Ford Maverick XLT, the Jack Russell terrier of pickups
Within the Ford stable of Clydesdale Super Duties, stampeding Mustangs, bucking Broncos and workhorse F-150s is the small but mighty Maverick, the mule. For those who don’t spend much time around livestock, a mule is a cross between a female horse and a male donkey. The great thing about a mule is that it has the strength of a horse without the fragility. They are more resistant to diseases that often plague horses while eating less, making them durable and cost-effective.
While not the prettiest animal in the stable, they make up for it by being a hybrid that takes the best traits of two breeds, which is the main selling point of the Maverick.
The Ford Maverick is categorized as a mid-size pickup truck with the interior space of a crossover SUV that drives like a compact sedan. Few things are as endearing as versatility in a compact package, like Swiss Army knives, a derringer handgun, smartphones, ramen noodles and the Jack Russell terrier.
The small truck debuted in 2021 and arrived at dealers as a 2022 model. Since then, Ford has run into problems meeting the demand. According to Kelly Book Blue, the 2023 model year of the Maverick sold out in six days, and orders for 2024 models are expected to fill up
quickly. When a product sells like a hotcakes on Black Friday, the first thing one thinks is, “Why?” followed by, “What’s so good about it?”
With access to a Ford Maverick XLT, with the optional Tremor package, I had seven days to find out what makes this crossover SUV with a four-foot truck bed so good.
The test truck arrived wearing a light color named Avalanche, with exclusive carbonized gray Tremor graphics on the hood and side sills, further complimented by XLT emblems and TREMOR lettering dressed in bronze.
The little truck stood tall on 17-inch aluminum wheels painted in Tarnished Dark with bronze accents wrapped in allterrain rubber knobbier than the standard allseasons.
The Tremor Off-Road Plus Appearance package ($4,490) gives the compact pickup a weekend warrior aesthetic and prowess.
If you want the bird without the feathers, Ford offers a second Tremor package ($2,995) on XLT and Lariat trim levels, providing off-road suspension, skid plates, 4WD with an electronic rear differential, trail control, and a heavy-duty transmission cooler.
Inside, the Maverick provides planetarium levels of headroom thanks to its boxy roofline. Getting in and out of the truck puts little to no stress on your lumbar, thanks to its bar stoollevel ride height.
Once inside, the interior is on par with a Motel 6, clean, functional, but nothing close to five stars. You select gears on a dial, navigate controls on the dashboard using buttons on the steering wheel, and have a reasonably sized touchscreen in the center to view the reserve and front camera.
The Tremor package comes with the turbocharged 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine producing 250 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque with 8-speed automatic transmission. Until now, the standard engine on the Ford Maverick was the 2.5-liter 188 hp Hybrid drive train.
However, the Ford Authority enthusiast website recently reported that Ford is dropping the Hybrid as the standard engine in favor of the 2.0 EcoBoost for the 2024 model year.
Regardless, the plucky EcoBoost provides the necessary power to keep up with the Autobahn nature of Texas highways and enough grunt to pull 4,000 pounds with the available tow package.
The Maverick offers the perks of a pickup truck within the dimensions of a compact SUV. Its capability is enhanced by the off-road package with the necessary tools to impress full-size truck naysayers who look down on it from their lifted crew cabs. It can climb over elevated obstacles without the anxiety of a super-sized wheelbase and the ease of driving a golf cart.
Like a mule, it’s easy to underestimate until you see it perform.