Video: 2025 Ford Maverick Review: Giving the People What They Want

And with all the updates made for the 2025 model year, I reckon that is a trend that is going to continue. There's a new phase, the hybrid's now available with an all-wheel drive system. There's even a performance variant. Yeah, there's a lot to talk about. Let's get into it. (upbeat rock music) Picking out a 2025 Maverick in traffic is, well, it's quite easy because all of the styling updates for the most part are very straightforward. Here, I'll show you. Longer, wider, generally larger front grill and revised headlights. That's it. Wasn't that easy? Now onto the new updated Maverick variant that I am most excited about driving and that is the new Maverick Lobo. Lobo means wolf in Spanish and is also the name of the middle to upper trims of the Ford F-150 sold in Mexico. So hardly the first Ford truck to wear the Lobo badge, but this is the return of the formerly popular, now discontinued sport compact truck segment that was popular in the '90s and the early 2000s. Now this being an official performance-oriented trim of the Maverick, you'd think that you'd get a whole lot more performance if you get the Lobo. Kind of. See, the Lobo is available exclusively with the two liter turbocharged four-cylinder found elsewhere in the Maverick lineup. It also gets the same 250 horsepower and 277 pounds-feet of torque also available elsewhere in the lineup. That's right, there is no extra power or torqage to be found in the Lobo. That means that, yes, most of the performance upgrades are relegated to the chassis of the Lobo, and here are the headline figures surrounding that. Okay, so of course we've got a lower, stiffer suspension at all four corners, up front that equates to around a half an inch drop, and in the rear that's over an inch drop. I know you tuners are gonna want to take that even lower because, I mean, it's still kind of high. Now behind these amazing wheels are the brakes taken from the sadly Euro-only Focus ST. Speaking of the Focus ST, the seven speed automatic transmission in the Lobo, which is exclusive on the Maverick to the Lobo is also taken from the Focus ST and the American market Edge ST. Not bad. Now of course what this, the new edition of this transmission does, is sharpen up the drive line with some more performance-oriented ratios, all that kind of good jazz. But on the subject of the drive line, the biggest news of the Lobo is absolutely what's on the rear end, which is Ford's twin clutch rear differential that is shared with the off-road Maverick, off-road focused Maverick Tremor and the Bronco Sport. And you can trace the roots of that twin clutch unit all the way back to the Focus RS, which is pretty cool. Now what this twin clutch unit does is, other than kind of sharpen up the power transfer, is it does make the Lobo a little bit more slippery, a little bit more tail happy than the standard all-wheel drive Maverick. And this is especially true in a trim specific Lobo mode, which, you know, is kind of like a drift mode a little bit. Now on the inside, the biggest differences you're gonna see in terms of like material and kind of packaging, well, it's gonna depend on the trim. And this is kind of some shuffling here and there, but really, versus the previous years or generation, whatever you wanna call it, this new standard 13.2 inch touch infotainment screen here in the center, that's the biggest news and the biggest change. All trims have it and they're all supported by an eight inch digital driver cluster here ahead of us. Looks great, works great. This all runs on Ford's Sync 4 infotainment system and digital architecture. It's got wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto, which is very important, and generally works great, it's quick. So how does the return of the sport compact truck drive? All right, well let's, let's start here. Am I happy that the Ford Maverick Lobo exists? Yes. Do I think it's cool? Yes. Is this the performance, hot hatchy, compact, kind of cool drifty truck that I kind of think a lot of people were hoping? No it's not. This is not much quicker in a straight line, if at all, than your standard two liter turbo Maverick. Not really surprising considering it's got the same power and torque. It is kind of surprising that they decided not to add any more power. I will say that. I get it. Modern production and auto making means you've kind of gotta make some decisions here with what's important. And while I really would have liked to see them put the 2.3 liter turbo 4 cylinder from stuff like the old Focus RS in here with 350 horsepower, yeah, it's really not that quick. I took it on the highway, I took it on the streets, floored it a lot, and it's punchy, no doubt about that. Very clearly turbocharged. And there's plenty of torque and it absolutely gets out of its own way, it's quick. But this is not the ST branded, you know, sport truck that we all kind of were hoping for. It's still very much feels like a compact truck, even though this is uni-body, even though it's based on the Ford, same platform as the Bronco Sport, it's very far from actually being a real body-on-frame truck. It definitely feels more crossovery trucky than it does hot hatch. And I think that's the key takeaway. If you're hoping for a hot hatch with a truck bed, this is not it. It still kinda leans in a little bit, still feels kind of bulky. Not that the standard Maverick is very truck-like to drive. It's very car-like to drive, very crossover-like to drive. For the most part, that's still true here. This is not