Ford Reveals the Maverick Pickup With Standard Hybrid Powertrain Starting at Just $19,995

author: Eric Walz   

The 2022 Ford Maverick pickup.

Ford Motor Co revealed its new all-new Maverick pickup on Tuesday with a focus on fuel efficiency, practicality and everyday utility. The Maverick will come standard with a hybrid powertrain as Ford begins to electrify its model lineup. 

At first glance, the Maverick resembles a smaller version of the Ford F-150, which is the best selling truck in the U.S. With its compact size, Ford is trying to lure in buyers with a more fuel efficient and practical pickup truck that's better suited for everyday driving, weekend projects and adventures.

Ford designed the Maverick as a new kind of pickup—small but rugged and practical. Ford said the all-new 2022 Ford Maverick is the "truck for people who never knew they wanted a truck."

Trucks and SUVs are widely popular right now, but there are not many hybrid options available to consumers. The Maverick is the first pickup on the market in the U.S. right now that comes with a standard hybrid powertrain.  The pickup features an in-house-designed and manufactured electric traction motor, which is light and powerful, according to Ford.

The 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 that is better than most sedans. The Maverick can travel 500 miles on a tank of gas. It's surprisingly good fuel economy is even better than some small cars like the Honda Civic, according to Ford.

More importantly, the new Maverick pickup starts at just $19,995, making it one of the most affordable pickup trucks on the market. 

The 4-door Jeep Gladiator pickup for example, starts at $34,040, while the 2021 Gladiator Rubicon 4X4 starts at $44,565. But unlike the more rugged Jeep Gladiator, the Maverick is built with a unibody design, which is typical in many new SUVs and crossovers right now. 

With the Maverick's unibody design, 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. The was purposely designed to offer greater dent and ding protection according to Ford, knowing that people will load and unload the bed from the sides.

With the Maverick's sub $20,000 starting price, Ford is aiming to lure in younger buyers that might find the Bronco Sport or other trucks or SUVs from rival automakers a bit too expensive for their budgets.

"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."

Powertrain

The Maverick comes standard with a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder hybrid powertrain delivering 191 horsepower when combined with the electric motorƗ, and 155 lb.-ft. of torque mated to a continuously variable transmission driving the front wheels. 

Customers that want a little more power can opt for an available 2.0-liter EcoBoost gas-powered engine delivering 250 horsepower and 277 lb.-ft. of torque. This version comes with an 8-speed automatic transmission and front wheel drive as standard, however its also available in an all-wheel drive setup. 

The hybrid Maverick offers a standard payload of 1,500 pounds and the volume to carry a standard ATV, plus it has the capability to tow up to 2,000 pounds, which is enough to haul a small camper. Ford also offers an optional 4K Tow Package, which increases the towing capability to 4,000 lbs, which Ford says is enough to pull 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."

The Maverick's FLEXBED offer many different hauling options.

The interior design includes features for city driving or for a weekend getaway. Ford utilized the interior space by creating clever storage compartments throughout the cabin. Daniel George, interior leader, who calls Maverick "the ultimate first vehicle for my kids."

Ford's attention to detail is obvious with the Maverick's door armrests, which have a split design to allow a one-liter water bottle to sit upright in a bin rather than rolling around on the seats. In addition, the door pockets were made extra large and have enough vertical clearance to store a tablet or notebooks. 

There's also a spacious storage bin under the rear seats that fits a fully inflated volleyball, small backpack, roller blades, tools or other gear. There are two available 110-volt 400-watt outlets for the Maverick that can power phones, laptops and other devices. 

The Maverick alos features Ford Integrated Tether System (FITS) for rear seat passengers. There's a FITS slot at the back of the front console that accommodates different accessories for endless personalization, according to Ford. 

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. Ford said that more storage options are in development. Ford also said it's working to publish the slot geometry so people can 3D-print custom DIY solutions to fit their needs, which is a novel idea.

The Maverick comes standard with an 8-inch center touch screen with support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The truck also has standard FordPass Connect with an embedded modem to turn the truck into a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 10 devices.

The FordPass remote vehicle app also makes it easy to check fuel level, lock and unlock the doors, and start or turn off the vehicle right from a smartphone.

The Maverick is named after the largely forgettable Maverick sedan of the 1970s. Ford produced the original Maverick from 1970 through 1977 and the newly revived nameplate is a nod to Ford's past.

Ford appears to be on a roll, so to speak. The Maverick is the fourth new vehicle from Ford in the past year, following the electric Mach-E SUV, Ford Bronco Sport and the F-150 Lightning electric truck. It goes on sale this fall.

With its hybrid powertrain, more affordable price and the added utility of a thoughtfully designed pickup, the Maverick checks many boxes for consumers and is poised to become one of Ford's best selling trucks.

Eric Walz

Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology.