2022 Ford Maverick first drive: Affordable hybrid game-changer
2022 Ford Maverick first drive: Affordable hybrid game-changer
12:05

2022 Ford Maverick first drive: Affordable hybrid game-changer

Cars
Speaker 1: If pickup truck's gotten too big, too expensive and too agro for you. Ford's got something you need to take a long look at the 2022 Maverick. It's not built like a typical truck, but that means this compact haul is also shockingly efficient and affordable. Plus it, Scott versatility and cleverness to spare. So let's go for a spin in Ford's little rule breaker. So I'm driving something. [00:00:30] That's extremely rare, a base model at a press launch. I gotta tell you guys, this never happens. It shows a lot of confidence that Ford has in this vehicle that they're willing to show the model without anybody LS and whistles, just the base model. In fact, I think this is probably the least expensive vehicle that I've driven at a press launch in years. Speaker 1: So this base XL model, it starts at $19,995. But [00:01:00] the reality is you and I have to pay death. So that makes this one around 21 5. That's actually still cheaper than a Honda civic. Now this is a pretty basic interior. I'm not gonna lie to you, but it's honest. And I appreciate that. And it's still got all the key stuff you need. There's an eight inch touch screen here. You get apple CarPlay and Android auto standard. You get hard plastic and a lot of places, but it's honestly grained and it actually feels right. There's still soft touch, kind of where it matters like down here on the armrests overall, [00:01:30] it feels good. So this is the base XL model, which is actually a hybrid and it's front wheel drive. Now all-wheel drive is available, but if you want a hybrid and you want those 40 miles per gallon, you need this guy right here. It's 191 horsepower that's total system horsepower, including the electric assist. And it's got 155 pound feet of torque. I admit that doesn't sound like a ton, but this vehicle is relatively lightweight. [00:02:00] And frankly, I have no problem getting around in it. Speaker 1: So if you're like me, you've been wondering, where has a new compact pickup truck been for so long? And Ford says that it's because they can leverage the architecture of this vehicle, the C2 architecture, which also underpins the escape and the new Ford Bronco sport. They said that that scale gives it enough bandwidth that they can afford to do a model like this and make it as cheap as it is, whatever the reason and I'm as sick of compact crossovers, as you are [00:02:30] give thanks because it's great that this is here. Speaker 1: So for 21 5, you gotta be wondering, what are you missing? Honestly, little bits of things here and there. Like the side mirrors. I actually had to power down the wind doing, adjust it by hand the horror. There's a key in the ignition slot. That's right. I said, ignition slot and key. In fairness, I recently drove a Ford ranger tremor over 40 grand and it had one of those too. You know what? It still works just fine. [00:03:00] I have a feeling that there's some of you out there that aren't into all the high tech. You just want simple, reliable. Maybe you're a little older, maybe you're a little younger and would rather do it yourself. Either way. Base model will get you where you need to go and get you there on the cheap. Speaker 1: So what is this like to drive in a word car-like and I mean that maybe even more than something like the Honda Ridge line, which really isn't in this price class, you're sitting relatively low, the dashboard [00:03:30] is low. The dimensions of this thing are, are really manageable. This is under 200 inches long. It feels like a compact crossover that just happens to have in the back. I find that kind of enjoyable, cuz it means you can kind of head into the corners here carrying a little bit more speed than you might otherwise in a big Burley pickup truck. But some people might be thrown off by that a little bit too, because they like the feel of a truck. I have an independent rear suspension Outback. I have front wheel drive this by all intense and purposes. [00:04:00] It's more or less a car. Speaker 1: One other thing that I'm pleasantly surprised with in this vehicle is the breaking feel. Normally hybrids are a recipe for weird feeling breaks, often very spy and sort of not progressive at all, but this has a nice firm feel shorts to Oak, pretty linear. I'm pretty impressed. We'll get to the higher power gas only EcoBoost powertrain in a sec, but it's worth digging into the hybrids. Fuel economy figures a bit deeper [00:04:30] because they're so outrageous. Ford is targeting 40 MPG in the city, which is just about double what the company's larger ranger can do. The rest of the numbers are good too. 33 MPG city and 37 combined. That's enough for a bladder busting 500 miles between Phillips impressively in a brief urban test loop. I beat Ford's 40 MPG bogie without even trying. So we've established that this base base model is actually really good, but I also wanna see how the other end of this model [00:05:00] spectrum lives. That's the LA. So let's hop in one of those, Speaker 1: All right, through the magic of the internet. It's day two here on the 2022 Ford Maverick launch and it's offroading day it's towing day it's hauling day. We're starting off here in a midgrade XLT trim with the FX four offroad package. They've got a nice little light duty off-road course set up for us. So let's see what this thing can do. The two liter brings with it 250 horses [00:05:30] and 277 pound feet of torque, which means it's a lot more powerful than the base hybrid. And you can feel it also the continuously variable transmission has been shown the door and in its place is a conventional eight speed torque converter automatic. If you're wary of CVTs or you just want more power, this is the way to go. Although it is quite a bit less efficient at 22 MPG city, 29 highway and 25 combined for all wheel drivers like this. Now, remember this is an all-wheel drive [00:06:00] system. It's a unit body crossover. We're not talking lockers, low range, all that sort of stuff. It's mostly electronic trickery. That's getting us there, but