Ford used the Maverick nameplate for many things in the Blue Oval’s past. Over in the Americas, it stood for a two- or four-door sedan with a rear-wheel-drive platform and engine choices topped by a 210-HP V8 mill.
Revived for the 2022 model year, the Maverick now stands for a unibody pickup that indirectly replaces the previous-generation Ranger. You know, the compact one that Ford discontinued from the U.S. lineup back in 2011.
Essentially an Escape with a longer wheelbase and an overall length of almost 200 inches, the Maverick isn’t particularly exciting from the driver’s seat.
For starters, the base powertrain consists of a 2.5-liter hybrid offered exclusively with front-wheel drive and a torsion beam out back. Upgrading to the 2.0-liter turbo EcoBoost motor is more like it, even though you need to spend extra for all-wheel drive if you want independent rear suspension.
Capable of 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) in 6.3 seconds in the real world, the Maverick is no slouch, yet it’s not a driver's truck either.
A recent comparison review also revealed that Hyundai’s all-new Santa Cruz handles and rides better, which is understandable if you ask me. After all, the Maverick is $19,995, while the Santa Cruz starts at $23,990 excluding destination charge for the front-wheel-drive base trims.
Ford may treat us to an off-road version and a sportier version at some point if there’s demand for such options, but in the meantime, Chip Foose used his trusty ballpoint pen and markers to imagine a street rod.
Pictured with Shelby F-150 Super Snake-inspired stripes and side graphics, the Maverick in the following video rides considerably lower than the real deal. A modified front bumper with two lights in the lower grille, blue calipers, bolt-on wheel arch flares, a set of snazzy wheels, a hood scoop, and a small rear spoiler pretty much sum up this compelling design study.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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