Potentially ground-breaking '22 Ford Maverick compact truck gets standard hybrid power

Let's be real for a minute. It's been rumored and spy photos have shown Ford developing a new truck for a while. Early spy shots didn't show the truck next to anything for size comparison so this could have been the Ranger re-do. Nope, this truck is smaller than it's Ranger brethren (see size chart after the jump) and a storied Ford name was resurrected just for the new truck, Maverick. It kinda fits. Who would of thought that this little truck would have potentially such an impact that it is bound to have? After all today's trucks have been getting increasingly large and expensive, so Ford develops a smaller truck on the new Bronco Sport platform...not too small, that has a starting price of $19,995 plus taxes, license, fees and destination. Yup, it's a Maverick all right. This rig is cheaper out of the starting gate than any other US truck and less expensive than many compact sedans and hatches. And on top of all that, the standard powertrain is a hybrid (2.5-liter four, hybrid drive, FWD, 191 hp, CVT) and an estimated 40 mpg in the city. In a truck. The base truck will tow 2,000 lbs. or carry about 1,500 lbs, but if you need a bit more oomph, there is an available 2.0-liter Ecoboost ICE engine (250 hp) that comes mated to an eight-speed automatic and can tow up to 4,000 lbs. The EcoBoost engine must be specified if you want all-wheel drive. Maverick comes in three flavors XL, XLT, and Lariat with packages like Ford's FX-4 all-wheel drive package thar's optional on XLT and Lariat trim levels. This truck is filled with gobs of features and specs for just about any buyer/driver. Ford has developed a new FlexBed system (see video) for this truck (including power outlets) that makes the Maverick sort of a Swiss Army Knife of pick-em-ups, as an example. The rear seat lifts for storage. Lots of infotainment options including wi-fi and more safety equipment and packages than you can shake a stick at (read the media release for more specific info). Granted if you check all the boxes on the options sheet you can spend some bucks, but the point is that you don't have to with the Maverick. Imagine, a good-looking truck, with all the available options, a low starting price, and great gas mileage from the hybrid set-up. Who'da thunk it? BTW: there will be a Maverick First Edition package that is built off the Lariat trim level and includes unique graphics on the hood and lower doors, a high-gloss black-painted roof, soft tonneau cover, body-color door handles, high-gloss black skull caps, and gloss black-painted and machined 18-inch wheels for hybrid or unique 17-inch aluminum wheels for the gas model with Carbonized Gray, Area 51 and Rapid Red, being the only First Edition colors. Click on the jump for more. The Maverick hits dealers this fall. You can build and order yours now at Ford.com. Check it out. Now all we need is a Maverick Lightning.

Source: Ford - Medial release, pics, size reference chart, and videos (3) after the "read more" jump

Media Release:

40 MPG CITY. STANDARD HYBRID. SEATS FIVE. STARTS UNDER $20K. ALL-NEW 2022 FORD MAVERICK: DID WE MENTION IT’S A TRUCK?

• All-new Ford Maverick is the first standard full-hybrid pickup in America and the most fuel-efficient truck on the market with a targeted EPA-estimated rating of 40 mpg in the city*; while its compact size makes it easy to maneuver and park, there’s room for five adults and plenty of storage space
• Maverick offers lots of smart technology, including a standard 8-inch touch screen with Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto® compatibility, standard FordPass™ Connect with embedded modem and Ford Co-Pilot360™ technologies like Automatic Emergency Braking and Automatic High Beam Headlamps – all for a starting MSRP of $19,995
• The Maverick FLEXBED™ system provides organization and cargo solutions to fit owners’ lifestyles, with a multi-position tailgate, slots to use lumber to subdivide the bed, 12 available anchor points, two 12-volt 20-amp prewired sources at the back enabling DIY electrical solutions, plus two available 110-volt outlets for powering a laptop or tailgate party
• Built Ford Tough durability and capability means 1,500 pounds of payload capacity – equal to 37 bags of 40-pound mulch; standard hybrid provides 2,000 pounds of towing to haul personal watercraft to the lake, while the optional 2.0-liter EcoBoost® gas engine can tow up to 4,000 pounds, enough to bring a typical 23-foot camper on a weekend getaway

Ford is delivering a new kind of pickup – compact but mighty, built for makers and doers, stunningly fuel-efficient*, and packed with clever technology and features. The all-new 2022 Ford Maverick is the truck for people who never knew they wanted a truck.

Maverick comes as a standard five-passenger, four-door pickup, with a full-hybrid powertrain and a projected EPA-estimated rating of 40 mpg city fuel economy* and 500 miles** of range on a single tank of gas. Tested and tortured to meet Built Ford Tough standards, Maverick offers ingenious design and storage solutions while enabling customization inside and out. It all comes with a starting MSRP of $19,995.

