Ford isn’t slated to officially reveal the upcoming Ford Maverick until some time next year, but over the past several months, details about the unibody pickup’s features have steadily trickled in. As first reported by Ford Authority, we now know that the Maverick will be structurally similar to the Bronco Sport from the B-pillar forward. Additionally, Ford is sticking the spare tire directly underneath the bed, a configuration seen in pretty much every body-on-frame pickup currently on the market. And today, we’ve managed to get our hands on a spy shot that shows the front and rear Ford Maverick doors opened for the first time.
Unfortunately, there isn’t too much we can glean from the shot, since we can’t see the actual cabin. But we can definitely see the door openings in the body meant to accommodate the pickup’s doors. While the front door appears to be the same, if not similar, to the Bronco Sport, the rear door is certainly larger than that of its ruggedized sibling, no doubt enabled by the Maverick’s longer wheelbase.
A larger rear door would allow owners to easily access the backseat, whether for cargo- or passenger-carrying purposes. And since the Ford Maverick is expected to cater to families, the larger rear door and associated opening could be a boon for passengers of all shapes and sizes.
When the Ford Maverick launches next year, it will slot below the Ford Ranger and serve as The Blue Oval’s entry-level pickup. The model will ride on the Ford C2 platform, which also underpins the Ford Escape and aforementioned Bronco Sport, Lincoln Corsair, and international-market Ford Focus.
Powertrain options will most likely include two Ford EcoBoost options, including the 1.5L EcoBoost three-cylinder and the 2.0L EcoBoost inline-four. Both of the boosted gasoline motors will be paired to the company’s new 8-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel-drive is expected to be standard, with all-wheel-drive offered as an option.
The fact that front and rear Ford Maverick doors look to be fairly accommodating for easy ingress and egress suggests that The Blue Oval is really sweating the details when it comes to its upcoming entry level pickup. And that’s a good thing, since the well-received 2021 Ford F-150 and 2021 Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport were also created under a similar “human-centered design” mantra.
Maverick production will take place at the Ford Hermosillo Assembly Plant in mid to late 2021, and the compact car-based pickup will come to market as a 2022 model year vehicle.
We’ll have much more on the new Maverick soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Maverick news and around-the-clock Ford news coverage.
Comments
Can’t help but notice that the headlights (what can be seen under the camo) look an awful lot like the headlights from the supposed leaked next-gen Ranger a year and a half or so ago… interesting
Good thing or bad thing?
Good in my opinion
Yes!!! Looks like they are accommodating families and hopefully being able to fit car seats. Now we just gotta hope it looks like a truck and not too much like a crossover. Thanks for the post!
“Now we just gotta hope it looks like a truck and not too much like a crossover.”
All signs point to it looking like the Bronco Sport from the doors forward, which is a very boxy CUV. Kinda like how the older BOF Sport Trac was an Explorer Sport from the doors forward.
As former owner of a 1974 Ford Maverick it’s sad to see a great muscle car transformed into another truck or even worse, into another boring SUV.
Maverick was never a Muscle Car
I had a 77 2-door with manual transmission, 302 BOSS and posi rear… It ate “muscle cars” for breakfast… It may not have been a marketed muscle car like a charger, camaro, mustang, etc, but it was one when configured away from the 4 cylinder or straight six family sedan versions.
The seventies Maverick was never available with a four. It was basically a rebodied last-generation Falcon.
It’s just a name. The original Maverick hasn’t been transformed into anything.
If anything, “Maverick” has *more* history as an SUV than a compact car. Ford sold rebadged Nissan Patrols and Terrano IIs under that name before renaming the first-gen Escape as Maverick in Europe.
The profile looks like it could be a beefed up Flex … I had a Flex, it was a great car – too bad it didn’t catch on everywhere.
It does look like a Flex. I always would have considered a Flex if they ever moved off that old engine and transmission that were just way outdated. I’m in a Ranger now and love it.
So it’s going to be made in Mexico and sold to us for how much?
I travel a lot for work and drive high mileage. Often I’m traveling for extended periods of time and staying out of town. I like a smaller vehicle just for reasonable fuel mileage.
I bought Ford Ecosport recently.
I absolutely love this Maverick. FWD will yield good fuel mileage. FWD will give decent all weather drivability.
Am I crazy! I have girlfriend. No kids. And I’m older.
Just like GM teased a few years ago with a new ElCamino. I’d like to see Ford bring back the Ranchero look.
Take this Maverick, knock the rear seats out of it. Give it a comfortable car like interior. Give me a smooth car like ride. Also give me a usable 6′ length bed in back end.
I’d give Ford a deposit on one now!
Jorge Esquinca Dude! The Maverick was never a muscle car!
I also think it looks just like a Flex from the B pillar forward.
I owned a ’74 Mercury Comet which was a fancy Maverick. A friend of mine had a’ 72 Maverick. Neither one of them was a muscle car by any stretch of the imagination. The Maverick was a tarted up Falcon and was supposed to be an answer to the Volkswagen and the Japanese cars that were just becoming popular.
My wife just traded her Flex in for a new Explorer. We loved the Flex minus it guzzled gas. I wouldn’t mind a Flex like front end at all. Looking forward to future developments
Agree that it looks like the Flex,wonderful vehicle. I loved mine but wanted an F150. Ford Family and hope Ford keeps moving on these New style of vehicles they have coming up. BUILT FORD TOUGH!!
Been a ford guy all my life.. ford should be 100% embarrassed by every Karen catered pile of junk they thrown at us in the last decade. Ford used to stand for power, quality, and style. Now it stands for confusion.
How do you mean? What specific examples of cars/trucks are junk in your oh-so-educated opinion?
Calm down Karen. Iv towed countless newer focuses, Raptors, and edge/mkxs for trans issues. Anything with a 5.4 has exploding/shattering spark plugs and if that’s not enough the cam phasers take off on a rant when ever they feel like it. The manual transmission has become a find memory for ford even though for many of us still want them. Then new escape has left two people I know stranded under 40k due to electrical issues. And the list goes on and on. The biggest issue I have is with the f150. Guys like me who use work trucks can’t buy a decent used truck anywhere because they only come in a purse package i.e. lariat, king ranch, platinum with short beds.. totally useless for actual work. Now once in a great while we see a long bed work truck but the downside is that it will be beat to snot and still cost 45k used. We haven’t had anything but fancy junk since 1997 when the 4.9 300ci straight six left our line up.that was the last ford worth owning.
My name’s not Karen; it would do you well to remember that. If you don’t like the higher trim levels, go go buy an XL from the dealer. They didn’t go anywhere. Nobody took them away.
I’ve found from driving several Super Dutys with the ZF 6-speed that their durability and reliability is vastly overrated on the Internet compared to real life. In the same vein, the 300 I6 is a dog.
Ok susan that dog will outlast any purse package wanna be truck available today. And an xl from a dealer is triple the price it’s worth. Completely embarrassing just like you.
This can also be the new 7 passenger that is suppose to come, either in the Escape, or the new Maverick SUV sibling. Ford is making a 7 passenger Escape/bronco sport with a longer wheelbase. Look for more news to come out later.
I had a seventy maverick it was very dangerous on wet pavement with factory tires no stopping power