Over the past few weeks, the rumormill has been abuzz about the upcoming Ford Maverick – The Blue Oval’s upcoming unibody pickup that will slot under the Ford Ranger. And now, brand new spy photos show the latest development prototype.
The last time we’ve seen the Ford Maverick was in March of 2019, when it was in very early development stages. That particular mule was camouflaged to look like a van, complete with a fake slide rail for an equally-fake sliding rear door. The prototype we’re looking at today is very, very different.
Sure, it still wears gobs of camouflage which, this time around, makes it look like an SUV, potentially thanks to a camper shell over the bed. However, we’re told that underneath all that cladding is an advanced prototype for the upcoming Ford Maverick.
Our spies tell us that the vehicle might look humongous in photos, but it’s actually not that big in real life. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if the devious camo artists used an extra few inches of spacer camo to make this prototype look longer than it actually is. There’s also some fake camo that makes the rear door look larger than it actually is.
Ford Authority rendering of the upcoming Maverick
One of the tell-tale signs that we’re looking at a unibody vehicle is that there are not visible frame rails sticking out from underneath the body. Another noteworthy element are the lug nuts: this prototype has a five-lug setup. Other models that also have a five-lug configuration are the new Ford Bronco Sport and the Ford Escape – both models that ride on the Ford C2 platform. That very architecture is expected to also underpin the Ford Maverick.
By comparison, all of Ford’s body-on-frame pickup truck and SUV models – from the Ford Ranger to the new Bronco and Everest, and from the Expedition to the F-150, have a six-lug configuration.
Ford Bronco Sport
Ford Maverick production will take place alongside the Bronco Sport at the Ford Hermosillo plant in Sonora, Mexico. Pricing is expected to start just around the $19,000 mark, and the very first units are expected to begin arriving in roughly 16-20 months. The Maverick will only have one competitor – the upcoming Kia Santa Cruz pickup.
We’ll have much more on this and all new model year Ford vehicles soon, so be sure to subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Maverick news and obsessive Ford news coverage.
Comments
I’m digging this. You guys seem to usually have more information and the right information most of the time compared to others. This looks quite promising IMO.
This going to be a interesting little truck looks promising
It struck me as surprising that the Ford Maverick, which was promoted as “The first car of the 1970s” in the summer of 1969, is now revived as a small pickup. One of my sister’s college classmates had the Maverick car, which was smaller than the Mustang but larger then the Pinto. It was produced from 1970 to 1977.
Anyway, if GM doesn’t bring back the Chevy S-10 (which is still manufactured in South America), the Ford Maverick will take many sales away from the Colorado and some from the Ranger.
The use of Maverick is a little more of a stretch than “Courier” would’ve been in my opinion, but it still has some precedent: Maverick was the name used for the boxy first-generation Escape in Europe. And this pickup is built on the Escape/Bronco Sport platform.
There are other ways in which Maverick applies.
Maverick will be unlike all but one other pickup in North America. It will be unlike that truck because it will be smaller, more economical, and far less expensive. It could be said, therefore, that Ford is going maverick in entering a currently barren segment, one with a troubled track record.
The Maverick will be unlike the Subaru Baja (which was clearly an Outback wagon with an open cargo deck) and Honda Ridgeline (which is evidently intended to either bring in new customers, or compete with other midsize trucks, either way, it certainly isn’t setting sales charts ablaze). It’s really more of a modern VW Caddy for anyone born and residing above the Rio Grande, as these types of trucks are very popular below it. Ram and Chevrolet field FWD unibody economy trucks, amongst many others. Most are basic single cabs aimed at being an economical, practical alternative to a car. For the U.S. and Canada, that’s not gonna cut it. The vehicle had to be ready for our market, but still fulfilling that basic mission, if it’s to do what Ford anticipates it will do.
To set everyone at ease, including myself, the fact that development is taking place here (even if the platform is basically European, which isn’t a bad thing) is a great indicator that this is NOT likely to turn out like the EcoSport did, as in being a 3rd world car, barely polished enough to sell here.
That being said, I hope everyone will keep its target market and price point in mind when it debuts. Starting decently below $20k means it’s likely not to compare well to your wife’s Edge SEL in power, NVH and fancy materials inside. Think of it more as an alternative to a Kia Soul or something like that, or even cheaper cars like Mitsubishi Mirage and Nissan Versa. I know I’d rather drive just about ANYTHING besides those two.
The Bronco would look great as a 2 door model with Removable roof, doors, a short bed with the spare tire on the tailgate. Am not sure about a 2 door Bronco Sport Truck aka Maverick
I absolutely agree, a two-door, possibly soft top Bronco Sport would REALLY set it apart in its segment, and link it even more strongly with the bigger Bronco.
I do NOT expect the Maverick to have the Bronco Sport’s front cap. I expect it will resemble a shrunken F-150 rather than a Bronco Sport pickup variant.