All New for 2022!

Ford welcomed the Maverick nameplate back to the US market. Originally produced in the USA from 1969 (1970 model year)-1977. The Ford Maverick was a 2 or 4-door sedan built to fight the smaller competitors from overseas.

Today the Maverick is again a compact vehicle but with utility and functionality at the forefront of its design. 

Exterior Design

With a platform that is shared with the Escape and Bronco Sport the Ford Maverick mini-truck is built on a unibody. This drives many of the exterior design features, including the sizable C-pillar with a very large curve where it joins the bed. There is also no separation between the cabin and the bed.

There are certainly Bronco Sport cues, however the two vary greatly. Headlights, doors, body panels, and bumpers are all different between them. Despite the shared platform, Ford has done an excellent job in making the vehicles unique.

Underneath, the story is a little different. There are many shared drive train components. Including the 8-speed auto and optional 2.0 ecoboost engine.

The bed is packed with functionality. For securing cargo there are rails on either side with adjustable tie down points, 4 tie downs at the rear, and two at the front. The driver’s side has a 120-volt outlet and an LED light and the passenger’s side has a storage box. At the rear of the bed are two pre-wired 12 volt power sources that can be used for a variety of items.

Interior Design

While the interior of the Ford Maverick is certainly budget oriented, cheap isn’t the right word for it. The plastic interior bits have a roto-molded cooler aspect to them. While they may be inexpensive they feel like they are very durable.

As part of that hard plastic design there are a variety of pockets and features. These are very useful for storing items of various sizes, from water bottles to phones.

Despite being budget oriented, there is plenty of technology with the Connected Touch Radio. While it’s not quite up to Ford Sync 3, it still has voice controlled features, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay.

Best Value?

With a starting MSRP of $22,360 the Ford Maverick XLT is certainly a budget oriented vehicle. Our test vehicle was equipped with the XLT Luxury package ($2,500), Ford Co-Pilot360 ($650), and a few other options. Along with the destination charge ($1495), this brought the total MSRP to $27,160.

The only real competitor available in the US is the Hyundai Santa Cruz, which starts at $24,140. Honda’s Ridgeline is a midsize truck, quite a bit bigger, and costs much more than the Maverick.

Wrapping up the Maverick

The Ford Maverick is one of the best vehicles available on the market. Good fuel mileage, excellent utility, decent interior space, and all at a very low entry price. This combination just makes logical sense for many buyers, which is why if you order one now you’ll likely have to wait over a year to get yours!