See the base Ford Maverick in all its steel-wheel glory
Here's what you get for that $21,490 price, and it rocks some sweet 17-inch steel wheels.
Yep, you read it right. The 2022 Ford Maverick starts at a lowly $21,490 before a mandatory $1,495 destination charge. That's frankly wild considering we live in a world where the average new car costs around $38,000. So, let's take a look at the base Maverick in its XL trimmings, shall we?
Ford already has a configurator up for the little trucklet showing what exactly you can expect if you want the ultra inexpensive Maverick. The initial takeaway is, well, it doesn't look too bad. The exterior still looks like any other Maverick minus some extra chrome trim additions, and it wears a set of 17-inch steel wheels. Personally, the steel wheels look pretty great to me, though it's understandable why buyers will more than likely opt for the XLT trim with its identically sized but more stylish aluminum wheels. LED headlights are also standard fare, and the nifty Flexbed solution for the Maverick's rear end comes with every truck. It's highly versatile and very cool.
I chose Cactus Gray, but the base truck also comes in decent selection of colors, including a bright blue, Ford's neat Area 51 blueish gray and your standard helpings of white, gray, black and silver. The XLT trim serves up some far more fun colors.
A catalog of extras is available for the base truck, too, including tonneau covers, bed liners, splash guards and more. But otherwise, the Maverick is pretty standard across the line. Unless you add the FX4 package at some point. But we're talking about the cheap little guy right now.
Inside, things definitely look a little more like a base model vehicle. The splashy contrasting colors of the higher-end trims is gone in favor of darker gray and black finishes. The cloth seats lose the special color-contrasting look of the one-rung-up XLT trim as well. However, an 8-inch infotainment screen is standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as is a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot. Between two analog gauges sits a 4.2-inch display for additional information. Automatic emergency braking is the only active safety feature onboard here, though buyers can add Ford's Co-Pilot 360 for $540 more to unlock more safety tech. Otherwise, this is certainly a more utilitarian cockpit. But, for the price, it's not too shabby. It seems unlikely the XL will be the volume trim for customers, though. That'll likely be the XLT trim with bundled with some options packages to add on heated seats and more. And still, the XLT only costs $23,775 after destination.
The Maverick is all hybrid, all the time, with its 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle inline-four engine and a CVT, but even the base XL trim can be had with the optional 2.0-liter turbo-four. If you drop the turbo mill in the base model, that also unlocks optional all-wheel drive for $3,305 more. Otherwise, power routes to the front wheels only.
You can reserve a Maverick right now with a refundable $100 deposit, or wait and see the trucks at dealers this fall. But even the base XL trim makes a compelling case in a world full of $40,000 new cars.