you'd be surprised at how much you can get accomplished with a setup like that. Speaker 1: So the F four option package is only available on the all wheel drive models with the two liter. So no hybrid here, but I gotta say it's probably the biggest deal on the options list. It's 800 bucks and it gets you a ton of stuff, including front toe hooks under body shielding, additional drive modes, including the [00:06:30] mud and ruts that we're using here. And most importantly, it gives you beefy your tires. So they're actually two tire packages. So you can get on FX four, come standard with Perle scorpion at tires. But if you want something a little bit more aggressive, like we're riding on right now, these are Ft, wild peak tires that are borrowed from the Badlands version of the Bronco sport. They're further $795. So not as cheap as the, uh, the base package for the FX four, but they are a little not. They're a little wider at 10 millimeters wider [00:07:00] and they give you a bit more of a planted look and stance a little bit more traction off road. Speaker 1: You might think it'd be tight inside this compact, but it's actually roomier in nearly every dimension than the much larger ranger. And it's much more modern and flexible to that last bit is because there's a novel plugin accessory system that lets you add cup holders, garbage bins, almost anything Ford is making the mountain cleats design open source. So owners can develop in 3d print accessories [00:07:30] and share their plans with other owners, which is very cool. Stepping up beyond the midgrade XLT all the way into the LT scene here, and you get brown color to the leather at seats and you get this sharp, bronze effect trim too. Larry it's start at about 27 grand in your driveway. And the trim adds an eight way power driver seat, a bigger digital display in the gauge cluster plus duals on climate control and an acoustic windshield. If you want even more features like a heated steering wheel and heated seats, remote eight speaker premium [00:08:00] B O audio and a wireless charge pad, you're looking at a further 3,300 bucks or so for the Luxe package, but you'll also get a bunch of other convenience and safety gear too. Speaker 1: More on that last part in a minute annoyingly, you'll have to splurge on the top shelf LA, if you want common features like satellite radio or push button start, these should frankly be optional if not included on the mid grade XLT and no matter how much money you have, you can't cut the cord on CarPlay and Android auto. This truck runs Ford's older sync three infotainment, [00:08:30] and it isn't possible to go wireless. Now these vehicles, even though they're unit body, even though they're not full four wheel drive systems are a lot more capable than you might think. You can go bombing down fire roads, run a nice little piece of two track here. And the crazy thing about this Maverick is it's so affordable that even with an FX four package and the Navier tires and all of that, it's still about as cheap as a side by side. So this could make a great farm truck substitute. [00:09:00] Is this the substitute for a Ford Bronco or an F-150 tremor or something like that? Well, heck no, but you don't have to pay that big ticket money either About those safety features there, but sometimes they're a little hard to get to every Maverick comes with pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking, along with automatic high beams, a $540. Co-pilot 360 8 suite add blind spot monitor and lane keep assist. Unfortunately, [00:09:30] most other advanced driver assist require going all the way up the Mavs trim ladder adaptive crews. And that is frustrating. Speaker 1: So we started out in a base XL Maverick with the front wheel drive hybrid. This is the other end of the portfolio. This is probably closer to around $37,000. It's a luxury LA trim. The highest one you can get with the two liter eco boost motor and all wheel drive. And I'm actually towing right now. I've got the 4k tow package, [00:10:00] which is $745. It gets you things like an upgraded transmission, additional cooling, that sort of thing. Uh, along with trailer brake control right now I'm dragging a couple of, uh, sportsman ATVs from Polaris. Tow package is rated for 4k. This is 36 50 right now is configured and it's pretty comfortable. Speaker 1: Now. I definitely know I've got some weight back there. You can feel it we're in the hilly Tennessee country out here. So you can definitely feel it when [00:10:30] you're on the downhills. But since I've got brakes back there and I've got the trailer brake controller, it's pretty confidence inspiring. It's it's a out too bad. Now fuel economy is another matter entirely. I've seen as low as 12, 12.5 on the instant mileage readout. You're probably looking at more like 14 or 15 typically, uh, with this kind of load or maybe even a little bit higher on the freeway, steady state cruising. So this is something you don't want to tow with every day. It's just not really designed for the at, but for shorter distances or you got a [00:11:00] light travel trailer or something like that, you'll be fine. Speaker 1: Now there's a wild card in all of this Ford's ability to build these things in volume in Mexico, Ford's been struggling to achieve on time high quality new bottle launches you even without the global pandemic and chip shortage, just ask Bronco, escape and explore buyers. Fortunately, the first Mavericks are already filtering into dealers. So we'll have to give them the benefit of the doubt for now. One of [00:11:30] the best things about this new Maverick is its flexed system. It's not loaded up with high tech, high dollar stuff. It's smart technology. Our man, Craig Cole has the full download in a separate video. So be sure to check that out. If you're like me, you've been thinking for at least a decade that America's mid-size pickups have gotten way too big and way too expensive. Leaving a gap in the market underneath that's big enough to drive a truck through, as it turns out that truck might just be this Ford Maverick, it's not built like a typical pickup, but that means it's unusually [00:12:00] affordable and unusually efficient. Is it right for you?

