Video: 2022 Ford Maverick: Review

It was fast, it was sporty, it was sleek, it had incredible style. But it was also affordable because Ford aimed it at the youth market of the time. While it was very much a product of the swinging 60s, fast forward to today when we're in the, you know, terrible 20s, and people's attention has changed. It's more about efficiency now, and eco-friendliness, and connecting with nature, instead of trying to destroy it. And so, Ford now has this. This is the 2022 Ford Maverick. And you're saying, "Well, what's the connection to the Mustang?" Well, the Mustang's appeal when it was introduced was widespread. Everybody wanted one, everybody thought it was amazing. And I am predicting that the Maverick is going to face a very similar reception when it starts hitting American streets. You see, this is very much a product of our times. It's efficient, it's affordable, it's incredibly utilitarian, it's very useful. And it looks like a pickup truck, which is really what people are wanting these days. But can it do the things that a pickup truck can do? It looks like a pickup truck, but it does it work like a pickup truck? Well, we came here to Music City USA, Nashville, Tennessee, to drive the new Maverick and see just how well Ford has engineered its new, smallest pickup. One aspect of the new Maverick that I don't think comes across very well in photos and video, is just how small this thing is. This is a tiny truck. I mean, what's the last pickup that you can remember where you could see over the top of it? You don't step up into the Maverick, you pretty much sit down into the Maverick. And those tidy, compact dimensions have led to a lot of really clever engineering, both in the cab and in the bed. I mean, the bed itself is extremely useful, but the truck is so low, there's no bed step to get into it. If you wanna get into the bed, you put your leg up on here and you just climb into the bed. But there's a lot of other really clever engineering stuff in the bed, too. Let me show you some of those things. First of all, check out these divots. You could actually create your own bed dividers using Ford's DIY website. They've got a lot of really creative stuff on how you can just use standard lumber, that you'd find at the local hardware store, to create all kinds of things. There's even a QR code on the side of the bed over this cubby hole, that you can scan. It'll take you right to their YouTube DIY site. There's an optional power port in the bed as well. But there's also a couple of hard wired, 12-volt, 20-amp fuse connectors in here that you can use for any number of accessories. Like bed lighting, or any of the other options that you might find in the Ford catalog. But the clever engineering isn't just found on the outside of the Maverick. There's a whole bunch of really interesting packaging work that's been done on the inside. Let me show you some of that. The Maverick's tidy dimensions mean that Ford really had to get creative with packaging. And I think they've done an excellent job of making such a small truck feel like a much larger vehicle. It starts with this dashboard. It's low, it's wide. Yeah, if I lean over, I can touch the other end of it. But it also contributes to that feeling of width in here. Now, something that actually does make you feel like it's a lot wider is the fact that the center console down here doesn't come up higher than the seat bottom cushions. So, you're able to actually move your knees off to the sides and not impact the center console. That really does help with a feeling of spaciousness. They've also been very clever in how they've arranged a lot of the storage in here. There's room for 16 large bottles of water or juice, or whatever you happen to be bringing with you. They're in the doors, they're in the console, they're in the back as well. The back doors actually have the speakers located in the C pillar, not in the door at all. So you have, again, additional room and additional width. There are three grades of Maverick. XL, XLT, and the top Lariat. This model is the base model XL, and it is the base model. You get things like fabric seats. The material quality is acceptable. The thing is, their idea was they were going to make it simple, but not basic. And I think they've really achieved that. The materials, a lot of it is hard plastic, yes. And it doesn't necessarily feel like the highest quality stuff. But the thing is, the way it's arranged, the way it looks, exposed fasteners, really cool faceted designs on some of the dashboard panels, it looks cool. So, you don't necessarily mind that it may not be soft touch everything, like you'd get in a Hyundai Santa Cruz. It looks really cool, and it looks very purpose-built. It's very utilitarian, it's very rugged, it looks like it's going to be durable. And when you're driving, nothing rattles, everything feels pretty solid, as well. It wasn't just the packaging and engineering that Ford got creative with. It was also the affordability. You see, the Maverick is super cheap for a new car these days. And you have to wonder, how did Ford do that? Well, you get inside, and you kinda figure out exactly how they did it. Yeah, the materials aren't necessarily the top-notch ones, but it's the buttons and switches. We've seen all of these buttons and switches before. This is last generation Ford stuff, not next generation Ford stuff. But what do you want for $20,000? I mean, it all still works perfectly well. They're clear and easy to use, they're all very familiar. And you know what? Ford hasn't exactly passed the cost onto you, the Maverick is super affordable. So, frankly, I don't mind that they're still using stuff that we've seen back in 2016. You have two possible powertrains for the '22 Maverick. Standard is a hybrid powertrain, which is