Automakers keep on rolling the trucks in the US. Now Ford’s here with the long-awaited entry-level pick-up, the Maverick. After years of rumours, the smallest and most budget-friendly truck from the Blue Oval is available for bookings in three variants: XL, XLT, and LARIAT. The compact Ford Maverick is priced from $21,490 (Rs. 15.66 lakh approximately) and is targeted at first-time pick-up buyers looking for a budget option.
The unibody construction of the Maverick is based on the Bronco Sport and has a hybrid powertrain as standard. The front features a raked front windshield and a muscular bonnet. The upright front fascia has hexagonal black grille inserts on the nose. It is flanked by huge C-shaped LED headlamps with an amber lighting cluster connected by twin chrome strips and the Blue Oval badge. There is a lower central air inlet on the bumper which connects to the round-shaped wheel arches. The side profile is quite clean.
On the back, the highlight is the 1.37-metre length truck bed which is said to be designed with utility in mind. It has built-in threaded holes, slots to create different storage segments by sliding 2x4s or 2x6s into stamped bedsides, four D rings, multiple tie-downs and so on. It also gets sturdy aluminium rails to secure things. The 680kg of payload area has a 110 V power outlet with 400 W of power available. The Maverick has an overall length of 5,072 mm with a 3,076 mm long wheelbase as it is 686 mm longer and has a 406 mm longer wheelbase compared to the Bronco Sport. Pitting it against the recently launched Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup, the Maverick is 101 mm longer and has a longer wheelbase length of 61 mm.
The entry-level Ford Maverick derives power from a 2.5-litre inline four-cylinder hybrid engine, which produces 191 horsepower and 210 Nm of peak torque. It is mated with a CVT sending power to only the front wheels. The compact pickup truck has a towing capacity of up to 907 kg apart from the payload capacity of up to 680 kg. There’s no all-wheel-drive (AWD) on offer in the hybrid but there is another engine option customers can go with for it.
The 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder unit churns out 250 horsepower and 375 Nm with a towing capacity of 1,814 kg with an optional tow package. The optional AWD trim gets five drive modes namely Normal, Sport, Slippery, Tow/Haul, and Eco. The Maverick also features an FX4 off-road package with all-terrain tyres, underbody protection, more drive modes, HDC (Hill Descent Control), retuned suspension and more.
For safety, AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking), Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Centering, Blind Spot Monitoring with Cross-Traffic Alert, etc will be part of the package.
The cabin of the 2022 Maverick has plenty in common with the Bronco Sport. There are familiar features like slotted door armrests, 12V power outlets, a 4G Wi-Fi modem, and a dashboard with a bronze accent. It houses a 4.2-inch/6.5-inch productivity screen on the gauge cluster and an 8.0-inch Sync 4 touchscreen infotainment system with support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Ford is also offering the Maverick First Edition package, available for the first model year only. 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-colour door handles, high-gloss black skull caps. The package includes gloss black-painted and machined 18-inch wheels for hybrid or unique 17-inch aluminium wheels for the gasoline model. The offered paint schemes are Carbonized Gray, Area 51 and Rapid Red, all of which are unique to the First Edition.
The 2022 Ford Maverick will go on sale this fall in the US.
