2022 Ford Maverick Road Test and Review

2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid XLT ・ Photo by Ford

The Ford Maverick marks the return of the small pickup truck, a breed that was extremely popular until the “chicken tax” essentially put an end to the importation of the foreign-built trucks. But with the Maverick, built by a manufacturer that certainly knows how to engineer a truck, the small pickup is back on the market. With the choice of a standard hybrid powertrain or an optional high-output turbocharged engine, the Maverick offers some tantalizing opportunities for buyers. Available all-wheel-drive and impressive towing abilities are other hallmarks of this unusual truck. Unlike typical pickups that use separate body-and-frame construction, the Ford Maverick is a unibody vehicle. But just because the vehicle has a car-like chassis doesn’t mean it is any less of a truck. According to its chief engineer, Chris Mazur, “Our emphasis was always on Ford tough.”

Exterior Style

The 2021 Ford Maverick's exterior style indicates that its designers intended it to be looked at not as some cross between a truck and an SUV but as a legitimate small pickup. It has many styling fillips that are straight from the Ford Truck playbook like the dip at the front window and the expansive grille with the Ford blue oval prominent in the middle. The grille is flanked by modern LED headlights, and the truck’s lower fascia is no-nonsense. In profile, the rear pillar of the five-person cab is straight up for added headroom and interior space. The bedrails are topped with caps that extend up the rear of the cabin for added protection when carrying loads. And there is no doubt the Maverick’s multi-purpose bed is designed to carry heavy loads. The simple three-position tailgate is an expression of the truck’s philosophy — do a lot while spending a little.

Photo by Ford

Interior Design

One aspect that sets the new Maverick apart from the small pickups of a few decades ago is its five-passenger cabin. It enables the Maverick to transport up to five adults and offers a nice sanctuary for a young family. Many of today’s inexpensive vehicles offer generic interiors, so we give Ford credit for breathing some life into the Maverick’s cabin. Instead of trying to disguise plastic pieces and fasteners, the Maverick’s designers celebrated them. As interior design manager Scott Anderson said, “The interior was designed with function, purpose, and ease of cleaning in mind.” In all versions of the Maverick, the plastic dash and interior trim have interesting colors and textures. The armrests have a split design that enables them to accommodate one-liter reusable water bottles, and the door pockets accept large items like laptops. The cubby under the infotainment system is nicely partitioned to fit smartphones and other small objects.

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Infotainment & Technology

The 2022 Ford Maverick’s infotainment system is clear and easy to operate with a standard 8-inch touchscreen set high on the dash. The system features wired Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto compatibility. Also available is FordPass Connect with an embedded modem and Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity for up to 10 devices. When outside, the Maverick FordPass makes it easy to find the truck, check its fuel level, lock and unlock the doors, and start or shut down the vehicle from a smartphone. The even more sophisticated SYNC 3 infotainment system is available on the top-level Lariat trim. A 660-watt 8-speaker B&O premium sound system is also available as an option. The Maverick’s infotainment systems don’t have all the whistles and bells of a luxury-vehicle infotainment system, but they provide potential buyers with all the functionality they need while keeping the truck’s price affordable.

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Powertrains

One very exciting feature of the Ford Maverick is the fact that a hybrid powertrain is standard on the low-priced base model. The Maverick hybrid uses a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle 4-cylinder engine teamed with a permanent-magnet electric motor. The liquid-cooled battery pack is positioned under the cabin on the passenger side. Total system output is 191 horsepower and the electric-motor torque adds significantly to the Maverick’s overall drivability. And speaking of drivability, the Maverick can also be equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine teamed with an 8-speed automatic transmission. The EcoBoost engine delivers 250-horsepower and a robust 277 lb-ft of torque available low in the rev band for peppy acceleration. With this engine, the Maverick is available in both front-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations. 

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Driving Impressions

While there is a sizable disparity between the 191-horsepower hybrid and the 250-horsepower turbocharged Maverick, both vehicles have excellent driving characteristics. The electric motor of the hybrid makes up for some of the shortfall in horsepower versus the turbo engine, so the vehicle with the base powertrain feels ready to accelerate at all times. Both hybrid and turbo-powered Mavericks feature five standard drive modes — Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery, and Tow/Haul. They enable the driver to dial up the characteristics appropriate for a given driving situation. We also had the chance to sample a Maverick with the FX4 Performance Package on an off-road course. Its five modes include Normal, Slippery, Sand, Mud/Ruts, and Tow/Haul. In that configuration, the Maverick was more than capable of conquering the obstacles put in front of it.

