Ford Maverick is MotorTrend 2026 Truck of the Year! 🏆

[WJOHNM]

https://www.motortrend.com/news/ford-maverick-2026-truck-of-the-year

The Ford Maverick Is the 2026 MotorTrend Truck of the Year

America’s favorite compact pickup gets smarter, tougher, and even more fun, earning our highest honor at long last.

Best of the Year

Back in 2022, when Ford introduced the Maverick, it was an open question whether Americans would accept a truly compact, crossover-based pickup truck. All those sales later, the answer is, “Yes, they will, if truck experts design it and build it.” Now the Maverick lineup has been further refined, improved, and broadened to become even more appealing to even more people. And that’s why MotorTrend is seizing this opportunity to name Ford Maverick our 2026 Truck of the Year.

Read the full award article: https://www.motortrend.com/news/ford-maverick-2026-truck-of-the-year

I just seen this on YouTube it was posted few hours ago news travels fast, am on my second Maverick my first a 22 ordered in 21 that I waited 8 months for was a great truck XLT ECO LUX 4KTOW FX4 every option, I had a feeling it was going to sell and broke my biggest rule never buy first year model, well it worked out fine except for some radio/phone issues it was a great little truck. In July 25 I went to my dealer to order a Lobo they had a black beauty Lariat there with every option, am 74 I might not be here when the Lobo came in so I took the Lariat, am glad I did. Now when I pull next to some of my friends' trucks and have to look up at them from about door handle height, I can throw this in their faces. Motor trend truck of the year.

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[Blue_Max]

The Maverick actually has more interior space than the Ranger. There’s a little over an inch more rear leg room.

But Ranger has a little more legroom in front, which is what I care more about, but I wanted a Maverick for other reasons.

 

[dalola]

That's funny.... 4 years late, but hey, MT was never the sharpest knife in the drawer....

 

[JohnCondren1933]

Yes Ford spend billions on ads.
But so does Stellantis, GM, VAG, Mercedes

does Ford spend more than the rest?
So are the RAM 1500 fans complaining that Stellantis isn't getting a good ad return since RAM 1500 isn't truck of the year?

Ford's return on ad dollars?

*I'm not saying that it's a bad truck or it doesn't deserve the award.
Reality is.
Ford spends billions of dollars in advertising.
Advertising dollars, is what keeps magazines like Motor Trend, Car and Driver, Hot Rod..etc. afloat.

 

[Bdesign]

2025 is the refined and sorted Maverick- 3 years of effort to improve a known money maker. 2022 was priced to draw people in . Once it was realized how good the concept was, then there was an effort to improve and refine it- 2025 refresh. Hopefully the gen2 version will not veer off the original. I'm sure the upcoming Toyota Stout (?) will affect the gen 2 direction.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Yes Ford spend billions on ads.
But so does Stellantis, GM, VAG, Mercedes

does Ford spend more than the rest?
So are the RAM 1500 fans complaining that Stellantis isn't getting a good ad return since RAM 1500 isn't truck of the year?

Probably not.
I think Ram fans and Stellantis got they money's worth from advertising dollars over the years.

 

[Blue_Max]

Yes Ford spend billions on ads.
But so does Stellantis, GM, VAG, Mercedes

does Ford spend more than the rest?
So are the RAM 1500 fans complaining that Stellantis isn't getting a good ad return since RAM 1500 isn't truck of the year?

Some (not very recent, granted) industry insight into the mechanics of winning the Car of the Year award:

As most readers know, I despise and detest every frickin’ award perpetrated by the automotive media. It’s a veritable Huckster’s Paradise simply devoid of credibility on even the most basic of levels, and, as most enthusiasts who actually read the “buff” books know, they’re blatant revenue-generating scams masquerading as achievements worthy of gravitas.

It’s a dance that has deep roots in this business, and it all started decades ago at Motor Trend. In my previous life in advertising, I distinctly remember having to muster my creative troops to “pitch” Motor Trend executives on the notion that the 1986 Dodge Lancer (yeah, I know, what a joke) should be considered for their COTY. We spent a full week mounting a creative presentation to show them how Dodge would advertise the award on TV and in print, with all the proper M/T “caliper” award logos properly positioned. This was combined with a media presentation delineating how much Dodge would be spending should the award be bestowed on the Lancer. Thankfully, the car didn’t “win” but I will never forget what an absolute joke it was, a blatantly fraudulent pursuit to line Petersen Publishing’s pockets.

Why did they get away with it? Because the auto companies were so eager for validation, no matter where it originated, that they were perfectly willing to hand over fistfuls of cash so that they could tout their Belchfire 8 as the COTY. The whole thing made you want to take a shower to wash the slime off. Since those halcyon days of blatant quid pro quo, the number of “awards” handed out by the media has exploded exponentially to an almost comical degree, except none of it is the least bit funny as obscure publications and websites come up with more and more dumb-ass awards full of sound and fury signifying absolutely nothing.

