- Thread starter
- #1
So I did search the site before posting. I did not see this article posted. This review was actually the first time I had seen or heard of the Maverik, and was the reason I ordered one.
https://jalopnik.com/best-reviews-2021-the-2022-ford-maverick-is-an-honest-1847802688
We drove a lot of cars in 2021, weāre reposting a few of our favorites here.
The 2022 Ford Maverick is one of those rare vehicles that almost impresses me more for whatās not there than what is there. Thatās because whatās not there is something thatās pervasive in not just the automotive world, but so many aspects of life: bullshit. The bullshit content of the new Maverick is near zero. When the bullshit is stripped away, whatās left behind is an extraordinarily clever, honest, flexible, practical, efficient, and appealing machine, and that machine is even cheap. I really like what the Maverick is.
Advertisement
(Full disclosure: Ford flew me to Nashville to drive the new Maverick, fed me and gave me booze on a rooftop with the widest bus Iāve ever seen, and refrained from calling me names like āChockfull Dampdiapersā, at least to my face. Also, as you can see in the pictures, I managed to sneak out to the fantastic Lane Motor Museum.)
The Maverick isnāt trying to be anything it isnāt, which it really shouldnāt even feel the need to, because itās a little tricky to pin down what exactly it is.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
I know Ford considers the 2022 Maverick a truck, and while it certainly is that, I think the best way to see the Maverick is less of a truck, and more of a remarkably flexible and usable multi-purpose vehicle. I say this because for many people ātruckā still has connotations that would suggest specific uses, and the Maverick is really a master of flexibility.
Advertisement
This is also why Iām not all pissy that the Maverick doesnāt come in a traditional small-truck single-cab option. Thatās because part of what makes the Maverick great is how many things it manages to be: a five-seat family car with plenty of interior room; a truck with a usable, open bed; a near-Prius-level hybrid fuel miser; a commuter; a road trip car; an adventuring platform; a hobby and work enabling tool; a farm car you can comfortably transport multiple goats in; and more.
In a lot of ways, it reminds me of another machine that always felt like a sort of Swiss Army knife of a vehicle, something that could do just about any task, if people could get over their silly ideas about status and maybe be more accepting, aesthetically:
Photo: Volkswagen
The Maverick has all of the abilities of a smallish, double-cab pickup with a bit of extra enclosed storage like that old VW, but comes in a package thatās much more acceptable to mainstream, modern buyers.
Advertisement
If you combine all of the things the Maverick is capable of doing and add in the remarkable fuel-efficiency of the base hybrid model and the starting price of $19,995, then the real question becomes why the hell would anyone want to buy a crossover like the Toyota RAV4 or the Honda CR-V, two of the best-selling vehicles in America?
Screenshot: Honda, Toyota
Compared to the base hybrid Maverick, both the RAV4 and CRV are close in power (Maverick is 191 horsepower, Honda is 190, Toyota is 203), both the CR-V and the RAV4 get over 10 mpg less in the city, and both cost around $6,000 more.
If you want to compare hybrid apples to hybrid apples with the Toyota, you can, but then youāre paying around $8,000 more.
Advertisement
And, really, what are you getting for all that extra money? A car thatās easier to lose in the Target parking lot? A car that is significantly less flexible and capable? Less ability to tow things, if you wanted to? More boredom?
Sure, the crossoverās cargo areas are enclosed, but if thatās important, Iāve already seen pictures of Fordās upcoming camper shell for the Maverick, and it looks pretty good:
Photo: Maverick Truck Club
What Iām saying here is that I think the Maverick should be considered not just by people who are looking for a truck, but for all those crossover and SUV buyers out there, because if thereās something you get from a more expensive crossover as opposed to the Maverick, Iām not really sure what that is, at least for most people.
Advertisement
Okay, itās time to dig into the Maverick in more detail, so prepare accordingly.
The Look
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Honestly, this is the part of the Maverick Iām least excited about, but itās not like itās terrible; it looks good enough, but I just donāt think the exterior design is necessarily amazing.
I broke down the exterior design in an earlier post already, but in speaking with the Maverick team, I learned about a couple of interesting design influences you might like to know about.
Advertisement
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
First, thereās a little character line in the door, under the beltline thatās deliberately designed to suggest the Ford F-150's distinctive jogged window line. Itās subtle, but a nice little tie-in to the Ford truck heritage.
Slightly more obscure and more interesting is where they took inspiration for the ādog boneā design that shows up in multiple locations on the car, most prominently in the bar that houses the front turn signals on the grille:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
That was actually inspired by the amazing old British Ford Mark I Escort, with its signature dogbone grille. Iām not exactly sure if that makes the front end of the truck look any better, but it does make me appreciate it a bit more.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Overall, the look of the Maverick is clean and modern, and thereās nothing offensive about it, really. I think it looks strongest from the rear quarter, where you get nice details like the transition from cab to bed, which I think was handled nicely, the repeat of the general dogbone shape in the tailgate stamping, and ā a little detail I like that you hardly ever see on modern cars or trucks ā the off-center license plate mounting.