“The Maverick product proposition is like nothing else out there. It’s a great-looking truck featuring four doors with room for five adults, a standard full-hybrid engine with city fuel economy that beats a Honda Civic***, plenty of towing and hauling for weekend trips or do-it-yourself projects, and it starts under $20,000,” said Todd Eckert, Ford truck group marketing manager. “Maverick challenges the status quo and the stereotypes of what a pickup truck can be. We believe it will be compelling to a lot of people who never before considered a truck.”

What is it?

The all-new Ford Maverick is a compact truck with a unibody design and the first pickup in America with a standard full-hybrid powertrain – providing better projected city fuel economy than a Honda Civic***. Its 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder hybrid powertrain delivers 191 horsepower when combined with the electric motorƗ, and 155 lb.-ft. of torque mated to a continuously variable transmission driving the front wheels. It features an in-house-designed and manufactured electric traction motor, which is light and powerful. Along with its targeted EPA-estimated fuel economy of 40 mpg city* and 500 miles of range on a single tank of gas**, it offers standard payload of 1,500 pounds and the volume to carry a standard ATV, plus it has the capability to tow 2,000 pounds – enough for a pair of personal watercraft or a good-sized pop-up camper trailer.

Those who want more capability can upgrade to a 2.0-liter EcoBoost® gas engine delivering 250 horsepower and 277 lb.-ft. of torqueƗƗ with an 8-speed automatic transmission and standard front-wheel drive or available all-wheel drive. Equipped with the optional 4K Tow Package, conventional towing doubles to 4,000 pounds – enough for an average 21-foot boat.

“One thing that’s non-negotiable is that Maverick is Built Ford Tough,” said Chris Mazur, a third-generation Ford employee who led development of the all-new pickup as chief engineer. “Our engineers were unrelenting, putting it through a battery of vicious on-road, off-road, environmental and simulated customer use testing until we were satisfied. Ford trucks are Ford trucks – through and through.”

What’s inside?

Maverick won’t make its owners run up the bill for a good user experience, offering options for both built-in and brought-in technology. Its standard 8-inch center touch screen features Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto® compatibility so customers can have the experience they’re used to with their phones. Maverick has standard FordPass™ Connect with embedded modem and Wi-Fi for up to 10 devicesƗƗƗ, while standard FordPass™ makes it easy to find the truck, check fuel level, lock and unlock the doors, and start or turn off the vehicle – all from your phone.

The interior design is stylish and spacious, with thoughtful features and the versatility for city driving or escaping the urban life. Surprisingly roomy, there’s excellent leg and headroom, shoulder and hip width, and a comfortable seating position for both rows.

“This customer wants simple, but not basic, and Maverick is all about thoughtful details executed well,” said Barb Whalen, who led the team in choosing materials and colors. “We want this to have a straightforward, durable, honest, well-built feel. The interior was designed with function, purpose and ease of cleaning in mind to help make our customers’ lives better. We’re using unique textures and materials like reground carbon fiber for strength and visual interest. The dash panel has a stonelike finish, like a super-durable synthetic countertop. We strategically placed pops of color for functionality – creating an energetic space you want to be in.”

Form following function can be seen all over the interior of the all-new Maverick – right down to how the space is designed and utilized. Creating clever storage and useful features fell to Daniel George, interior leader, who calls Maverick “the ultimate first vehicle for my kids.”

What’s key, he said, was understanding how people actually use the stuff they bring in, rather than just expecting them to find places to stash it. Door armrests have a split design to allow a one-liter water bottle to sit upright in a bin rather than rolling around on the seats, while door pockets are huge and have lots of vertical clearance to store a tablet or notebooks. There’s a spacious storage bin under the rear seats that fits a fully inflated volleyball, laptop bags, roller blades, tools and other gear.

FITS – Ford Integrated Tether System – is a clever multitasking solution for rear seat passengers. There’s a FITS slot at the back of the front console that accommodates different accessories for endless personalization. An available accessory package includes cupholders, a storage or trash bin, cord organizer, double hook for grocery bags and purses, and under-seat storage dividers. More FITS slot creations are in development and Ford is working to publish the slot geometry so people can 3D-print DIY solutions to further fit their lifestyle. Those accessories can be stored in multiple slots under the rear seats, which could also be used for novel applications on their own.

Ford Co-Pilot360™ technology includes standard Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking and Automatic High Beam Headlamps. Available options include Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go, Blind Spot Information System with Cross-Traffic Alert, Lane Centering and Evasive Steering Assist. Five standard drive modes include Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery and Tow/Haul to enhance performance and confidence over various driving conditions.

What’s out back?

Maverick really goes all-out when it comes to functionality with its unique FLEXBED™, which is packed with standard features and opportunities to transform the cargo box into a complete makerspace. FLEXBED gives customers organization and storage solutions to secure cargo, while accommodating Ford accessories and creative DIY solutions. The team developed its features after watching people at home improvement and furniture stores as well as college kids moving into their dorms, observing how they struggled to load things into small crossovers and cars while working around the cargo limitations they faced.