saying this doesn't drive great, it does. I really do like the Maverick. I like the way it drives. I like the packaging, I like the way it feels on the road. I think it's a fantastic occasional use truck, perfect truck for the city. And I think the Lobo is more fun. Now, still briefly sticking with the powertrain, what Ford has given you is a great platform for tuners because the two liter four cylinder turbo is a proven engine and I know people are gonna really crank the boost up, really crank the numbers on this thing. And in that regard, I'm excited to see what comes of it. But from a chassis and handling perspective, it is more fun, for sure. I did not get the chance to really take this on some excellent California canyon roads. However, I did get to do significant amount of really quick ride along laps with a vehicle dynamics engineer from the Maverick team on a very wet autocross. And it is definitely more slippery, slides around a little bit more, especially in that Lobo Mode, which I guess is kinda like the drift mode, kind of. So think of this kind of for the meantime, more of a, kind of attitude package that has a lot of potential in the tuning community than it is kind of an out-of-the-box thriller. All that is to say, yes, it's more fun ultimately, but it's also not punishing to drive, rather there's no trade off between usability and comfort and the little bit extra performance. This does have a stiffer suspension, bigger wheels, but the ride is not any more or less comfortable than what you're gonna find elsewhere in the lineup. So the Lobo is, I guess, kind of just, a kind of, more fun variant of, kind of your day-to-day two liter turbo Maverick. I specify that because you cannot get this in the hybrid, which, for some, that is the most important part about getting a Maverick, is getting the hybrid. The hybrid drive train is finally available in all-wheel drive configuration versus previously, it was locked to front-wheel drive. I know, that sounds pretty big. A lot of people have been asking for that. So the same core powertrain of the hybrid is still here. So the same naturally aspirated, 2.5 liter four cylinder, 1.1 kilowatt hour battery, 191 horsepower output. That's all the same. However, now you've got all-wheel drive. Now of course, as you would expect with the addition of, well, some new stuff in the drive train to make it all-wheel drive, you do lose a little bit of efficiency. So while the front-wheel drive hybrid Maverick is rated at 42 miles per gallon, Ford says it's aiming for around 40 miles per gallon for the all-wheel drive. So really not that much of a dip. It starts, stops, steers, feels like the Maverick did before. That's a really great thing. I've really gotta say. These little trucks drive great. If you could really nail what you need and look for in a truck, or you need out of a truck, Maverick covers a lot of bases for a lot of people, and as a result, it is easily one of the best driving vehicles with a truck bed on the market. The hybrid with its continuously variable transmission it's actually really not that punishing on your ears to drive every day. A lot quieter than I expected. The sleeper standout hit of the Maverick hybrid, in my opinion, is the beautiful brake balance that is the blend between the pure regenerative resistance of all when you first apply the brake pedal and then the actual physical brakes. Sometimes in some hybrids across the industry, they can get kind of jerky and can kind of, it's numb. Not with the Maverick. Feels great, very natural, very easy to modulate, don't really notice it's there, which is the best type of tuning. I would really have a hard time picking between the two liter turbo and the hybrid. I still can't really answer that question for myself. It is not really a common case in which one powertrain isn't the obvious pick over the other. I will say that. But for some people, with the hybrid, I mean, that's the only one they want. (snaps fingers) That's it. People tow stuff with their trucks, and while its platform means it's never gonna be a big rig beater, the updated Maverick is definitely capable of tugging a respectable 4,000 pounds when equipped correctly. For the all-wheel drive models, this means adding the 4K tow package, that in addition to some extra cooling for the transmission, adds a comprehensive suite of Ford's Active Tow Tech. And that starts even before you hook up with the new Pro Trailer Hitch Assist that recognizes the hitch in relation to the tow vehicle via the backup camera, and will automatically back the Maverick up to the trailer when the function is engaged. Once properly hitched, the tried and true Pro Trailer Backup Assist can be used wherein the reverse steering inputs can be controlled intuitively via the knob on the dash. So yes, this is your sign to get that teardrop camper of your dreams. See if you didn't already wanna Ford Maverick already, well I bet you do now. And with all the updates made for the 2025 model year, well, how could you not? There truly is something for everyone. Gotta haul some bikes, but you still wanna go fast in the canyons? Lobo, it's right there. Wanna be efficient about it? Well now you can pick between front wheel drive and all-wheel drive, whatever you need. Got a smallish trailer like a camper or some, you know, motorcycles to tow? Well, either one, both work. As you can tell, I love the Ford Maverick. I've always loved the Ford Maverick. I'm gonna continue loving the Ford Maverick. But for more information and for my full thoughts interview, you gotta go to cars.com/names.