How the Maverick AWD system actually works (video explanation)

[MarkLally]

I have made this video to set the record straight, hopefully once and for all.

This is my first and probably only YouTube video (my Wife did the editing). It's not highly refined, but it clearly shows when the driveshaft to the rear differential engages and disengages.

There is a tremendous amount of disinformation on the web about how the Ford Maverick AWD system actually works. This disinformation is quickly being propagated by AI.

Most information out there says that this system only goes into AWD when it senses tire slippage. This is not the case at all. The Maverick (and probably all other Ford intelligent AWD systems) work this way instead.

The vehicle ALWAYS starts off in AWD. In only resorts back to FWD when the conditions call for it, as shown in the video. It always stops engaged in AWD also.

The minimum AWD dis-engagement looks to be about 15-17 mph.

The minimum re-engagement of the AWD system looks to be about 14 MPH.

It stays in AWD for as long as you're heavy into the throttle and any other iffy conditions it seems.

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[Chops]

I have made this video to set the record straight, hopefully once and for all.

This is my first and probably only YouTube video (my Wife did the editing). It's not highly refined, but it clearly shows when the driveshaft to the rear differential engages and disengages.

There is a tremendous amount of disinformation on the web about how the Ford Maverick AWD system actually works. This disinformation is quickly being propagated by AI.

Most information out there says that this system only goes into AWD when it senses tire slippage. This is not the case at all. The Maverick (and probably all other Ford intelligent AWD systems) work this way instead.

The vehicle ALWAYS starts off in AWD. In only resorts back to FWD when the conditions call for it, as shown in the video. It always stops engaged in AWD also.

The minimum AWD dis-engagement looks to be about 15-17 mph.

The minimum re-engagement of the AWD system looks to be about 14 MPH.

It stays in AWD for as long as you're heavy into the throttle and any other iffy conditions it seems.

Great video - thanks! Your wife was very brave & quiet hanging on under there.

Having driveshaft deactivate at cruising speeds make so much more sense than cylinder deactivation! We have cool trucks

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

I have made this video to set the record straight, hopefully once and for all.

This is my first and probably only YouTube video (my Wife did the editing). It's not highly refined, but it clearly shows when the driveshaft to the rear differential engages and disengages.

There is a tremendous amount of disinformation on the web about how the Ford Maverick AWD system actually works. This disinformation is quickly being propagated by AI.

Most information out there says that this system only goes into AWD when it senses tire slippage. This is not the case at all. The Maverick (and probably all other Ford intelligent AWD systems) work this way instead.

The vehicle ALWAYS starts off in AWD. In only resorts back to FWD when the conditions call for it, as shown in the video. It always stops engaged in AWD also.

The minimum AWD dis-engagement looks to be about 15-17 mph.

The minimum re-engagement of the AWD system looks to be about 14 MPH.

It stays in AWD for as long as you're heavy into the throttle and any other iffy conditions it seems.

Excellent video Mark
Thank you for taking the time to make it.

I gave you a like on your YouTube channel and I subscribed looking forward to more videos.​

​

Take care and keep those cameras rolling,​

GB​

 

[jpj]

I have made this video to set the record straight, hopefully once and for all.

This is my first and probably only YouTube video (my Wife did the editing). It's not highly refined, but it clearly shows when the driveshaft to the rear differential engages and disengages.

There is a tremendous amount of disinformation on the web about how the Ford Maverick AWD system actually works. This disinformation is quickly being propagated by AI.

Most information out there says that this system only goes into AWD when it senses tire slippage. This is not the case at all. The Maverick (and probably all other Ford intelligent AWD systems) work this way instead.

The vehicle ALWAYS starts off in AWD. In only resorts back to FWD when the conditions call for it, as shown in the video. It always stops engaged in AWD also.

The minimum AWD dis-engagement looks to be about 15-17 mph.

The minimum re-engagement of the AWD system looks to be about 14 MPH.

It stays in AWD for as long as you're heavy into the throttle and any other iffy conditions it seems.

