Future of Maverick after Escape discontinued?

[MaverickDragon]

Wife drives, loves her 17 Escape Titanium.... She commented many gal friends have Subaru.

I have owned Subaru cars for decades, still have one, but I would not buy a new one.
I bought a new Maverick instead.
I'm active on a Forester forum, and there are LOTS of complaints.

On the plus side, they do have a good AWD system and good safety ratings.
Otherwise they have their share of problems.

Their CVT (the only transmission option) is a chain/spindle type.
Failures in the valve body solenoids and torque converter are not hard to find, as are reports of total transmission failures that require replacement in the near 5 figure range.

The pancake engine makes for some royal pain exercises in what are easy tasks for a car with an inline powerplant. They also tend to have very expensive to repair engine oil leaks, as many repairs require the engine to be pulled which makes for a big repair bill.

Beyond the major problems, many of the basic running gear components fail early and often - Lower Control Arms, wheel bearings, etc, and the electronics have a good share of glitches.

Subaru has gotten over complex and expensive for what you get.
If she is dead set on a Subaru, make sure you keep it under warranty.

Sponsored

 

[Watchman]

MotorTrend:

• 2026 Truck of the Year: Recognized for breaking new ground with value, efficiency, and design.
• 2022 Truck of the Year: Initial launch success recognized by MotorTrend.

Kelley Blue Book (KBB):

• 2024 Best Buy Award: For Compact Trucks.
• 2024 Top 10 Best Resale Value Award.
• 2022 Best New Model & Best Compact Pickup.

Consumer Reports:

• 2024 Best Small Truck: For overall value and capability.
• 2024 Best Fuel Efficient Truck: For the Maverick Hybrid.

Car and Driver:

• 2025 10 Best Trucks & SUVs: Honored for its overall package.
• High Scores: Received a 9.5/10 for the 2022 model and a perfect 10/10 for the 2023 Hybrid.

Other Awards:

• 2022 North American Truck of the Year.
• Newsweek: Best Family Truck (2022).
• CarBuzz 2026 Buzz Award: Best Truck.
• Vincentric 2025 Best Value in America Award (for Hybrid).
• 2025 Best Fleet Value in America Award (Maverick XL).

And if I remember correctly, they won an award for the top 10 interior for the Lariat in 22 or 23.

So . . . I couldn't possibly imagine canceling what's been a fantastic little truck.

 

[MrFletch]

Wife drives, loves her 17 Escape Titanium. Told her Ford plans to drop the Escape, and if they do, what alternative would she consider, like. She commented many gal friends have Subaru. Because of her knees, not gonna consider any high stepping vehicle, like a Bronco.

In all seriousness, is the Bronco Sport a high stepping vehicle? The body on frame Bronco that competes with the Jeep Wrangler, sure. But given the Escape/Bronco Sport/Maverick are all on the same platform I would figure they would have similar feel for entry and exiting.

Having said that if she likes the Escape, a Subaru Forester or the larger Outback are not back vehicles at all. They were my other targets when I looked at the Maverick.

 

[CajunMick]

In all seriousness, is the Bronco Sport a high stepping vehicle? The body on frame Bronco that competes with the Jeep Wrangler, sure. But given the Escape/Bronco Sport/Maverick are all on the same platform I would figure they would have similar feel for entry and exiting.

Having said that if she likes the Escape, a Subaru Forester or the larger Outback are not back vehicles at all. They were my other targets when I looked at the Maverick.

Granted I never sat in a Bronco Sport, nor she. Maybe it’s just the illusion. I had a 96 Jeep Cherokee and she had trouble with it, ripping her skirt one time trying to step up .

 

[bsenecal]

The Escape went away because of the Bronco Sport. It’s the same vehicle with a bit softer suspension and a different body style/shape.

Yeah the problem is the Escape has almost 4” more rear legroom, so many who want an SUV might decide to get a Mazda instead.
Brian

 

[Timothyd]

I have heard that in Ford’s infinite wisdom they are dropping the Escape and Lincoln Corsair models in the near future. They are supposed to be replaced by a small EV SUV(rumor). I was told that the Maverick was built on the Escape platform. My Corsair Weather Techs fit perfect in my 2024 Maverick Lariat. If this is true what will be the future of the Maverick?
[/QUOTE
I think that was the first hybrid I tested at the dealer because there were no Mavericks.

