Maverick is a four-door, five-passenger pickup that offers traits you’d normally associate with smaller cars—like fuel efficiency and maneuverability—in a small truck package. And with a price tag starting at just under $20,000, it’s affordable enough to compete with cars, too. If you regularly haul bulky cargo, live in an urban area, and are looking for a fun, versatile ride to escape the city limits, this is the Ford truck for you.
Notably, a hybrid setup is the standard powertrain for the Maverick, a first for pickups. It consists of a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine and a 94kW electric motor, good for a combined 191 horsepower and 155 lb-ft of torque. Its electronically controlled, continuously variable transmission delivers that power to the front wheels. In this configuration, Ford claims the Maverick achieves an eye-popping (for a truck) 40 miles per gallon in the city and 500 miles of range on a tank of gas.
There’s also a more traditional gas-powered engine available: a 2.0L EcoBoost inline-four that pumps out 250 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque. If you opt for the EcoBoost powerplant, you can also get all-wheel drive.
Of course, the real test for a truck isn’t just driving, it’s hauling and towing. According to Ford, the Maverick’s 4.5-foot bed can carry up to 1,500 pounds of cargo, and the hybrid version can tow up to 2,000 pounds. When equipped with the EcoBoost engine and an optional towing package, the truck can tug up to 4,000 pounds on a trailer. That’s enough grunt to pull a 21-foot camper—definitely not something you can do with your average hatchback.
Off-roaders will likely turn their noses at a unibody AWD truck that’s designed primarily for city dwellers, but the Maverick does have some key features for driving off the pavement. For backcountry explorers, Ford offers a top-shelf FX4 package that includes all-terrain tires, skid plates, off-road drive modes (Mud/Ruts and Sand), and Hill Descent Control. The AWD model features approach, departure, and breakover angles of 21.6, 21.2, 18.1 degrees, respectively, and 8.6 inches of ground clearance. It’s no Bronco, but it should handle gravel roads without any trouble.
It might not be ready for the Rubicon Trail, but Ford went to great lengths to make the Maverick as useful as possible. The bed comes with a 12-volt and optional 110-volt power outlets to power gadgets, and it’s designed to be easily customizable at home: It features cutouts for 2x4s and it’s studded with threaded holes so you can build and screw in your own homemade storage solutions, like drawers or a DIY bike rack. You can also partially open the tailgate and use it to support longer loads—up to 500 pounds’ worth.
All that comes in a very tidy footprint. According to Ford’s spec sheet, the Maverick is just 199.7 inches long, compared to 210.8 inches for the 2021 Ranger. And the interior features a clean design, plenty of storage, and all the high-tech features you’d expect, including an eight-inch touchscreen, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration, and a built-in WiFi hotspot.
It’s a truck, sure, but you definitely won’t be roughing it.
The 2022 Maverick goes on sale this fall, and you can get more info on the Ford website.
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