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The Ford Maverick debuts on June 8, and here’s all that we know about it so far
by Sidd Dhimaan, onFord is finally adding a brand new pickup truck to its arsenal in the form of the Maverick. The truck had been spotted many times in the past, but the automaker finally confirmed its existence last week. The Maverick will be an affordable, compact truck that will slot below the Ranger in Ford’s lineup. The truck is all set to debut on June 8 on the company’s official social media channels.
Ford has been tight-lipped about the truck so far, but, that doesn’t mean nothing’s known. So, coupled with a few speculations and what’s out in the open so far, here’s everything you need to know about the 2022 Ford Maverick.
’Maverick’ Is a Revived Nameplate
‘Maverick’ isn’t a new moniker as Ford has used it in the past on not one, but multiple vehicles. Originally, it was used for a compact car sold in the 70s. Later, Ford went on to slap the term on a rebadged Nissan Patrol in Australia in the 80s and 90s, on the rebadged Nissan Terrano sold in Europe in the 90s, and even on the European version of the Ford Escape sold in the early 2000s.
Ford Maverick Will Share It’s Underpinning With The Escape
The Maverick will be based on the new Escape’s C2 platform. This is the same platform that also underpins the Ford Bronco Sport and the Euro-spec Focus. No confirmation on this, but it doesn’t look like Ford will build a new platform just for this vehicle. The truck will have a unibody construction, just like the Honda Ridgeline and the upcoming Hyundai Santa Cruz. The biggest advantage of a unibody construction is its handling and driving dynamics. It is way better than a body-on-frame layout in this aspect, but it won’t be as abuse-friendly as the latter. Throw in an independent rear suspension setup and it will be as close to driving a compact crossover.
The Maverick Could Even Borrow The Escape’s Engines
Since it is underpinned by the Escape’s platform, there’s no reason why the engines won’t be shared. If Ford develops new engines for this, it won’t be able to price it competitively, thus killing the whole purpose of building a truck. There is a vacuum for compact trucks starting around $20,000 and Ford is clearly targeting that space. Cost-cutting and part sharing will be evident. Considering all this, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the Maverick will be an Escape in a pickup truck form.
The Escape’s engines also fit well with the Maverick. The Escape comes with a 1.5-liter, three-cylinder engine that makes 181 horses and 190 pound-feet of torque, and a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder mill that dishes out 250 horses and 280 pound-feet of torque. Ford could tune them differently, but there’s no harm in offering them in the same state of tune.
The Bronco Sport also comes with these engines and in the same states, with the only difference being 277 pound-feet of torque in the bigger engine.
So, we don’t see why the Maverick will need a different tune.
It could be offered with a front-wheel-drive layout as standard and an all-wheel-drive system as optional with the 2.0-liter engine. As for the gearbox, an eight-speed automatic transmission could do the duties. The Bronco Sport comes with paddle shifters with the 2.0-liter engine, but the Maverick won’t so the Bronco Sport remains as a premium offering. A manual gearbox is unlikely, but would be a nice option on the base trim.
How Much Can The Maverick Tow And Haul?
A towing capacity of 5,000 pounds on the 2022 Ford Maverick shouldn’t be too bad. A payload capacity of around 1,500 pounds can be expected here.
The Maverick Will Be Ford’s Cheapest Truck
As mentioned earlier, the truck will be slow below the Ranger in Ford’s lineup.
The 2021 Ranger starts at $25,070 and tops out at $33,160 for the top trim. The Maverick will come with a starting sticker price of under $20,000 in all likelihood.
Anything more than this will cannibalize into the Ranger’s sales or vice versa. Also, the vacuum lies in the sub-$20,000 pickup truck segment. What’s the point in coming up with another truck in the Ranger’s price bracket? That said, the top trims could overlap with Ranger’s entry-level model.
How Will The Maverick Be On The Outside?
The Maverick has been leaked a few times in the past, but it doesn’t give away everything. It is being marketed as a truck that you can take to the city and park it without a fuss. That is a dead giveaway that will be quite compact in size. The truck bed won’t be a conventional one like you see on mid-size and full-size trucks. So, we’re probably looking at a bed that’s not more than 4.3 feet long.
We got to see the rear in the pre-launch teaser video. The truck will come with ‘Maverick’ stamped on the tailgate. Other than this, black plastic cladding on the side skirts, bumpers, door handles, and wing mirrors can be expected in the base trim. LEDs could be offered as optional, but the Maverick will come with Halogen headlights as the standard offering. In terms of dimensions, it could be around 190-195 inches long, around 70-75 inches wide, and under 70 inches tall. The wheelbase will be around 115 inches long, perhaps. Note that these are merely educated guesses and we’ll know the exact figures when the truck comes out.
Does The Ford Maverick Have Any Rival?
This was a vacuum space until now after Ford vacated it a couple of decades back by taking retiring the Ranger. But, when one automaker sets its eyes on a niche, it doesn’t take long for others to throw their hats. The other hat in this is from Hyundai in the form of the upcoming Santa Cruz.
Hyundai is referring to the Santa Cruz as a Sport-Adventure Vehicle and not a pickup truck. The truck is based on the Tucson and shares a lot of parts and design elements with it, including the cascading grille which integrates the headlights. The C-pillar isn’t a straight drop as you in trucks generally. Hyundai has angled it slightly to break away from the conventional truck image. On the inside, it comes with an eight-inch infotainment touchscreen system. A 10.25-inch touchscreen system comes as standard on the higher trims.
The Santa Cruz is also a unibody construction and will be offered with two engine options – The base engine is a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder mill that will make an estimated 190 ponies and 180 pound-feet of torque. The same engine is offered in a turbocharged form that will produce an estimated 275 horses and 310 pound-feet of twist.
The price is not revealed, but it could be priced at a little over $20,000. In all likelihood, Ford will undercut the Santa Cruz.
When And Where Will The Ford Maverick Be Unveiled?
The Ford Maverick will be unveiled on June 8 at 0600 EST. You can view it on Ford’s social channels, including the new TikTok page, and on Hulu. Ford has roped in actor Gabrielle Union and mentioned that she will show the truck on her Instagram and TikTok channels as well.
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