Plus, the Maverick really brings it when it comes to colors:
Advertisement
Screenshot: Ford
While not all colors are available in all trims (I really wish the yellow-orange was on the base XL trim) there are good, real, non-grayscale colors available, something our automotive culture absolutely needs more of.
Visual differentiation between trims is mostly a matter of wheels and colors and minor trim details like body-colored or black door handles, and in almost all of these cases, I think I prefer the lower specs.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
Iām an absolute fool for basic steelies like these on the base car, and I think the black of the door handles provides nice contrast. It doesnāt feel cheap to me, it just feels right.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Thereās some minor lighting design differences between the lower and upper trims, too, with the XLās headlights lacking that upper sectionās LED signature light/DRL, and the turn indicator dogbone trim being black instead of silvery. But, really, those are pretty minor differences.
As far as the scale of the truck goes, itās definitely not a big truck, but itās not ā80s minitruck tiny, either. If it helps, here it is near a Toyota Sports 800 and a Skoda 110MB:
Advertisement
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Those sure make it look big. If those references arenāt familiar enough, how about a Triumph Spitfire?
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
That help? You know whatās a better example? An old Datsun truck, which is pretty close to the same length as the Maverick, and this slightly lifted one was about as high, just a bit leaner, overall:
Advertisement
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Itās actually quite a reasonable size. Itās not small, but not so big that driving is a pain. Think Honda Pilot sized.
The Interior
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
While the exterior design is good if not necessarily amazing, I think some really great work has been done on the inside of the Maverick ā which is where most owners will spend their time, anyway.
Advertisement
I spoke a lot with Scott Anderson, the Interior Design Manager, and was very pleased with what he told me about the design goals for the interior. First and foremost was about honesty of materials.
This is an important concept to me, and what it essentially means is that materials shouldnāt pretend to be something theyāre not. Lots of plastic was used in the Maverick, and that plastic is unashamedly plastic ā itās not trying to fool you into thinking itās leather with fake texturing or absurd molded-in stitching.
Itās just plastic with good textures molded in and clever design. The door panels are a great example of this:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
So, one thing I learned talking to Scott was that the target buyer for this vehicle seems to need a car to carry around the absurd amount of bottles they travel with. Thereās so much bottle storage in this thing, because Fordās research showed that, well, people have a shitload of bottles.
As a result, the door pockets are capable of holding like four bottles, ranging in size from normal water bottles to big-ass thermos-like beasts. As a result, the door pockets are cavernous and capable of holding other things, in the unlikely event you have non-bottles in your possession, too.
The open design also necessitated that interesting cantilevered armrest/door handle, and if you look at that youāll spy something thatās also important to me: exposed fasteners.
Iām all for the unashamed exposing of fasteners; itās ridiculous carmakers are always trying to hide them. Theyāre fine.
Advertisement
Scott told me that getting sign-off on exposed screw heads like that was a massive fight, and he finally won by having Fordās supplier make really cool, custom hex-head screws that say FORD on them:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Theyāre cool! And if you have to remove them to replace the armrest or something, you can see right were they are, and thereās no silly little plugs or caps or whatever. This is a triumph.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
This low-poly, late ā90s 3D type of patterning is a theme that extends throughout the interior, and I like the way it looks. I suppose it may become dated, but thatās part of the charm.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Clever interior design helped keep the costs down for the Maverick, and you can see that in parts like this center console, which I was told uses significantly less parts than a more conventional design, and from my experience, those discarded parts are ones I never missed.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
Higher-spect trims add some bits of color and varying materials to the basic design, but theyāre all fundamentally the same, and they all work well.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
You may also be noticing something else about this dashboard thatās not quite like a lot of the recent cars weāve been reviewing: thereās plenty of knobs and physical buttons, and theyāre almost all in the places you expect them, doing the things you expect them to do.
Sure, all trim levels come with a decent-sized touch screen there, but thereās a volume knob and a tuning knob and big chunky knobs for fan and temperature, all immediately available without having to poke through menus or other bullshit. Itās all simple and immediately understandable and refreshing.
Advertisement
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Thereās some nice clever touches as well, like a special suction-friendly GoPro/dashcam mounting point next to a well I was told was for sunglasses. Thereās also that little chamber next to the touchscreen, but I canāt really figure out what that would actually be used for beyond maybe a nice little niche for a favorite totemic action figure?
The inside is quite roomy, being essentially a big box, and the floor is quite flat, which, along with the more upright seating position, gives lots of legroom in the rear, especially.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
Thatās the base XL trim. The Lariat gives more interior color and leather upholstery:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
The underseat storage at the rear is good, even in the hybrid version, which stores its 12V battery there (cover removed in the pic), The gasoline-only 2.0-liter version has two full-sized compartments:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
I was able to fit my whole overnight bag under there with no problem. The rear seatback also folds down to give access to the jack and maybe store a laptop bag back there, though I was told it wasnāt designed to fold completely flat.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
It seemed to get pretty close to flat, and Iād think if Ford is looking for a way to improve this next model year, letting that seatback fold into a real cargo platform would likely be a welcome addition.
I thought the interior was plenty comfortable, the dash and controls were gleefully basic and usable, and there was plenty of room for both humans (even real humans of normal human size, unlike myself) and all their stuff.
Advertisement
Including bottles. So many fucking bottles.
Letās Go To Bed
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
If youāre looking for that Roland Barthes-style punctum of the Maverick, that one part that really defines what this thing is, then it has to be the bed.
Sure, itās a pretty short bed for a pickup, but in this era of massive double-cabs, a smaller bed space is hardly uncommon. What makes the Maverickās bed so special is how much thought and consideration Ford put into thinking how people would use it, and how accessible they made the ability to use it.
Advertisement
They call it Flexbed, and while Iām not sure Iāll remember to call it that, itās a valid descriptor. The first clue you get to just how well Ford thought through the ways people may want to use their vehicles is actually in the glove box, where youāll find some wire in a plastic bag:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
All Mavericks come with this bit of wire, which is a 12V pigtail. If you go to the back of the truck, youāll see on either side is a little pop-out panel with a connector that gives access to the carās 12V of sweet, sweet electrons.
By providing easy access to those 12V, Ford is enabling people to be able to add useful features to their trucks without messy and potentially dangerous hacks like tapping into the taillight or whatever.
Advertisement
Even better is the fact that, right there in the bed, on a little sticker next to the panel, is a QR code. Scan it, and it takes you to Fordās site thatās full of clear, easy DIY instructions, complete with materials lists and step-by-step guides to show you exactly how to do things. For example, hereās one showing how to add LED bed lighting and a cheap air compressor into the bed:
Ford said they plan to keep adding more of these DIY videos, and from what Iāve seen so far, they all look useful and give real, usable options for people who want to do specific things but donāt want to spend a bunch of money on truck accessories if they donāt have to.
Screenshot: Ford
Advertisement
Take the bike rack one there; a bike rack that does what the DIY one does goes for about $250; the Ford solution costs maybe $20 or so in parts, and it does the job just fine thanks to some clever bed design built into the truck that has slots for 2x4s to be easily mounted for stuff like this.
I saw this bike rack completed at the event, and it sure looked like itād do the job just as well as that $250 one:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Those slots for wood planks can also act as cargo dividers, and thereās threaded holes in the bed for DIY side rails and other cargo securing systems.
Advertisement
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Itās clear that someoneāor, likely, many someonesāreally thought this through and actually gave a shit about making this bed as usable as possible, as affordably as possible, which is key for a truck with a sub-$20,000 starting price.
Thereās a realization Iāve come to in life that tells me that what gets in the way of doing things are little things that you donāt want to do, and the beauty of a little truck like the Maverick is that it helps remove the little ass-pain things that stop you from doing the things you want.
The little things that stop you donāt have to be huge; they just have to be just pains in the ass enough. Theyāre the reason why you donāt go see your friends on the other side of town because itās just such a hassle to get there. Theyāre the reason I donāt take my shitty canoe out more often, because itās a pain in the ass to heave onto the roof of my Pao without scraping something.
Advertisement
I do it, sure, but if I could just drag that canoe and shove it in the bed of a truck and quickly tie it down to some convenient points then, yeah, Iād do it a lot more, because it would mean 5 minutes of prep instead of 30.
Oh, and the tie-downs are bottle openers, too:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
This is a vehicle that, far more than an SUV or crossover, will make doing things easier. See something on the side of the road that you could use in a project? Grab it and chuck it in the back. Picking up filthy things? Who cares, itās a truck! Going out to a festival or or the beach or camping or just spending an afternoon outdoors with friends and food and chairs and whatever? A truck makes all this easier.
Advertisement
We all know this. And that brings us to traditional Truck Things, like hauling 4x8 sheets of plywood, which the Maverick can do despite its short bed, because thereās a midway setting for the tailgate that lines up with the wheel well tops to allow for easy stacking of all that plywood you love so damn much:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
I drove the plywood-filled truck a lot and tried to shake things loose a bit. It all held just fine.
As far as how much that bed can carry, Ford says itāll hold 1,500 pounds, but as we know, actual payload depends on all the other weight in the car, so that number will vary depending on how the truck is equipped.
Advertisement
I checked the doorjamb stickers on many of the Mavericks I tested, and found a range from 1,329 pounds to 1,563 pounds.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
The higher-spec, more equipped versions naturally will haul less, the lower-spec ones more. Iād say the 1,500 pound payload estimate is entirely reasonable.
If you want to tow with your Maverick, you absolutely can. The base level of towing is 2,000 pounds, and with the gasoline 2-liter engine and an option package that includes a bigger radiator, bigger cooling fan, heavy duty transmission with a transmission oil cooler, and a higher final drive ratio, the Maverick can tow up to 4,000 pounds.
Advertisement
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
I towed this Airstream trailer on the highway, and it felt stable and confident while the acceleration was still decent. I could feel that I was towing a heavy camper, but it wasnāt much of a chore at all. Iāve had far, far worse towing experiences.
I can see the base spec of these trucks being really popular for gardeners who tow riding mowers and other equipment, for example. Why spend F-150 money when this would do everything youād need and be easier to maneuver through narrow neighborhood streets in cities like Los Angeles? It makes a lot of sense.
Whatās It Like To Drive (And Letās Talk About MPGs)
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
Iām guessing most buyers wonāt be taking their Mavericks to track days, though to be fair, Iāve not only brought worse cars to them, Iāve brought worse Fords. Speed and handling arenāt what this thing is all about, but Iām happy to say that theyāre also just fine for what it is.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Neither engine offered has a silly plastic engine cover, Iām happy to say, by the way.
The hybridās 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle engine makes 162 hp on its own, and with the electric motor the whole system makes 191 hp, and 155 lb-feet of torque. I thought it felt plenty peppy and had no issues getting to highway speeds or passing or anything, really.
Advertisement
It uses a planetary-type CVT, and unlike many CVTs Iāve driven, I was able to forget it was a CVT, which is the highest praise any CVT can hope for.
The hybridās battery is a small 1.1 kWh unit, and the Maverick can travel in EV-only mode at low speeds for short periods, which is handy if youāre moving it around an enclosed garage or warehouse and prefer to avoid asphyxiation.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
The 2-liter gasoline inline-4 makes 250 hp and 277 lb-ft, and while it is noticeably quicker, I just never found it different enough to really care about, and certainly not enough to give up the fantastic MPG I saw while driving.
Advertisement
Getting 35+ MPG was trivial, even with me doing my usual drive-like-a-dickhead-to-feel-how-it-feels test drive regimen. When driving like a sane person, hitting 40 was easy, and if I wanted to really self-flagellate and hypermile it, Iām confident I could have squeezed 55 or more because, you know, Iām a pro at that.
The 2-liter gas-only Ecoboost engine got about 25-29 MPG or so. Respectable, sure, but the hybridās ability to hit near-Prius numbers without significant compromises is fantastic.
Thereās a 4x4 option available, too, with skidplates and everything, and while I donāt necessarily think off-roading will be a huge use for these, they seem at least as capable as most mainstream 4x4 SUVs, and I bet could be made to be even more capable.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
The short off-road course we had to try the Maverick out on wasnāt really terribly challenging, but it showed that the Maverick could handle most basic off-road stuff just fine. I would have liked to have tried taking the base-model 2WD one on the course to see how it did, but Ford wasnāt down with that.
Electronics And Those Kinds Of Toys
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Okay, first off, if your thing is the latest high-tech whatevers in your car, this probably isnāt the vehicle for you. If you donāt believe me, look at this:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
A key! A real key! Sure, thereās a fob with remote locking/unlocking, but you have to physically insert a key into the car to start it, and I kind of love that. I think proximity keys are often more hassle than theyāre worth, so Iām happy to do the old shove and twist.
If you really want to start your truck with a button and keep your key in your pocket, the Lariat spec has that. As far as other electronic things go, the Maverick has all the essential bases covered: Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (cable required, though), auto headlamps, optional 4G wireless hotspot, USB ports front and rear (including both C and old-school USB), optional 110V outlets in the rear and the truck bed, automatic emergency braking, and so on.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
I suppose you could wire up a DIY inverter for the 110V plug in the bed, but thereās a module with one and an LED bed light that you can option that uses one of those cubbies at the rear. And, it keeps the 12V pigtail usable for other needs, too.
Advertisement
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
The only thing the base model lacks that I think some people might consider essential is cruise control, adaptive or otherwise. The base XL model also has a smaller LCD screen in the instrument cluster, one-zone climate control instead of two, lacks a wireless charging pad, and a few other omissions, none of which Iād really think are crucial, personally.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
The one I did like is the power back window control, because itād be nice to be able to open and close that little back window from the driverās seat, but thatās hardly a deal breaker.
Advertisement
The Maverick has the essentials demanded by modern car buyers, and I really donāt think most buyers would find anything seriously lacking.
Value And Overall Take
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
In case I hadnāt made it clear, I love this thing. Itās fantastic and fills a hole in the car market that has desperately needed filling: not just the hole for a small, affordable truck, but the hole for a small, affordable, do-anything family vehicle that gets great gas mileage.
I meant it when I said this thing should be competing with RAV4s and CR-Vs and Rogues and Tiguans and Escapes and all those other indistinguishable crossovers. In a rational world, the Maverick will eat all of their lunches, lustily and sloppily.
The base model starts at $19,995, the XLT is $22,280, and the Lariat is $25,490. Even the top-spec one is cheaper than most mainstream crossovers. I think the sweet spot is any of the hybrid ones, especially the base one, because I have a perverse love for low-spec cars.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
I love the honesty of the Maverick, the flexibility, the way itās been thoughtfully designed to help you customize it and update it on your own with crap you can buy from the local hardware store. I love that itās been designed to be cheap to run and fuel, and that itās unpretentious and fun and should be the sort of transportation tool that actively increases the scope of what you can do with your life.
The Maverick has the potential to be a humble yet dignified companion to a person or family, a reliable resource that doesnāt need to be babied or require undue attention. A vehicle that opens doors to do more things, easier. These are all qualities I admire in cars, and Iām delighted to see a major automaker finally selling something like this.
Advertisement
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
So, if youāre looking for a family car, a crossover, an SUV or whatever, and youāre just not that thrilled with your options, then I say itās time to pivot and consider this useful almost-little truck. Save your money and get something thatāll do all you could have done in a crossover, but easier, better and more.
https://jalopnik.com/best-reviews-2021-the-2022-ford-maverick-is-an-honest-1847802688
We drove a lot of cars in 2021, weāre reposting a few of our favorites here.
The 2022 Ford Maverick is one of those rare vehicles that almost impresses me more for whatās not there than what is there. Thatās because whatās not there is something thatās pervasive in not just the automotive world, but so many aspects of life: bullshit. The bullshit content of the new Maverick is near zero. When the bullshit is stripped away, whatās left behind is an extraordinarily clever, honest, flexible, practical, efficient, and appealing machine, and that machine is even cheap. I really like what the Maverick is.
Advertisement
(Full disclosure: Ford flew me to Nashville to drive the new Maverick, fed me and gave me booze on a rooftop with the widest bus Iāve ever seen, and refrained from calling me names like āChockfull Dampdiapersā, at least to my face. Also, as you can see in the pictures, I managed to sneak out to the fantastic Lane Motor Museum.)
The Maverick isnāt trying to be anything it isnāt, which it really shouldnāt even feel the need to, because itās a little tricky to pin down what exactly it is.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
I know Ford considers the 2022 Maverick a truck, and while it certainly is that, I think the best way to see the Maverick is less of a truck, and more of a remarkably flexible and usable multi-purpose vehicle. I say this because for many people ātruckā still has connotations that would suggest specific uses, and the Maverick is really a master of flexibility.
Advertisement
This is also why Iām not all pissy that the Maverick doesnāt come in a traditional small-truck single-cab option. Thatās because part of what makes the Maverick great is how many things it manages to be: a five-seat family car with plenty of interior room; a truck with a usable, open bed; a near-Prius-level hybrid fuel miser; a commuter; a road trip car; an adventuring platform; a hobby and work enabling tool; a farm car you can comfortably transport multiple goats in; and more.
In a lot of ways, it reminds me of another machine that always felt like a sort of Swiss Army knife of a vehicle, something that could do just about any task, if people could get over their silly ideas about status and maybe be more accepting, aesthetically:
Photo: Volkswagen
The Maverick has all of the abilities of a smallish, double-cab pickup with a bit of extra enclosed storage like that old VW, but comes in a package thatās much more acceptable to mainstream, modern buyers.
Advertisement
If you combine all of the things the Maverick is capable of doing and add in the remarkable fuel-efficiency of the base hybrid model and the starting price of $19,995, then the real question becomes why the hell would anyone want to buy a crossover like the Toyota RAV4 or the Honda CR-V, two of the best-selling vehicles in America?
Screenshot: Honda, Toyota
Compared to the base hybrid Maverick, both the RAV4 and CRV are close in power (Maverick is 191 horsepower, Honda is 190, Toyota is 203), both the CR-V and the RAV4 get over 10 mpg less in the city, and both cost around $6,000 more.
If you want to compare hybrid apples to hybrid apples with the Toyota, you can, but then youāre paying around $8,000 more.
Advertisement
And, really, what are you getting for all that extra money? A car thatās easier to lose in the Target parking lot? A car that is significantly less flexible and capable? Less ability to tow things, if you wanted to? More boredom?
Sure, the crossoverās cargo areas are enclosed, but if thatās important, Iāve already seen pictures of Fordās upcoming camper shell for the Maverick, and it looks pretty good:
Photo: Maverick Truck Club
What Iām saying here is that I think the Maverick should be considered not just by people who are looking for a truck, but for all those crossover and SUV buyers out there, because if thereās something you get from a more expensive crossover as opposed to the Maverick, Iām not really sure what that is, at least for most people.
Advertisement
Okay, itās time to dig into the Maverick in more detail, so prepare accordingly.
The Look
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Honestly, this is the part of the Maverick Iām least excited about, but itās not like itās terrible; it looks good enough, but I just donāt think the exterior design is necessarily amazing.
I broke down the exterior design in an earlier post already, but in speaking with the Maverick team, I learned about a couple of interesting design influences you might like to know about.
Advertisement
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
First, thereās a little character line in the door, under the beltline thatās deliberately designed to suggest the Ford F-150's distinctive jogged window line. Itās subtle, but a nice little tie-in to the Ford truck heritage.
Slightly more obscure and more interesting is where they took inspiration for the ādog boneā design that shows up in multiple locations on the car, most prominently in the bar that houses the front turn signals on the grille:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
That was actually inspired by the amazing old British Ford Mark I Escort, with its signature dogbone grille. Iām not exactly sure if that makes the front end of the truck look any better, but it does make me appreciate it a bit more.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Overall, the look of the Maverick is clean and modern, and thereās nothing offensive about it, really. I think it looks strongest from the rear quarter, where you get nice details like the transition from cab to bed, which I think was handled nicely, the repeat of the general dogbone shape in the tailgate stamping, and ā a little detail I like that you hardly ever see on modern cars or trucks ā the off-center license plate mounting.
Plus, the Maverick really brings it when it comes to colors:
Advertisement
Screenshot: Ford
While not all colors are available in all trims (I really wish the yellow-orange was on the base XL trim) there are good, real, non-grayscale colors available, something our automotive culture absolutely needs more of.
Visual differentiation between trims is mostly a matter of wheels and colors and minor trim details like body-colored or black door handles, and in almost all of these cases, I think I prefer the lower specs.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
Iām an absolute fool for basic steelies like these on the base car, and I think the black of the door handles provides nice contrast. It doesnāt feel cheap to me, it just feels right.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Thereās some minor lighting design differences between the lower and upper trims, too, with the XLās headlights lacking that upper sectionās LED signature light/DRL, and the turn indicator dogbone trim being black instead of silvery. But, really, those are pretty minor differences.
As far as the scale of the truck goes, itās definitely not a big truck, but itās not ā80s minitruck tiny, either. If it helps, here it is near a Toyota Sports 800 and a Skoda 110MB:
Advertisement
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Those sure make it look big. If those references arenāt familiar enough, how about a Triumph Spitfire?
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
That help? You know whatās a better example? An old Datsun truck, which is pretty close to the same length as the Maverick, and this slightly lifted one was about as high, just a bit leaner, overall:
Advertisement
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Itās actually quite a reasonable size. Itās not small, but not so big that driving is a pain. Think Honda Pilot sized.
The Interior
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
While the exterior design is good if not necessarily amazing, I think some really great work has been done on the inside of the Maverick ā which is where most owners will spend their time, anyway.
Advertisement
I spoke a lot with Scott Anderson, the Interior Design Manager, and was very pleased with what he told me about the design goals for the interior. First and foremost was about honesty of materials.
This is an important concept to me, and what it essentially means is that materials shouldnāt pretend to be something theyāre not. Lots of plastic was used in the Maverick, and that plastic is unashamedly plastic ā itās not trying to fool you into thinking itās leather with fake texturing or absurd molded-in stitching.
Itās just plastic with good textures molded in and clever design. The door panels are a great example of this:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
So, one thing I learned talking to Scott was that the target buyer for this vehicle seems to need a car to carry around the absurd amount of bottles they travel with. Thereās so much bottle storage in this thing, because Fordās research showed that, well, people have a shitload of bottles.
As a result, the door pockets are capable of holding like four bottles, ranging in size from normal water bottles to big-ass thermos-like beasts. As a result, the door pockets are cavernous and capable of holding other things, in the unlikely event you have non-bottles in your possession, too.
The open design also necessitated that interesting cantilevered armrest/door handle, and if you look at that youāll spy something thatās also important to me: exposed fasteners.
Iām all for the unashamed exposing of fasteners; itās ridiculous carmakers are always trying to hide them. Theyāre fine.
Advertisement
Scott told me that getting sign-off on exposed screw heads like that was a massive fight, and he finally won by having Fordās supplier make really cool, custom hex-head screws that say FORD on them:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Theyāre cool! And if you have to remove them to replace the armrest or something, you can see right were they are, and thereās no silly little plugs or caps or whatever. This is a triumph.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
This low-poly, late ā90s 3D type of patterning is a theme that extends throughout the interior, and I like the way it looks. I suppose it may become dated, but thatās part of the charm.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Clever interior design helped keep the costs down for the Maverick, and you can see that in parts like this center console, which I was told uses significantly less parts than a more conventional design, and from my experience, those discarded parts are ones I never missed.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
Higher-spect trims add some bits of color and varying materials to the basic design, but theyāre all fundamentally the same, and they all work well.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
You may also be noticing something else about this dashboard thatās not quite like a lot of the recent cars weāve been reviewing: thereās plenty of knobs and physical buttons, and theyāre almost all in the places you expect them, doing the things you expect them to do.
Sure, all trim levels come with a decent-sized touch screen there, but thereās a volume knob and a tuning knob and big chunky knobs for fan and temperature, all immediately available without having to poke through menus or other bullshit. Itās all simple and immediately understandable and refreshing.
Advertisement
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Thereās some nice clever touches as well, like a special suction-friendly GoPro/dashcam mounting point next to a well I was told was for sunglasses. Thereās also that little chamber next to the touchscreen, but I canāt really figure out what that would actually be used for beyond maybe a nice little niche for a favorite totemic action figure?
The inside is quite roomy, being essentially a big box, and the floor is quite flat, which, along with the more upright seating position, gives lots of legroom in the rear, especially.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
Thatās the base XL trim. The Lariat gives more interior color and leather upholstery:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
The underseat storage at the rear is good, even in the hybrid version, which stores its 12V battery there (cover removed in the pic), The gasoline-only 2.0-liter version has two full-sized compartments:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
I was able to fit my whole overnight bag under there with no problem. The rear seatback also folds down to give access to the jack and maybe store a laptop bag back there, though I was told it wasnāt designed to fold completely flat.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
It seemed to get pretty close to flat, and Iād think if Ford is looking for a way to improve this next model year, letting that seatback fold into a real cargo platform would likely be a welcome addition.
I thought the interior was plenty comfortable, the dash and controls were gleefully basic and usable, and there was plenty of room for both humans (even real humans of normal human size, unlike myself) and all their stuff.
Advertisement
Including bottles. So many fucking bottles.
Letās Go To Bed
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
If youāre looking for that Roland Barthes-style punctum of the Maverick, that one part that really defines what this thing is, then it has to be the bed.
Sure, itās a pretty short bed for a pickup, but in this era of massive double-cabs, a smaller bed space is hardly uncommon. What makes the Maverickās bed so special is how much thought and consideration Ford put into thinking how people would use it, and how accessible they made the ability to use it.
Advertisement
They call it Flexbed, and while Iām not sure Iāll remember to call it that, itās a valid descriptor. The first clue you get to just how well Ford thought through the ways people may want to use their vehicles is actually in the glove box, where youāll find some wire in a plastic bag:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
All Mavericks come with this bit of wire, which is a 12V pigtail. If you go to the back of the truck, youāll see on either side is a little pop-out panel with a connector that gives access to the carās 12V of sweet, sweet electrons.
By providing easy access to those 12V, Ford is enabling people to be able to add useful features to their trucks without messy and potentially dangerous hacks like tapping into the taillight or whatever.
Advertisement
Even better is the fact that, right there in the bed, on a little sticker next to the panel, is a QR code. Scan it, and it takes you to Fordās site thatās full of clear, easy DIY instructions, complete with materials lists and step-by-step guides to show you exactly how to do things. For example, hereās one showing how to add LED bed lighting and a cheap air compressor into the bed:
Ford said they plan to keep adding more of these DIY videos, and from what Iāve seen so far, they all look useful and give real, usable options for people who want to do specific things but donāt want to spend a bunch of money on truck accessories if they donāt have to.
Screenshot: Ford
Advertisement
Take the bike rack one there; a bike rack that does what the DIY one does goes for about $250; the Ford solution costs maybe $20 or so in parts, and it does the job just fine thanks to some clever bed design built into the truck that has slots for 2x4s to be easily mounted for stuff like this.
I saw this bike rack completed at the event, and it sure looked like itād do the job just as well as that $250 one:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Those slots for wood planks can also act as cargo dividers, and thereās threaded holes in the bed for DIY side rails and other cargo securing systems.
Advertisement
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Itās clear that someoneāor, likely, many someonesāreally thought this through and actually gave a shit about making this bed as usable as possible, as affordably as possible, which is key for a truck with a sub-$20,000 starting price.
Thereās a realization Iāve come to in life that tells me that what gets in the way of doing things are little things that you donāt want to do, and the beauty of a little truck like the Maverick is that it helps remove the little ass-pain things that stop you from doing the things you want.
The little things that stop you donāt have to be huge; they just have to be just pains in the ass enough. Theyāre the reason why you donāt go see your friends on the other side of town because itās just such a hassle to get there. Theyāre the reason I donāt take my shitty canoe out more often, because itās a pain in the ass to heave onto the roof of my Pao without scraping something.
Advertisement
I do it, sure, but if I could just drag that canoe and shove it in the bed of a truck and quickly tie it down to some convenient points then, yeah, Iād do it a lot more, because it would mean 5 minutes of prep instead of 30.
Oh, and the tie-downs are bottle openers, too:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
This is a vehicle that, far more than an SUV or crossover, will make doing things easier. See something on the side of the road that you could use in a project? Grab it and chuck it in the back. Picking up filthy things? Who cares, itās a truck! Going out to a festival or or the beach or camping or just spending an afternoon outdoors with friends and food and chairs and whatever? A truck makes all this easier.
Advertisement
We all know this. And that brings us to traditional Truck Things, like hauling 4x8 sheets of plywood, which the Maverick can do despite its short bed, because thereās a midway setting for the tailgate that lines up with the wheel well tops to allow for easy stacking of all that plywood you love so damn much:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
I drove the plywood-filled truck a lot and tried to shake things loose a bit. It all held just fine.
As far as how much that bed can carry, Ford says itāll hold 1,500 pounds, but as we know, actual payload depends on all the other weight in the car, so that number will vary depending on how the truck is equipped.
Advertisement
I checked the doorjamb stickers on many of the Mavericks I tested, and found a range from 1,329 pounds to 1,563 pounds.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
The higher-spec, more equipped versions naturally will haul less, the lower-spec ones more. Iād say the 1,500 pound payload estimate is entirely reasonable.
If you want to tow with your Maverick, you absolutely can. The base level of towing is 2,000 pounds, and with the gasoline 2-liter engine and an option package that includes a bigger radiator, bigger cooling fan, heavy duty transmission with a transmission oil cooler, and a higher final drive ratio, the Maverick can tow up to 4,000 pounds.
Advertisement
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
I towed this Airstream trailer on the highway, and it felt stable and confident while the acceleration was still decent. I could feel that I was towing a heavy camper, but it wasnāt much of a chore at all. Iāve had far, far worse towing experiences.
I can see the base spec of these trucks being really popular for gardeners who tow riding mowers and other equipment, for example. Why spend F-150 money when this would do everything youād need and be easier to maneuver through narrow neighborhood streets in cities like Los Angeles? It makes a lot of sense.
Whatās It Like To Drive (And Letās Talk About MPGs)
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
Iām guessing most buyers wonāt be taking their Mavericks to track days, though to be fair, Iāve not only brought worse cars to them, Iāve brought worse Fords. Speed and handling arenāt what this thing is all about, but Iām happy to say that theyāre also just fine for what it is.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Neither engine offered has a silly plastic engine cover, Iām happy to say, by the way.
The hybridās 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle engine makes 162 hp on its own, and with the electric motor the whole system makes 191 hp, and 155 lb-feet of torque. I thought it felt plenty peppy and had no issues getting to highway speeds or passing or anything, really.
Advertisement
It uses a planetary-type CVT, and unlike many CVTs Iāve driven, I was able to forget it was a CVT, which is the highest praise any CVT can hope for.
The hybridās battery is a small 1.1 kWh unit, and the Maverick can travel in EV-only mode at low speeds for short periods, which is handy if youāre moving it around an enclosed garage or warehouse and prefer to avoid asphyxiation.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
The 2-liter gasoline inline-4 makes 250 hp and 277 lb-ft, and while it is noticeably quicker, I just never found it different enough to really care about, and certainly not enough to give up the fantastic MPG I saw while driving.
Advertisement
Getting 35+ MPG was trivial, even with me doing my usual drive-like-a-dickhead-to-feel-how-it-feels test drive regimen. When driving like a sane person, hitting 40 was easy, and if I wanted to really self-flagellate and hypermile it, Iām confident I could have squeezed 55 or more because, you know, Iām a pro at that.
The 2-liter gas-only Ecoboost engine got about 25-29 MPG or so. Respectable, sure, but the hybridās ability to hit near-Prius numbers without significant compromises is fantastic.
Thereās a 4x4 option available, too, with skidplates and everything, and while I donāt necessarily think off-roading will be a huge use for these, they seem at least as capable as most mainstream 4x4 SUVs, and I bet could be made to be even more capable.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
The short off-road course we had to try the Maverick out on wasnāt really terribly challenging, but it showed that the Maverick could handle most basic off-road stuff just fine. I would have liked to have tried taking the base-model 2WD one on the course to see how it did, but Ford wasnāt down with that.
Electronics And Those Kinds Of Toys
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Okay, first off, if your thing is the latest high-tech whatevers in your car, this probably isnāt the vehicle for you. If you donāt believe me, look at this:
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
Advertisement
A key! A real key! Sure, thereās a fob with remote locking/unlocking, but you have to physically insert a key into the car to start it, and I kind of love that. I think proximity keys are often more hassle than theyāre worth, so Iām happy to do the old shove and twist.
If you really want to start your truck with a button and keep your key in your pocket, the Lariat spec has that. As far as other electronic things go, the Maverick has all the essential bases covered: Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (cable required, though), auto headlamps, optional 4G wireless hotspot, USB ports front and rear (including both C and old-school USB), optional 110V outlets in the rear and the truck bed, automatic emergency braking, and so on.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
I suppose you could wire up a DIY inverter for the 110V plug in the bed, but thereās a module with one and an LED bed light that you can option that uses one of those cubbies at the rear. And, it keeps the 12V pigtail usable for other needs, too.
Advertisement
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
The only thing the base model lacks that I think some people might consider essential is cruise control, adaptive or otherwise. The base XL model also has a smaller LCD screen in the instrument cluster, one-zone climate control instead of two, lacks a wireless charging pad, and a few other omissions, none of which Iād really think are crucial, personally.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
The one I did like is the power back window control, because itād be nice to be able to open and close that little back window from the driverās seat, but thatās hardly a deal breaker.
Advertisement
The Maverick has the essentials demanded by modern car buyers, and I really donāt think most buyers would find anything seriously lacking.
Value And Overall Take
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
In case I hadnāt made it clear, I love this thing. Itās fantastic and fills a hole in the car market that has desperately needed filling: not just the hole for a small, affordable truck, but the hole for a small, affordable, do-anything family vehicle that gets great gas mileage.
I meant it when I said this thing should be competing with RAV4s and CR-Vs and Rogues and Tiguans and Escapes and all those other indistinguishable crossovers. In a rational world, the Maverick will eat all of their lunches, lustily and sloppily.
The base model starts at $19,995, the XLT is $22,280, and the Lariat is $25,490. Even the top-spec one is cheaper than most mainstream crossovers. I think the sweet spot is any of the hybrid ones, especially the base one, because I have a perverse love for low-spec cars.
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
I love the honesty of the Maverick, the flexibility, the way itās been thoughtfully designed to help you customize it and update it on your own with crap you can buy from the local hardware store. I love that itās been designed to be cheap to run and fuel, and that itās unpretentious and fun and should be the sort of transportation tool that actively increases the scope of what you can do with your life.
The Maverick has the potential to be a humble yet dignified companion to a person or family, a reliable resource that doesnāt need to be babied or require undue attention. A vehicle that opens doors to do more things, easier. These are all qualities I admire in cars, and Iām delighted to see a major automaker finally selling something like this.
Advertisement
Photo: Jason Torchinsky
So, if youāre looking for a family car, a crossover, an SUV or whatever, and youāre just not that thrilled with your options, then I say itās time to pivot and consider this useful almost-little truck. Save your money and get something thatāll do all you could have done in a crossover, but easier, better and more.
Sponsored
