Typically, international patent offices are the worst offenders for automotive leaks. However, Ford’s upcoming Maverick is fast becoming one of the worst-kept secrets, with leaked pre-production photos escaping from within the Blue Oval’s very own supplier base.
Now, while they don’t show it 100 percent exposed, they also don’t leave much to the imagination, so we’ve stitched them together for our best look yet. Intrigued? Let’s take an illustrative preview and explore everything else that the Maverick is expected to offer.
A Bronco Sport With A Bed?
Given that the unibody truck is based on Ford’s C2 platform, you may think it’s just a Bronco Sport with a bed grafted on – but the differences in design go far beyond that. For starters, the Maverick is much longer due to the rear tray, and it doesn’t share any panels with its off-road-orientated stablemate.
The front facia is tough, yet simple; C-shaped headlamps flank a large grille intersected by a horizontal bar carrying the Ford logo. Sheetmetal surfacing is refreshingly devoid of any excessive styling flourishes, and the creases above the wheel arches look like they’ve come from the F-150.
See Also: Take A Look At Chevy’s Future Dedicated Electric Pickup Truck
There’s a sliding rear window behind the upright four-door cab, and the lower tailgate features “MAVERICK” branding stamped into the sheet metal. Don’t expect any miracles in terms of bed size; those who have seen it up close say its notably smaller than the larger Ranger in volume.
A Familiar Place To Be
Inside, much of the styling and equipment follows on from where the Bronco Sport left off. The blocky-themed dash features a high-mounted, 8-inch touchscreen running Ford’s Sync 4 infotainment system. Curiously though, there’s a small cubby to the side which suggests a larger screen may also be available.
A horizontal trim inlay finished in granite houses the volume and tuning buttons and spans the dashboard’s width. Further down are the air vents, HVAC controls and a rotary transmission selector positioned in the center console.
Read: We Have The Scoop On The 2022 Nissan Frontier Pickup Truck
The Maverick will seat five people and feature Ford’s latest Co-Pilot360 suite of advanced driver-assist technologies. These include AEB with pedestrian detection, dynamic brake support, blind-spot monitoring with cross-traffic alert, evasive steering assist and intelligent adaptive cruise control.
Powertrain & Platform
The new pickup truck will be offered with two engines at launch: a 1.5-litre EcoBoost with 181 horsepower and 190 lb.-ft. of torque and a 2.0-litre EcoBoost four-cylinder with 245 horsepower and 275 lb.-ft. Power will be fed to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission, and all-wheel-drive will be optional. A hybrid is also said to be on the cards for a later introduction.
Underpinning the truck will be Ford’s C2 architecture that is also used by the Escape, Lincoln Corsair, Bronco Sport and the upcoming Fusion/Mondeo Active. It also features a rear coil-sprung twist-beam suspension to help keep costs down.
Rivals & Reveal
When the Maverick launches, it’ll compete in a relatively small segment, as most trucks today have grown substantially in size. Arguably, its closest rivals will be Hyundai’s Santa Cruz and the not-for-US-consumption Fiat Toro/RAM 1000 unibody trucks.
We anticipate an official reveal in the coming months, with sales kicking off later this year. Pricing is said to be in the $20,000 – $25,000 region.
Would you consider a small, unibody pickup truck? We’d love you to share your thoughts in the comments below.
