Ford
The Maverick is offered in three trim levels including the XL, XLT and the Lariat (seen here) with 2.0L EcoBoost AWD.
Words by Steve Fennell; Photos Courtesy of Ford
Are compact trucks becoming more competitive for consumers for 2021/2022 by offering an affordable pick up with more space, power and function? It’s becoming pretty obvious - and the new Ford Maverick fits into this truck segment quite nicely.
Launched early June, the Maverick is ready to go head-to-head with the likes of Hyundai’s Santa Cruz (that was announced in early May) and Honda’s existing Ridgeline. But Ford is never one to follow the competition and the Maverick comes with a few surprises to make it ever the more competitive.
Ford
The Ford Maverick Hybrid XLT.
The first surprise for the unibody four-door, five-passenger Maverick is its standard Ford-designed 2.5-litre Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder FWD full hybrid powertrain. Yes, it’s a full hybrid design and is also a North American first for a compact pickup. Its 94-kW electric motor produces 191 horsepower and 155 pound-feet of torque with a continuously variable transmission. What this reflects are impressive fuel numbers. Ford tells us it can travel 800 km (497 mi) on the highway on a tank of gas with a fuel-sipping city consumption of 5.9 L /100 km. Pretty impressive.
The Maverick’s payload of 680 kg (1,500 lb), which brings it to nearly to par with the 2021 Ridgeline that has a payload of 718 kg (1,583 lb), and a little less than the Santa Cruz’s 793 kg (1,748 lb), mean it has ample capacity to haul a lot of gear for camping (and also manage those large purchases from The Home Depot or a local garden centre). There’s even more capacity on the hitch with its standard tow rating of 907 kg (2,000 lb).
Ford
The Maverick is stylish and compact with ample room for gear and equipment.
Even though it won’t haul larger fifth wheels, this is more than enough to tug pop-up campers, teardrops, and a variety of ultra-lite travel trailers. However, upgrading to the available 2.0-litre EcoBoost AWD gas engine, which produces 250 horsepower and 277 lb.-ft. of torque, gives the Maverick
Ford’s 4K Tow Package, which in turn doubles its towing prowess to an impressive 1,814 kg (4,000 lb).
Listening to targeted customers is time well spent during R&D and Ford hit the mark with this concept. The result is the Flexbed, a new truck bed design that provides ‘a full-truck feel’ and ample space to use the Maverick’s max payload. At about 1.37 m (4.5 ft) and complete with a standard bed liner, the Flexbed offsets cargo space challenges with handy grooves and channels in the bed design, allowing contractors, outdoor enthusiasts and RVers to add in DIY mounting and rack systems to better organize all kinds of gear.
Ford
The unique Flexbed. Just think how much RV and camping gear it could accommodate.
One option is to slide 2x4’s or 2x6’s into designated grooves throughout the bed to create subdivided storage areas. Another option is to create an elevated floor with the use of a sheet of lumber and placing the 2x4’s across and below its width for support. There are even more choices with the ten anchor points, two tie-downs, four D-rings and built-in threaded holes in the sides to accommodate other storage systems. Should some inspiration be needed, there’s an exclusive Flexbed QR code in this space to gain more ideas with this space.
The FlexBed also has a built-in pre-wired 12V electrical power (no more messing around with existing wiring harnesses to gain an additional power source), a multi-position tailgate and two 110-volt 400-watt outlet - one in the bed and the other one in the cabin.
1 of 2
Ford
The interior has unique textures and materials for strength, reliability to offer pleasing aesthetics.
2 of 2
Ford
The thoughtful and convenient storage in the cabin.
When it comes to the cab, Ford made efforts to understand how truck owners actually use and store the ‘stuff’ they bring on the road. For instance, bringing tablets and laptops is simplified with large pockets on the inside doors and available spacious storage bins that can stow under the rear seats. Drivers are also treated to comfort and convenience. Like the rest of the Ford truck series, the Maverick gets the Ford Co-Pilot360 treatment with alerts to indicate potential accidents, auto-braking and the Automatic High Beam Headlamps function. Five standard drive modes including Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery and Tow/Haul are also included.
At the heart of the console is the standard 20 cm (8 in) centre touch screen that’s compatible with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and FordPass Connect, which is equipped with an embedded modem and Wi-Fi that can connect up to ten devices. The standard FordPass system is also included that allows drivers to manage a range of functions including fuel levels, lock/unlock doors, vehicle location, etc. - all controlled via a smartphone.
Ford
The Maverick Ford’s 4K Tow Package doubles the Maverick’s towing power to an impressive 1,814 kg (4,000 lb).
The Maverick is available in three trim levels including the XL, XLT, Lariat, and the ‘Maverick First Edition Package’ for the first model year trucks only. Based on the Lariat, choosing this package gives the Maverick exclusive hood graphics, a high-gloss black-painted roof, skull caps, and 17-inch aluminum wheels. For more ardent RVers, an FX4 package is available for the AWD XLT and Lariat, which adds more off-road capabilities with the rugged all-terrain tires, suspension tuning, additional underbody protection, plus off-road-focused drive modes including Mud/Rut and Sand, as well as the Hill Descent Control.
The Maverick has a starting MSRP of $25,900 CDN and is expected to roll into dealer showrooms this fall.