LIKES
- A true compact pickup
- Hybrid’s standard
- Up to 4,000 lb of tow
- Exceptional value
- May the mulch be with you
DISLIKES
- Small bed
- Picnic-grade plastics
- 2,000-pound base towing capacity
- Shifty 8-speed automatic
BUYING TIP
The 2022 Ford Maverick recasts the pickup as a small, high-efficiency Swiss Army knife.
What kind of vehicle is the 2022 Ford Maverick? What does it compare to?
The 2022 Ford Maverick joins Ford’s pickup family as its smallest, newest member. There’s not an ounce of feigned utility in the new Mav: it may be the only vehicle that can lure drivers out of other trucks and out of economy cars. With running gear shared by the Bronco Sport and Escape, the Ford Maverick has the Hyundai Santa Cruz as a chief rival.
Is the 2022 Ford Maverick a good pickup truck?
The Maverick—which comes in XL, XLT, and Lariat trims, with an FX4 package and a choice of hybrid or turbo-4 drivetrains—earns a TCC Rating of 7.0 out of 10. That’s before safety data goes public.
What's new for the 2022 Ford Maverick?
It’s an entirely new model, and an exceedingly clever way for Ford to future-proof its truck family with a high-economy entry model.
The Maverick starts life as a hybrid, with a 191-hp combination of 4-cylinder and motor and batteries gunning for a 40-mpg EPA city rating. It’s smooth but not too swift, and front-drive-only Maverick Hybrids have half the tow ratings (2,000 lb) of higher-spec models—but as an all-around economy-car replacement, it’s in perfect pitch. A 250-hp turbo-4 can be fitted with all-wheel drive and off-road and tow packages to max out the Mav’s adventure portfolio, but the 8-speed automatic shifts too much. With smartly tuned suspensions and hefty steering, the Maverick feels as good as any of Ford’s compact SUVs; it’s a high-water mark in Ford pickup ride and handling.
The compact Maverick can tote four adults and up to 1,500 pounds of stuff in the bed, which measures about 4.5 feet long and about 3.5 feet between the wheel wells. That’s not huge. Versatility marks every Maverick; drivers can suit up with tool boxes, bed extenders, kayak racks, even a custom tent. The trade-off between raw space, customization, and price intrigue us.
With no crash test data to report, the Maverick has standard automatic emergency braking in its safety win column, with options for adaptive cruise control, active lane control, and blind-spot monitors.
How much does the 2022 Ford Maverick cost?
It’s $21,490 for a Maverick Hybrid XL with cloth seats, 17-inch wheels, and an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Pick the Hybrid XLT with its Luxury option package and a $540 safety bundle to get a power driver seat, bed side rails and tie-downs, a spray-in bedliner, active lane control and blind-spot monitors, all for a bargain price of $26,660.
Where is the 2022 Ford Maverick made?
In Mexico.
Styling
The Maverick stands out in a class that’s all too similar.
Is the 2022 Ford Maverick a good-looking car?
The world has plenty of pricey pickups and tony trucks that park in gated communities. The Maverick looks perfect next to a chain-link fence. It’s refreshingly plain, honestly better than those full-size caricatures of utility. We call it a 7, with a point each for the prosaic bod and cabin.
The Maverick plays the truck part to perfection, with a bluff front end and a grille with a high bar that keeps the compact utility vehicle from looking too low or small. The flat body sides and square-rigged corners owe plenty to those other Ford trucks. The swoletariat that drives droves of Wranglers and Broncos will think it’s plain and might snicker at its steel wheels, but they get our golf clap.
Performance
The Maverick—no surprise here—has uncommonly car-like performance.
With hybrid or gas-only power, the Maverick can be efficient or swift, but not both. It’s not saddled with trucklike handling, though with a point above average for its road manners, it’s a 6 here, based on the base model.
How fast is the Ford Maverick?
In a first for any pickup truck, the Maverick’s base powertrain sports batteries and an electric motor as well as a gas engine. The 2.5-liter inline-4 hybrid powertrain delivers 191 hp net and 155 lb-ft of torque. Sold only with front-wheel drive, the hybrid aims for a 40-mpg estimated EPA city rating, and 37 mpg combined. It’s the smoother powertrain of the two; the battery fills in off-the-line acceleration, while the CVT blends everything together for hitchless if moderate acceleration.
For stronger acceleration and more towing, Ford fits a 250-hp 2.0-liter turbo-4 with 277 lb-ft of torque to the Maverick. It pairs with an 8-speed automatic and comes with front-wheel drive or available all-wheel drive, but the transmission needs better pr
ogramming. It lurches and gets indecisive at low to medium speeds, as it hunts for better fuel economy. Five different drive modes give most Mavericks the ability to grip the ground better, through Normal to Eco, Slippery, Sport, and Tow/Haul modes.
ogramming. It lurches and gets indecisive at low to medium speeds, as it hunts for better fuel economy. Five different drive modes give most Mavericks the ability to grip the ground better, through Normal to Eco, Slippery, Sport, and Tow/Haul modes.
Mavericks weigh about 3,600 lb, and the truck doesn’t feel like it carries an ounce of fat. It does carry other stuff: Max payload is 1,500 lb on any version, and hybrids can tow 2,000 lb, while non-hybrids with the tow package can pull up to 4,000 lb, thanks to a hitch receiver, a transmission oil cooler, and upgraded cooling. Towing a riding mower on a trailer prepped by Ford, the Maverick Hybrid drove with unflustered confidence, though pavement joints rebounded through the rear wheels enough to trigger a speed-limit check.
As for off-roading, a Maverick Lariat FX4 with all-wheel drive cruised through the light challenge of a rutted farm road; its front tow hooks, hill descent control, skid plates, and especially its Mud/Rut and Sand traction modes come at a reasonable $800 premium and don’t degrade on-road ride very much.
Comfort & Quality
The Maverick maxes out with utility.
With a 121.1-inch wheelbase and an overall length of 199.7 inches, the Maverick lines up below the Ranger and F-Series pickups, but still can accommodate at least four adults. With a point for the bed and one for the front seats, it’s a 7 here.
Its front seats are better than those in Ford’s own Escape. The standard seat could be a little longer in the bottom cushion and could use more lumbar support—but it’s perfectly comfortable and clad in a durable-looking cloth. Power-adjustable buckets fix those minor quibbles, and can add heating; we’d pay more for both.
The Mav’s cabin staggers the imagination with small-item storage, from a second smartphone bin in the console to water-bottle clips on all four doors, to hidden space under the flip-up rear seats and huge door pockets. A set of slots allow drivers to 3D-print their own add-ons and drop them in around the cabin. The dash plastic’s of the Costco picnic table variety—and a welcome change from gloss black trim. Thicker glass deadens more sound on the Lariat, but XL sound levels don’t offend; the Maverick makes some mid-size trucks sound like a box fan inside of several other box fans, inside an even bigger box fan.
The big story’s the petite 54.4-inch pickup bed out back, which measures 42.6 inches between the wheel wells. It has dual covered bins and up to 10 tie-downs, as well as available bed lighting, aluminum rails, and a 110-volt AC outlet. Ford says the Maverick’s adjustable tailgate can hold up to 400 pounds, which it says allows the Maverick to tote 4x8 sheets of plywood without a bed extender. The bed can be covered, fitted with cut wood partitions, rigged with a fitted tool box, or left unlined in an homage to ‘70s beater 4-cylinder trucks still on the road today. Patina’s underrated, after all.
You can go full Ironman in the Maverick, too. A mountain bike can slide behind the front seats with the front wheel detached; two bikes can slot into the bed with their front wheels angled. A custom-fitted tent, kayak racks, cargo boxes, and a very long list of outdoor accessories mean the Maverick’s sticker prices are mere suggestions for anyone who plans to tweak its features and max out its mini-bed.
Safety
The data’s not in yet for the new Maverick.
How safe is the Ford Maverick?
The Maverick hasn’t been crash-tested but each one has automatic emergency braking and automatic high beams. Active lane control, adaptive cruise control, rear parking sensors, and blind-spot monitors are available. We’ll update this section when the IIHS and the NHTSA publish crash-test scores.
Features
The Maverick’s bed offers a world of possibility, all for a price.
The Maverick omits a couple of features on its base edition, and its warranty is an average 3-year/36,000-mile deal. But its order sheet lets the adventurous run free with racks, rails, bed tie-downs, and outdoor equipment, and its touchscreen works well. It’s a screaming value in its lowest-spec editions. It’s an 8 here.
The 2022 Maverick costs at least $21,490 including destination for an XL model with power windows and locks, 17-inch wheels, cloth seats, LED headlights, and an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It omits power mirrors.
The more powerful turbo-4 costs an extra $1,085, and $2,220 all-wheel drive mandates it; in XL trim, that’s a big jump to $24,795. We’d save those dollars for the myriad accessories, which range from a bedliner and a tonneau cover to a tool box, a bed divider, a bed extender, rubber floor mats, a sunroof, a dash cam—even a custom-fitted tent.
Which Ford Maverick should I buy?
We’d take the XLT Hybrid, which gets cruise control, power mirrors, and a power outlet in the bed. We’d add the $2,345 XLT Luxury package and its power driver seat with better lumbar support, heated front seats, LED bed lighting, bed tie-downs and side rails, and spray-in bedliner. For $540, we’d top it off with blind-spot monitors and active lane control, for a price of $26,660.
How much is a fully loaded Ford Maverick?
A Maverick Lariat FX4 package with 18-inch wheels, keyless start, a power sliding rear window, and a tow package, costs $35,715 before the waltz through the accessories aisle.
Fuel Economy
The Maverick hits a base-model fuel-economy home run.
Is the Ford Maverick good on gas?
It’s exceptional for a vehicle with a bed—at least according to Ford’s estimates. We’re giving it a tentative rating of 7 here based on the company’s 40-mpg city prediction, but we’ll update this score when the EPA publishes the Hybrid’s scores.
The non-hybrid Maverick carries itself well, too. It’s pegged at 23 mpg city, 30 highway, 26 combined in front-drive versions, and 22/29/25 mpg with all-wheel drive.
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