The most affordable pickup on sale today is the Maverick, and you get a lot of truck for $19,995 excluding $1,495 for the destination charge. XL is how the base model is called, and the standard engine is a four-cylinder hybrid.
From up close and personal, the Maverick in this configuration is thoroughly impressive overall. The steelies may not be to everyone’s liking, some plastic bits may not be up to snuff, but nevertheless, the XL Hybrid appeals to a wide range of demographics, especially cost-sensitive people.
Tim Esterdahl of Pickup Truck + SUV Talk describes this no-frills specification as a great substitute for side by sides and other rural vehicles, but that’s not all. Delivery companies, female customers, urban folks, contractors, and people who need a more spacious daily than a Honda Civic will flock to Ford retailers. The brand-new Maverick further offers a payload rating of 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms), as in 37 sheets of plywood.
Tim also makes a point about the relatively low bed height in comparison to half-ton pickups and heavy-duty workhorses, the plethora of cubbies, and touchscreen infotainment system that flexes Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. For $21,490 including destination charge, that’s incredible value!
The rear-seat legroom isn’t exactly great for adults, but hey, what did you expect from a unibody pickup derived from the Escape and Bronco Sport?
Only available with front-wheel drive, the 2.5-liter engine cranks out 162 horsepower and 155 pound-feet (210 Nm) of torque. When combined with the 94-kilowatt electric motor, the system output jumps to 191 horsepower.
That’s plenty enough for most peeps, especially the kind of customers who care about fuel economy. The Ford Motor Company expects the hybrid to receive a tremendous rating from the Environmental Protection Agency, as in 40 miles to the gallon (5.9 liters per 100 kilometers) in the urban cycle.
The optional 2.0-liter EcoBoost isn’t bad either. The 250-horsepower mill flaunts 277 pound-feet (376 Nm) of torque and returns 26 mpg (9.0 l/100 km) with FWD or 25 mpg (9.4 l/100 km) with AWD on the combined cycle.
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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