The Ford Maverick is the small ute we deserve

Wednesday, 9 June 2021

Meet the Maverick - the half-tonne (well, 680kg) ute we deserve to get here.

Ford has revealed a 'proper' ute, the Maverick, that comes with a small price tag and a hybrid engine as standard. In America, at least.

The Maverick measures 5072mm long and 1727mm high, putting it 282mm shorter and 61mm lower than the Ranger. It only comes as a double-cab with a 1382mm tray capable of hauling a payload of 680kg.

It’s also a ‘proper’ ute in the traditional sense – while the Ranger and its kind are ladder chassis-based pickups, the Maverick rides on the same monocoque platform as the Ford Escape, Bronco Sport and, you guessed it, the Focus, making it a traditionally car-based ‘ute’ of the kind pioneered in Australia by Ford in 1934.

The Maverick small ute will come standard with a hybrid engine and some big headlights.

Ford has given the Maverick some fairly traditional styling, with a chunky, upright nose featuring a grille bar connecting the two indicators and C-shaped LED headlights. Base models have a black grille while others get extra grey trim.

**READ MORE:

The top-spec Lariat model gets a faux-leather interior, while lesser variants make do with cloth.

* Ford readying Maverick small ute for its full debut

* Is Ford planning Bronco-based ute?

All-wheel drive is only available with the 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine. The hybrid is FWD only.

* Ford shows off new SUV and electrified additions

* Ford debuts not-for-us electrified F-150

The tray is generous enough, with space for 680kg of stuff. You can even divide it into sections.

* Ford working on plug-in Ranger

This is the only option we’d need for an adventure-ready vehicle.

Those massive headlights are the dominant feature of the front end, and will no doubt be controversial, but it might pay to get used to them as the Maverick’s styling could well reflect the look of the next-generation Ranger.

Standard wheels are 17-inch steelies, upgradeable to 17- or 18-inch alloys in silver or black. Inside the tray are two 12-volt power sources, four tie-down points, four D-rings, and threaded holes in the side of the bed that can take pieces of wood to divide the tray. There’s even a QR code in the tray that offers ideas for custom upgrades like a bike rack.

Inside is an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, a bunch of physical controls for air-conditioning and media, a rotary gear selector, and a handful of storage cubbies.

The base XL and mid-level XLT models have manually adjustable cloth seats, but the top Lariat model gets some nice power-adjustable faux-leather seats. One of the images shows a bottle opener built into the Maverick, a crucial addition to any adventure-ready vehicle.

All three models get Ford Co-Pilot360 technology, comprising automatic emergency braking, post-collision braking, and automatic headlights and high beams. Lariat Mavericks get a driver-assist upgrade with adaptive cruise control, lane-keep and rear parking sensors.

Underneath the sheet metal is the same platform as the Bronco Sport and Escape. Power will be sourced from a 2.5-litre hybrid engine by default, making a combined 142kW. Fuel consumption is low, as you might expect, with Ford claiming 5.9L/100km of city economy.

Unfortunately, the hybrid is only available in front-wheel drive form, and it’s paired with a CVT, which may drive some people away.

If you want all-wheel drive, you need to look at the 2.0-litre turbocharged EcoBoost engine, which generates 186kW/376Nm. It gets an eight-speed automatic transmission and can be specced in either FWD or AWD. Towing is rated at 907kg for the hybrid and 1814kg for the Ecoboost.

An FX4 package is also available on the top two trims and adds all-terrain tyres, retuned suspension, skid plates, two additional drive modes (Mud/Rut and Sand), and hill descent control.

Primary competition will come in the form of the Hyundai Santa Cruz, which Ford’s offering handily beats in the consumption game. Hyundai’s least thirsty engine is a 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four with around 141kW along with a city consumption rating of 11.2L/100km.

However, Hyundai does win in terms of outright power, with its 210kW/422Nm 2.5-litre turbo engine, as well as towing, rated at 2268kg with the 2.5L turbo.

Interested? We sure are but Ford NZ isn’t saying if the Maverick will come here. While we hear that customer enquiry is very strong locally, Ford US is remaining tight-lipped about the possibility of a RHD version of the Maverick.

Given the Bronco is a hard no, it’s not looking too good, but we can still hope. If it does arrive, it should be cheap, considering U.S. pricing starts at US$19,995 for the base XL hybrid. Even allowing for exchange rates and other extras, it should still put base Maverick well below the $50,190 entry point to the Ranger’s dual-cab models.

Come on Ford, this part of the world gave you the Ranger, give us a RHD Maverick in return!