When Ford unveiled the 2025 Ford Maverick, the company promised that it had a surprise up its sleeve for truck buyers to enjoy. That surprise came in the form of the beefed-up Lobo which is attempting to reach out to buyers that might remember the street truck craze of the 1990s which saw trucks get performance upgrades for on-road performance versus being rugged trail warriors. The Lobo certainly has all the right stuff to be a sleeper hit for Ford but is it all show and no go? We wanted to find out.
Lobo looks the part
While Ford didn’t offer any drives in the Lobo it had on display, our brief walkaround of the truck that the company had on display at the Woodward Dream Cruise did provide a glimpse into what makes it special. It starts with the exterior which thankfully doesn’t go too overboard in its attempts to draw attention. The core look is still typical 2025 Maverick but the Lobo gets a tweaked front and rear fascia with the grille and front bumper in particular being reworked to get more cool air into the engine. Slick blacked-out turbo-fan wheels are also standard but we were told that buyers can swap them out for more conventional units if they choose to do so.
This subtle transformation is very tasteful and we think that the Lobo will be an attractive canvas for customization especially in the hands of buyers looking to add their distinct personality to the truck after they pick it up from the showroom floor. The Lobo is also a gamble by Ford since it would be the only model in this small sub-segment of the pickup market with many other automakers focusing on off-road capability instead of street-ready performance. The interior follows the same core script with the core fundamentals being carried over from a standard Maverick. However, the Lobo gets Grabber Blue upholstery with Electric Lime stitching with Ford saying the color combination is supposed to be reminiscent of graffiti and street fashion where colors mix and blend but don’t always match perfectly.
Autocross ready performance
Performance for all 2025 Lobo models comes from Ford’s 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, but while the engine itself is unchanged, Ford lowered the suspension by 1.12 inches with the roofline also being dropped slightly too. The brakes also get upgraded with components from the European market Focus ST while the Ford Kuga donates its steering rack. Ford says that these changes allow the Lobo to be useful in drift and autocross events with the Lobo also getting the Tremor version’s twin-clutch rear differential for torque vectoring which works well when the truck is placed in Lobo mode.
Lobo mode sharpens up the truck’s responses but while Ford says that it should be used only in a track environment, look for the bulk of owners to use it out on the street anyway. This level of performance promises to be a potent surprise for new buyers but we look forward to experiencing it ourselves when Ford lets us get behind the wheel of one.
When can I buy one?
Ordering for the 2025 Ford Maverick Lobo is open now with the truck being in two grades, the base $36,595 “Standard Model” and the uplevel $42,095 “High” model which gets more standard equipment and other luxury-focused extras. It will be interesting to see how the Lobo does in the marketplace and whether it might encourage other automakers to re-enter the street truck market now that these trucks can benefit from modern performance technology.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.