unique in the category. It's a 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder engine mated up to an electronically-controlled, continuously variable transmission. It makes 191 horsepower and 155 pound feet of torque, which doesn't sound like a lot. But frankly, it doesn't seem to be a problem at all. There's plenty of acceleration when you need it. It can even do things like tow a trailer up to 2,000 pounds, really, without a problem at all. You can even throw up to 1,500 pounds of stuff in the bed. And again, it barely feels it. Now, the benefit of that hybrid powertrain is fuel economy. They haven't officially published numbers for the hybrid powertrain just yet, but in our initial drive of the thing around the streets of Nashville and some of the twisty back roads as well, we were averaging about 43 miles per gallon, according to the trip computer. Which is astonishing for a vehicle that can seat five people, has that kind of payload, and that kind of towing ability, as well. The optional powertrain is a turbo-charged 2-liter, 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine. It makes 250 horsepower, and 277 pounds feet of torque, which is considerably more. Now, with that powertrain, you can get either front or all-wheel drive. The hybrid only comes in front-wheel drive. The optional turbocharged powertrain also can be had with the max towing package. That increases your towing capacity to 4,000 pounds, which is enough to pull a pretty good-sized, little camper trailer. It includes things like a larger radiator, and even an integrated trailer brake controller right here in the dash. Now, that's something you can't get on the Hyundai Santa Cruz. The turbocharged EcoBoost powertrain is considerably snappier. And when you shift it into sport mode, the Maverick becomes really fun to drive. You've got really quick acceleration, snappy shifts, a lot of really good throttle response, as well. It's quite frankly, an entertaining, little truck. One of the best attributes of the new Maverick is quite frankly, the ride and handling balance. It feels like a small SUV, quite frankly. The ride quality is exceptional. It doesn't bounce over expansion grates. You might get a thump once, and then it settles out and is perfectly fine. The steering is really rather heavily-weighted. It doesn't have that video game feel like you feel in the Hyundai Santa Cruz, and frankly, in a lot of other vehicles that have electronic power steering. There's a lot of good control here. The whole thing feels remarkably solid. It feels like a small truck, but it doesn't punish you in any way. It's not slow, it's not bouncy, it's not wallowing. It really is just an excellent chassis that they've done an outstanding job with, to make it both entertaining and useful. One thing that strikes you when driving the Maverick is just how quiet it is in here. There's very little wind noise. You don't even get a lot of road noise through the tires, either. But that does depend on which trim model you get and which tires it comes with. If you go with the FX4 off-road package, you're going to get Wildtrak off-road tires, like the Bronco Sport has. And those are a little bit louder out on the street. One of the big questions we had before driving the Maverick, was how well is it going to do truck stuff? I mean, it's a front-wheel drive, compact pickup based on an SUV. How good could it possibly be? Well, the answer is really quite good. It does truck stuff quite well. We've been able to tow a large camper trailer, a 2,600-pound Airstream. I towed two ATVs on a flatbed trailer at nearly the 4,000-pound weight limit. And the thing doesn't even feel like it's there. Either powertrain is actually very good for towing. The hybrid can tow up to 2,000 pounds, and it'll tow like, a large lawn mower on a flatbed trailer. It'll tow a pair of jet skis without any problem whatsoever. Do you want more power? Do you want more towing capacity? The turbocharged 4, again, really doesn't feel like there's anything back there. The acceleration is fine. The only place you're probably really gonna know it is in your fuel economy, which is almost certain to drop. The Maverick will go off-road. Now, we didn't have much chance to actually try it at its limit. The off-road course that Ford provided was really meant to be indicative of what they say their customers are going to go for. Now, that's basically the track that gets you to your camp site. Yes, it's off-road, yes, it's dirt. It's two track style stuff, but it's not rock crawling. If you really wanna go beyond your campsite, you're gonna probably want something like a Ford Bronco, or even a Ford Ranger Tremor. The FX4 package does bring some specialized off-road equipment, however. You've got additional underbody skid plate protection, you've got a special off-road suspension, you've got larger off-road tires, as well. So yeah, you can go off-road in a Maverick, but really I think its mission is to be the on-road city pickup instead. So, it's stylish, it's useful, it could do truck things like towing and hauling, and going off-road. The hybrid version is incredibly efficient, and the whole thing is super affordable. Now, what do I mean by that? This model as equipped, is about $23,000. It starts at just over $21,000, including destination fee, for a base XL model. And if you select every possible conceivable option, you're not gonna pay much more than $38,000. Now, in an era where the average new car price is $41,000, that is a screaming deal. And that's why I think that this really is going to be the Mustang for the 21st century. It's appeal is going to go far beyond just the youth market that Ford has been targeting. And if you'd like to learn more about the new '22 Ford Maverick, you can look everything up at Www.Cars.com. (fun upbeat music)