Source: https://www.autoextremist.com/current/2017/11/28/hucksters-paradise.html

 

[dumbcomputers]

So why wasn't it TOTY last year as nothing has changed since 2025 refresh..haha.

 

[JohnCondren1933]

100% tell it like it is.
There is no vehicle on the market that gives you the hauling capacity, handling, & mpg anywhere near the money. If you want SUV handling & to be able to haul loads, Maverick is the only game

There's also a lot of hard plastic trim that scratches, if you cant deal with hard plastics just walk away.

Hybrids in general take some getting used to over torque-converter hydraulic transmissions, some weird electric drive harmonics (random whistle when everything aligns, but step on accelerator it generally always stops), lack of distinct gear shifts & getting pinned to your seat with an upshift, going steep uphill with a load can definitely be noisy in the 2.5L engine, Ford cut costs on insulation you can DIY install sound insulation though.

I dont have an Ecoboost, but definitely sounds more engaging & responsive, but I mean if you want a reliable cost-effective delivery or field-service vehicle that can get down gravel roads in snow, the hybrid awd drivetrain is a reliable powertrain that with basic fluid changes & undercoating for heavy salted areas, will almost certainly go 200,000+ miles.

Some people that drivetrain longevity really matters & we will be fine with the appliance nature of hybrid throttle response.
But If you're expecting a "Flying Miata", Miata with an LS7 engine dropped in, throttle response, in your next vehicle, just dont look even in the direction of hybrid Maverick

Nah. Tell it like it is. Some customers won't like it, but most won't mind but don't like to be surprised by 'weird' noises in their new vehicle.

 

[Escapologist]

That's funny.... 4 years late, but hey, MT was never the sharpest knife in the drawer....

They awarded the Mustang II in 1974 ... dark days

 

[Scott Asheville]

50 years ago Motor Trend was the weakest of the three mainstream car magazines. They've gone downhill since then.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

100% tell it like it is.
There is no vehicle on the market that gives you the hauling capacity, handling, & mpg anywhere near the money. If you want SUV handling & to be able to haul loads, Maverick is the only game

There's also a lot of hard plastic trim that scratches, if you cant deal with hard plastics just walk away.

Hybrids in general take some getting used to over torque-converter hydraulic transmissions, some weird electric drive harmonics (random whistle when everything aligns, but step on accelerator it generally always stops), lack of distinct gear shifts & getting pinned to your seat with an upshift, going steep uphill with a load can definitely be noisy in the 2.5L engine, Ford cut costs on insulation you can DIY install sound insulation though.

I dont have an Ecoboost, but definitely sounds more engaging & responsive, but I mean if you want a reliable cost-effective delivery or field-service vehicle that can get down gravel roads in snow, the hybrid awd drivetrain is a reliable powertrain that with basic fluid changes & undercoating for heavy salted areas, will almost certainly go 200,000+ miles.

Some people that drivetrain longevity really matters & we will be fine with the appliance nature of hybrid throttle response.
But If you're expecting a "Flying Miata", Miata with an LS7 engine dropped in, throttle response, in your next vehicle, just dont look even in the direction of hybrid Maverick

Your 100% correct.
Easy choice.
The Maverick has no competition.

 

[Bdesign]

Your 100% correct.
Easy choice.
The Maverick has no competition.

Agreed- don't like the front end?, don't buy. Don't like the plastics? don't buy. Walk away to Santa cruz and complain about the shorter bed or smaller rear seat room or the DCT.

 

[JohnCondren1933]

Honestly if you dont want to haul a shit ton of stuff in a massive truck bed, & tow a shit ton with the handling & fuel economy of an SUV, for the PRICE of an SUV,

for the money (actually a bit more $) you can probably get the other stuff that would matter more to you like plush luxury tomb-quiet sound-insulated interiors. But that plush luxury interior os never gonna transport your washing machine or a load of mulch without destroying the vehicle.

But as far as versatility, there is nothing anywhere close to the cost, getting anywhere close to the mpg, that a typical suburbanite cannot handle on their own with a Maverick - pick up a load of mulch for the yard down a dirt road, on the way back from the kids soccer game, then load dirt bikes in back & hitch up the camper for a camping trip -- & that also fits in a typical suburban 2 car garage, if you ever tried to park an F-150 in an 18 x 20 foot "2 car garage" that the starter home section in my subdivision has, you would appreciate that -- spoiler without a hanging ball & distance sensor package on your truck, a scrape is inevitable.

Agreed- don't like the front end?, don't buy. Don't like the plastics? don't buy. Walk away to Santa cruz and complain about the shorter bed or smaller rear seat room or the DCT.

 

[DaddyDan]

Bigger is not better. At 200" long, the Maverick is already at the maximum size that a small truck should be at. Any longer and it will not fit in a lot of people's garages and every small increase makes it makes it harder to park in a Walmart or Costco parking lot. I hope that they never do that stupidity like they did to the Ranger and F150, that can't reasonably be parked in a lot of places and has to be parked outdoors only.

At 200 inches it's only 10 inches shorter in overall length than a short wheelbase GMC Yukon.

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