People can create segmented storage, elevated floors, bike and kayak racks and more by sliding 2x4s or 2x6s into slots stamped into the side of the bed. There are two tie-downs, four D-rings and built-in threaded holes in the sides to bolt in new creations.

“The whole bed is a DIY fan’s paradise,” said Keith Daugherty, an engineering specialist who helped develop the truck box for Maverick. “You can buy the bolt-in Ford cargo management system and we’re happy to sell it to you, but if you’re a bit more creative, you can also just go to the hardware store and get some C-channel and bolt it to the bed to make your own solutions.”

Maverick customers want to live freely. They have passions and hobbies they love and would rather spend money on the mountain bike, not necessarily the bike rack to get it to the mountains. Customers can scan the FLEXBED QR code in the bed for some interesting ideas to get started.

Gaby Grajales is an electrical engineer who helped develop standard built-in 12-volt electrical power prewired to an easily removable cover on either side of the back of the bed to support DIY electrical projects.

“People have forever been hacking into their wiring harness to run things like lighting, air pumps and other useful accessories,” said Grajales. “This is a better solution – we’re enabling customer needs while protecting the taillamp wiring and creating a fused circuit to avoid compromising the overall electrical system. With this, you have the option to select the factory-available box lighting or install your own home-built lighting setup, or even invent a whole new use for the 12-volt access points.”

Beyond DIY electrical, there are two available 110-volt 400-watt outlets – one in the bed and one in the cabin – that can power phones, laptops, small TVs, a cordless tool battery charger, or a small, corded tool like a jigsaw. There’s also a storage cubby built into the side of the bed on XLT and two available on Lariat trucks, perfect for keeping a ball hitch or air pump.

The 4.5-foot bed can carry 1,500 pounds of payload, the equivalent of roughly 37 bags of 40-pound mulch, and has a six-foot floor with the tailgate down. Maverick can carry long and wide stuff too, thanks to its multi-position tailgate. It opens normally, but also has a halfway-open position – just unclip the support cables and hook them onto the latch pins so the tailgate lip and wheelhouses can support up to 18 sheets of 4x8-foot three-quarter-inch plywood without needing to angle the panels. It’s easy. The tailgate features tie-down clamps that double as bottle openers, and is rated to hold 500 pounds of friends hanging out and taking a seat. The bed floor and sides are low, so almost any size adult can reach over and grab items off the floor.

What’s it look like?

It has a look all its own, but Maverick sports iconic Ford pickup truck style with a door design that pays homage to the company’s signature drop-down side windows and a front end that stretches edge to edge, connecting the standard LED headlamps and grille for a more prominent, planted appearance.

Form follows function here, too. Maverick is upright and squared off for space efficiency, but it looks youthful and athletic – clean, not overdesigned. There’s no gap between cab and tailgate, and the bed rail caps extend from the bed and go vertical, ending at the top of the back window. It’s designed this way to offer greater dent and ding protection, knowing people will load and unload the bed from the sides more frequently.

Maverick is offered at three trim levels – XL, XLT and Lariat. An FX4 package available for all-wheel-drive XLT and Lariat trucks adds more off-road capability with rugged all-terrain tires and suspension tuning, additional underbody protection, and off-road-focused drive modes like Mud/Rut and Sand, as well as the addition of Hill Descent Control™.

Available for the first model year only is the Maverick First Edition package. It is built off the Lariat trim level and includes unique graphics on the hood and lower doors, a high-gloss black-painted roof, soft tonneau cover, body-color door handles, high-gloss black skull caps, and gloss black-painted and machined 18-inch wheels for hybrid or unique 17-inch aluminum wheels for the gas model. It comes in Carbonized Gray, Area 51 and Rapid Red, unique to First Edition.

The 2022 Ford Maverick goes on sale this fall. The build and price website is live at Ford.com and reservations or orders can be placed today.

*Actual mileage will vary. Final EPA-estimated ratings available later in the 2021 calendar year.
**Range calculation based on 13.8-gallon tank and a targeted EPA-estimated rating of 37 mpg combined. Actual mileage will vary.
***2.5-liter hybrid powertrain. Actual mileage will vary. Final EPA-estimated ratings available later in the 2021 calendar year.
Ɨ Calculated via combined performance of the engine and electric motor(s) with peak battery power. The calculations utilize SAE J1349 engine results and Ford electric motor dyno testing. Your results may vary.

ƗƗ Targets achieved with premium fuel per SAE J1349 standard.

ƗƗƗ Don’t drive distracted or while using hand-held devices. Use voice controls.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford trucks, utility vehicles, and cars – increasingly including electrified versions – and Lincoln luxury vehicles; provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company; and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification; mobility solutions, including self-driving services; and connected vehicle services. Ford employs approximately 186,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit corporate.ford.com.