Ingenious. Thanks for this information!

 

[dalola]

I have made this video to set the record straight, hopefully once and for all.

lol... I admire your optimism.....

Ford put out a marketing video back when the Maverick was first introduced, with an in-depth deep dive into the AWD system (it's probably posted here somewhere..). It is a very basic, simple system, but well tuned, for very effective on-road use.

Feel like doing another video on snowy roads?

 

[RR - All the way]

Great info. Thanks! Is this pretty much how AWD of newer models of other brands also work???

I had a 22 FWD EB for 33k miles and only twice did I not get 500 miles per tank. With 25 AWD and 4k towing I am getting about 450 miles per tank. Same mode, same terrain, same driving habits. After 3500 miles it is about 2.5 mpg less. Glad it is not engaged all the time..............

 

[MarkLally]

It's rare to see snow in my part of N.C., so not much change of that. I actually got AWD on my Maverick because many of my job sites have soft, loose sand, along with steep grade changes.

Feel like doing another video on snowy roads?
[/QUOTE]

 

[MarkLally]

Great info. Thanks! Is this pretty much how AWD of newer models of other brands also work???

I had a 22 FWD EB for 33k miles and only twice did I not get 500 miles per tank. With 25 AWD and 4k towing I am getting about 450 miles per tank. Same mode, same terrain, same driving habits. After 3500 miles it is about 2.5 mpg less. Glad it is not engaged all the time..............

I can't say about other brands, I really don't know.
Note that the EB mavericks hold several more gallons of gas in the tank than the hybrids.
When I fill up, it most always say 515-535 miles to empty.
My 2023 FWD Maverick hybrid got about 5 mpg more than my AWD. I attribute about 3 mpg loss to the all terrain tires I put on it and the other 2 mpg to the fact that it's AWD.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/f...-16-5-gallon-tank-tested-and-confirmed.25173/

 

[Darryl]

It's rare to see snow in my part of N.C., so not much change of that. I actually got AWD on my Maverick because many of my job sites have soft, loose sand, along with steep grade changes.

Feel like doing another video on snowy roads?

[/QUOTE]
I got AWD because I wanted a hybrid, and that's what was on the lot at the time. My initial goal was a slightly used 2024. But our dealership had nothing. But they had ONE Hybrid on the lot... A brand new 2025 with a sunroof, AWD, and 4k towing. With the employee discount and my down payment, the payments were within my budget. So I got it. In hindsight, I'm GLAD because it's a truck I'm actually happy with. Anyway, the AWD has already come in handy in an iffy situation. And I love the fact that it's sure footed even on wet pavement when I had to "punch it" because I made a turn and a vehicle was approaching that I didn't see before pulling out into the road. No spin, no loss of traction. It just moved. A FWD vehicle would likely have lost traction in that situation.

 

[Cherokee]

Outstanding !

 

[MarkLally]

Great video! When pulling the pontoon out of the lake, I expected front wheels to slip until the rears engaged but they didn't and this explains why.

So there are clutches in the RDU and in the differential ... I wonder if the clutch in the diff is electronically controlled as well, or if it's just a mechanical 1-way

I think you mean the PTU. From what I can gather, the disconnecting mechanism in the front PTU is more like a shift fork and a synchronizer, like that in a manual transmission. They are both controlled by the same module.

 

[MarkLally]

A FWD vehicle would likely have lost traction in that situation.

That's probably the most satisfying thing to me when driving this thing daily. the fact that you can take off from a stop, as fast as you want and in most any situation and it wont spin, it just goes. I've never been able to do that in any other car or truck I've owned, be it FWD or RWD.

 

[MarkLally]

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/f...-16-5-gallon-tank-tested-and-confirmed.25173/

Thanks for sharing this, I don't know how I missed this, but it's good to know that if it came down to it, I could 600 miles on a tank. That's one hell of a reserve.

 

[dalola]

Not the video I was thinking of, but a condensed version, with some good technical details provided by a Ford engineer.

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/maverick-awd-system-explained.8678/

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