 

[Bdesign]

Plus quality would be worse being assembled by UAW workers.

 

[Scott Asheville]

The future doesn't repeat the past, but it often rhymes. The ancient Ranger, of which I had two, was a platforme milked for profit by Ford for more than two decades. It finally got so ancient that it just stopped selling. And then Ford introduced an all new Ranger that was a huge step up in price and size.

So I'd hazard a guess, especially in the current "no regulations of any kind" environment, that the Maverick will continue on the current platform until it stops selling. Meanwhile, Ford will try to disrupt the Maverick with their new skunk works BEV truck. I predict Maverick prices will continue to rise until sales slow, and (if they do slow) then Ford will start piling cash on the hood.

In other words, I'm guessing, with zero data, that Ford is going to promote the Maverick from the entry level truck to the next step up. So they'll sell the new BEV as the entry vehicle, then the Maverick, then the Ranger, and at the top the F150 - in that order of pricing.

That's a total WAG with zero data to support it. Your wild theory is just as good as my wild theory.

 

[Gray Goose]

Wife drives, loves her 17 Escape Titanium. Told her Ford plans to drop the Escape, and if they do, what alternative would she consider, like. She commented many gal friends have Subaru. Because of her knees, not gonna consider any high stepping vehicle, like a Bronco.

Look at a Chevy Equinox/GMC Terrain. My wife switched to the Terrain after my daughter claimed the Escape. She said GM and Ford are interchangeable.

 

[Kenv24]

Thought this was interesting. About what everyone said above. It's a mid-pack contender. I would be in an Escape right now if the Maverick hadn't come out.
The Ford Escape has shown a 19% increase in sales in Q2 2025 compared to the previous year, with a total of 45,232 units delivered. In the first six months of the year, Escape sales increased about 11% to 82,589 units. This performance places the Ford Escape eighth among 15 entries in the mainstream C-crossover segment by sales volume. The Toyota RAV4 leads the space with sales of 124,049 units, followed by the Honda CR-V with 109,236 units. These two models are the only ones to individually surpass 100K sales.

CarFigures

 

[No Brand]

While shopping for a small-ish CUV, wife test-drove the Corsair and Audi Q3. We also looked at Acura RDX but did not drive. Something she disliked about it forgoing the test drive.

The Corsair/Escape had a horrible Consumer Reports rating as low as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, so we passed and ended up with the Q3.

 

[Cherokee]

The Bronco Sport at least has some character, something all the other jelly bean crossovers don't.

They should get rid of that sub-par 1.5L and just do the 2.0L EB or hybrid drive options like the Maverick though.

I had that ‘sub-par’ 1.5L 3 banger for 57,000 trouble free miles in my 2021 Bronco Sport Base model.
It was adequate, a good match to the Bronco Sport. The engine was plenty peppy and handled everything I asked it to do. The Bronco Sport is a great ‘Escape’ replacement.

The 1.5 L dragon mill would be a cool choice for a hybrid Bronco Sport. Especially considering it’s has real close to equal power output as the 2.5L mill in the Hybrid Mavrick, if not a bit more.
The Dragon with its turbo matched to the Mavericks Electric power system just might be a sweet thing to drive.

Think about it.
The instant pull of the hybrids electric motors
AND a turbo !

Stick all that in the BS and give it a proper
Eight speed tranny.
Zoom Zoom.

You wouldn’t need that CVT holding the ICE rpm’s up near maximum and all that fuss if it had a turbo.

My BS was not fast but it did everything I asked of it and did it all below 4,000 rpm,
Realistically I stayed below 3,500 rpm’s unless I was playing with it.

I just don’t like reving a 3 or 4 banger above about 4,000
Except for the occasional Italian tune up.

 

[Duke Nukm2001]

Their going to move Maverick production to the US where the Escape is built

Makes sense. Be able to get away from the tariffs.

 

[OR3X]

The Bronco Sport at least has some character, something all the other jelly bean crossovers don't.

They should get rid of that sub-par 1.5L and just do the 2.0L EB or hybrid drive options like the Maverick though.

I really want a set of those white steel wheels for my Mav. I think they look sick and it would go well with the velocity blue paint.

 

[Cherokee]

Yeah the problem is the Escape has almost 4” more rear legroom, so many who want an SUV might decide to get a Mazda instead.
Brian

Did not know that. 4 inches is a big deal.
I don’t ride in back seats much.

Sponsored