Up Next

2022 Ford Bronco Raptor: This Big Bronco Is Here
ford-bronco-raptor-still-v1

Up Next

2022 Ford Bronco Raptor: This Big Bronco Is Here

2022 Ford F-150 Raptor Goes Big With 37-Inch Tires
f-150-raptor-still

2022 Ford F-150 Raptor Goes Big With 37-Inch Tires

2022 Volvo C40 Recharge Is a Sharp-Looking Swedish EV
volvo-c40-recharge-still

2022 Volvo C40 Recharge Is a Sharp-Looking Swedish EV

EVs vs. Gas Engines: We Do the Math on Carbon Emissions
evs-exposed-still

EVs vs. Gas Engines: We Do the Math on Carbon Emissions

2022 Yamaha XSR900 Breaks Away From the Cafe, and Onto the 1980s GP Grid
yamaha-still

2022 Yamaha XSR900 Breaks Away From the Cafe, and Onto the 1980s GP Grid

2023 Nissan Z First Drive: A Hotter Performer With Newfound Tech Smarts
nissan-z-2023-first-drive-holdingstill-cms

2023 Nissan Z First Drive: A Hotter Performer With Newfound Tech Smarts

Driving Porsche's Top-Secret Prototype Electric Race Car!
gt4-e-perf-still

Driving Porsche's Top-Secret Prototype Electric Race Car!

Our First Look at the All-New 2023 Ranger Rover Sport
land-rover-range-rover-sport-fl-still-v1

Our First Look at the All-New 2023 Ranger Rover Sport

2022 GMC Sierra AT4X: More Capable, Still Fancy
sierra-at4x-still

2022 GMC Sierra AT4X: More Capable, Still Fancy

This Dakar Rig From Audi Runs on Electricity and We Drove It
audi-rs-q-etron-still

This Dakar Rig From Audi Runs on Electricity and We Drove It

Tech Shows

The Apple Core
apple-core-w

The Apple Core

Alphabet City
alphabet-city-w

Alphabet City

CNET Top 5
cnet-top-5-w

CNET Top 5

The Daily Charge
dc-site-1color-logo.png

The Daily Charge

What the Future
what-the-future-w

What the Future

Tech Today
tech-today-w

Tech Today

Latest News All latest news

PlayStation 5 Pro Leaked: Everything We Know
playstation5pro-leak-clean

PlayStation 5 Pro Leaked: Everything We Know

Everything Just Revealed at Nvidia's GTC AI Conference
nvidiastill

Everything Just Revealed at Nvidia's GTC AI Conference

Nvidia Reveals Omniverse Cloud Streams to the Vision Pro
nvidia-vision-pro-image

Nvidia Reveals Omniverse Cloud Streams to the Vision Pro

Nvidia Shows Project GROOT and Disney Bots at GTC Conference
robot-2

Nvidia Shows Project GROOT and Disney Bots at GTC Conference

Expert vs. AI: Is Now the Time to Buy an EV?
gettyimages-1178244881

Expert vs. AI: Is Now the Time to Buy an EV?

The PlayStation Portal Built-In Volume Is too Loud: Here's How to Keep It Low
playstation-portal-audio-options-thumb2

The PlayStation Portal Built-In Volume Is too Loud: Here's How to Keep It Low

Most Popular All most popular

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
innovation

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
240123-site-samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-review-4

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
circlesearchpic

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
asus-preces-00-00-25-11-still003

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
samsung-galaxy-ring-clean

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
240111-site-best-of-ces-2024-1

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024

Latest Products All latest products

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
240304-site-nothing-phone-2-first-look-v3

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
240229-site-best-of-show-at-mwc

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
240225-site-lenovo-translucent-laptop-concept-v3

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
240225-site-motorola-rollable-concept

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist

See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro
adobe-lightroom-00-02-58-03-still006-1

See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro

This $400 Cane Has a Built-In Phone
p1022441-mp4-15-35-32-23-still001

This $400 Cane Has a Built-In Phone

Latest How To All how to videos

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
240311-site-windows-11-hidden-tips-and-tricks-v2

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
VisionOS 1.0.3

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
240216-site-galaxy-s24-ultra-tips-and-hidden-features-2

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
tiktok-on-vision-pro-clean

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
superbowl-tv-settings-thumb1

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro
240202-site-spatial-computing-on-meta-quest-3

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro