UPDATE 12/10/21: This evaluation has been up to date with take a look at outcomes for an all-wheel-drive FX4 mannequin.
Just a few years in the past, because the world was questioning the announcement that Ford would stop promoting automobiles within the U.S. (apart from the Mustang), Ford’s executives will need to have been concealing a smirk. That is as a result of they knew that the about-to-be-announced Maverick small pickup would quickly be able to assume the entry-level slot within the lineup.
The Maverick is roughly the scale of the previous-gen Ranger that Ford dropped a decade in the past. It has a really reasonably priced beginning value. It’s out there solely as a four-door crew-cab mannequin in three trim ranges: XL, XLT, and Lariat. And its arrival is significant: With the Maverick, and likewise the new-for-2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz, small vehicles are again.
Strolling as much as the Maverick, the primary impression is how low its roofline is. The brand new truck sits almost 5 inches decrease than the present Ranger and nearly seven inches beneath the F-150. When you’re roughly 5 toes 9 or taller, you’ll see proper excessive of the cab, an especially uncommon prevalence for a pickup at present.
The Maverick could also be extra Escape in pickup-truck kind than mini-F-150, however its capabilities are loads to persuade that that is no mere costume. Primarily based on the identical C2 unibody platform, the chassis is basically shared with the Escape however has been beefed as much as obtain a compelling 1500-pound payload functionality, which betters that of the four-door Toyota Tacoma.
The pricing is as massive a shock because the return to the small-truck section. There is not any 1.5-liter three-cylinder as in its Escape and Bronco Sport platform-mates; as an alternative, the $21,490 entry-level Maverick is a front-wheel-drive four-cylinder hybrid. That is Ford’s well-sorted tech that dates again to the 2005 Escape hybrid. Mixed output of its 2.5-liter inline-four and two electrical motors is 191 horsepower, and the worth of the Maverick hybrid is a whopping $7785 cheaper than an Escape with the identical powertrain. The step-up possibility is a 250-hp turbo 2.0-liter inline-four that is a $1085 upcharge on any trim degree.
Morphing a compact SUV right into a pickup brings an uncommon amalgam of automobile and truck traits. For instance, huge, delinquent ranges of wheelspin with the turbocharged front-drive, even from a rolling begin. We would suggest choosing all-wheel drive ($2220) with the extra highly effective engine. Along with the added traction, all-wheel drive brings with it an impartial rear suspension, which replaces a torsion beam within the front-drivers. Over the street, the Maverick has the resolute solidity of a unibody SUV with a agency experience that allows the lofty payload and advantages physique management. A flourish is playful lift-throttle rotation on the restrict, paying homage to the compact hatchbacks that Ford not sells. However the stability management cannot be fully disabled, so it is a short-lived thrill. The steering has a truckish imprecision, and efforts are on the excessive facet, whereas the brake really feel from the upsized brakes, relative to the Escape or Bronco Sport, is stable and confidence inspiring. In our 70-to-zero-mph brake take a look at, the Maverick stopped in 172 toes, about according to the Hyundai Santa Cruz and higher than what we have measured in a Honda Ridgeline or the Maverick’s big-brother Ranger. The Maverick’s 2.0-liter is muted. Wringing it out brings principally circulate noise from the exhaust system. However it’s fast; the dash to 60 mph in an all-wheel-drive FX4 we examined got here in at 5.9 seconds. And, in our 75-mph freeway fuel-economy take a look at, the Maverick matched its 29-mpg EPA freeway determine.
The front-drive-only hybrid has an influence degree higher matched to powering solely the entrance wheels. Its 2.5-liter emits extra four-cylinder buzz than the quiet 2.0T, nevertheless it’s not obnoxious. On the whole, the Maverick is surprisingly hushed given its low value level. The brake pedal of the hybrid is a bit nonlinear, as is the blended-brake norm. And in driving circumstances that had been gentle on freeway miles, however not gentle on the throttle, we noticed an indicated common above 40 mpg, which is according to its 42-mpg EPA metropolis score. Spectacular.
With the low value comes a simplified lineup and punctiliously omitted options. For instance, there is not any rear defroster out there in any respect, and cruise management is an possibility on base XL fashions. To get push-button begin and do away with the important thing cylinder—bear in mind these?—it’s a must to step all the best way as much as the highest Lariat trim ($26,985). Heated seats and a heated steering wheel are solely included with the $2345 Luxurious package deal on XLTs or the $3340 Luxurious package deal on Lariats. There are not any inside trim or coloration choices inside a trim degree, and there is not any leather-based. The 8.0-inch touchscreen is not as high-resolution as Ford’s finest and excludes options corresponding to built-in nav, though that is no actual loss with customary Apple CarPlay and Android Auto performance.
And but, with fascinating supplies and intelligent flexibility, the inside is by no means cheap-feeling and is, in actual fact, some of the creative we have seen from Ford. The sunshine trim on the entrance of the sprint trim has scraps of carbon fiber blended into it to create a appear like a quartz countertop, and there are splashes of coloration on the vents and console bin. The highest of the sprint is difficult plastic, however there, too, the graining elevates its look considerably. The one typical low-cost black-grained plastic is on the middle of the parts-bin steering wheel. The door pockets are intelligent, too; chopping brief the everyday seize deal with leaves a spot to stow tall water bottles. A motorcycle tire can slide into these slots to suit throughout the rear-seat space. That rear seat is grownup liveable, however not compact-SUV spacious—it is about the identical measurement as within the Hyundai Santa Cruz.
There’s additionally a ton of customization alternatives. Ford equipment can plug right into a spot behind the middle console and within the under-seat storage cubbies, however the firm can also be going to launch the mathematics for that attachment so house owners can 3D-print their very own creations. The 4.5-foot mattress has slots for lumber to divide up the out there house horizontally and to create two-tiered storage. The tailgate has a center place that places it on the identical degree because the wheel wells for hauling sheets of four-by-eight-foot plywood. Clients may also faucet into {an electrical} circuit by itself 20-amp fuse, plumbed into the rear of the mattress, for no matter equipment they could need to set up.
The Tow package deal ($745), which raises the truck’s functionality from 2000 to 4000 kilos, is simply out there with all-wheel drive. It contains upgraded engine cooling, a transmission oil cooler, and a shorter final-drive ratio. We towed 3650 kilos’ value of ATVs outfitted with the turbo 4 and hauled two Jet Skis (2000 kilos) with a hybrid, and in neither case did the truck really feel overtaxed. Although front-drive on a ship launch generally is a gamble.
Will truck consumers—who’ve had nothing however derision for the clever-but-homely Honda Ridgeline—be okay with a unibody pickup from Ford? Primarily based on greater than 100,000 preliminary orders, it looks like Ford’s choice to stroll away from automobiles was nicely based.