The 2022 Ford Maverick marks the return of the smaller sport truck at Ford!  And by smaller, we mean just a hair shorter than the old compact body-on-frame Ranger that went away in 2011. But, this time around it's on the Escape’s unibody platform wrapped in a fun, crew-cab, four-door only bodystyle that looks capable, rugged, and cute. 

The unique interior with its ice cooler-esque door panels, huge water bottle holders, chunky grab handles, strong dash lines, durable seating materials, and decent storage are well matched to the active lifestyle set. On the outside, the smartly designed, fairly deep, if short, 4 ½ ft cargo box can haul an impressive 1,500-lb payload.

Ben Davis: "I’ve got a thousand pounds of mulch in this one right now, and you can definitely feel the squat from the rear but the steering doesn’t lighten up. This is the base engine, the hybrid with the CVT, and it does an excellent job of holding the vehicle on downgrades and slopes, its pretty incredible that such a small engine and a CVT trans manages a thousand pounds so easily."

It also handles loads you wouldn’t think possible like full sheets of plywood by easily relocating the straps to change tailgate angle. There are pockets for 2 x 4 and 2 x 6 dividers, plenty of tie downs and even a couple that double as bottle openers.

Maverick can tow, too. Standard rating is 2,000-lbs with the base front-drive 191-horsepower 2.5-liter hybrid CVT; or up to 4,000-lbs with the 4K Tow Package and the 250-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder, which can add optional all-wheel drive.  We towed a 1,600-lb trailer with a front-drive XLT Hybrid and quickly discovered how much regenerative braking helps on steep downgrades.

Plus, that Hybrid comes with a 42 miles-per-gallon City rating too; 37-Combined. 2022 Ford Mavericks are available now, with a starting price of just under $20,000.

 

Specifications

  • Starting Price: ~ $20,000