A Compact, Hybrid, Sub $20,000 Five-Seater Truck? Meet the Ford Maverick
Elizabeth Blackstock
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Think a five-seater Ford pickup truck can’t also be a compact vehicle? The Ford Maverick wants you to think again.
Have you ever found yourself tooling through the city wishing you had more space to haul things but unready to go big with a large pickup truck? Or maybe you’re tired of your crossover and want something a little more impressive. Or maybe you’re ready to make your first step toward a larger vehicle but aren’t quite ready to commit to anything huge. That’s a tough niche to build a car for, but Ford has done it. Meet the 2022 Ford Maverick, which is set to tick all your boxes: it’s a five-seater vehicle, it’s compact, it’s a hybrid, and it’s starting at under $20,000.
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The Ford Maverick has plenty of space for a compact pickup truck—luggage, mulch, and more! Photo: Ford
Blending the Best of the Truck and the Crossover
If you’re still torn between a truck and a crossover, you’re going to fall in love with the Ford Maverick. It’s the smallest truck in the Ford lineup by about 10 inches in length and three inches in height. For comparison, here are some numbers:
- Maverick: 199.7 inches long, 68.7 inches high
- Ford Ranger: 210.8 inches long, 71.1 inches high
- Ford F-150: 231.7 inches long, 75.6 inches high
- Ford F-250 Super Duty: 250 inches long, 79.3 inches high
That makes it about as big as most mid-size SUVs, like the Ford Explorer.
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The interior of the Ford Maverick features more storage solutions than you’ll know what to do with! Photo: Ford
Smart Tech…
The Ford Maverick is outfitted with a suite of tech and driver assistance features that you’ve come to expect on newer cars, including features like FordPass, which is set to make your car ownership experience so much better!
- 8″ touch screen
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- FordPass Connect, which helps you connect to WiFi, find parking, locate your truck in a parking garage, schedule maintenance, unlock the truck, and more
- Two standard USB ports with four available
- Available wireless charging
- Two 12-volt bed plugs with an optional 110-volt cab and bed outlets
- Available bed lighting, skid plates, and drive modes
- LED headlights
- Keyless entry
- Power locking tailgate
Standard Safety Features
- Automatic high beams and headlamps
- Collision warnings with automatic emergency braking
- Rearview camera
Optional Safety Features
- Adaptive cruise control
- Lane centering and lane-keep assists with lane departure warning
- Hill descent speed control
- Cross-traffic alert
- Evasive steering assistance
- Reverse sensors
One of my favorite new features, though, is something called the FlexBed. Basically, Ford has reinvented the truck bed to make storing, hauling, towing, and reaching items all the simpler. Its base features include:
- A lift-in height of under 30 inches
- A multi-position tailgate rated for 400 pounds
- A wide enough bed to store 4×8 sheets
- Lower bed sides that enable most adults to reach the floor bed
- Lumber storage slots
- Two bottle openers
- Two 12V power plugs; optional 120V plug
- Eight 2×4 pockets, two 2×6 pockets
- Optional storage cubby
- Threaded bed holes
All of that means that, essentially, Ford designed this bed with flexibility in mind. So, with a few tools you probably have at home, you can use the threaded bed holes to build a box divider, bike rack, or false floor. You can add lighting in the truck bed. You can find creative storage options.
Basically, it’s designed to provide an intermediary step between a sedan or crossover and a truck. So, you can basically build your own bed that features some boxed-in storage and an open area of the bed. Or you can cover the whole bed. Or you can just use the bed as-is and take advantage of all the storage cubbies. It’s up to you!
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Underseat storage? You’ll love the way it makes storage a breeze in your compact pickup truck. Photo: Ford
… And Smarter Looks
Admit it — some of us just have a soft spot for a cute vehicle, and that’s okay! Aesthetics are important, and you’re going to love the way the Ford Maverick looks.
The Maverick retains the standard truck look, but it’s been softened as its size was reduced. It projects a more ute-like image, which, if you’re not familiar, is the Australian term for a sedan-like vehicle that adds a truck-like bed for hauling and storage. They give you the maneuverability of a smaller car but the adventure-ready structure of a truck, usually at an affordable price tag. And that’s exactly what we have with the Maverick, which has gentler proportions than a full-size pickup but still retains the rough-and-ready look. Which is definitely something that’s going to come into play if you get all DIY with your truck bed.
The interior itself is gorgeous, using reground carbon fiber for strength and a stone-like finish. The door armrests feature a split design, so you can fit an entire one-liter water bottle inside, with the other part of the vertical storage to store tablets, notebooks, or small laptops. Other accessory packages can include extra cupholders, hooks for grocery bags or purses, under-seat storage dividers, storage or trash bins, and more. And Ford is even planning on releasing the interior geometry so that you’ll be able to 3D print your own storage solutions.
The Ford Maverick’s bed features tons of space all on its own… Photo: Ford
…or you can load up your compact pickup with wood that you can store in dedicated slots. Photo: Ford
What You Need to Know
- Starts at under $19,995; pricing for higher-level trims and packages will be released at a later date.
- Three trim levels: XL, XLT, Lariat
- Front-wheel drive standard, optional all-wheel drive
- Drive modes: normal, eco, sport, slippery, tow/haul; the Off-Road package adds mud/ruts and sand mode in place of eco and sport modes.
- 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain with 191 horsepower and 155 lb-ft. of torque
- Optional 2.0-liter EcoBoost gasoline engine that makes 250 horsepower and 277 lb-ft. of torque
- 37 mpg combined
- 500 miles range on a tank of gas
- Standard payload of 1,500 pounds and 2,000 pounds towing capacity (enough to haul small boats)
- 4K Tow Package doubles towing capacity to 4,000 pounds (enough for a standard 23-foot camper)
- First Edition Package features special decals, a bed cover, and unique trim coloring
- Fx4 Off-Road Package adds a productivity screen with off-road display in the instrument cluster, tow hooks, higher-capacity radiator, skid plates, and AWD
- Goes on sale fall 2021, but you can make reservations on Ford.com
The perfect pickup truck for the city or the country! Photo: Ford