Cheap to own and cool to customize, mini-trucks from the likes of Chevy, Dodge, Ford, Isuzu, Mazda, and Toyota once offered a great way to get around on the cheap. They were light-truck-functional and fun. There was even a custom mini-truck culture that developed around these small pickups with customized examples everywhere, mini-truck clubs nationwide, and enthusiast magazines focused on reporting the latest mini-truckin’ trends.
It’s been decades now since the mini-truck phenomenon faded and these pint-sized trucks largely disappeared from our highways. But that doesn’t mean right-sized trucks aren’t a really good idea in an era of ever-bigger, heavier, and brawnier pickups on our roads. Without a doubt, full- and mid-size pickups fill a crucial need for a wide array of business and commercial needs, which makes them the perennially best-selling vehicles on the market. At the same time, their five-passenger cabins and diverse capabilities also make them attractive for a huge number of personal-use drivers who own pickups entirely for pleasure, recreation, and for occasionally hauling loads, towing trailers, or carrying gear. Clearly, smaller pickups that fulfill these needs could provide an attractive option while saving gas, carbon emissions, and cash.
Maverick Pickup is Right-Sized
That’s the aim of Ford’s Maverick, a compact pickup larger than the mini-trucks of old yet smaller than its mid-size brethren like the Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado, or Toyota Tacoma. Maverick features pleasant exterior styling that appeals to any age buyer. It also has a strong work ethic and is equipped to do the job with its 54.4-inch long bed, 1500-pound payload capability, and 2,000 pound tow rating in base form. Check a few additional boxes on the order form and that tow rating jumps to 4,000 pounds.
Ford did a lot of things right when it introduced the Maverick three years ago. Built on a unibody platform with an eleven inch shorter overall length than even the mid-size Ranger pickup (38 inches shorter than the F-150) and a 40-foot turning diameter, the Maverick was designed brawny enough to warrant pickup-lover attention while also being small enough to be perfect for the city. It’s also great for the open road with the model’s hybrid engine delivering a combined 37 mpg EPA rating (42 city/33 highway) and over 500 miles of range.
Efficient Hybrid is Standard
Today, Ford has again flipped the powertrain script for the 2025 Maverick. When the all-new 2022 Maverick was introduced, it was the super-efficient 2.5-liter hybrid powertrain that was standard fare, featuring 191 horsepower, a variable speed transmission, and available exclusively in front wheel drive. Buyers could optionally choose a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder delivering 250 horsepower and 277 lb-ft torque, backed by an 8-speed automatic transmission and available with either front or all-wheel drive. The EcoBoost choice was more powerful but less efficient, scoring an EPA combined rating of 25 mpg (22 city/29 highway).
Following its debut year, Ford made the EcoBoost engine standard with the hybrid available as a higher priced option. Now, recognizing the popularity of hybrid power, Ford has once again made the hybrid powertrain standard for 2025 Maverick buyers. Maverick hybrids are also now available with either two- or four-wheel drive capability.
Maverick Pickup Choices
The 2025 Maverick comes in five trim levels – XL, XLT, Lariat, Tremor, and Lobo – that start at $26,395 to $36,835 for the first three trims and run upward to $39,895 to $42,000 for the highest-end Tremor and Lobo. The latter two are high-performance specialty variants that champion a pair of popular customization themes, both powered exclusively by the more powerful EcoBoost engine.
Tremor is outfitted for rigorous off-road duty with underbody protection, special suspension tuning for handling uneven road surfaces, all-terrain tires wrapped around 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels, Hill Decent Control, and additional drive modes including Mud/Rut and Sand. Maverick’s latest Lobo variant lends sport truck appeal to the pickup with a lower ride height, torque vectoring, and street performance-tuned suspension, shocks, and steering. It also offers a “Lobo” drive mode intended for closed course driving. Its street performance image in enhanced with a black-painted roof, 19-inch black wheels, painted bumpers, and a unique front fascia.
Wide Array of Standard Features
While the Maverick is an affordably priced truck, it still provides a wide array of standard comfort, safety, and convenience features. Among these are a 13.2-inch center touchscreen, an 8-inch digital instrument cluster above the steering wheel, Ford SYNC 4 with connected navigation and enhanced voice recognition, Apple Car Play/Android Auto connectivity, and on-board 5G WiFi. All Mavericks are also now equipped with Ford’s Co-Pilot360 technology suite. This provides pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping aid, a rear view camera, and auto LED high-beam headlamps.
Optionally available are items like a wireless phone charger, power locking tailgate, and 110-volt cab and bed outlets. Additional driver assist options include adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, cross-traffic alert, lane centering with evasive steering assist, and Pro Trailer Hitch Assist. New-for-2025 is a 360-degree camera that enables a split view of what’s immediately behind and ahead of the vehicle along with cross-traffic views.
The Affordable Maverick Pickup
In the end, the Maverick reinforces what everyone in Texas already knows: Just because you don’t need a truck every day doesn’t mean you might not want one. The Ford Maverick not only speaks to this desire but also makes owning a pickup more appealing for a great many buyers with its more compact form, high efficiency, and approachable cost of entry. The addition of off-road and sport truck choices expands the Maverick’s compelling nature even further.
About that “first car” thing? Look, we know it’s a truck. But at a starting price of just over $26,000, the Ford Maverick really is the perfect first – or entry-level – car for anyone looking for some pretty cool transportation…and it comes with a highly functional truck bed as a bonus!