2022 Ford Maverick packs big value, features and hybrid power into a little pickup

NASHVILLE – Small trucks are about to be big news for the first time in decades, and the ingenious 2022 Ford Maverick is much of the reason.

Nearly a foot shorter than the midsize Ford Ranger pickup, a whopping 32 inches shorter than Ford’s iconic F-150 full-size, the Maverick rolls into dealerships with a combination of capability, features and value that make it equally adept as a replacement for the small entry-level sedan most automakers have abandoned and a rolling multitool suited to everything from tight downtown parking to towing a 4,000-pound camper or light off-roading.

Standard features including a five-passenger crew cab, 8-inch touch screen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a hybrid drivetrain Ford expects to deliver 40 mpg in city driving.

All that for $19,995, with well-equipped powerful all-wheel-drive models available around $32K make the Maverick a potential winner for everybody from first-time buyers to homeowners looking to right-size their mulch haulers.

What’s this?

The Maverick is based on the same running gear as the Ford Bronco Sport, Escape and Lincoln Corsair compact SUVs. The pickup’s wheelbase and overall length are longer than those SUVs. That contributes to a five-seat crew cab with plenty of headroom and a number of nifty features. Ford builds it alongside the rugged little Bronco sport n Hermosillo, Mexico.

Small pickups built on unibody platforms like this Ford C2 architecture have traditionally been poor sellers. Ford counts on the Maverick to carve out a niche based on the automaker’s peerless reputation for pickups and a focus on attracting new customers — largely people who used to buy small cars like the Focus, Honda Civic and Chevy Cruise.

The Maverick’s passenger compartment is spacious compared to those, thanks partly to a classic pickup design that includes a boxy, upright cab. The 4.5-foot bed is small by pickup standards, but huge compared with a compact car’s trunk, or most small SUVs. The bed’s side walls are low enough that it’s easy to reach over them to get stuff out, a welcome change from full-size and even midsize pickups that have grown so tall  many buyers need a stepladder to access their cargo.

Ford expects the Maverick to attract many female, Hispanic and Black buyers.

The Maverick and Hyundai’s new compact pickup, the Santa Cruz, may look similar on paper, but aren’t likely to compete for many buyers because of their radically different looks— the Santa Cruz is anything but conventional — and the Hyundai’s $23,990 base price.

How much?

Prices start at $19,995 for a base model with front-wheel drive and a 191 horsepower total system power. The hybrid combines a 2.5L four-cylinder engine, lithium-ion batteries and a continuously variable transmission.

It’ll be on sale as soon as Ford finishes certifying its fuel economy, which the automaker expects to include an impressive 40 mpg in city driving.

Ford expects the hybrid to account for about 40% of Maverick sales. It’s available on all three trim levels — XL, XLT and Lariat — but only with front-wheel drive. There’s also a FX4 version.

The optional engine is Ford’s stalwart 250-hp 2.0L four-cylinder turbo, linked to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The 2.0L is available with either front- or all-wheel drive.

Over the course of two days in Tennessee, I drove a front-drive hybrid, front-drive turbo and AWD turbo. Prices ranged from $24,790 to $31,115. 

The AWD Lariat I drove had every option I’d be likely to want but the optional eight-speaker B&O audio system.

Ford offers 150 accessories ranging from bed lights to bike racks, but for budget-conscious or DIY-minded customers, a QR code in the Maverick’s bed links to instructions for how to make everything from 3D printed trash bins to cargo rails.

More: 2022 Maverick’s tricked-out bed and other features that will redefine how you use your car

2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz compact pickup is radical, but who will buy it?

2022 Ford Maverick model range

XL $19,995

XLT $22,280

Lariat $25,490

All prices exclude $1,495 destination charge

Driving impressions

The Maverick is surprisingly satisfying to drive. The FWD turbo I started out in had very little torque steer — there’s none in the AWD, of course — and firm direct steering. It accelerated well and felt planted and secure on long sweeping curves of the scenic Natchez Trace outside Nashville.

Every Maverick has five drive modes:

• Normal
• Eco
• Sport
• Slippery
• Tow/Haul

The hybrid’s lower power is noticeable, but was not an impediment as I drove on hilly back roads and into downtown Nashville. I averaged more than 38 mpg in a half-hour drive that convinced me Ford’s not sandbagging when it projects a 40-mpg EPA rating in city driving, where hybrids are most efficient.

The Maverick has modest off-road ability, but everything its owners are likely to want: It’ll get you to a biking trail head or the vegetable patch at the back of a field.

Its towing capability is similarly unassuming but useful. The optional 4,000-pound max is plenty to tow a couple of personal watercraft, or the 2,600-pound Airstream Base Camp I selected.

I had no problem blending into traffic, even on a short highway ramp. The trailer was steady behind me and I had no problem braking on exit ramp and at traffic lights.

2022 Ford Maverick safety and driver assistance features

Auto high beams

Automatic headlights

Pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection

Forward collision warning

Dynamic brake support.

Rear view camera

Adaptive cruise control

Evasive steering assist

Lane centering

Reverse sensing system

Blind spot and cross traffic alerts

Lane departure warning

Lane keeping aid

Hill descent control

Creative, accommodating interior

The Maverick is one of the year’s cleverest vehicles. The development mantra was “simple, but not basic,” a philosophy made clear by thoughtful detailing that make its inexpensive interior feel anything but cheap.

Speckled plastic made from recycled materials offer color contrast on the dash and doors. The door uppers are not padded, but they’re wide enough for comfortable elbow rests anyway. A pattern of small squares keeps them from looking cheap. Contrasting colors for touch points like vents and door pulls draw the eye. In a creative touch, a break in the door arm rests creates room for big water bottles without interfering with the arm rest’s usefulness. Similarly, the rear audio speakers are in the C-pillars, not the doors, again creating useful storage space in the doors. The rear seats flip up to reveal storage, though the hybrid’s batteries intrude on that space, as well an inch of rear legroom, which wasn’t plentiful in the first place.

The infotainment system and controls are easy to use, but it’s not Ford’s latest software, so features like wireless Apple CarPlay, versus wired Apple CarPlay, aren’t available. A modem and Wi-Fi are standard.

2022 Ford Maverick at a glance

Base price: $19,995

Compact five-passenger crew cab pickup, front- or all-wheel drive

Primary model tested: All-wheel drive Maverick Lariat

Estimated price as tested: $31,115

On sale now

Engine: 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder

Output: 250 hp @ 5,500 rpm; 277 pound-feet of torque @ 3,000 rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Estimated EPA fuel economy rating: 22 mpg city/29 highway/25 combined. Regular gasoline

EPA estimated annual fuel cost: $1,900 (at current prices)

Wheelbase: 121.1 inches

Length: 199.7 inches 

Width: 72.6 inches

Height: 68.7 inches 

Curb weight: 3,731 pounds

Passenger volume: 100.3 cubic feet 

Payload: 1,500 pounds

Towing capacity: 4,000 pounds 

Bed length: 4.5 feet

Assembled in Hermosillo, Mexico