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Safety & Driver Aids

The 2022 Ford Maverick offers a very lengthy list of standard and optional safety and security features in its Ford Co-Pilot360 technology package. Standards include pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, and forward-collision warning plus automatic high-beam headlights. Adaptive cruise control withstood-and-go, lane-centering and evasive steering assist, and blind-spot monitor with cross-traffic alert are available options. Also optional are intersection collision-avoidance assist, lane-keeping system, post-collision braking, and rear parking sensors. A rear-view camera system is standard. Hill descent control is available on Mavericks with all-wheel-drive and the FX4 Performance package.

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Cargo & Towing

To back up its claim of being a “real truck,” the 2022 Ford Maverick has serious payload and towing capabilities. The base Maverick with the hybrid powertrain has a maximum payload of 1,500 pounds and it is rated to tow 2,000 pounds. That is enough to haul a personal watercraft or a moderate-sized camper trailer. The EcoBoost-equipped Maverick takes that farther. In standard trim is it rated for a 1,500-pound payload and 2,000 pounds of maximum towing. But with the optional 4K tow package, the Maverick with the EcoBoost engine is rated to tow up to 4,000 pounds. The Maverick’s cargo bed is extremely versatile and offers buyers many options. The bed is 4.5-feet long with the tailgate closed and 6-feet long with the tailgate down. The tailgate can also be secured in a partially “up” position that facilitates the hauling of building materials like 4x8 sheets of plywood. A Flexbed cargo system is available, and the Maverick also has the provision for a number of low-cost do-it-yourself storage and hauling solutions. A 110-volt/400-watt AC power outlet, LED cargo light, and two 12-volt, 20-amp pre-wired sources for DIY electrical applications add to the Maverick’s versatility and high-value nature.

Photo by Ford

Fuel Economy

Ford engineers are excited about the base Maverick’s combination of torque-on-demand and excellent fuel economy. As this is being written, the EPA has not yet established fuel economy figures for the Ford Maverick with the hybrid powertrain, but it is expected to be significantly better than the excellent fuel economy promised by the 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine. Ford estimates the hybrid will get 40 mpg in city driving. A front-drive Maverick with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost powertrain is rated at 23 mpg city/30 mpg highway/26 mpg combined. The all-wheel-drive Maverick with the EcoBoost engine is EPA-rated at 22 mpg city/29 mpg highway/25 mpg combined. The Hyundai Santa Cruz, a vehicle with strong similarities to the Maverick, has EPA ratings of 21 mpg city/26 mpg highway/23 mpg combined in front-drive form. In all-wheel-drive with the optional turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, the Santa Cruz has EPA ratings of 19 mpg city/27 mpg highway/22 mpg combined.

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Trim Levels

The 2022 Ford Maverick is offered in three trim levels: XL, XLT, and Lariat. The Maverick XL is not only the least expensive Ford truck available for 2022; it is also one of the least expensive Ford vehicles of any type for the model year. With a very low price, you might expect the Maverick XL to be sparsely equipped, but that is not the case. It has an 8-inch infotainment display, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto compatibility. The XL also has storage bins and cubbies placed around the well-finished cabin. On the safety front, it boasts the availability of Ford Co-Pilot360 as a low-cost option. The XLT is the midrange trim that might garner the most sales. It has niceties like 17-inch alloy wheels, a rear-seat armrest with integrated cupholders, 10 in-bed tie-downs, and the availability of more options. The Lariat is the top-level version. It adds a power-sliding rear window, additional LED lighting, and 18-inch alloy wheels, among other features.

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Pricing & Value

It isn’t often that a car company finds a hole in the market that it can fill with a vehicle that is in the middle of its skillset. The introduction of the Ford Maverick is just such an opportunity for Ford. As an automaker, it certainly understands what it takes to build an excellent truck. With innovative engineering and a deep parts bin, Ford has been able to assemble a vehicle that promises to offer excellent value. The least expensive Maverick XL has an MSRP of $19,995, plus a $1,495 freight cost. An XLT version has a suggested retail price of $22,280 plus the same freight charge. The up-level Maverick Lariat has a base price of $25,490 plus the freight charge. With packages and options, a fully equipped Ford Maverick with the off-road FX4 Package could cost $35,000 or so. We think the base model could well be the best value, but there is plenty of value to be had across the lineup.

Photo by Ford